Thread: Gun Cleaning

What's everyone use for gun cleaning eg. Bore snake, brushes? I have a 12g and .308 that i need to buy cleaning gear for.

Cheers possummatti

I have a proper cleaning kit at home for giving a proper clean, and have a bore snake handy while at the range, generally my rifle does not get cleaned till I get home

Get a one piece rod with bronze and nylon brushes as well as a patch jag and patches for the 308.
You will need to remove both carbon and copper from your centerfire so will need chemical to do these tasks. I suggest KG1 and KG12 but there are others.
Shotgun? Not my field but smoothbore has to be easy to clean with powder and wad residue coming out pretty easy Id guess.

I got a bit of rope wrapped some lead around one end made a loop in the other and put a rag on it. A bore snake I guess, just it was free. They work mean as I spray a bit of oil or what ever on it and then shes good to pull through

For my centerfires I use a one piece rod. Stay away from those cheap 3 piece brass sets on trademe. me and a mate got one each and they both just snapped on the threads.

Yeap, 1 piece rod, patch jag and brushes, the slotted tip patch holders are crap IMO. Also dont forget a boreguide. Not strictly a must, buts helps eliminate operator error.

I also have a chamber/action cleaning kit, but thats because I like my toys clean clean.

My mates telling me that he wouldnt bother cleaning the inside of the barrel and he never has???

Get another mate.... That one obviously does not have any respect for firearms...

Yeah, your mate is wrong

Another one who says yes to the one-piece rod - Hoppes #9 on the brush and on the jag pushing the crap out then Eezox for me.
If it needs a serious clean and you use Sweets then FFS don't leave it in there too long - one sniff of the bottle will tell ya why

Originally Posted by ebf

Get another mate.... That one obviously does not have any respect for firearms...

One piece cleaning rod, jags, brushes, patches, solvent, oil

Jags come in 3 basic forms : slotted (waste of time imo), spear point and parker hale style. The parker hale style has barbs and allows to to wrap a patch tightly around it, the benefit is that you can pull back without dislodging the patch.

Here's what I do, might seem excessive to some, but different ways to skin a cat...

Put a bit of solvent on a patch and wipe down the bolt
Clean off the solvent with a dry patch
Lightly oil a patch and wipe down the bolt

Put some solvent on a patch and use a chamber stick (dowel, chopstick etc) to rotate the patch in the chamber & throat area
Soak a patch in solvent, and use a jag to push it thru the barrel. Some guys focus more on the initial section of the barrel, so 1/3 down then pull back, then 2/3 down then pull back, then all the way.
Dip a bronze brush in solvent and push it down the barrel. I NEVER pull a bronze brush back thru the crown, if you are going to do it, then do it very slowly (see crown damage below)
Use dry patches on a spear point jag until they come out clean. If after 3 or 4 patches they don’t come out clean, go pack to the soaked solvent patch.
Lightly oil a patch and push that thru the barrel. Now it is ready for storage.

Solvent wise, I use a hierarchy : Hoppes #9, if that does not get it clean, then I go to Butches Bore Shine (pretty much pure amonia), and if that still does not work, then I use JB Paste.

Common problem with cleaning and how to fix them (it's not that hard screwing up a nice rifle by improper cleaning - go chat to a couple of gunsmiths):

Crown : don't pull back metal brushes into the crown, or do it VERY slowly so that the brush is properly aligned
Throat & barrel : use a bore guide, use a single piece rod, multi-piece metal rods are not good

Or you could listen to your mate and have the gun rust (with enough abuse even "stainless" rifles will rust), loose value and at some point it will fail because of poor maintenance.

Bore snake is handy for field cleaning, take along some solvent and oil in mini plastic bottles.

Tape up the muzzle with electrical tape to prevent crap from getting into the barrel when you are in the bush. The gas in front of the projectile will blow it off, don't worry about the barrel exploding or bulging

Originally Posted by ebf

One piece cleaning rod, jags, brushes, patches, solvent, oil

Jags come in 3 basic forms : slotted (waste of time imo), spear point and parker hale style. The parker hale style has barbs and allows to to wrap a patch tightly around it, the benefit is that you can pull back without dislodging the patch.

