Best Basic Handi Rifle Cleaning Procedure...

[evan1395]

So I have some questions about cleaning and cleaning tools. First off, i'd like to stick to Hoppes Cleaning products, seeing as how I work at kmart, we carry their items and I get my associate discount on it all.
So, I have a basic understanding on how to clean a barrel...I think. So far all i've done is bought some .45 cal swabs (for my .45-70) and some Hoppes #9 Cleaning Solvent. Basically I ran a rod down the barrel with a swab on the end of it and did that until the cotton swabs were coming out clean. I then took some Hoppes Gun oil and layed a film of it on all the metal surfaces of my Handi.
I feel there is more to cleaning out the barrel than what I did. I see these bronze brushes and mops and oils for the barrel? What are the purpose of those? Should I be oiling the inside of the barrel with the same stuff I used on the exterior of the gun? Are the mops more effective than the swabs? What do the bronze brushes do?
I need a list of basic cleaning supplies...preferrably all Hoppes products. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.
 
-Evan

[Brian P.]

On my 17Rem and 243 I get a carbon ring that builds up about 6" down the barrel from the chamber.  I use a brush to scrub that out.  I don't know if you get a ring build up on 45-70's; you'll know because you can feel it with a tight patch.  Otherwise I like to use a good copper solver like Barnes CR-10 which is STRONG and should not be left in the barrel.  No matter how clean a barrel looks, the CR-10 always gets blue patches (indicating copper jacket) out of the barrel.  Nothing smells as nice as Hoppes #9, though   See if you have a dedicated copper solvent in your store and try it after you done your regular cleaning procedure.  I'll bet you'll find a lot of blue patches coming out.
 
ON THE OTHER HAND . . . .  . . I am not convinced you need to get every last trace of copper fouling out of a barrel.  All my guns shoot best after a few fouling rounds anyways.  That being said.  If you're getting good results as how you're doing now, then you're doing just fine

[keith44]

yer doin' fine there evan.  Just lightly oil the bore (inside of the barrel) by wetting a swab with oil and running it down and back a couple times and all will be well.  The big thing to remember, if ya wanna look like ya really know what yer doing is to run the rod into the barrel from the same end ya put the boolits into 


Seriously, having the rod enter from the chamber end protects the muzzle on all rifles, and oil is a guns friend, as long as it is not heavily applied.

[Dinny]

Evan,
  The most basic may be running a boresnake through the bore. 
Although not basic, here's my method:
  My friend and I did some testing of different solvents a few years back. We placed several FMJ bullets into several small glass jars. In each jar we placed a different solvent. We found that the Gunslick foaming bore cleaner had the darkest blue color after 15, 30 and 45 minutes. That's all I use now. I stick the hose into the chamber area and let it spray until foam comes out the other end of the barrel. I have a plastic tube that clamps onto the muzzle and contains the overflow. You could always place a towel or rag under the muzzle too. After 15-20 mins I run a brass brush through to break up anything that's still stuck inside. Then I run a jag through with a clean patch. I prefer jags over patch holders due to the jag having no contact with the rifling. I continue the clean patch process until the patches come out mostly clean. As has been mentioned, this is all done from the chamber end and I stop before the patches are perfectly clean. When cleaning custom barrels, I follow that same process and then I use some JB Bore embedding compound followed by their bore cleaning compound, then swab the barrel with clean patches until they come out perfectly clean. When using the cleaning compounds, I place a plastic cap over the muzzle and just bump it with the patched jag. That way I know I have swabbed the entire barrel.

There are probably as many different methods of cleaning as we all have guns. An internet search will yield numerous methods. Here's just one.

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

Thanks, Dinny

[Wagguy80]

Brian P. hit the nail on the head.  Truth is a dirty barrel shoots better than a clean one.  I clean mine with Hoppe's #9 started using it back when I was shooting a lot of surplus corrosive 8mm and 7.62x54R.  Follow it up with Rem Oil and a bore snake.


Usually I'll have one sight in day to check that everything is on before hunting season.  After that I don't clean the bore again until after hunting season. 

[evan1395]

yer doin' fine there evan.  Just lightly oil the bore (inside of the barrel) by wetting a swab with oil and running it down and back a couple times and all will be well.  The big thing to remember, if ya wanna look like ya really know what yer doing is to run the rod into the barrel from the same end ya put the boolits into 


Seriously, having the rod enter from the chamber end protects the muzzle on all rifles, and oil is a guns friend, as long as it is not heavily applied.

So the same oil I used on the outside metal finish of the gun is ok for the inside of the barrel as well. I live in a very damp climate during the winter. Even though I have a woodstove burning close to 18 hours a day, the air can still be so heavy with condensation, which is what makes me anal about storing my firearm well protected. Cleaning wise, I suppose i'm doing alright seeing as how I got the inside of my barrel spotless, residue wise. I 'm assuming I will just buy one of those brushes or boresnakes when I see my first "copper ring" or whatever ya'll called it .

[keith44]

Yes, use the same oil.


My dad always used 3 in 1 oil for all his guns, and even that protected them from rust and wear.  I use Ballistol, because of the humidity we have.  It bonds with moisture and stays on the surface of the metal.  In extreme cases moisture can get under other oils and float them off the surface of metal.

[evan1395]

On my 17Rem and 243 I get a carbon ring that builds up about 6" down the barrel from the chamber.  I use a brush to scrub that out.  I don't know if you get a ring build up on 45-70's; you'll know because you can feel it with a tight patch.  Otherwise I like to use a good copper solver like Barnes CR-10 which is STRONG and should not be left in the barrel.  No matter how clean a barrel looks, the CR-10 always gets blue patches (indicating copper jacket) out of the barrel.  Nothing smells as nice as Hoppes #9, though   See if you have a dedicated copper solvent in your store and try it after you done your regular cleaning procedure.  I'll bet you'll find a lot of blue patches coming out.
 
ON THE OTHER HAND . . . .  . . I am not convinced you need to get every last trace of copper fouling out of a barrel.  All my guns shoot best after a few fouling rounds anyways.  That being said.  If you're getting good results as how you're doing now, then you're doing just fine

So some Hoppes Copper Solvent (If we carry it) if not CR-10 is a good one? So I use that AND a bronze brush when I see my ring accumulating sometime in the near future.

[gendoc]

patch soaked with LPS-1 twice and thena couple with 101, and ya  ready for tha year.
if its caked on... i use buckaroo, engineers solvent and united 101 cleaner/lube.
i would'nt run a brush thru nuna my firearms, much lessa boresnake... but thats my opinion
and not to be considered by anyone.................
 
tha 4 major ingredients for handi maintenance.......
 

[keith44]

the only trouble with gendoc's method is the can on the left gets emptied often    and simply must be replaced two or three times for each cleaning 

[Brian P.]

Just about any dedicated copper solvent will do.  I just use CR-10 because I know it's one of the fastest; but don't let it sit in the barrel more than 5 minutes at a time.  I got mine from Sinclair or Midway; can't remember.  A bottle lasts a long time.

[keith44]

So I have some questions about cleaning and cleaning tools. First off, i'd like to stick to Hoppes Cleaning products, seeing as how I work at kmart, we carry their items and I get my associate discount on it all.
So, I have a basic understanding on how to clean a barrel...I think. So far all i've done is bought some .45 cal swabs (for my .45-70) and some Hoppes #9 Cleaning Solvent.
...

-Evan

since we are talking about a 45-70 here, I really doubt copper wash (fouling) will be an issue for many many years