Thread: Jag or Slotted tips?

I've seen everyone using Jags but the only tips I have are the slotted ones and I'm not sure if it's bad for cleaning. Do slotted and jags clean the same or is one of them a scam? should I buy a jag or just keep the slotted ones, I really don't want my guns to have stormtrooper aim.

Ive always used slotted no particular reason just what I had.

I use jags as I think more complete contact with the bore is achieved. I hope I'm right and it's not just fantasy in my mind .

Um, ok I'll wade into this one haha. This is a bit like the old opinions/arseholes line, everyone has one just some a re more smelly than others.

So on that note, the slotted tip for me is a pull through device so virtually useless on a rod although almost all rods come with this attachment. I suspect they want you to pull the rod rather than push???

A "jag" again for me is a serrated attachment that cleaning cotton is wrapped around and pushed through the bore, I personally am not a fan of these but I know some are. I've had the cotton pop off these and get lodged in the bore around the rod, pain in the bum when it happens.

The one I usually go for is a little brass 'spear' patch tip in the caliber to suit the barrel, screws onto the rod and has a pointed tip followed by a series of ridges in the caliber size and a gap with a reduced shank diameter for the rest of the patch to fit into. Much more useful and cleaner in use than the other two types... Some people call these spear tips, some jags, some patch tips, others patch jags so it's a little confusing but there you go.

I did a bit of deep dive on cleaning recently, and generally found the brass jags (pointy ones) to give the best contact with bore, assuming correct patch size. Slotted ones I use for cleaning chamber, neck area, with an oversize patch. Assume a parker hale style one would also work well, but haven't tried as yet.

Spear tip is just so easy to use.no way I would go back to another method. Small square of 4x4 cloth .Speer it,apply a few drops of clp.push through from action end,take it off at muzzle,turn it over n push through again. Do same with dry patch then again with clp.job done.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Spear tip is just so easy to use.no way I would go back to another method. Small square of 4x4 cloth .Speer it,apply a few drops of clp.push through from action end,take it off at muzzle,turn it over n push through again. Do same with dry patch then again with clp.job done.

Man after me own heart, dont do it too often unless ya been out in shite weather!

I use a slotted to run the wet patches, then switch to the jag for dry patches

Jags are just easier really.

If you really want to maximize surface area then go for a Parker Hale style jag.

Interesting comments here. Some many (far too many) years ago my "instructor" aka grumpy old fart who got me into culling, told me - if it is shooting straight then don't f*** with it unless you have been a d******h and dropped it in the mud. I purchased a Parker Hale in 7 x 57 at the time (a rifle I still have and one of the 30 odd firearms I own and is my go-to rifle weekly to shoot goats) and now 40+ years later it has fired upwards of 5000 rounds - and it has been "cleaned" 4 times in its life. Before and after every use I run a pull through using just a dry patch. The four times it has been "cleaned" using a rod and jag were all times that I was indeed a "d******d and managed to bury the crown in the mud and a pull through would not drop through the bore. Since its purchase the barrel is around 2" shorter than it was as I had to have crown jobs done on it (obviously more than mud when I fell) and just last weekend my brother came down to the farm and we had a shoot up with various rifles and at 100m and 200m this old uncleaned Parker Hale still gave my nice new 6.5 PRC a run for its money grouping just over 1 moa with my handloads. My PRC was shooting .73 moa but admittedly I am still working up a good load for it. My 40 year old Miroku under and over has never been cleaned and as a general rule I don't clean rifles after use. The caveat here is that they always get a good coat of CLP on the outside to prevent rust and if I have been hunting in the rain then they do get a strip down to oil under the stock for the same reason. The PRC is the only rifle that gets cleaned after every shoot because it is my intended 800m target rifle and I have been told (again by an old fart who is my age now) that stainless steel barrels are less forgiving that the "good old quality blued barrels". So I guess what I am saying is that it is easy to get carried away with the whole cleaning business. I totally believe Neil now when he gave me the advice many years ago. It was advice I gratefully accepted because I HATE cleaning firearms. To me they are tools and if they are doing the job then that is all fine by me.