Proper cleaning procedure for bore

[Dog88]

What is the recommended maintenance procedure for a handi rifle bore? I have asked several folks and gotten varied responses:

1) Some use the wire brushes (that come in the kits) or a bore snake to remove deposits and do nothing else.

2) Some do #1 and then run an oil patch thru the bore.

3) Some use solvents to clean the bore and do nothing else.

4) Some do #3 and then run an oil patch thru the bore.

There are other responses I have gotten but these are the most common. What is the consensus from folks on here? Also, how often do you clean the bore?

[PartsMan]

I have asked several folks and gotten varied responses:

That is the general consensus here.
You will get as many different answers as there are shooters.
Bore snakes are fine in the to gt the big stuff out. I carry one in the field.
They will not remove what a good solvent will.

This is what I do.

1. Patch soaked with good solvent. Let sit as long as the bottle sayes.
2. Brass brush a few times.
3. Run patches untill clean and dry.
4. repeat 1. 2. 3. if needed

[quickdtoo]

Actually, there is no single "Proper" way to clean a rifle, you could ask 500 shooters how to clean, and get 500 different procedures that work for every one of them. There are several links in the FAQs on cleaning, that would be a good place to spend some time, if I had a way of making it manditory reading before posting, I'd sure do it, there's a ton of info in there that many, many hours of time have been spent making it available that waaaay too many new members are missing out on.

Boresnakes are great for field cleaning, but 99% of the people who use them never wash them, they just keep dragging them thru the bore, anyone with a lick of common sense wouldn't resuse a patch, so it's beyond me why they do what they do.

I used to be a dyed in the wool Hoppe's user, still love the smell of it, but there are products on the market now that work 110% better and are faster. One of em is the foaming bore cleaners, Wipeout is one of the best IMO, but not available everywhere but there are several others that are readily available locally, all of the rest are all made by Milfoam, and all work very well.

http://www.6mmbr.com/borecleaning.html

Tim

[MnMike]

Quickdtoo has it right. Fill the bore with the bore foam, wait 20 min, run a few dry patches, then an oiled patch. This rescued the accuracy of my .204 and my .243.

mike

[bscman]

I guess I'm one of those Hoppe's die hards...
My routine for as long as I'm been shooting has been a patch/brush soaked with Hoppes through the bore... Sure, there are other things out there that are a bit faster/less work, but this method has worked for me for years. Besides, some of those canned/compressed cleaners are pretty spendy to use frequently.

1 patch soaked in hoppes down the bore--let stand for a few minutes to soak.

10 passes with a brush (dipped in hoppes) from breach to crown.

1 pass with patch dampened in hoppes.

10 passes with brush from breach to crown.

Dry patches until they come out clean/dry.

If it isn't a chrome lined bore, it always get an oil SOAKED patch run through the bore to finish it off.

HOWEVER! You must remember to run a dry patch or two through the bore before you fire it next range visit--the excess oil can create an over-pressure (Unsafe condition!).

NEVER use any of the compressed cleaners as the only method to clean a semi-auto action. The ONLY way to do it is with dis-assembly...otherwise it will NOT get entirely clean.

I've used foaming bore cleaners a time or two  in the past...and occasionally still do as an initial cleaning on old milsurps (and let is soak a WHILE) or occassionally on heavy copper fouling.

[fernie]

D88,

Lots of solid info on here already.  But if people don't believe in evolution, you just have to follow me through my bore-cleaning lifetime...and I'm not done mutating yet!

I started out using Hoppes and a bore brush. And when I am feeling depressed I still uncap a bottle of the stuff and breathe deep.  Some years ago I was cleaning my gun after a hunt at a friend's house.  He watched me go through my ritual and then told me to swab my bore with some of his ammonia solvent.  The patch came out filthy.  Ever since then I look for the most potent ammonia solvent I can get my hands on.  And this winter I just finished mixing up my own concoction...it'll clean you sinuses, and is much cheaper than cocaine.  I am very careful in using it and make certain that I don't leave it in the bore too long.  I will run a patch of this through the bore, let it sit a couple of minutes, then run a couple of dry patches through, then one with Ed's Red, a dry patch, and repeat.  I generously work my bores with Ed's Red when all patches come clean, and then lube well, but lightly (Rem Oil).  I rarely use a brush any more.

And once a year I lap my bores with a polishing compound.

Foams work well, and I've started using it from time to time. 

And in my book if you don't have time to clean and to disassemble each and every time, then you don't have time to shoot (even though I don't disassemble each and every time...it just depends on the conditions).

I apologize if I've added to your confusion...it's just that when it comes to gun cleaning you triggered my OCPD!

Doc

[quickdtoo]

First of all, this discussion is about Handirifles, not semi-autos and other complicated firearms, cleaning a Handi is about as simple as it gets, there's no action to really worry about, keep the latch dry and you're good. If ya get into other actions, the tools change, but that's for another forum.

What is the recommended maintenance procedure for a handi rifle bore?

I'll tell ya right up front, there are a lot of other things that I enjoy a heck of a lot more than pushing a cleaning rod thru a bore, the foaming cleaners eliminate about 90% of the time you spend on cleaning if you're smart enough to figure out the best method of taking advantage of it.

A wise person can clean guns at the same time as he does a whole bunch of other things cuz the foam works while you're not there! Run a patch of Hoppe's Elite cleaner(see the 6mmBr article) thru the bore to kill the carbon, run a dry patch thru to remove the Hoppe's, then foam the bore and put the gun aside until the next day, I usually let it soak for about 12hrs, 6 or so on each side, the foam settles and doesn't treat the entire bore evenly.

