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17 HMR Cleaning


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Hoppes 9 is good, there is a wide choice of cleaners that will do the job.

 

As ozzy518 implies - think carefully about using a rod cleaner - many people would advise against as can damage the crown or rifling if not used with care.

 

Consider using a pull through. I use a Napier air gun cleaning kit that utilizes a pull through and occasionally a boresnake. Napier also sell cleaning material in a roll that you cut into patches yourself - much cheaper than buying ready cut to size patches. This can be got from flea bay if you don' have a source locally.

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Haven't cleaned it since I bought it bar the very first time I used it and throwing down nice sub 1" groups at 100yrds so I haven't used it to remove copper specifically but have used it to remove lead from my shotgun barrel and it was very effective so it may well be that it isn't the best on the market for removing copper but if it is as good as it is at removing lead it wont be half bad at all.

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Haven't cleaned it since I bought it bar the very first time I used it and throwing down nice sub 1" groups at 100yrds so I haven't used it to remove copper specifically but have used it to remove lead from my shotgun barrel and it was very effective so it may well be that it isn't the best on the market for removing copper but if it is as good as it is at removing lead it wont be half bad at all.

If you want copper remover buy something marketed as copper remover.

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:hmm: :hmm:

 

Hoppe's No9 Benchrest, IS a Copper Solvent, and Powder and Lead and is marked that way!

 

Whether people like it, or rate it, is another debate, but it is a Copper Solvent, personally I hate the Forrest Bore Foam in the tiny .17 barrel, frankly I'm no fan of it in the bigger bores either, such is life, we all have our preferences of cleaners! :good:

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If you want copper remover buy something marketed as copper remover.

 

With all due respect the last time I checked Copper is a metal...and hoppes 9 is marketed for removing metal fouling as the link I posted above may suggest.

 

 

:hmm: :hmm:

 

Hoppe's No9 Benchrest, IS a Copper Solvent, and Powder and Lead and is marked that way!

 

Whether people like it, or rate it, is another debate, but it is a Copper Solvent, personally I hate the Forrest Bore Foam in the tiny .17 barrel, frankly I'm no fan of it in the bigger bores either, such is life, we all have our preferences of cleaners! :good:

 

Couldn't agree more

Edited by T-Bolt94
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Bore foam is a good indicator of copper, but needs ages to remove any real degree of copper. The Hmr I found a pain to use foam in due to the tiny bore size (like Dekers suggests) BUT you don't get much coppering at 2500 fps anyhow and personally I never found it an issue in mine. No.9 is good enough IMO or Butches bore shine if yours gets coppered up a little, it aint the sort of calibre that needs really aggressive copper removing agents like sweets etc though (save that one for the 22-250, .243 and .22 swift etc.)

Bore guides are essential as is a good rod like the parker hale and keep that rod clean and in good order with tools in tight. Not a big requirement for brushes just a good spear point jag and a UK to US adapter

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  • 2 months later...

I know this is an old thread but...

Im currently cleaning my .243

I put a good dose of hoppes 009 down and left for 30min.

Run a nylon brush down a few times and patched out untill clean.

I then put bore foam in. Left another 30min and run another nylon brush down a few times.

Then i put a patch down.

The patch on the left is the last clean one from 009.

The patch on the right is the first patch after the bore foam.

Still think 009 is a good cleaner????

20130323_165557_zpscf76c52e.jpg

Edited by cockercas
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I give mine a soak with Forrest foam, scrub out with a brush, then patch clean. When the patches are coming clean I'll soak one in Butches and put that through. If there's any blue copper in there its the Butches that finds it, but there's never much. (Put Forrest in my .222 and the foam that spews out of the muzzle is blue straight away.) Forrest is a pain in a tiny .17 bore, but I've found its the fastest way to remove the bulk of the fouling.

I don't use a bore guide, just care. What I really don't are the spike and push jags. Its hard to get patches to fit correctly and easy for the tool to come into contact with the rifling. I had a helical pull-through one in .17 once which was far superior and faster because it covered a larger surface area, but I damaged it and I haven't found a replacement.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am thinking of getting a 17HMR (maybe as a chrissy present) but to be honest I'm put off a bit by some of the posts I have read about the cleaning regime required. One guy mentioned his needed to be cleaned after every 5 rounds! After reading this thread I'm wondering if its easier than I think.

