Suggest a .243 Cleaning Kit.

[gixer1]

Gixer, are you saying that it is safe to just get on with it and not worry too much about cleaning the bore? I was led to believe that there was a "way" to run a new barrel in! Can you correct me if I am wrong please?

 

I clean mine every now and again (probably every 6 months or so) it is fired probably at least every week with some shooting at targets every now and again to check zero, I would say my rifle is plenty accurate (see some old posts for pictures of groups) but I dont shoot at a range or at targets regularly so if it's doing a 1-1.5" group at 100yrd then it's fine for me but I know some want cloverleaf at 100 so I guess the cleaning may help slightly, I have a friend that had a mannlicher and it was never cleaned in 10years and it still did cloverleaf and put the round where he wanted it so take from that what you will!

 

Try both and see what suits but for me it's a wipe over with an oily cloth on a wet day and away it goes!

[Dekers]

I never thought that I would so wholeheartedly agree with Mr Dekers.

 

Give me a hug!!

[Sprags]

i personally use KG1, KG2 and KG12 cleaning products.

 

 

I too, use the KG stuff and it is very good, does exactly what it says on the tin!

 

Good You-Tube links too, I reckon I may know that man

[Blackbart]

I'm not sure about all this running in business. With my first two rifles I took all the time to do the fire one and clean routine and they shot well. Then I got another rifle and took the "**** it that'll do" attitude of giving it a clean when I bought it and then blatting off loads of rounds until it needed a clean again. It shot the same as the ones I run in and didn't foul any more quickly? I just don't bother any more! When I buy a gun I just shoot it and they all shoot fine!

 

I can't remember who it is but one of the top barrel makers says not to bother. There are so many opinions that you have to do what you feel is right. In my experience though (which is ten or so rifles now) they all shoot the same, run in or not!

 

 

I agree

 

I tried the messing on when i first started and the gradually thought "is this necessary" and started the shoot 5 clean and shoot 15 clean and go for it.I have a 22-250 and bought new and put a few through it and then just give it a clean and that was it.. This gun will out shoot all the ones that had the full treatment at run in and it is an off the shelf gun,not one of these custom made jobbies.I have missed 2 foxes in 2 year from ranges of 80 yards up to 330 yards and i shoot on average a 100 foxes a year.The gun gets a clean every 5-6 month or when i miss.

Like i said it is personal choice and i am just stating what i do,but if you want a gun that can hit a bullet hole time after time the only 100%(or nigh enough) bore is the one that is cleaned after every shot.I look on it more practically for what i do and if it can hit a coconut size target then that is a dead fox,and leave the bullet holes to the target shooters.

 

All guns are different and some need cleaning to keep shooting straight and cleaning it constantly probably wont do it any harm,but in my experiance niether will letting it go for a bit inbetween cleans.

[bullet boy]

I use a Napier Power Pull Through Kit with a drop of Hoppes 009 solvent, then the Boresnake, in my Tikka T3 22-250.

[Frenchieboy]

There seems to be some really usefull advice coming on this thread, which I am very grateful for - Thanks Guys!

The conclusion that I am coming to is that this pfaffing about of shoot 1 and clean and constantly repeating this for ages while "running in" seems to be unecessary and that to shoot say 5 through a new barrel then thoroughly clean and fire another 10-15 shots and thoroughly clean again then just "Get on with it" does seem to be the much prefered method.

OK with that in mind and the fact that I am expecting to pick up my new .243 (Well, pre-owned but just been fitted with a brand new barrel and glass bedded etc) next week that looks like what I will be doing. With that in mind should I be thinking about using one of the cleaners named on this thread or could I safely use and do an effective job with Brunox Turbo Spray which I already have. I am asking this because I obviously want to treat my rifle the best way I can to ensure that it serves me well and stays fairly accurate and reliable!

What are your thoughts please lads?

