SakoQuad Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 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. Wouldn't disagree with anything you say here - in fact I'd say that you have actually defined "use with care". Excellent advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb79 Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 I had some issues with my hmr keeping it zeroed. Turns out that cleaning (probably improper cleaning) was at least one issue. I am going with the 'only clean when I lose accuracy' crowd now. Had rabbits out to 180yds with it with no issues since I stopped cleaning it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_hobden Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Do hmr's condensate after a shot like hornet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangled99 Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 I use patch out on a nylon brush let it soak for a while and and then use patches on a brass jag on a nylon covered rod through a bore guide. When they come out clean I run a patch with meths on it to remove any chemical that still might be in there, works for me and I don't seems to shoot straight right from the off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Do hmr's condensate after a shot like hornet? Yes. All rifles do to some extent, especially in cold weather. It collects in the mod and can cause rusting of the threads and crown. I always remove mods from rifles after use and allow them both to air through before putting them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted April 20, 2013 Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 Do hmr's condensate after a shot like hornet? Yes. All rifles do to some extent, especially in cold weather. It collects in the mod and can cause rusting of the threads and crown. I always remove mods from rifles after use and allow them both to air through before putting them away. Yes, in some conditions possibly, but I feel the answer is more likely to be NO. You will have a job to get your HMR hot enough to produce much, if any, condensation, I can't recall ever having this issue on my HMR. The .22 Hornet is a little faster so this may be an issue but not a big one, the .17 Hornet is more than 1000ft sec faster so this can be an issue! Whichever way you want to look at it I can't see condensation on a HMR as a problem except in a VERY few situations. People tend to have more issues with condensation, taking a gun out from their warm house to a very cold field or bringing it back again into a warm house when the gun is freezing! How many have actually made their HMR barrel hot in any situation, mine is a light barrel and even that struggles to get warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 20, 2013 Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 I assumed a_hobden was referring to condensation within the mod. I've taken the SAK on my HMR apart many times and found beads of moisture inside, which is why I never store rifles with mods attached unless they thorourghly dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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