Addison84 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) Dear all, I want to find the best, most through and efficient way of cleaning my three rifles after every shoot, i have a .17HMR, .22LR and .243. So......How do you clean yours? Cheers Addison84 Edited October 26, 2012 by Addison84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzy518 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 I'll forward this question to the wife as its her job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 in a word well. the centrefires i always put away cleaned and a light coat of oil through the bore, this is cleaned out by meths and clean patching before use. the rimfires get cleaned as and when but are very rarely oiled but are shot in again (RE-LEADED) before storage as they often get used on short notice and i want to always make the first shot count. Each barrel needs its own little ways to get it realy clean and this changes with age and use BUT there is no nearly clean only realy clean in my book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 The 22lr i dont clean unless the mechanism starts to get sticky (its a self loader so normally takes around 1500+ rounds before that happens),but never do the barrel. If i do clean the rifle then i remove the wood,blast lots of WD40 into the mechanism then using an old toothbrush and cotton buds brush away all the muck.Spray more WD40 into mechanism,hang upside down to drain for a while,wipe excess and reassemble. Large calibre things.Rod the barrel with a brush,then pop a patch soaked in either 009 cleaner (very smelly) or Bisley gun cleaner (this is actually a fantastic product for its money!),leave to soak for a few minutes then keep patching it until they remain clean.Lightly oil the barrel,wipe over the metal work with more oil and store. If i shoot old corrosive military ammunition then its 2 kettles of boiling hot water straight down the barrel (to disolve the salts left behind by the primers) then while the metal is still hot-spray WD40 liberally down the barrel to displace the water.Then clean using normal routine and oil as before. 357mag-a bore snake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) i wouldn't use WD40 and i dont clean my bore until the group opens up ,just clean the rest of the rifle with good old gun oils ;-) just got to wait for them to tell me iam wrong lol Edited October 26, 2012 by pigeon pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 in a word well. the centrefires i always put away cleaned and a light coat of oil through the bore, this is cleaned out by meths and clean patching before use. the rimfires get cleaned as and when but are very rarely oiled but are shot in again (RE-LEADED) before storage as they often get used on short notice and i want to always make the first shot count. Each barrel needs its own little ways to get it realy clean and this changes with age and use BUT there is no nearly clean only realy clean in my book shot again and RE-LEADED before storage and you want the first shot to count ,your sounding like me lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 22lr after about 200 rounds gets a good clean out including barrel. HMR cleaned every time it is used. Centre fire as with the HMR. I don't find there is a problem with my first shots with any of them after cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 shot again and RE-LEADED before storage and you want the first shot to count ,your sounding like me lol Nope, that could never happen! Rimfires are just very different to centrefires.( i mean lubed bullets, unjacketed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 22lr after about 200 rounds gets a good clean out including barrel. HMR cleaned every time it is used. Centre fire as with the HMR. I don't find there is a problem with my first shots with any of them after cleaning. my .22 lr shoots the basic same zero its just it tightens up on the groups after about 25, when the lube builds and a bit of lead. i have a range here so it dont take much and i often use the .22 for single shots at vermin around the grounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanl50 Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 I'll forward this question to the wife as its her job :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 my .22 lr shoots the basic same zero its just it tightens up on the groups after about 25, when the lube builds and a bit of lead. i have a range here so it dont take much and i often use the .22 for single shots at vermin around the grounds. Yep, I agree mine is probly the same, I have stopped getting excited about grouping now. In general no matter what I am out with, be it the 22 or up to the 300 win mag if I have not shot during the session, just before I leave the ground I select a small target out at the 100 meter mark and fire one round at it. If it hits I know I am on for the next trip, zero confirmed. I still give the centre fires and HMR a quick clean and oil the barrel. Before I leave on the next trip a good dry clean out of the barrel and I am away. This has been my system ever since I did my basic training at Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh in 78 and I dont think I will ever change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 when i had my .22 had it 10 years and never cleaned it, shot great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Nope, that could never happen! Rimfires are just very different to centrefires.