 

I have a AirArms S410 Xtra FAC & CZ .22 style. I treat them both much the same...giving them a pull through with a couple of oily patches after use but when the poi starts to go off I give them a pull through with Hoppes 9. (My pull through is looped plastic coated wire)

 

Would this method be adequate for an HMR ?

 

Advice much appreciated

:good:

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The HMR ammo is copper coated and much faster than your air rifle or .22lr.

 

The HMR needs cleaning to keep it on song, many will tell you it doesn't, well thats up to them. If the gun is brand new it will need a breaking in process to achieve best performance involving extra cleaning, again others will tell you it doesn't, generally the same people that tell you it will take 50 shots after a clean to get it shooting straight again.

 

Look after your tools and they will look after you, it may seem an old fashioned phrase, but ALL my guns shoot, NONE need a load of wasted ammo after a clean and I'm happy.

 

Cleaning is a pain just the same, but do it and DO IT RIGHT and you will never have any problems! :good:

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i only ever clean my hmr when it starts shooting off.and thats after about 500 rounds.tried the cleaning bit of every time i use it but id have to re zero it every time i wanted to use it and also waste about 25 to 30 rounds bringing it back to zero.so now only gets cleaned when i start missing rabbits.this works for me.no need to get anal about cleaning it.i prefer to shoot it instead.imho

The HMR ammo is copper coated and much faster than your air rifle or .22lr.

 

The HMR needs cleaning to keep it on song, many will tell you it doesn't, well thats up to them. If the gun is brand new it will need a breaking in process to achieve best performance involving extra cleaning, again others will tell you it doesn't, generally the same people that tell you it will take 50 shots after a clean to get it shooting straight again.

 

Look after your tools and they will look after you, it may seem an old fashioned phrase, but ALL my guns shoot, NONE need a load of wasted ammo after a clean and I'm happy.

 

Cleaning is a pain just the same, but do it and DO IT RIGHT and you will never have any problems! :good:

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Hoppes 9 is good, there is a wide choice of cleaners that will do the job.

 

As ozzy518 implies - think carefully about using a rod cleaner - many people would advise against as can damage the crown or rifling if not used with care.

 

Consider using a pull through. I use a Napier air gun cleaning kit that utilizes a pull through and occasionally a boresnake. Napier also sell cleaning material in a roll that you cut into patches yourself - much cheaper than buying ready cut to size patches. This can be got from flea bay if you don' have a source locally.

 

I am not sure that (in red) is true.

 

Personally I think a good rod and bore guide are essential and the safest most thorough way of properly cleaning the .17hmr.

A boresnake is for lazy people susceptible to clever marketing (at least when it comes to very narrow rifled bores).

I wonder how many guns have been damaged by the careless use of a boresnake?

 

The bore guide will probably be specific to your gun and the rod should be single piece and coated. The jag and patches must be the right size for .17hmr.

Only push patches through from breech to muzzle and of course remove and clean the moderator.

The first few patches will be tight as they snag on the microscopically thin layer of contamination. They will then loosen up as it gets cleaner.

You may even need to tap the rod quite hard to get it started and moving through the bore.

Never put the same patch through twice, always a new patch in one direction only.

Never use a bronze brush on the hmr, the rifling is extremely fine. A lambswool or nylon brush can be useful if a bit of a soak is required.

It is the use of a bore snake or pull through that is more likely to damage the crown or rifling.

As many of us have stated time and time again, clean properly and thoroughly. Really really clean!

 

For your shopping list:

Cradle / bench rest of some sort (buy or home made) to support the gun with the barrel sloping down draining towards the muzzle.

Rod (they rotate with the rifling as you push through). I use a Dewey rod for .17 and Parker Hale for .22

Bore guide (ensures easy no snag straight entry) may be specific to your gun, probably made of "Delrin" plastic

Jag to hold a patch to the rod.

Patches (bag of 800 pre-cut cotton flannel last many months and costs about £5 - no need to cut your own)

Nylon brush to attach to rod, helps soak in cleaner.

Gun Oil, a drip or two on a patch for a final push through after cleaning before storage.

If you are going to shoot soon after cleaning the barrel a final push through with a patch moistened with Meths to clean out the oil or any other residue

followed by a dry patch will probably ensure that your first shot is accurate. None of this nonsense about firing several shots before accuracy returns.

The solvents in my arsenal are:

Pro shot copper solvent iv

Parker Hale No 9

RifleCraft Bore Cleaner - expensive at about £13 for a small bottle but very good.

Tetra gun grease - a thin film to lubricate the bolt - 30g tube lasts forever.

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