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Jay
Posts: 4,629 Senior Member
Cleaning Rods
Jay
Posts: 4,629 Senior Member
I know we've had discussions about gun cleaning rods in years past, but it seems like it's been a while. We discuss cleaning solvents, oils, patches and all that at different times. I was just sitting and looking at stuff last night and started thinking about cleaning rods and the ups and downs to the different kinds.
In my younger years, not knowing any better, I'd just use a cheap Wally World cleaning kit with a three piece cleaning rod. As I've learned and progressed through the years, I started moving toward nicer stuff and trying to take better care of my guns. I quickly came to realize that jamming a thin, flexible brass or aluminum rod up and down the bore of my guns, flexing and grinding against the rifling in the process, was not the way it should be done. So I started investing in some nicer stuff. My current cleaning rod setup includes 4 rods and a full brush and jag set.
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .22/.243 rifles
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .30 cal + rifles
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .22 cal handguns
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .30 cal + handguns
I chose those rods with a few things in mind. First, they have really good "backbone" for the diameter. The don't flex a lot and rub the rifling in the bore. Second, they are slick and I believe less prone to pick up debris that could cause wear in the bore. Third, I like the smooth ball bearing handles on them. I will not go back to a T-handle cleaning rod again after using these. That's my preference.
Along with the cleaning rods and brush and jag set, I have two muzzle protecting bore guides for use on lever guns and such that get cleaned from the muzzle end. I also use a bolt replacing bore guide for bolt guns. It also works on my ARs.
Anyway, that's what I'm using and what I think of them. Wonder what preferences and thoughts you all have and maybe a little on how you have evolved to get to where you are now when it comes to your gun cleaning and care equipment.
In my younger years, not knowing any better, I'd just use a cheap Wally World cleaning kit with a three piece cleaning rod. As I've learned and progressed through the years, I started moving toward nicer stuff and trying to take better care of my guns. I quickly came to realize that jamming a thin, flexible brass or aluminum rod up and down the bore of my guns, flexing and grinding against the rifling in the process, was not the way it should be done. So I started investing in some nicer stuff. My current cleaning rod setup includes 4 rods and a full brush and jag set.
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .22/.243 rifles
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .30 cal + rifles
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .22 cal handguns
1 - Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for .30 cal + handguns
I chose those rods with a few things in mind. First, they have really good "backbone" for the diameter. The don't flex a lot and rub the rifling in the bore. Second, they are slick and I believe less prone to pick up debris that could cause wear in the bore. Third, I like the smooth ball bearing handles on them. I will not go back to a T-handle cleaning rod again after using these. That's my preference.
Along with the cleaning rods and brush and jag set, I have two muzzle protecting bore guides for use on lever guns and such that get cleaned from the muzzle end. I also use a bolt replacing bore guide for bolt guns. It also works on my ARs.
Anyway, that's what I'm using and what I think of them. Wonder what preferences and thoughts you all have and maybe a little on how you have evolved to get to where you are now when it comes to your gun cleaning and care equipment.
Replies
You do have bore guides for your ARs, right?
I don't have a dedicated bore guide for ARs. I have the bore guide below that works on them as well. I just unscrew the little handle off the side, put the bore guide in and screw the handle back on through the ejection port. Push the guide forward, pull the handle back against the rear of the ejection port and snug it down. Then sometimes push some paper towel in around the bore guide where the back of the bolt would sit in order to keep it centered. It's worked well enough to keep me from buying a dedicated AR bore guide.
JAY
Wipe-Out foaming bore cleaner.
24 hours to let it work.
CRC non-chlorinated brake cleaner to punch out the crud.
I've posted probably a couple hundred gun cleaning posts over the years. The above pretty much sums them up.
Mike
N454casull
- George Orwell
Hey good for you that you are able to make this thing work for you. I bought one and it never work well for me. The little handle thing would slip up too easily and the whole thing would come right out; I guess I never learned the secret incantation to make them work properly.
I like the one piece Delrin bore guides from Sinclair/Brownells. I have a bunch of them and they are great.
I'm with Peg on this. No coated rods, and certainly no sectional rods. I'm not totally against a highly polished SST rod, such as a Pro-Shot, but I am a fanatic about using a proper fitting bore-guide. I'll never punch a rod, regardless of quality, down a bore free-hand.
Mike
N454casull
Yuck! :yikes:
Who would even consider using a sectional rod in this day and age? :uhm:
Who knows....just threw it out there, just in case.
N454casull
This is my technique - Pro-Shot rod with brass bore-guide - which I'm pretty sure was made by Pro-Shot as well.
I keep these or a Bore Snake in my hunting pack in case pulling dirt or mud from the bore is necessary.
But for normal cleaning, a Parker Hale style jag with as generous a wrap of patch possible to push through the bore is king, IMO. I've used Montana Extreme jags to similar effect.
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It can be a little finicky sometimes. But for the most part, I've been able to get it to work pretty well.
That brings up another point in my gun cleaning evolution. I really only push stuff through my rifles. I don't pull stuff back through them. In the old days, I'd use a brush and Hoppes 9 and scrub back and forth until my arm was tired and still not get clean patches. I've come to use the approach, let the tools work for you. Don't work for them. Using good solvent and equipment gets the job done much easier and with less scrubbing. I've tried several solvents and have now pretty well settled on Montana Extreme copper killer and Wipeout foam for copper removal and Shooters Choice for general cleaning and finishing after copper removal. Using good solvents, I wet the brush and push it through, them take the brush off before pulling the rod out. Let the solvent do its work, repeat the process.
