I'm looking to put together a cleaning kit for my long range guns. (Barrett MRAD chambered in .338/6.5 and Remington 700 chambered in .223). I wouldn't be against buying a kit as a whole if there was a good one out there. I know it's personal preference, but any advise on oil/lubes would be awesome. Iv read a few of the postings in here but most of them to be quite a few years old so just looking to see if there's any new and improved stuff out there. Any info/techniques would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Zach!
Cleaning equipment
- Thread starter Zachbeard
- Start date
Zach,
You're dead on about personal preferences. That being said, years ago I did some 1000 yard bench rest competition and tried just about everything on the market and finally settled on the Boretech brand of products. I'd recommend using a small utility tool box for jags, patches, cleaners, lubes, rags/towels, bore-guides and other small items. Most of the shooters were using one piece cleaning rods with a carry caddie made from PVC pipe. I haven't found one lube to be much better than another so go with your favorite flavor.
You're dead on about personal preferences. That being said, years ago I did some 1000 yard bench rest competition and tried just about everything on the market and finally settled on the Boretech brand of products. I'd recommend using a small utility tool box for jags, patches, cleaners, lubes, rags/towels, bore-guides and other small items. Most of the shooters were using one piece cleaning rods with a carry caddie made from PVC pipe. I haven't found one lube to be much better than another so go with your favorite flavor.
I've got a dedicated MTM "50 cal" can filled with all my tools and cleaning supplies. I had bought a nice OTIS kit but I slowly bought separate pieces that made my kit a lot more useful. Here's the gist:
- JP bore guides
- Dewey rod
- Shorter OTIS brass rods for pistol
- Nylon brushes for rifles
- Brass brushes for pistols
- Jags
- Patches
- Hoppes No 9 Bore cleaner
- Lucas Gun Oil (for rifle bcgs, etc)
- Hoppes Synthetic lube (for pistol slides)
- CLP (for general cleaning)
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Shop rags
- Paper towels
For my AI AT and Anschutz bolt guns
Lucas Bore Guides
Ivy Rods (For Home Use)
Pro Shot Modular Rod (Field Use)
Pro Shot Jags / Brushes
KG Industries Chemicals (Carbon Cleaner/Carbon-Copper Cleaner/Degreaser/Gun Oil)
VFG Felt Pellet and specialized jag (Trying as an alternate to standard jag and patch)
Pro Shot Chamber brush / Mop for cleaning the chamber area
Microfiber towels for wiping things down. I like microfiber as it works well for polishing cleaning and is washable.
Lucas Bore Guides
Ivy Rods (For Home Use)
Pro Shot Modular Rod (Field Use)
Pro Shot Jags / Brushes
KG Industries Chemicals (Carbon Cleaner/Carbon-Copper Cleaner/Degreaser/Gun Oil)
VFG Felt Pellet and specialized jag (Trying as an alternate to standard jag and patch)
Pro Shot Chamber brush / Mop for cleaning the chamber area
Microfiber towels for wiping things down. I like microfiber as it works well for polishing cleaning and is washable.
For the field, I take a bore snake, a small bottle of solvent, and a rag. In my truck, I have enough tools to field strip and clean and do minor repairs - torque wrench, cradle, rods, patches, solvent, rod guides, etc.
My cleaning technique:
1. rod with bronze brush wet with Hoppe's, 5 strokes.
2. rod with jag, patch wet with hoppe's. 1 stroke
Repeat 1 and 2 either 3 or 4 times. 1 dry patch.
1. Wipe-out accelerator, 1 wet patch.
2. Wipe-out patch-out, 1 wet patch.
wait 15 minutes.
push 1 dry patch. If nasty, repeat 1 and 2 but no more than once. Push one dry patch. Done.
Over the years, I have tried lots of techniques and with one exception this IS my technique and I don't change it. I do not want my guns to go down. The technique minimizes the throat wear, gets the barrel clean enough, and keeps the crap out of the action so the gun stays up. The exception: if I want to take the barrel down to the metal, I will use JB. This is drastic and rare and blows the zero and group size for about 100 rounds.
