.17hmr cleaning

[Defender22.250]

Has anyone used the Napier Universal pullthrough kit on their .17hmr. Would like to hear your comments as need to decide what cleaning regime to follow. Bore snake, rods and brushes or the pullthrough kit.

Also at what rounds shot would you clean barrel.

[mick miller]

Never used one, wouldn't use a bore snake on a rifle at all.

 

I use a quality rod, patches, bore guide and Patch-out with Accelerator.

 

As for how often? Every time I use it, my rifles never go back in the cabinet without a clean. If they are not to be used for several weeks they get cleaned, degreased and have a patch of light oil run through. Dry patched through prior to use.

 

Never understood leaving carbon and other burnt residue in a rifle barrel for weeks, this is the bores worst enemy and just attracts moisture and corrosion.

 

A bit like leaving a moderator on, strikes me as a bit thoughtless. People will say they leave their rifles for several hundred rounds before cleaning and that it doesn't do any harm. Can't say I concur with that.

 

Patching a rifle through with Patch-Out takes 10 minutes to do. Who hasn't got 10 minutes?

Edited April 25, 2016 by mick miller

[mick miller]

• Dewey are a good make of rod/jag combo.

• Use a 17cal pistol brush for infrequent brushing of the bore - this is shorter than a rifle brush and will push through easily.

• When brushing, patch out as much crud as you can before working a brush backwards and forwards through the bore. Dragging heaps of crud up and down the bore isn't going to do you any favours.

• Take care when the jag emerges from the crown, don't pull back sharply so that the jag rattles around the crown, easy does it. I fit a stop to prevent the jag going all the way out.

• Make sure to clean the crown separately, a soft bronze brush is perfect for this and the threads. A light wipe of oil on the threads (don't leave any in the bore unless storing for weeks/months).

• Reloading Solutions can order you a calibre & rifle specific bore guide and sell .17 patches in packs of 500 & 1000.

• Dauntsey Guns stock the PatchOut and PatchOut Accelerator. By far the easiest, less fuss bore cleaning product I have used.

• Can I recommend either making, or simply buying a rifle work station? I have a simple plastic one which packs away and can be stored in a cupboard.

 

Only other things you need, isopropyl alcohol to give a final clean and degrease (maplins in 1ltr tins), a light oil (Bisley gun oil, Kroil or even a light synthetic motor oil will do - only needed if you put your rifle away for months at a time really, although a drop of oil on a rag and a wipe over parts helps prevent any corrosion forming).

Edited April 25, 2016 by mick miller

[telf]

totally agree with both of the above,great advice,one thing mick forgot to mention,give the barrel a good scrub with a bronze brush,you will be amazed at the amount of muck that comes out

[mick miller]

I've put it in now. Only I'd say, from personal experience, to use a pistol brush (shorter) as trying to push a 17cal rifle brush through is sometimes tough going and really shouldn't be. A pistol brush won't tend to bind up as much but gets just as much crud out.

 

I only brush every couple of hundred rounds as I'm patching every time the rifle gets put away, so it tends to stay pretty clean.

 

That final wipe though with an isopropyl soaked patch is sometimes quite stiff, it does remove additional dirt though and leaves the barrel free from cleaning agents.

[malkiserow]

Unlike a jag, you will need to let the bronze brush exit the barrel but take it gently on re-entry

[NickB65]

• Dewey are a good make of rod/jag combo.

• Use a 17cal pistol brush for infrequent brushing of the bore - this is shorter than a rifle brush and will push through easily.

• When brushing, patch out as much crud as you can before working a brush backwards and forwards through the bore. Dragging heaps of crud up and down the bore isn't going to do you any favours.

• Take care when the jag emerges from the crown, don't pull back sharply so that the jag rattles around the crown, easy does it. I fit a stop to prevent the jag going all the way out.

• Make sure to clean the crown separately, a soft bronze brush is perfect for this and the threads. A light wipe of oil on the threads (don't leave any in the bore unless storing for weeks/months).

• Reloading Solutions can order you a calibre & rifle specific bore guide and sell .17 patches in packs of 500 & 1000.

• Dauntsey Guns stock the PatchOut and PatchOut Accelerator. By far the easiest, less fuss bore cleaning product I have used.

• Can I recommend either making, or simply buying a rifle work station? I have a simple plastic one which packs away and can be stored in a cupboard.

 

Only other things you need, isopropyl alcohol to give a final clean and degrease (maplins in 1ltr tins), a light oil (Bisley gun oil, Kroil or even a light synthetic motor oil will do - only needed if you put your rifle away for months at a time really, although a drop of oil on a rag and a wipe over parts helps prevent any corrosion forming).

 

 

+1

[Dekers]

Not worth adding much to mick miller except........

 

Just be careful and THOROUGH with that tiny bore!

 

[Defender22.250]

Many thanks for info. Just spoken with Reloading Solutions, do not have Dewey cleaning rod in stock at the present, but expecting new stock in approx 1week. I agree that rod and patch out with occasional brush out is the way to go

 

Cheers

[psycho]

I can recommend a Tipton carbon fibre rod great bit of kit

[Savhmr]

I can recommend a Tipton carbon fibre rod great bit of kit

 

Just bought one for the 308. Quite whippy but unlike steel (which can take a bend and there's not much room to play with in an HMR bore!) wont damage the rifling. A decent boreguide is a must too. HPS do some very reasonable synthetic ones and there's always Dave at Shooting shed for his excellent alloy ones. Personally, I won't even use bronze brushes any more. A nylon brush to get the Wipeout (Patch-Out) nicely foamed, leave for an hour then dry patch. Mick's advice is pretty much spot on...boresnakes best left for shotguns.

 

Cleaning frequency with my HMR was every time it was shot for a quick patch out to remove carbon fouling and then every 70 shots or so I'd leave the Wipeout in the barrel an hour or two for more effective decoppering. When stored, the barrel also had an oiled patch put through it and was given a single dry patch before next use. Only when I started this regime did I get anything resembling consistency from the way the HMR shot, but that topic's been done to death on older threads

 

The 22LR is possibly the only rifle you needn't worry about cleaning that often.