Gunsmithing Cleaning a .308 barrel

[Dsparil]

what do I need for when I go shooting to break it in? I already have a dewey rod. just need to know what chemicals and solvents(brand names and titles would be appreciated) to get and what brushes I need. what procedures do you use?


going shooting tomorrow and dont want to hurt barrel.

 

[Jrb572]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

http://www.gaprecision.net/ga-precision-download.html

 

[Pat M]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

get a bore guide also, i myself use nylon brushes & Sweets 7.62

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

Don't think of the brush as an abrasive tool. Nylon and bronze are not firm enough to significantly move firing crud. Any other kind of brush that is actually hard enough to displace unsoaked fouling is also likely to be hard enough to affect bore wear, and is also likely to have a significant role in crown wear.

Think of the brush as a distribution tool, which can drive solvent into the deeper recesses of the rifling. For this purpose, the nylon brush is every bit as effective as the bronze, and a lot less vulnerable to solvent action.

Apply solvent, brush several full length plus, bidirectional strokes immediately (be especially careful re-entering the crown), flush the brush with rubbing alcohol (contaminated solvent has no business being reapplied to the bore, or being comingled with fresh solvent), wipe down the rod (some of the powder and primer residue crap that exists in that bore is highly abrasive), and wait while the solvent does its magic on the fouling.

The solvent does all the significant work.

If you feel you must subject your bore to abrasive action, use a mild abrasive bore cleaner, like Rem Clean, Flitz, or JB Paste. I don't, and some barrel makers will void a warrantee if they see evidence of such cleaners in a returned barrel.

I prefer Outers' Foaming Bore Cleaner, but my favorite supplier, WallyWorld, appears to have dropped it and many other useful items from their standard inventory.

Greg

 

[sr15match]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't think of the brush as an abrasive tool. Nylon and bronze are not firm enough to significantly move firing crud. Think of it as a distribution tool, which can drive solvent into the deeper recesses of the rifling. For this purpose, the nylon brush is every bit as effective as the bronze, and a lot less vulnerable to solvent action.

Apply solvent, brush several strokes immediately, flush the brush with rubbing alcohol, and wait while the solvent does its magic on the fouling.

The solvent does all the significant work.

If you feel you must subject your bore to abrasive action, use a mild abrasive bore cleaner, like Rem Clean, Flitz, or JB Paste. I don't, and some barrel makers will void a warrantee if they see evidence of such cleaners in a returned barrel.

I prefer Outers' Foaming Bore Cleaner, but my favorite supplier, WallyWorld, appears to have dropped it and many other useful items from their standard inventory.

Greg </div></div>

I think Greg hit it pretty close. There is much much debate on cleaning. It all depends on who you ask, your equipment and your application.

I stick to Shooters Choice, Hoppe's 9, Rem-Oil, brass brushes, good patches, a bore guide, and a Dewey rod. It's all really simple. I only use enough solvents and brush strokes to clean on that particular barrel. My factory Remington barrels are a bit more of a chore than the custom barrels I have used (which usually clean up in a snap).

Read all you can and try out different methods until you find that works and you're happy with.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

Please note that the quote may have missed some additional parenthetical info that was edited into my post.

There is a lot of contradictory cleaning advice being bantered about these days. I consder myself to be a shooting Neanderthal, and proudly so. My view is that the things that have worked for me for decades have never stopped working. Not yet, anyway...

Some things do change, and improvements are always occurring, hence my embracing of the more modern foaming cleaners, for instance. But the more commonly available products are all quite good. The foam's just quicker n' easier. I also like to do long term between shooting session bore soaks with plain old Hoppe's #9 (yellow label) powder solvent. Their copper solvent's good overnight too.

My basic strategy is to clean only as much as is necessary to get the accuracy back, or to keep it from being degraded by cumulative crud deposits. For me, the key goal is to prevent pitting, which occurs as part of a bimetallic electro-chemical corrosion process involving steel, copper, acidic/alkaline fouling components, and atmospheric oxygen and moisture. This takes considerable time, and weekend (and more frequent) shooters can get by with less, as long as they maintain some discipline about oiling the bore between weekends.