I user BoreTech rods I also have Dewey rods, the BoreTech seem to last longer. For 22-cal weapons I use a 22-cal rod with bronze brush and a separate 22-cal rod with Dewey or BoreTech jag. Same for 30-cal except with 30 cal rods, brush, and jag. I use Hoppe's with the bronze brush and wet patches. I have used Sweets, Ed's Red, TM, shooter's choice, KG12, Butch's, and several others. I use sinclair rod guides I don't have any of of the solvent port type. I clean the chamber with AR10 or AR15 chamber brush. I use one of these to contain the spray and wet patches, it clamps over the muzzle and catches the crap. I use these cotton patches for 30-cal, the heavy duty ones don't work for me. I put solvent into these short bottles. I use this Sinclair cleaning cradle, mine is set up to hold two guns side by side. I go to Menards and buy the blue shop paper towels and the red shop rags. I use both.
My cleaning technique:
1. rod with bronze brush wet with Hoppe's, 5 strokes.
2. rod with jag, patch wet with hoppe's. 1 stroke
Repeat 1 and 2 either 3 or 4 times. 1 dry patch.
1. Wipe-out accelerator, 1 wet patch.
2. Wipe-out patch-out, 1 wet patch.
wait 15 minutes.
push 1 dry patch. If nasty, repeat 1 and 2 but no more than once. Push one dry patch. Done.
Over the years, I have tried lots of techniques and with one exception this IS my technique and I don't change it. I do not want my guns to go down. The technique minimizes the throat wear, gets the barrel clean enough, and keeps the crap out of the action so the gun stays up. The exception: if I want to take the barrel down to the metal, I will use JB. This is drastic and rare and blows the zero and group size for about 100 rounds.
I user BoreTech rods I also have Dewey rods, the BoreTech seem to last longer. For 22-cal weapons I use a 22-cal rod with bronze brush and a separate 22-cal rod with Dewey or BoreTech jag. Same for 30-cal except with 30 cal rods, brush, and jag. I use Hoppe's with the bronze brush and wet patches. I have used Sweets, Ed's Red, TM, shooter's choice, KG12, Butch's, and several others. I use sinclair rod guides I don't have any of of the solvent port type. I clean the chamber with AR10 or AR15 chamber brush. I use one of these to contain the spray and wet patches, it clamps over the muzzle and catches the crap. I use these cotton patches for 30-cal, the heavy duty ones don't work for me. I put solvent into these short bottles. I use this Sinclair cleaning cradle, mine is set up to hold two guns side by side. I go to Menards and buy the blue shop paper towels and the red shop rags. I use both.
I have been cleaning guns since the 60s and I have had dozens of techniques. They all seemed right at the time. After all of that, I settled on the system noted above. There is no widely accepted one-right-way to clean, make or pick a system that works for you. Don't worry about experimenting just don't wreck your barrel in the process.
There are three critical assets in play here: throat, bore, and crown. Protect them.
A clean gun shoots better and more reliably than a dirty gun - benchrest shooters clean their guns after every match -- every 10 to 15 rounds. They accept the risk of damaging throat/bore/crown in order to have a clean barrel. The currently popular tactical shooter technique is to shoot until accuracy drops then clean, this is widely accepted in the tactical community.
Don't use steel bore brushes. I use bronze, some people use nylon, the concept is the same - don't scratch the bore or the crown. When selecting a brush, make sure that it doesn't have a steel core - crown damage.
Wipe off your cleaning rod after each use. Push a wet or dry patch? Wipe off the rod. Five strokes with a brush? Wipe off the rod. Be very careful with rod alignment, do not scrub the throat with the rod. Not even with coated rods like Dewey or BoreTech. Some say that it is easier to wipe the abrasive crap off an uncoated cleaning rod. I don't think so, but I have no science to back that up. Use the shortest and largest diameter rod that you can get. Short rods are stiffer, there is less risk to the throat and/or bore.
Use as few passes as you can get away with - every cleaning rod pass is an opportunity to abrade the throat or scratch the bore or damage the crown.
Be careful with the crown, don't crash into it with the rod or the brush.
Do not let bore solvent run into the bedding. If it gets in there, pull the barrelled action and clean it up.
