Rifle and Pistol Cleaning – Phil’s way
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment on cleaning from our technical staff. We asked three (3) of the Technicians on our staff to describe the cleaning procedure that they follow. This month’s installment is presented by Phil Hoham.
I shoot both 3-Gun and NRA Long-Range so there is no way I have time to clean during a match. In addition, the round counts through these rifles are rather high. My long-range rifles see a minimum of 45 to 60 rounds for score plus 6 or more sighters. 3-gun rifles, depending on the stages, may see 50-100 rounds per match. The 1911 .45 will also see the same round counts during a 3-gun match.
Lets start with the long-range rifles first. For my 6BR,6.5X47 Lapua and .308 Palma rifles I start by running 5-6 loose patches wet with Bore Tech Eliminator down the bore and let it soak while I clean the bolt and action. After finishing with the bolt and action, I like to run 5-6 additional loose patches with Bore Tech Eliminator to push out the fouling the first application has loosened. If I am not in a hurry to get the rifle clean, I will let it soak overnight and run some more wet patches through the bore the next morning. Next, I wet-brush the barrel using a bronze bore brush, then wet-patch the residue out, using more of the Bore Tech Eliminator. The last step is dry patching out the bore with the patch center punched so a tight fit in the bore is achieved. What I look for after the first couple of patches is a blue or a black stripe on the patches. If I see a blue (copper) stripe I will finish dry patching the barrel and then run a few wet loose patches of Montana Extreme 50 BMG Copper Killer down the bore and let it soak awhile. For a black stripe (carbon or powder) I use the TM Solutions solvent with a bronze bore brush. I repeat either technique till the blue or black is gone.
For my AR-15 used in 3-Gun matches, I follow the same steps used in my long-range rifles.
Since the .45 is fed mostly lead reloads, Montana Extreme Cowboy Blend and a bronze brush are used to get the lead and powder fouling out. All of the solvents used are safe to leave in either stainless or chrome moly steel barrels for extended periods of time.
The bore oil used in all my rifles and shotguns is the TM Gun Oil. It stays put and prevents any rust. The bolt greases are TM Ultra Bolt Grease for the bolt actions and Mil-Comm TW-25B Lubricant for the AR-15 and 1911. For bolt action triggers, I use Ronsonol Lighter Fluid to clean and lubricate. The general theme for all my cleaning is that I let the solvent do the work and not my right arm and rotator cuff.
Phil Hoham
Reloading Technician
October 21st, 2009 at 3:46 pm
IMHO , bronze brush + Eliminator = false reading. A tight, hard, nylon brush works well to produce an emulsion with that product. For the same reason, I have all jags chrome plated.
I shoot Bench Rest.
Best regards.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
What is your cleaning recommendations for AR-style .223 police rifles?
October 21st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
You wet brush with a bronze brush and Bore Tech Eliminator? Doesn’t Bore-Tech specify a nylon brush? Won’t the Eliminator start dissolving a bronze brush rapidly enough that some of the blue you pick up is from dissolving brush?
Thanks!
Art
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:59 am
Boretech Eliminator and bronze brush together are not correct.
I prefer to use a nylon brush (maybe of a higher dimeter as the barrel diameter, in order to increase the scratch of the copper and carbon from the barrel).
If you want to use bronze brush after the use of wet patches with Boretech Eliminator, it’s mandatory (in my opinion) to:
1) dry first the barrel with some dry patches
2) use after some dry compressed air into the barrel for some time to be sure that all Boretech Eliminator is out
3) now the use of broze brush coul be possible without brush dissolving.
Thanks.
Claudio
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:22 am
I agree with the nylon brush system. I have 3 stainless barrels from Shilen, (6 X 45, 6 BR, & .223 A.I.) mounted on Savage Target Actions (Right Bolt, Left Port) I follow their cleaning procedures. I soak my nylon brush with Montana X-Treme 50 B.M.G. (my choice of solvent) & give the bore 10 complete “cycles”. I then clean the nylon brush, and resoak the nylon brush and make another 10 “cycles”. I can feel the difference in resistance with that second soaked brush “cycle”. I then run 4-6 soaked patchs thru the bore, followed by 5-8 dry patchs. I’m done with the barrel cleaning procedure.
My 6 X 45 has produced a group 0.094″ (measured with a Sinclair Group Measuring Attachment to my digital dial caliper) over bullet diameter on our private 100 yard range, equipped with a “Shooting Shack”, which allows us to shoot all year round. I don’t believe in getting “all” the copper out of the barrel, because the first thing you do before shooting for “group”, is to foul the barrel which is nothing more then “recoating” the barrel with copper in the areas of that barrel that will take some. We all have our own “system” for cleaning barrels. I use to clean with the “soak overnight” & clean until I had no copper on the patchs system, but in my humble opinion, that is not necessary, & does nothing for shooting better groups.
When you read the directions on the back of the Montana X-Treme 50 B.M.G., they tell you to soak a “nylon brush”. Obviously if any solvent is strong enough to take out the copper fouling, it is strong enough to eat your brush also. Jeff.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I don’t use the same cleaning solutions – but I use similar ones – I finally gave up on the nylon brush. It just was not getting the carbon residue out. I went back to bronze with solvent and then follow up with a non-ammonia copper remover or a few hours with wipe-out without brushing.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I use a 50 – 50 mix of Shooters Choice and Kroil in my barrels. A good stiff bronze-phospher brush, wet patching, as well as dry patching. I try to scrub out as much of the copper as I can, and then I wet the bore with a patch soaked in Kroil, lightly dry it with a clean patch and fire off my next round.
I use a bore guide and a Dewey stainless steel one-piece rod.
I never shoot a dry bore. The Kroil works its way into the most finite places and provides good lubrication. I have seen cans of Kroil at bench rest matches all over the country. How one cleans and protects their bore is to them, and I have never run acrossed a fellow shooter who does it the same way as someone else.