I was at the rifle range a few days ago and a guy shooting next to me asked about the controversial topic of "cleaning a rifle" since he was apparently new to the sport and was confused about all the solvents and methods and their claims on the net. Maybe gazing at my target caused him to ask me the question but if it was, it was a poor reason to ask me.
I always enjoy trying to help fellow shooters, but this is one area I shy away. However, I didn't want to respond with a terse or flippant reply, so my guarded response was a quote from one of Sinclair's Old catalogs. "All the solvents we carry will work to clean your rifle. Some work better than others for removing copper, while others attack both copper and carbon equally well. Hall of Fame Benchrest shooters have argued over the merits of one solvent vs. another but all these shooters continue to shoot well as long as they have a clean gun. Inevitably it ends up being a choice of what you think works best for you."
In other words, I do not have a clue which is the best solvent on the market, or which method is best, only what works for me and my shooting requirements. Of course, this was not the "silver bullet" answer he was seeking. I reluctantly shared my philosophy and method but cautioned him that I am not a competitive shooter. I suggested that he select a solvent, follow the instructions, select a cleaning cycle (fired rounds), then evaluate the effectiveness by the results on target.
How do you guys handle this question if asked?
I always enjoy trying to help fellow shooters, but this is one area I shy away. However, I didn't want to respond with a terse or flippant reply, so my guarded response was a quote from one of Sinclair's Old catalogs. "All the solvents we carry will work to clean your rifle. Some work better than others for removing copper, while others attack both copper and carbon equally well. Hall of Fame Benchrest shooters have argued over the merits of one solvent vs. another but all these shooters continue to shoot well as long as they have a clean gun. Inevitably it ends up being a choice of what you think works best for you."
In other words, I do not have a clue which is the best solvent on the market, or which method is best, only what works for me and my shooting requirements. Of course, this was not the "silver bullet" answer he was seeking. I reluctantly shared my philosophy and method but cautioned him that I am not a competitive shooter. I suggested that he select a solvent, follow the instructions, select a cleaning cycle (fired rounds), then evaluate the effectiveness by the results on target.
How do you guys handle this question if asked?