Here's what I do, might seem excessive to some, but different ways to skin a cat...

Put a bit of solvent on a patch and wipe down the bolt
Clean off the solvent with a dry patch
Lightly oil a patch and wipe down the bolt

Put some solvent on a patch and use a chamber stick (dowel, chopstick etc) to rotate the patch in the chamber & throat area
Soak a patch in solvent, and use a jag to push it thru the barrel. Some guys focus more on the initial section of the barrel, so 1/3 down then pull back, then 2/3 down then pull back, then all the way.
Dip a bronze brush in solvent and push it down the barrel. I NEVER pull a bronze brush back thru the crown, if you are going to do it, then do it very slowly (see crown damage below)
Use dry patches on a spear point jag until they come out clean. If after 3 or 4 patches they don’t come out clean, go pack to the soaked solvent patch.
Lightly oil a patch and push that thru the barrel. Now it is ready for storage.

Solvent wise, I use a hierarchy : Hoppes #9, if that does not get it clean, then I go to Butches Bore Shine (pretty much pure amonia), and if that still does not work, then I use JB Paste.

Common problem with cleaning and how to fix them (it's not that hard screwing up a nice rifle by improper cleaning - go chat to a couple of gunsmiths):

Crown : don't pull back metal brushes into the crown, or do it VERY slowly so that the brush is properly aligned
Throat & barrel : use a bore guide, use a single piece rod, multi-piece metal rods are not good

Or you could listen to your mate and have the gun rust (with enough abuse even "stainless" rifles will rust), loose value and at some point it will fail because of poor maintenance.

Bore snake is handy for field cleaning, take along some solvent and oil in mini plastic bottles.

Tape up the muzzle with electrical tape to prevent crap from getting into the barrel when you are in the bush. The gas in front of the projectile will blow it off, don't worry about the barrel exploding or bulging

That's bloody interesting mate. Ive always oiled and cleaned my shotgun religiously after every use even if it didnt need it. So though it was a bit strange what my mate said. So your legit about leaving the tape on the barrel even when firing? Cheers

Originally Posted by possummatti

So your legit about leaving the tape on the barrel even when firing? Cheers

Yup, single layer over the hole and once around to hold the edges down.

Can't guarantee the results if you go ape and use a whole roll

Originally Posted by ebf

Yup, single layer over the hole and once around to hold the edges down.

Can't guarantee the results if you go ape and use a whole roll

Haha 1 minute ill report back with the answer

EBF's basic instructions are good. (so is the tape - standard practice in NZ now)
It's best to have both a 1piece rod for at home and a pullthrough or boresnake for in the bush. I personally don't consider a boresnake very hygienic as it can't really get the last pass very clean but might be OK if you wash it regularly.
Remember to run a couple of dry patches through before you shoot next.
Hoppes can dry to a gum if left more than a couple of months. I run a dry patch through afterwards then use a light waterproof oil on one patch then dry patch after that and dry out the chamber too. Then the gun is ready to shoot without further cleaning. The thin film of oil left after the dry patch protects the bore from rust and moisture. Very fine penetrating oils (WD40, CRC, Inox MX3) are said to creep or evaporate away over time so not recommended for storage. I use an hydraulic pump oil but new engine oil will do at a pinch and several gun oil manufacturers make special oils.
For a start you can keep it simple like this.
Removing copper is a further stage but not so essential in the short term. You need a special solvent like Boretech (or Sweets !!) so ask Mr Google when you want to look into that. No hurry.

Originally Posted by possummatti

My mates telling me that he wouldnt bother cleaning the inside of the barrel and he never has???

Don't ever let him have first shot and make sure you are well away from him when he fires !

i use boretech eliminator wet patches till they push through clean, (no blue) but you have to use a aluminum jag so you dont get trace off your jag.then dry patches. after that run a wet hoppes patch through and put the gun away till i use it next and dry patch before my next shoot. this is for a target barrel.

was also just told not to dip my brushes into the solvent as the residue will kill the solvent over time, just drip it onto the brush.