Ruger Precision Rifle Proper Cleaning & Maint.

[Corvi]

Hi all,

New to precision shooting and new to the forum, interested in getting some opinions on proper upkeep for the RPR. I got a Gen II Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5CM about two months ago and have been very excited to get into long range precision shooting (my first precision rifle). I already had on hand a Vortex Crossfire II 6-24x50 AO, a Burris P.E.P.R. scope mount, and a UTG bipod. I think I was too excited at my FFL because after I took home the rifle, I noticed the barrel was off center relative to the handguard, like noticeably. A quick search online revealed that this was definitely not an uncommon problem and the consensus opinion was to send it back to Ruger's SUPERIOR customer service and they would make it right. At this point, I had not fired any rounds through the rifle. My FFL helped with the RMA and sent it back to Ruger the next day.

I got it back after two weeks, and the service summary mentioned that they replaced the handguard, all screws, range tested, and cleaned it. The barrel still looks very slightly off center but it's a lot less noticeable now. At this point I was anxious to finally fire it and sight in the scope, so I took it to an indoor range and spent 20 rounds to sight it in. I thought about barrel break in but opted out of doing a proper routine. I wish I had a read a bit more because a lot of people say that the first cleaning of the gun is its most important but I reasoned that since Ruger themselves probably did a thorough cleaning when I RMA'ed the rifle, it may be negligible for me to clean it again before shooting. Anyways, 20 rounds later, with the scope sighted, I took it home and disassembled the gun and the bolt and cleaned it with a 6.5mm bore snake, and break-free CLP.

Then I did some more reading, and a lot of people disagree with using bore snakes on precision rifles. I understand the rationale of pulling a dirty cloth through the barrel repeatedly, and it seemed like the majority opinion suggests a regimen of running wet and dry patches with phosphor/bristle brushes for more rigorous cleaning. Furthermore, Ruger's own Youtube video on cleaning the RPR got so much negative feedback (the guy ran a metal uncoated rod without a bore guide through the barrel and then pulled it back through), that I wasn't sure what to trust. I decided to order a full RPR cleaning kit from Dewey Rods (40" nylon coated rod with an RPR compatible bore guide), and it should be arriving in a few days.

Sorry if this is not the right thread to discuss this, but I am really interested in prolonging the performance and life of my barrel. I'm again very new to the scene and have not had the budget to consider serious upgrades such as a hand-lapped barrel etc. My questions are:

1). Should I just throw away the 6.5mm bore snake?
2). What solvents are people recommending? I hear a lot of Hoppe's No. 9.
3). What is the best regimen for running patches through a dirty bore? I hear that you should run some wet patches first that are a bit smaller and then give the solvent some time to work, and then run successive dry patches (slightly larger) until it comes out clean.
4). Should you use phosphor/bristle brushes regularly? Should you ever reverse direction in the barrel when using them?
5). What size patches should I use for my 6.5CM barrel? 1.0" 1.5"? Circular or Square?
6). Was not cleaning my RPR first before my 20 rounds a bad idea?

I'm sure I have a bunch of other specific questions but I feel like this post is already getting very long. I also realize that people's opinions on proper cleaning and maintenance can severely diverge to the point of heated debate. My goal is to try and get as much objective, consensus information from a knowledgeable community as I can.

Sorry again if this information is posted elsewhere, I tried to search some threads but I haven't turned up much information on cleaning and maintenance.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Lasor1]

Hey
There is plenty ways to clean your rifle. I have a rpr in 6mm Creedmoor. The handgard is floating and it does not interfere with accuracy if it is off a little you can loosen screws up on the handgaurd and adjust it to center it up if needed on the Ruger precision. If You have upgraded forum membership with online access to the forums online training lessons. Frank has a great video on cleaning a precision rifle. As well as a lot of great training lessons to help you get started in the world of long range shooting
. It is well worth checking into if you are not already an upgraded membership member. Worth every penny of the info there.
First cleaning of rifle is usually an important one the gun manufacturers usually ship there products in a anti rust grease and needs to be cleaned off it just makes it easier to keep that stuff from getting in your trigger area firing pin and other working components. The factory grease can make it dirty and cruddy in the areas over time just my opinion though.
I usually use a cleaning rod with a bore guide to keep solvents out of your trigger action. I use nylon brushes some use bronze personal preferences and a cleaning jag for patches I have and do use bore snakes at range you can run a dry one through to clean anything out of it at range quickly. Don’t over clean it I just run a solvent patch let set a few mins run a nylon brush through barrel. always run your cleaning rods though the chamber side and out the barrel. After brush I run a few wet solvent patches through and when they look clean I run a dry patch or two and I am done if long storage I put a lightly coated oil patch down through barrel. Also don’t put oil on your bolt face as well as were cases chamber just keep it nice and clean and only lubricate spots on bolt that need it and that’s all I do. There are many ways and I do not clean mine much until accuracy starts dropping off and or if I am storing the rifle for a little while actually I use a bore snake at range sometimes I run a dry bore snake through to knock Any loose fouling and I just have fun shooting. I am no professional I just enjoy it as a hobby and it is very addictive. Have fun

