Cleaning a rifle

[Big Dog]

I have an 77/22 All Weather .22 Ruger and hopfully will be getting a .222 on at Christmas.

 

- What is the proper cleaning procedure??

 

- What is the proper way to clean copper and lead out of the barrel??

 

- How do you clean and oil the bolt??

 

I use a solvent and gun oil for the jobs but I am not sure if I use them correctly.

 

Come to think of it I have similar stuff for removing lead from my shotguns and I'm not sure I use it correctly.

 

So help me out guys :blink: :unsure:

[Frank]

Hi again Big Dog :blink: ,

I have just seen this post.

The following cleaning procedure works for me below:

 

CENTERFIRE RIFLE:

1.Take out bolt, place rifle in a gun vise, tilting slightly muzzle down.

 

2. Place a correct size bore guied for caliber in where the bolt goes (to protect chamber ect)

 

3. Rap a correct size patch on a jag or put threw brass loop. Then screw on to a one peace cleaning rod, prefrably plastic coated (Parker hale are good).

 

4. Place patch to wet it with Hoppes Benchrest copper solvent cleaner.

 

5. Push rod and patch from breach to muzzle, taking care of the crown. Unscrew at the end, take out rod carefully, remove dirty patch from jag or loop.

 

6. Repeat step 5.

 

7. Let soak for half an hour or so, depending on fouling.

 

8. Put a dry patch on jag or loop and push this threw.

 

9. Repeat step 4 & 5.

 

10. Take bronze brush, screw on end of rod, push threw bore, do this one stroke threw, take off brush at end and repeat for every shot taken.

(DO NOT ATEMPT TO BRING BRUSH BACK THREW BORE AT ANY STAGE)

 

11. Repeat step 4 & 5.

 

12. Repeat step 8 untill dry.

 

Alternativly, if you have fired a lot of shots threw your centerfire rifle, another thing i find great is to spray a jet of FORREST BORE FOAM down the bore and let it soak over night, then repeat all the steps above, ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETELY REMOVED ALL THE FORREST FOAM. Read the instructions carefully on the forrest foam can.

 

RIMFIRES, .22LR:

I dont usually clean my .22 untill i notice the accuracy starts to fall off.

Then i just put a couple of patches soaked in Hoppes threw it a few times and dry patch it out.

I have never botherd to use the bronze brush ither, as i dont think you need to in a .22lr.

I hope i havent bored you, :unsure: and that i have been of some help .

Edited August 27, 2005 by Frank

[deadeye ive]

I'm told Butches bore shine is the best and i've recently read an article on the Lilja Guns web page confirming this :unsure:

Nice procedure there frank ,Basically i follow something similar :blink:

 

 

 

Cheers Ive

[Frank]

Thanks Ive. :blink:

Iv read about Butches Bore shine, looks like good stuff, cant seem to get it over where i am at present, so i just make do with Hoppes, seems to work fine, along with Forrest Bore Foam. :unsure: (USED SEPERATLY)

[Gemini]

As Frank has pointed out bore guides are really essential bits of kit. They prevent any solvent from seeping down into the bedding area and softening the wood etc’. They also do what they say on the box….they guide the rod/bronze/jag into the lead without any guesswork and also stop the cleaning cloth from unwrapping itself whilst you are trying to wipe out the bore with clean cloths.

http://www.stoneypoint.com/borebolt_index.html

 

You can buy them for @ £15, and one size fits most rifles due to a moveable handle. As for cleaning….I don’t clean my .22rf other than wiping over with a oily rag on the metal and a little linseed oil on the stock if it has become wet.

If I suspect moisture has entered the bore, then I will wipe it through with a jag with a little oil on it and then patch out to remove any residue before storing it.

As for my centrefire rifle, this is only cleaned every 30 shots or so, because I find that once the barrel has been run-in properly, it stays very accurate for @ that number of shots before fouling becomes a problem. Unless of course it has been out in the rain, and once again I will patch through with a cleaner such as “Hoppe’s Bench-rest”. :unsure:

An American friend (who has owned more rifle/pistols and shotguns than most of us could shake a stick at) once told me that he had seen more bores ruined through overzealous cleaning than by not cleaning them at all.

If you can’t find a bore guide, then it does pay to turn the rifle on its side when introducing the solvent into the bore, or failing that, push a rod through the bore with a wool mop on it until it comes out the muzzle and then add the solvent onto the mop and draw it back into the barrel. You will see quite a lot of solvent drop onto the work surface as the mop is drawn in, so you can imagine this seeping down into your action if it is done from the breech end. :blink:

If you can get a guide, then I would certainly advise you to get one as soon as possible before cleaning again.

G.M.

[Frank]

Good point Gemini, i forgot to mention about the rifle getting wet :unsure: .

Allways clean after you come in from the rain, or from a cold atmosphere into a warm one, as condinsation will build up iside, resulting in rust aswell :blink: .

[Sergeant]

my methods are,

.22

Remove bolt

Using a pullthrough pull oiled patches through from breech to muzzle until they come out clean.

Pull one dry patch through to get out excess oil.

Clean extractor on the bolt and lightly oil the bolt, DONT get oil on the firing pin though.

Put it back together and lightly oil all the outside metal.

Work the bolt a few times and leave closed with the action released.

 

Centerfire. I quote the procedure for the L98 straight pull bolt, but it can be adapted.

Cock the weapon

Strip off Trgger mechanism

release recoil rods and bolt return springs.

Remove cocking handle and then drop out bolt

use oiled pull throughs until is comes out clean

Oil the bolt block and bolt guides.

Check and oil the TMH

Oil cocking handle guides and recoil rods and springs

Put it all back together

Work the action back and forth a few times then 'Ease springs'

Do same again before firing but use a dry pullthrough to get out the excess oil

[Big Dog]

Frank, Gemini some good tips there. I do use a Hoppes cleaner but you help fill in the gaps.

 

Can you get a bore guide for a 22lr??

 

If you dont clean your rifle each time you use it will it not corode the bore as in a shotgun??

[Big Dog]

What about a bore snake??

 

Are they worth while for the field/range and are they for different calibers?

[dunganick]

you can get bore guides for most rimfires, i know a site that does special ones for the 452 range, machined to fit perfectly. if im honest ive never used one as i run all my rifles and my fathers fouled, and stick to the only clean it when it stops shooting as you expect it to. so hense they are only cleaned every half a year, if that.

 

what rimfire do you have?

[Gemini]

Early ammunition had a primer that contained Fulminate of Mercury, which if left in the bore would cause severe corrosion, which is why some older rifles and shotguns have been ruined by not cleaning.

Modern ammo does not have this corrosive formula any more, and therefore won’t cause any problems if you don’t clean, other than copper fouling if copper-jacketed ammo is used.

Eley use “Lead Styphnate” in their .22 priming and I believe this is the norm in many of the major brands. :unsure:

G.M.

[Frank]

Big Dog, Bore Snakes are fine for a quick clean, but for a proper clean the method i discribed above works for me great :blink: :unsure: .

[Big Dog]

Again thanks guys. How do you get to have so much knowledge on these things??

 

Nick I have a 77/22 .22lr All Weather Ruger (SSteel)