sfaber@ihlpy.att.com (Steven R Faber) (05/21/91)
I was happy to see the articles on rifle cleaning not too long ago. I went through a similar long process cleaning my old '03 Springfield and getting all the copper out. I couldn't find any Sweets, so I used Shooters Choice which is ammonia based, and it worked OK. One observation: The instructions for the Shooters choice copper solvent says to follow it with Shooters Choice MC7 bore cleaner without even wiping the copper solvent out first. If the ammonia reacts with the MC7, then it seems the two Shooters Choice products would be incompatible. Could someone post some basic information on cleaning rifles like what kind of patches and cleaning rods should be used, do you push them out in one direction, or go in both directions? I know you are not supposed to clean from the muzzle end or reverse directions of a brush or patch inside the bore but ... Someone told me I should use a stainless steel rod, and another said no use only a teflon coated rod (where do you get these?) I have found felt patches wrapped around a wool mop work well for the 30 cal., but have some difficulty with the 22 cal AR-15 barrels. The mops take a lot of force to get through and individual patches don't provide enough force to clean well. The outers style felt patches seem to work the best, as the cotton ones leave lint in the barrel and the GI ones are stringy and hard to push through. I put a couple good scratches in my AR-15 bore recently probably after applying too much force pushing or pulling an offcenter patch through with a plastic tipped Al rod, so I would like to find out how to do it right. Steve
hes@ccvr1.cc.ncsu.edu (Henry E. Schaffer) (05/22/91)
In article <34709@mimsy.umd.edu> sfaber@ihlpy.att.com (Steven R Faber) writes:
# ... Shooters Choice which is ammonia based ...
^^^^^^^ is it?
#
#One observation:
#The instructions for the Shooters choice copper solvent says to
#follow it with Shooters Choice MC7 bore cleaner without even
#wiping the copper solvent out first. If the ammonia reacts with
#the MC7, then it seems the two Shooters Choice products would be
#incompatible.
I would hope that Shooters Choice would have their act together
so that their instructions weren't dangerous to follow!
I don't use anything else after Shooters Choice,
only clean patches. Then I use Hoppes No. 9 before I put the
gun away, because it appears that Shooters Choice doesn't have
a rust preventative. (I would use Breakfree CLP except that I
don't want to get teflon in the bore.)
#
#Could someone post some basic information on cleaning rifles
#like what kind of patches and cleaning rods should be used,
I have a Dewey one-piece rod, which has a black nylon coating
on it and a red handle with a bearing in it so the rod can turn
freely. I use Dewey jags in .30 - the wrap type is such a close fit
to the bore that when I use a thick patch (I have some Champions
Choice patches which are cloth thicker than the usual thin
white flannel) I have to wrap it carefully to avoid any bumps
or it won't even fit in the bore. The pierce type jag has a bit
more clearance.
#do you push them out in one direction, or go in both directions?
#I know you are not supposed to clean from the muzzle end or
#reverse directions of a brush or patch inside the bore but ...
#Someone told me I should use a stainless steel rod, and
#another said no use only a teflon coated rod (where do you get
#these?)
I only push from the chamber end. For a semi-auto you may
have to clean from the muzzle end, but then you really need to
use a bore guide so that there is *no* wear at the muzzle.
I use a bore guide for my .308 which fits in place of the
bolt. The idea is that the most important thing is that the
rod should be non-abrasive - and that mostly means that it
shouldn't carry any grit. Aluminum can get grit embedded in
it and then it can scratch. Some coatings can do likewise, but
the nylon coating is *supposed* to not have such a problem.
Stainless steel doesn't have such a problem. The reason for a
one-piece rod is so the joint won't give you that problem.
Dewey rods are available from any accuracy oriented supply house
such as Champion's Choice or Sinclair.
#
#I have found felt patches wrapped around a wool mop work well
#for the 30 cal., but have some difficulty with the 22 cal
#AR-15 barrels.
#The mops take a lot of force to get through and individual
#patches don't provide enough force to clean well.
Actually, patches aren't supposed to provide much force.
They are supposed to mainly carry away the stuff that the
brush dislodged and the solvent dissolved and loosened.
Maybe you need to buy some more jags and to find one which
works well with your patches.
#The outers style felt patches seem to work the best, as the
#cotton ones leave lint in the barrel and the GI ones are stringy
#and hard to push through.
I don't find lint in the barrel, but I buy good quality
woven patches and strip loose threads from each when I'm
putting it on the jag.
# ...
--henry schaffer n c state univ