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Old February 17, 1999, 10:34 AM   #2
Michael Carlin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 13, 1998
Location: Fredericksburg, VA USA
Posts: 193
Basic observations:

1. More rifles are damaged by poor cleaning techniques these days than by lack of cleaning.

2. Clean from the breech if possible.

3. Use a bore guide if cleaning from the muzzle. In the AR rifles I like the cleaning rod guide by JP Enterprises, for cleaning from the breech.

4. Use a one piece cleaning rod made of non-imbedding material, I recommend the Dewey rods, coated or stainless either is OK.

5. Use a good quality bronze bore brush, one that is a loop twisted shut at the end. Avoid the brushes that are wound continuously and display a cut end. The wire can vary in hardness and some spring steels could gouge the barrel.

6. Never "dunk" the brush in the solvent, use a "squeeze bottle" to wet the brush. Otherwise you are contaminating the solvent. This results in rearranging the fouling or transferring it from one weapon to another rather than removing it!

7. Only use a brush sparingly. The preferred method is to use a solvent wet patch or two and then dry patches first. If this does not get the fouling out then use a brush, again sparingly. If leading is a problem use a Lewis Lead remover.

8. Use a real wrap around jag, the Dewey is a good choice. Use a patch only once. They are cheap enough to throw away after each pass through the bore. Remember the object is to remove the fouling not rearrange it!

9. In rifle barrels I like to use Shooter's choice, then dry patches.

10. If you shoot molyed bullets only the regimen is Kroil patch, immediate dry patches, then Shooters choice, wait five minutes, then dry patches. If "green" shows repeat the Shooter's choice.

11. In high power rifle I am a big advocate of Moly. Although recent test indicate that the accuracy increases and better BC's due to lower bullet deformation that have been claimed are NOT verified by scientific tests, the interval between accuracy degradation driven cleaning is significantly lengthened. Also it appears that barrel heating is greatly lessened. Less heat = less wear. Less cleaning = less wear. Less wear = longer barrel life!

12. The most critical portion of the bore to accuracy is the muzzle, not the throat. Rifles with worn throats and good bores at the muzzle with a sqaure and true crown often show very good accuracy.

13. Using modern ammunition in modern pistols bore cleaning can be limited to a couple three passes with a brush or patch wet with a solvent, and dried with a couple three tight fitting patches on a wrap around jag. I do not like to wrap patches on an old brush. This is a personal pet peeve with no real justification except that I think that keeping the brush clean with old path embedded in it is problematic.

14. I like to use a an aerosol spray (Gun Scrubber, carb cleaner) to clean the frame/trigger mechanism, then low pressure air to dry it, oil the contact points lightly and wipe the rest with a very lightly oiled patch and shoot!.

15. A carry gun should be kept clean, and should function from clean to at least a couple hundred rounds before requiring cleaning for functional reliability.

16. Some solvents eat some plastics, and some finishes. DEET the bug repellant will dissolve most polymers and polymer finishes quite well.

17. Funtionally clean means the firearm will go at least a couple hundred rounds before needing to be cleaned in order to continue to function. More firearms have been ruined by ill conceived attempts to make them "surgically clean" than I can begin to estimate. If you were in the service in before the 1980s and you are using the military standards for inspection you are most likely wrong!

Cleaning and preparation for long term storage has been adequately covered by others in this forum. Run a search for their input, it was excellent.

Hope these help.

------------------
Ni ellegimit carborundum esse!

Yours In Marksmanship
http://www.1bigred.com/distinguished

michael



[This message has been edited by Michael Carlin (edited February 17, 1999).]
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