Precision Rifle Cleaning

[sawateam]

Do you strip out the copper in the barrel as a standard procedure or not?

I’m newish to this and I’ve been hearing quite of few opposing ideas from experienced people I know as well as from some training courses I’ve done.

 

[b6graham]

it depends on the barrel and how it's performing. had a friend who had to do a massive cleaning on his 6GT recently

i normally go 300-800 rounds between cleanings. all i use is boretech eliminator. 2 wet patches. 5 wet strokes with nylon brush. 3-5 dry patches.

i don't use a borescope or anything. just clean it that way and be done

you'll hear 200 different cleaning strategies. most of them work. some are just dumb especially for this type of shooting (clean every 50-100 rounds)

 

[Fig]

What's the best color?

 

[TSULLI]

What's the best color?

You don’t already know? Haha!

You are going to get 973 different answers to this. For me personally, I tend to run a bore snake though a couple times and that’s it. I don’t use copper solvents. I just keep shooting until accuracy/consistency take a dump and a quick clean and call it a day. Some guys are super anal about their cleaning procedures and with good reason for their particular setup/application and their own personal experience. This is one of those things that you will have to discover what works best for you over time.

 

[Hickswr]

Do whatever it takes to prevent a carbon ring from building up. And that differs with every rifle.

 

[Krob95]

I just use boretech eliminator, follow the directions on the back of the bottle, and send it. If I suspect a carbon ring, I'll fill the bore with CLR for 20 minutes, drain it, chuck up a nylon AR 15 chamber brush in a drill, and go to town. Patch out dry, then follow with the Eliminator regiment. As mentioned above. Everyone does it different. Pick a method that you like, and do it.

 

[rustyinbend]

Here's what I do that's working ...

After a hundred rounds or so:

• Using Bore Tech Carbon Remover
  • Remove carbon ring
    • Nylon brush on a short non-rotating rod
    • Soak in Carbon Remover
    • Insert to an inch or so beyond chamber
    • Rotate both ways while working in and out for 2-to-3 minutes
  • Clean rest of the barrel
    • BT Carbon Remover on 3 Wet Patches
    • Nylon brush 10 reps
    • 3 Wet Patches
    • Wait 15-20 minutes
    • Dry patch until clean

At the end of the season before winter storage, or at least once a year:

• Same as above but add to the end after the barrel is free of carbon:
  • M4-Pro Copper Remover on 3 wet patches
  • Nylon brush 10 reps
  • Dry Patch until green/blue coloration is gone
  • A couple of patches with Brake-Free CLP
  • One dry patch ... leaving a light CLP coating for storage

I've learned that a good carbon cleaning is needed regularly. Copper removal only prior to winter storage, understanding that I'll need 10-to-15 rounds at the start of the season before the barrel is ready to compete. If you use a heavy-duty copper removal on every cleaning, you'll be disappointed in the first 10-15 rounds after normal cleaning.

There are many ways to clean your precision rifle ... this is the one that works best for me.