In truth, simply saturating the bore with a good, preservative gun oil post firing will provide an adequate moisture/oxgen barrier to prevent pitting, but does nothing to reduce (note I did not suggest complete removal of) the ingredients in the corrosive recipe, and said oil needs to be mostly removed prior to repeating the firing (I never shoot an absolutely clean dry bore). Spotless, speckless fouling removal is also undesirable as it's accomplishment almost certainly involves more cleaning related bore wear than can be justified by the difference in results.

Aim for comparatively clean patches and a coat of oil.

Good enough is good enough.

Greg

 

[Pat M]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

Me
1: dime size blob of Sweets on 3 patches - run each through once with jag - wait to let it do it's thing (? 10 minutes)
2:blob Sweets on nylon brush - run back and forth 5 - 10 times - wait 5-10 minutes
3:repeat until it stops coming out blue or grey (3-8 repeats)
4:spray WD40 on 5-8 patches and run them through
5:run a dry patch if you your going to shoot soon, or oiled patch if not

i have a TV on the bench to watch while i wait.

My Rock barrel and the barrels on my DPMS 308 & 260 take 1/2 the time to clean than my stock Remington barrel.

 

[Dsparil]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

wd40 on a stainless barrel?

 

[Dsparil]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

ok and so sweets is the copper solvent eh? ok

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dsparil</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what do I need for when I go shooting to break it in? </div></div>

Ammunition.

I'm not a big break-in proponent, but will do a mild break in with factory tubes.

If you want the peace of mind that comes with breaking in, I'd download and print GAP's instructions referenced above.

 

[DHDeal]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

Hell Yeh! I do like the way you think on this issue Greg! I was a cleaner to "bare metal", and as I got older I found I don't like to spend the time waiting for no blue on the patch. So I cleaned less, but still alittle, and the groups were still the same.
I know this did not answer your question about break in, but you will have as many opinions about break in as general cleaning. There are many threads about both out there already, and no doubt, you have read them.
I personnaly love the Brownells "special line" brushes made for the Dewey rod as it is one less adapter I have to deal with, and one less my bore/rod has to deal with. If I did not get the Dewey as an issue item, I would spend my $ on the Bore Tech and never look back. I also love the Bore Tech Eliminator, but would appreciate everyone not buying it as it has been out of stock until very recently. Be warned however, if you use the Eliminator, you will always see some blue!

My .02! only.......

 

[jetlyting]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

OK, my turn to give everyone my two cents.
First get a lucas bore guide before you ever touch your gun
second get bore tech eliminator, nylon brush, quality jag, pro shot patches, lock ease graphite lock fluid from the hardware store and some birchwood casey synthetic gun scrubber.
Now how I clean...
After shooting gun goes in vise and I pass three soaked bore tech eliminator patches through the bore, then a soaked nylon brush about 5-8 times, one wet patch with eliminator and let it sit five minutes, followed by a couple dry patches. Repeat if necessary. Before storing gun run a patch soaked with bore tech eliminator through it and put it up.
Before you shoot it again it is important to patch out the eliminator with a patch sprayed with synthetic safe gun scrubber or brake cleaner. Dry patch then soak a patch with lock ease graphite, run it through the barrel followed with one dry patch. You will be amazed that fouling shots are not a worry anymore

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Cleaning a .308 barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dsparil</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what do I need for when I go shooting to break it in?</div></div>

Ammo and targets. Load, shoot, repeat.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I already have a dewey rod. just need to know what chemicals and solvents(brand names and titles would be appreciated) to get and what brushes I need. what procedures do you use?</div></div>

I use a Dewey <span style="font-weight: bold">.27-30 Cal</span> coated rod with a Parker-Hale Jag. I use Nylon Dewey Brushes and a Lucas Bore guide. Bronze brushes are OK, but make sure they have a loop at the end. No sharp wire.

For chemicals, I use Hoppes #9 and Butch's Bore Shine. For general Lube I use CLP and TW25B grease.

ONLY CLEAN WHEN ACCURACY FALL OFF or when you are going to store it for awhile. I shoot just about every week, so no cleaning for me until she opens up past 1 MOA.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">going shooting tomorrow and dont want to hurt barrel. </div></div>

Cleaning less will do more for your barrel.

I used to clean the crap out of my issued M40A2. I have since seen the light. The receiver and bolt get a thorough clean after every session. The barrel doesn't get touched until accuracy wanes.