 

Just as a footnote, I think it to do with running in a brand new Ruger 10/22 that I read the bit about shoot 1 and clean etc:

Edited November 5, 2010 by Frenchieboy

[njc110381]

Now and again it pays to give them a real clean. You need a proper copper solvent like Tetra or KG. Copper does build up in centrefire barrels and it's not good for them to leave it there forever. Every hundred rounds or so I tend to copper clean, whether I've had a 100 round range day or 100 rounds at Foxes in a year!

[Dekers]

I know of at least one other quality shooter on this siite who basically just gets on with it.

 

I do not suggest Border Barrels/mine is the only way forward, I simply take the attitude that it really can't do any harm.

 

I grew up with Target shooting and rifle cleaning was as big, if not bigger than the shooting itself, it sort of leaves a legacy, I accept the tough slow initial regime, at least that way if the thing turns out to be a dog, at least I know I have done everything possible and you are not left wondering.....

 

Fortunately I have never had a dog, but I know a few that have, co-incidence, luck, whatever, who knows?!

[njc110381]

I've known guns to shoot like a bag of carp. Nine times out of ten it's the stock touching the barrel or if not that, the crown is messy.

 

A good cleaning session can be a good thing but only if you do it right. How many barrels get ruined by careless cleaning though? I prefer to avoid shoving metal rods up and down my rifling any more than I have to. Now and again it has to happen but I don't make a habit of it. As Frenchie is obviously new to a serious cleaning session on a rifle I'd hate for him to ****** his throat by over doing things.

[Frenchieboy]

I've known guns to shoot like a bag of carp. Nine times out of ten it's the stock touching the barrel or if not that, the crown is messy.

 

A good cleaning session can be a good thing but only if you do it right. How many barrels get ruined by careless cleaning though? I prefer to avoid shoving metal rods up and down my rifling any more than I have to. Now and again it has to happen but I don't make a habit of it. As Frenchie is obviously new to a serious cleaning session on a rifle I'd hate for him to ****** his throat by over doing things.

 

So would I mate, that's why I am asking for opinions and thoughts while I wait for my rifle to arrive. Obviously I want to treat it in the best way possible so that the rifle will last me a good while and if it doesn't shoot right then I can blame it on my carp shooting rather than on the rifle!

I do appreciate all of your advice and hope that you don't mind me questioning a few of the things some of you say - By doing so i am not saying any of you are wrong, all I am doing is saying that I don't understand and want to learn to do things the best way possible!

[njc110381]

You question us all you like, we don't mind if it help explain things.

 

It's a tough one getting advice on forums. Take me and Dekers for example. We're giving you quite conflicting advice but I'm happy to point out that I respect his opinion. I've never met Dekers but from here and a couple of other forums I visit it's clear he knows his stuff too. What he says is most certainly not wrong, just different to me! I guess we all have different experiences and build our opinions on that. With Dekers I think perhaps he's more willing to put the time in and as he says, what harm can it do? Me on the other hand, I'm lazy. If doing something hasn't been proven to make a difference I'd rather spend my time doing something else!

 

With the right kit you'll not damage your gun. I was just using that as an example of why perhaps we shouldn't clean any more than we need to. There's always that chance that you could catch the throat and damage it - it's very slim but if you don't stuff a rod in there in the first place then it's most certainly not going to happen! That's why I avoid cleaning more than I need to, I prefer to do it when the accuracy starts to fall off rather then each time I use the gun.

 

On the original running in subject, I've not found it to make guns any more accurate. So fire one and clean ten times then fire five and clean eight times is all well and good but if that was my rifle it would have been cleaned when I bought it and shot. In 50 rounds mine will have been given two chances to get knocked with the rod but with Dekers it has eighteen chances. However much care you take, Dekers rifle is more likely to get dinged than mine. On the other hand it may shoot marginally better. So you have to decide is it worth it? My rifle can out shoot me, so I have no need for it to be any better!

[jamie g]

if i go out and only fire say 5 shots at night when foxing. when i get home i patch the rifle out clean with dry patches then next time im out i do the same depending on how many shoots. soon as i get to around 10 to 15 shots i then break out the carbon and copper cleaner. but only on the patches. if its 20 to 25 shots then i use the yylon brush with the cleaning stuff on.