While the foam is doing the copper cleaning, I go on with my life to more fun things, retirement is wonderful that way. The next day, run a few dry patches thru it, then an Eezox patch and a dry patch the bore is done, wipe the outside down with Eezox  and you're done, max time actually spent hands-on is 10-15 minutes, it don't get no simpler than that, the only way to spend less time and effort on it is to have someone else do it for ya!!!

I have a bottle of the original Hoppe's solvent that smells so good, the new stuff without the hazardous stuff in it just don't smell right, I've been tempted to just stick a wick in it and set it on the shelf as my personal sportman's airwick!!

If you want the best buy on foaming cleaners, get the Gunslick 12oz, it's $11 at Sportsman's Warehouse, Walmart sells the Outers for $6.88 for 5oz if you don't have a SW nearby, they're both the same products made by Milfoam.

Tim

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

http://www.milfoam.fi/barrel_cleaning_products.html

http://www.sharpshootr.com/wipeout.htm

[fernie]

Tim's right,  the foaming cleaner IS a lot easier.  For me there's something about running the rod through that I genuinely enjoy...which I can do while, praying my mantra.  And yes, I'm sure that I lead a much more boring life than he! 

The cost DOES factor into it for me, though.  I can make up a gallon of Ed's Red for 10$ if I watch the sales.  And for my 20% ammonia cleaner it comes in at about 5$/quart.

As for take down - I was referring to the forearm/barrel disassembly, not the action...which is easy enough if you want to.

Doc 

[STUMPJMPR]

I use various methods one is a homemade electronic bore cleaner using electrolysis to to remove fouling from the bore...You can find the directions for building one on the net....Other than that i use the normal stuff like hoppes....I only use patches never a brush....Here in the last few years i have been using isso bore cleaner it is a very very very mild abrasive paste and works great on those old bores with alot of darks spots......

[PHATINJUN]

I bet Tim uses Hoppe's in his airwick refills Kurt

[sooperdooty]

This is what works for me:
1.  keep track of the number of shots fired
2.  push kroil soaked patch down and out of barrel.
3.  push kroil soaded patch down but not out back to the chamber then down and out
4.  dip brush in butch's bore shine and go down and back once for each shot fired.
5.  repeat step 4
6.  repeat step 2
7.  repeat step 3
8.  push dry patch down and out
At this point if you used your jb and flitz this last patch will come out lightly oiled and clean.  The barrel will also be lightly oiled and ready for storage.  If you have all of your stuff handy then this will take 3 minutes or less.  Remember a barrel that is completely scrubbed free of copper will typically shoot like crap for the first couple of shots and typically these are 2 shots the hunter will not take when he grabs the gun out of the safe and heads out for the hunt.  This method will not remove everything, but the goal is to have a consistent surface in the barrel and eliminate the "flyers" that completely clean barrels often generate.  Ultimately shooting is more fun than cleaning so you should clean as little as required to preserve accuracy.

[LaOtto222]

This has already been said, everyone has a different way of cleaning a bore. I am similar to Quick, I used to use Hoppes (still have some around) but have evolved into using the foaming bore cleaners. I use some Kriol and TM solution too, but the main cleaner is foam. I do not use any brass brushes, but do use a nylon once in a while. The foam is so easy, I do not know why everyone does not use it. It costs a little more than some of the others, but I can use it indoors and I do not have to work very hard to do a good job. As for how often to clean a barrel, it depends on the barrel. By that I mean that some shoot best clean, some shoot best very dirty and most shoot best some where in between. You just have to try different ways until you find what is best for your rifle and your cleaning method. I have a Remington 700 (non Handi) that I did not clean...ever. I probably put some where around 1500 - 1600 shoots through it. It set in the cabinet for 12 years and I pulled it out and shot a .3" 5 shot group with it. I felt guilty about leaving it dirty so I cleaned it up real good and could not get under .75" with it. If I recall correctly, it took a lot of load development (shooting) before I found a load that it liked. By that time the bore was very dirty, copper fouled. I have another rifle that shoots best from a clean, slightly oily barrel. My Handis like it some where in between those extremes. My take is that when most people say they clean the barrel, they really are not cleaning it down to the bare metal. They leave some copper fouling or powder residue in the barrel. Gun nuts like us do a better job of cleaning a barrel, but it takes some work to do it right. That is why I like the the foam the best; so far it is the easiest and safest way to clean a barrel I have found.

[Norseman112]

I patch mine with Butch's Bore Shine a few times, then dry patch. After that I let my rifle sit over night filled with gun slick foam. I to feel the foam dose a great job and is a time saver to boot.


John

[MZ5]

OK, I'll renew this slightly older post by asking:  Who's using Hoppe's Elite Field Cleaner?  And has anyone ever NOT been able to get a patch of this stuff to come out dirty?  I just keep getting more and more and more dark patches out.  In general, I like Hoppe's Elite because it appears to me to work well and I have little kids so for them and for me I like the non-toxic nature of it.

The field cleaner's ingredients are pretty simple.  According to the MSDS it's mainly a PAO (polyalphaolefin; commonly used in expensive synthetic motor oils) with a chunk of diester (another common component of one or two VERY expensive racing synthetics and a great cleaner), and a chunk of something they don't identify.  It seems to be a very good lube like Break-Free, and it also seems to be such a good cleaner that no matter what I do, I still get patches of it (followed by a brush) to come out dirty.  Anyone?

[Saloon slug]

I am lazy I just use Kleanbore CLP a brush and a lot of patches. All while watching TV with the wife.