 

[Bender]

Boresnakes are fine. Coated rods are the way to go. Only clean when performance changes.

 

[Corvi]

Thanks very much for the advice! The more videos I watch the more I realize there really is no singular right way to clean a precision rifle. The upgraded forum membership seems like a really good idea just to have access to a gold mine of knowledge and expertise. When you say to not put oil or lubricant on the bolt face, you mean to avoid the oil leaking into the firing pin and then potentially wetting the primer of a bullet right?

 

[Steel+Killer]

I have never broken in any rifle and I have never had a problem with any of them, but if doing all that barrel break in voodoo helps you sleep better at night then go for it.

 

[Lasor1]

Thanks very much for the advice! The more videos I watch the more I realize there really is no singular right way to clean a precision rifle. The upgraded forum membership seems like a really good idea just to have access to a gold mine of knowledge and expertise. When you say to not put oil or lubricant on the bolt face, you mean to avoid the oil leaking into the firing pin and then potentially wetting the primer of a bullet right?

.
Yes the oil could contaminate the ammo as well make the firepin collect dirt and grime

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Bore patches are generally marked with caliber ratings, and that works. I own a significant collection of bore snakes. I never use them.

On second thought, they may have a use if a bore gets wet from a downpour.

I use #9, and sometimes leave it in for longer periods. That tends to get at deeper deposits. The label recommends (or did...) that it's OK to leave it in indefinitely. My brand of thinking is that is you worry about indestructible deposits in the bore, you really should be cleaning the bore before they occur. Yes, the major cause of bore wear is usually cleaning, but cleaning done with proper care shouldn't cause any wear.

The little patch/large patch thinking could be excessive.

Phosphor bronze brushes are OK, but I don't use them. I stick with nylon bristle/aluminum core; they don't show false copper and all I intend them to do is to fully distribute the solvent prior to soaking. It's the chemical action of the solvent that actually loosens the crud. Just give it time, and don't expect the bronze to clean by abrasion.

Not the best idea to reverse bronze brushes inside the bore; I actually had a new one stick in the bore pretty bad once.

Rods without guides are a bad idea. The construction of the rod is secondary to its straightness, and every metallic cored rod I have ever used has eventually developed a bend/kink, which negates the value of the guide and is pretty much bound to be a serious potential cause of bore wear. Always check the rod for straightness before use by rolling it on a completely flat surface.

Folks ascribe all sorts of evils to carbon fiber rods, but mine have never developed kinks. They may well acquire undesirable contaminants; but without bends, I worry less about such things. Besides, my regimen has always been to wipe the rod (any cleaning rod) with a dry, clean shop cloth every single time it comes out of the bore.

Questions about not cleaning prior to first rounds, after the fact, would appear pointless. Don't do it again. I have found the most amazing grit and other crap in factory fresh bores by gently cleaning before first rounds. Too late now, but I'd not worry unless the accuracy was crap from the get-go, which may be totally unrelated.

Factory shop floors are not the most pristine environments; and that stuff ends up everywhere, including the bore.

You will also probably find firing residue left over from proof firing, too. I don't think they (some) clean after proofing.

Eventually the discussion will turn to break-in. I don't do that, per se. What I do is to use the first sequence of rounds for fireforming my first 50 or 100 brass cases in anticipation of load development, which will go better after that first batch of rounds.

Something will be happening inside the bore, and every shot is subtracted from the overall life of the bore. Pretty much by definition, a high quality lapped bore should not benefit from break-in, and a run-of-the-mill factory barrel will achieve its break-in through normal firing. Simply clean the bore as you would later on anyway.

Greg