Gun cleaning & solvent

[PA BEN]

So i'm cleaning my guns and thought I ask. Do you guys clean until no blue shows on the patch? And what salvents do you guys like? Do you clean from the bearrow or breach? Do you let the solvent soaks for a wile or just run patches?

[ecnclan]

I use Hoppe's #9 for general cleaning and Sweets if a lot of copper in the bore.   I clean until the patch comes out white.  Breach when possible. 

[demontang]

I use hopps copper solvent. i clean  tell the patch comes out clean.

[follow maggie]

I use brake free, clean until the patch comes out white.

[JoeVon]

I prefer Butch's Boreshine, always had good results with it!

http://www.butchsboreshine.com/butchs-bore-shine.php

[Jamieb]

CR-10 until the patches come out clean, then a treatment of wipeout, A dry patch, then a patch of Kroil. I only clean my rifles about once a year. On bolt rifles, always from the breach and (AWAYS) with a bore guide.

[JoeVon]

and (ALWAYS) with a bore guide.

I agree, boreguides are a GOOD thing!

[Jamieb]

A lot of damage is done to rifles by folks with good intentions and a cleaning rod.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Chamber guide and Sweets.

-Steve

[PA BEN]

I've never owned a 7mm rem .mag. until I drew a moose tag last year. I started reloading this year. It takes days to clean with shooter's choice. So I have a question. Is it the solvent? Or because I'm shooting faster loads then factory loads and the copper build up is more? Also, do you bore bush your bore?

[Jamieb]

It's the solvent. Shooters choice works on copper but its slow. The more aggressive solvents have more ammonia in them, They work faster on copper but you have make sure to get it all out or it will damage a bbl.

[kitsap]

You also need to consider a product called J-B Bore Paste.  The original is more aggressive and J-B Bore Brite is less aggressive.

This is in particular true with new factory barrels or barrels that have been heavily copper fouled.

Both are available from Brownells   http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k=bore+paste/t=P/ksubmit=y/Products/All/search=bore_paste

You still need to get to a clean white patch with solvent after the bore paste and a bore guide is essential.  Butch's Bore Shine works well.

DougF

[batch]

   :

I prefer Butch's Boreshine, always had good results with it!

http://www.butchsboreshine.com/butchs-bore-shine.php

[bow-n-head]

I just use hoppes#9 I will drip it in the barrel and let it soak over night, then push a dry patch through. I will do this every day until it comes out white. I do this to each of my guns once a year. In between I will run a half dozen to 10 patches through, half with #9. Everyone has their own procedure, who can say which is right. I do like getting allot of other ideas from you guys. I had a friend that had to put a new barrel on a 30-378, he thought he shot it out, but the gun smith told him he wore it out cleaning it with some abrasive bore scrub

[HardCorpsHuntr]

Bore Guide (I like Brownells)

Dewey Rod (X2 - one with a jag the other with a copper bore brush.)

Copper bore brush ~ saturated in Hoppe's 9 to clean out the bulk of power fouling in the barrel.

Jag ~ several patches through using a new patch each time.

Copper bore brush ~ saturated in Sweets, and slowly push through the bore several times and wait about five minutes ~ don't let the brush go completely through the end of the barrel (gravity drops the rod to the barrel if you push the brush completely through and more wear can result at the 6 o'clock position of the crown.)  Spray copper brush with denatured alcohol to neutralize the Sweets.

Jag ~ several patches through using a new patch each time.

Jag ~ Hoppe's 9 with a patch to clean out Sweet's continue with a few patches until clean.

To check for copper in the bore; push a clean patch to about an inch from the end of the barrel and take it out into the sunlight and look down the barrel at the patch.  

I've tried Butch's Boreshine and prefer Sweets.  Though one does have to put up with the strong ammonia smell of the Sweets.

Semper Fi.

[ICEMAN]

   I am so bad. I have not respected my barrels like you guys do...that is for sure. 

[runamuk]

Not sure what copper solvent I have...I'd have to look....I use an otis cleaning system and love it......patch with solvent, brush brush brush patch brush brush  repeat until patch comes out clean...finish with light coat of oil.......they get cleaned after almost every time out shooting .....I like cleaning the guns so it isn't a chore or anything...lol

[addicted]

simple green and a dab of crisco for lube.

I found the otis system to be great for the feild but lacking for an at home full shebang.  I just got a dewey rod recently and i'm enjoying the efficiency

[Dadbear]

EEZOX

[littletoes]

DON'T USE SWEETS ON ANYTHING YOU LOVE.

First off, lets get things started right, don't EVER mix Sweets with Shooter's Choice, there was a HUGE warning on that years ago.....and 'ya know what? If it ain't safe to use with Shooter's Choice, I sure ain't-a-gonna use it with anything else! If you've already bought a bottle, give it to somebody you don't like......

#2 if you don't use a bore guide, throw your rifle away, or at least stop cleaning your barrel, 'cause your going to ruin it.

#3 if your copper fouling is horable, you either have a very rough barrel like what Ruger uses, or your shooting X-bullets, either way it'll take elbow grease to get it out, and some Bore Shine, then some Bore Brite, OH, and LOTS of patience.

I should have made patience #1 on the list. More barrels are ruined by folks NOT using barrel guides, and trying to win some kind of race with the cleaning rod. GO SLOW.

Bore Guide
Shooter's Choice cleaning solvent
Gun Rest where barrel is angled down, to prevent solvent from entering action of rifle
Dewey's Cleaning Rod w/Jag
The correct patches to match barrel diameter
Rags to wipe down cleaning rod
Phosphous Bronse cleaning brushes with brass wire center
Some type of scope coover to prevent solvent from getting on your scope lens

Lets start by placing your rifle in the bags or rest, inserting your bore guide, then with the propber brush, whetted with the shooters choice solvent, run into your barrel until the brush protrudes all the way out, then bring it back till it comes all the way out-THAT IS ONCE, do this 10 more times.
If you have the time let it set for a bit while you do something else, let the solvent do its job, if not proceed with the next step by removing the brush and installing the jag/patch and running it through the bore. When it comes out the other side, discard the old patch, pull the rod out slowly (no dmage to the crown here), and repatch with a new/clean patch. Never reuse a patch, your rifle is worth a new one! And thy're cheap!

If your rifle is new, and not a custom barrel, then you can use the Bore Shine, then Bore Brite bought from Sinclair's. Just don't overdue that either, you'll wear your barrel out with too much "love".

Now, don't try and win any races with that cleaning rod, you'll cause it to "bend", and that will cause it to "rub" on your barrels innerds, giving it and uneven "wear" pattern and causing it to shoot funny.

Neither your brush nor your jag/patch combo should fit so dang tight that you have to "shove", if its that tight, see above about wearing your rifles innerds out.

Good Luck, I didn't want to go into too sickening detail here,

lt