( i mean lubed bullets, unjacketed) nope were talking about fouling again ,lubed or not its the same , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 my .22 lr shoots the basic same zero its just it tightens up on the groups after about 25, when the lube builds and a bit of lead. i have a range here so it dont take much and i often use the .22 for single shots at vermin around the grounds. there you go it tightens up after 25 rounds ,this happens to all rifle barrels ,i was right all along,dont matter if its a .22 or a 338 ,;-) try it you may be pleasantly surprised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 there you go it tightens up after 25 rounds ,this happens to all rifle barrels ,i was right all along,dont matter if its a .22 or a 338 ,;-) try it you may be pleasantly surprised No,no,no again. Lubed unjacketed bullets at around 1050 fps are a total different animal to copper jacketed ones at around 2800 fps +. Copper builds and compresses into a bore trapping an amount of other fouling with it, corrosion can form underneath this fouling ruining a good bore before its time by pitting. Some poorer barrels might just shoot slightly better as the pits, voids and cracks are filled on occasions but you simply cannot replicate a degree of fouling by shot count, so its far better to have a good bore surface and keep it cleaned and protected from atmospheric corrosion. One of the biggest mistakes i made was to try the dirty barrel theory- that gun never shot quite so well ever again and became far harder to clean in the future due to the damage done to the bore in the process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 No,no,no again. Lubed unjacketed bullets at around 1050 fps are a total different animal to copper jacketed ones at around 2800 fps +. Copper builds and compresses into a bore trapping an amount of other fouling with it, corrosion can form underneath this fouling ruining a good bore before its time by pitting. Some poorer barrels might just shoot slightly better as the pits, voids and cracks are filled on occasions but you simply cannot replicate a degree of fouling by shot count, so its far better to have a good bore surface and keep it cleaned and protected from atmospheric corrosion. One of the biggest mistakes i made was to try the dirty barrel theory- that gun never shot quite so well ever again and became far harder to clean in the future due to the damage done to the bore in the process well it worked for me and lots more ,i think ive only ever cleaned my .22 twice in 8 years and that was because it go rather wet ,when i got caught in a storm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gobfish Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 .22 I scrub/brush de lead the barrel every year other than that I leave it alone... shoots nice tight groups .17 HMR and all centre fires I patch til clean then run an oily patch through them every time they goe back in the cupboard dry patch when they come out, de copper once a year ...they all shoot nice tight groups I could have it all wrong, but in an OCD kind of way I quite enjoy looking after and cleaning my bores. All my rifles seem to be consistant shooters so I figure I can't be doing the wrong thing, but if I am .....I don't really care.... it works for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakari Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) I only have large bore centrefire rifles (the smallest being .404 Jeffery) but FWIW, I use a spray of CorrosionX up the bore, give it a few minutes, scrub it out, pull it through with a bit of 2x4 and then use a boresnake with the **** end sprayed with more Corrosion X. Then wipe over everything else with more Corrosion X and put it away in the safe....... Then when I take it out to shoot, I pull it through with more 2x4, wipe everything down and it's ready to go. Now I've emigrated from Africa to Portugal, I'll be buying a smaller calibre such as a 30.06 or similar for deer and wild boar but that also will get exactly the same treatment. Corrosion X isn't cheap but I reckon it's well worth the money. Edited October 28, 2012 by shakari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1in9 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 (edited) Boresnake and wipe down after each shoot the barrels are warm. Crud comes off easier while they are still warm, keeps on top of build up. Proper scrub with rods and copper cleaner every so often. As well as a thorough surfaces clean. Annual complete strip down and deep clean. I heartily recommend the KG range of rifle cleaning stuff, best I've found http://www.kgcoatings.com/cleaning/ My rifles look like new despite plenty of use Edited November 18, 2012 by 1in9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foggy011983 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 I'm with pigeon Pete. I clean after every use. If it can shoot within an inch when you first buy it at 100 yards ( when its clean), whenever you clean it after every use it should be the same. I've always cleaned mine after every outing and never had a problem. my theory if it shoots straight brand new and when the bore is clean then if you zero it in then you will have same results if you keep it clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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