Patches carry the solvent and lube, they are not part of the brushing process. A patch that must be hammered through the bore is too tight - the rod flexes and scrubs the bore, the is a bad thing and not necessary.
There is discussion that ammonia-based solvents on barrel steel, particularly in a hot barrel, is a bad thing. Sweets is a good example - I stopped using it. I don't know the science or engineering on this. This discussion has been going on at least 25 years. Leaving solvent in the bore for a long time (days) is bad.
Abrasives are designed to scratch the bore so be very careful with them. If you decide to use JB do so sparingly. I have two small containers, that is more than a lifetime supply.
After you finish cleaning, you should put a thin coat of lube in the bore. The oil helps to protect it from air or condensation.
I would be shocked if I am not attacked for some of these opinions - as a community we seem to have pretty strong opinions about cleaning
There are three critical assets in play here: throat, bore, and crown. Protect them.
A clean gun shoots better and more reliably than a dirty gun - benchrest shooters clean their guns after every match -- every 10 to 15 rounds. They accept the risk of damaging throat/bore/crown in order to have a clean barrel. The currently popular tactical shooter technique is to shoot until accuracy drops then clean, this is widely accepted in the tactical community.
Don't use steel bore brushes. I use bronze, some people use nylon, the concept is the same - don't scratch the bore or the crown. When selecting a brush, make sure that it doesn't have a steel core - crown damage.
Wipe off your cleaning rod after each use. Push a wet or dry patch? Wipe off the rod. Five strokes with a brush? Wipe off the rod. Be very careful with rod alignment, do not scrub the throat with the rod. Not even with coated rods like Dewey or BoreTech. Some say that it is easier to wipe the abrasive crap off an uncoated cleaning rod. I don't think so, but I have no science to back that up. Use the shortest and largest diameter rod that you can get. Short rods are stiffer, there is less risk to the throat and/or bore.
Use as few passes as you can get away with - every cleaning rod pass is an opportunity to abrade the throat or scratch the bore or damage the crown.
Be careful with the crown, don't crash into it with the rod or the brush.
Do not let bore solvent run into the bedding. If it gets in there, pull the barrelled action and clean it up.
Patches carry the solvent and lube, they are not part of the brushing process. A patch that must be hammered through the bore is too tight - the rod flexes and scrubs the bore, the is a bad thing and not necessary.
There is discussion that ammonia-based solvents on barrel steel, particularly in a hot barrel, is a bad thing. Sweets is a good example - I stopped using it. I don't know the science or engineering on this. This discussion has been going on at least 25 years. Leaving solvent in the bore for a long time (days) is bad.
Abrasives are designed to scratch the bore so be very careful with them. If you decide to use JB do so sparingly. I have two small containers, that is more than a lifetime supply.
After you finish cleaning, you should put a thin coat of lube in the bore. The oil helps to protect it from air or condensation.
I would be shocked if I am not attacked for some of these opinions - as a community we seem to have pretty strong opinions about cleaning
Lubes:
Automatic transmission fluid is high quality oil and is approximately the correct viscosity. I also use lube from Wilson Combat. Both are excellent.
These little oiler bottles are great.
I use a tiny amount of low-viscosity high quality (or at least expensive) grease on bolt gun locking lugs and on the ramp that cocks the firing pin. A very tiny amount.
Use the least amount of lube that you can get away with. Dirt sticks to it and a dirty gun may go down at an inconvenient time. This is particularly a problem with tightly-fitted precision guns. In the past, I have used graphite; it is dry and seems to work well. Moly-be-damned also works well, also dry. I do not use dry lubes in weapon bores. YMMV.
Automatic transmission fluid is high quality oil and is approximately the correct viscosity. I also use lube from Wilson Combat. Both are excellent.
These little oiler bottles are great.
I use a tiny amount of low-viscosity high quality (or at least expensive) grease on bolt gun locking lugs and on the ramp that cocks the firing pin. A very tiny amount.
Use the least amount of lube that you can get away with. Dirt sticks to it and a dirty gun may go down at an inconvenient time. This is particularly a problem with tightly-fitted precision guns. In the past, I have used graphite; it is dry and seems to work well. Moly-be-damned also works well, also dry. I do not use dry lubes in weapon bores. YMMV.