That might help with using that bore guide. Lol. All I use it for is to push stuff through.
And I do have one coated rod. Might be a Dewey. Not sure. Can't remember. It is for one gun only. The 17HMR. I never use a brush on that gun. Just patches and solvent, maybe a couple times a year. For that purpose, that little coated rod works OK.
I've noticed in some cases I have to play catch-up if I dissolve all the copper from the bore. I've had half-MOA increases until about 10 or 12 shots into a shooting session.
Hoppes #9 or the equivalent for me only. I need to mix up another batch of homemade cleaner. Basically just auto trans fluid, acetone, and a bit of kerosene.
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You sure you're not talking about a brass crown protector? I don't think I've ever seen a brass bore guide.
Mike
N454casull
Your home brew also makes a good penetrating oil, even better if you leave out the acetone.
Dad 5-31-13
Yeah, I always knew you were pushy.
I reverse my nylon brushes, but not before they come out of the muzzle completely. Remember, they are on aluminum holder, not brass.
Hoppe's 9 stinks in more ways than one. I use Bore Tech products and have been for a few years now. Even though my barrels are lapped, I still use a little bit of copper cleaner to remove the stuff that gets atomized in the bore. My barrels really don't exhibit much of a difference between clean and fouled.
Hoppe's #9? Who uses that anymore. Oh wait, never mind.
The other use for a brass bore guide is to jack up the car to change a flat tire.
For M-1s & M-14s the crown protector is also the bore guide, on these rifles i push the rod into the mag well then put the brush/jag on and pull it back thru, one thing i do is to wrap a solvent patch around the brush. I use mostly Shooters Choice stright or mixed 50/50 with kroil or ATF4.
JAY
Indeed. It's why I blew through my last gallon. I found a dozen other uses. Haha.
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Hello, yeah I'm back.
Jay, also a good set of bore guides is important also. The proper size bore guide will limit the flexing of the rod.
There's two schools of thought on cleaning rods. Some like carbon fiber rods. Some want a good hard Stainless rod. The thinking on each, the carbon fibre is soft and doesn't damage the bore. However the stainless rod crowd say they are hard and don't allow dirt and other abrasives to imbed in the rod. I use both with a good proper size bore guide. I've been doing that for 25 years and haven't worn a barrel out yet from cleaning.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
This could be applied to ANY firearm, but there's seemingly more FUD involved when the firearm is a rimfire.
You should always clean your guns after every use - except when you shouldn't. Powder residue will corrode your barrel except you'll wear your barrel out cleaning it. Softer than gunmetal bronze and/or nylon brushes can't possibly wear your barrel out but never use cotton patches as they'll ruin the crown and wear the barrel prematurely. You should always coat the inside of a freshly cleaned barrel with gun oil, except that will hydro-lock your gun next time you fire it so you really should use {insert fave brand of CLP here}. Dirty barrels are far more accurate than clean ones except nothing centers like a freshly cleaned barrel. Barrel accuracy degrades, and corrosion sets in after the third round, except for the guy who has shot exactly 15,348,723 rounds since the last cleaning and his barrel looks brand new. The previous is only valid if you use {insert fave brand of ammo here}. If you use {insert hated brand of ammo here}, your barrel will tie itself into a knot, and your cat will barf on your computer keyboard. Match shooters clean their barrels every 10-15 rounds, except the champ who has never cleaned his 50 Y.O. gun. Hoppe's #9 was good enough for grandpa, its good enough for me; but its outdated and you really should use {insert fave CLP here}. You should only run patches with a loop unless you're using a jag. Never use bronze brushes, nylon ones are clearly inferior. You'll wear your gun out cleaning it, except you'll wear it out from the unburned grit and glass particles left by every shot! Don't ever let your cleaning rod touch the inside of the barrel as soft aluminum will damage a hard steel barrel, except that the aluminum oxide on the soft aluminum rod will abrade the barrel. But soft brass/bronze rods won't hurt anything except you should use stainless steel as it doesn't flex as much. Don't forget to always brush or swab from the breech to the muzzle as this is the way the bullet travels - except swabbing/brushing from the muzzle to the breech reverses the the "flow" of crud so it won't migrate from the chamber to the farthest parts of the barrel. If you shot corrosive ammo, spray Windex down the barrel but never use ammonia under these circumstances, put your gun in the dishwasher instead. A good, stiff cleaning rod is best; especially when it is a nice flexible cleaning cord. One should always use a 1 piece rod, the 3 sectioned ones travel better. Clean your gun at the range, but its OK to wait until you get home. Never use {whatever} to clean your rifle, it will cause flash rust within .0352 microseconds; its far better to use {another whatever} because it will cause buildup that will clog your barrel the very first time its used. Its best to use the {whatever military} cleaning technique except its outdated and ineffective; better to use the technique employed by {whatever police dept.} as everyone knows all cops' guns are perpetually dirty. The 15 step, all intensive, 3 hour, 18 patch method is best, just run 1 patch through the bbl and throw the gun back in the truck for next time.
That should pretty much sum up where this thread will end up going - did I miss anything?
:jester:
No, I think that pretty well covered it.
:popcorn::yikes::silly:
:rotflmao::roll2::rotflmao::roll2::rotflmao::roll2::rotflmao:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
RFC is full of people who make this claim.