jags or slotted tip ?

[rebs]

For cleaning your guns do you guys prefer a jag or a slotted tip for running patches through the bore ?
Do you use the brass or nylon jags ?

[FITASC]

I prefer a jag as it lets the patch hit everywhere on the bore as it goes through.

[hoghunting]

I use Accupro jags as the o-ring keeps the jag from touching the barrel.

http://item.brownells.com/groups/acc...jags/index.htm

All the loop is good for is dusting the barrel as it does not force the patch into the rifling.

[Hawg]

Neither one. I use bore mops instead of patches.

[JohnKSa]

I have always used jags.

I don't really get the point of a slotted tip for running patches. Maybe if the point is to get dust out of the barrel or to put a light coat of oil in there? Otherwise you're not really getting enough contact with the bore to do anything constructive.

[rebs]

Neither one. I use bore mops instead of patches.

what is your procedure ?

I have always used jags.

I don't really get the point of a slotted tip for running patches. Maybe if the point is to get dust out of the barrel or to put a light coat of oil in there? Otherwise you're not really getting enough contact with the bore to do anything constructive.

what is your procedure ?

[JohnKSa]

For centerfire pistol cleaning:

Spray some nitro/powder solvent into the bore and brush it out to remove the loose fouling. You’re not trying to get it the barrel completely clean on the first try, so a few passes of the brush are enough. Push the brush all the way through the barrel before pulling it back through. If you try to reverse the brush in the barrel it tears up the brush—in extreme cases it can cause the brush to bind which makes it very difficult to remove.

Now push a couple of dry patches down the barrel with a jag to remove the dirty solvent & loose fouling. Next spray some foaming bore cleaner in the bore and set the barrel aside. If the gun is a revolver you can set the whole gun aside for awhile until the bore cleaner does its work (read the directions on the bore cleaner you’re using). If you have a semi-automatic then you can clean the other parts while you leave the bore cleaner working.

After waiting an appropriate interval (per the bore cleaner instructions), run a clean, dry patch through the barrel using a jag to push out the solvent/cleaner & dissolved fouling. Put some nitro solvent on a bore brush (or spray it into the bore), run the brush through the barrel a few times and then follow with a dry patch. Spray the bore full of foaming bore cleaner and leave it until the next commercial break on TV (10 or 15 minutes ) and then repeat the “nitro solvent/brush/patch/bore cleaner/patch” steps until the dry patch after the foaming bore cleaner comes out clean, not brown/black, blue or green. Now the bore is clean.

Be aware that small bits of the cleaning brush will wear off in the bore and if you leave the debris from the brush in the bore before spraying in the foaming bore cleaner you'll always get gunky/blue/green patches since the brush material (bronze or brass) contains copper. That’s why you always patch out the bore after using the nitro/powder solvent with the bore brush and before you apply the foaming bore cleaner.

This is also why I always use a copper/bronze/brass brush only with a nitro solvent and never with a solvent that is made to attack metal fouling. Solvents made to attack metal/jacket fouling will shorten the life of your bronze/brass/copper cleaning brush.

For rimfire bore cleaning, I generally don't use a brush. Patches only usually suffice.

For centerfire rifle cleaning I use mostly patches but will push a brush through the bore on occasion.

Although the above doesn't state it explicitly, I always clean from the breech end of the barrel if at all possible and take special care not to let the cleaning rod touch the rifling at the muzzle if it's not possible to clean from the breech.

[rebs]

Thanks for the replies and the procedure. I'll give it a try it sounds like a very reliable way to clean a barrel.

[FITASC]

Now push a couple of dry patches down the barrel with a jag to remove the dirty solvent & loose fouling. Next spray some foaming bore cleaner in the bore and set the barrel aside. If the gun is a revolver you can set the whole gun aside for awhile until the bore cleaner does its work (read the directions on the bore cleaner you’re using). If you have a semi-automatic then you can clean the other parts while you leave the bore cleaner working.

After waiting an appropriate interval (per the bore cleaner instructions), run a clean, dry patch through the barrel using a jag to push out the solvent/cleaner & dissolved fouling. Put some nitro solvent on a bore brush (or spray it into the bore), run the brush through the barrel a few times and then follow with a dry patch. Spray the bore full of foaming bore cleaner and leave it until the next commercial break on TV (10 or 15 minutes ) and then repeat the “nitro solvent/brush/patch/bore cleaner/patch” steps until the dry patch after the foaming bore cleaner comes out clean, not brown/black, blue or green. Now the bore is clean.

One thing I like about polygonal barrels - doesn't even take that much effort.....

[hammer58]

JohnKSA, this probably sounds like a newbie question, but when you say nitro/powder solvent, what brand or name might I find on the bottle. I have tried several solvents and some of my guns still seem to take a tremendous amount of work to get them really clean

[JohnKSa]

Outers Nitro Solvent is what I'm using now, but I've tried others with good results.

A nitro solvent alone won't get your bore spotless because it won't touch metal fouling.

For metal fouling, you need something that will dissolve copper/lead. A good foaming bore cleaner, like the one BreakFree makes, will work. Other options would be cleaners like MPro7 or Hoppes Elite Cleaner.

You can tell if it's working because the patches will come out bluish green if the metal fouling is dissolving.

For the really stubborn stuff you can use RemClean. It's a very mild abrasive. To use it, be careful to follow the instructions on the bottle exactly. If you don't shake it to get the particles into suspension before putting it on the patch, it won't do a thing.

[WVinMN]

I use slotted tips to clean everything with the exception of black powder (BP) rifles. Usually, the breech end of a traditional BP rifle is sealed (for all intents and purposes) and significantly more narrow than the bore diameter of the barrel itself. A slotted tip will not allow the patch to reach the bottom of the breech end of the barrel in that situation.

[AllenJ]

It depends on what I'm cleaning. If I'm able to take the barrel off the gun I prefer slotted, that way I'm able to push and pull the patch through. If on a firearm that the barrel does not come off I use jags since I only want the push the patch through.

I've used both nylon and brass but prefer brass, they tend not to break.

[CedarGrove357]

I use these over anything else other than a brush:

https://www.swab-its.com/

The .17 and .22 diameter come on a length of pull string like trimmer string. They are the most versatile product I've seen. Larger calibers can be put on the end of a standard cleaning rod and can be reused or disposed of. I usually use one for each type of cleaning material I need to use on a gun.

One work of caution though - do not pull too hard. There is the chance of the foam coming off the core. I have yet to see any chemicals cause the foam to come off the core.