Tech Tip – Keeping your Cleaning Gear Clean
Wow, not only do I have to clean my gun but I have to clean my cleaning gear too? Well, yes you do or at least you should. Most of your cleaning tools and accessories will pick up grit and crud from your cleaning session. Not only do you want to clean your tools out so you don’t re-introduce debris into your rifle/shotgun the next time you clean it but you have some money invested in your cleaning tools and a quick cleaning before they are put away will insure you get a lot more life out of them.
Cleaning rods are the worst for picking up the grit, solvent residue, powder residue, etc. from the bore. Give your cleaning sticks a good wipe down before you store them using a couple of large patches or some soft paper towels. The solvent is probably the most important stuff to remove. Some of today’s aggressive solvents can eat away some of the coatings on the coated rods.
Other items to clean are your rod guides. Spray the inside and outside with some Gun Scrubber or Quickscrub and wipe down the outside with a paper towel. One reason we make the Sinclair Rod Guides out of white Delrin is that the grit and grime is easily visible. Make sure the o-rings are wiped clean and inspect them for nicks and cuts so they are ready to go for the next cleaning session.
You can extend the life of your bronze and nylon bore brushes and chamber brushes by rinsing them off with Quickscrub or mineral spirits. Any solvent left on your brushes will eat away the material while they are stored.
Also, make sure your action cleaning tools are kept clean. They rub against the action interior walls and pick up grit that should be removed from your tools. The breech body on the Sinclair AR-15 lug recess tool will pick up some debris when inserted into the receiver. Again, a judicious use of Gun Scrubber will work wonders.
This tech tip is a real basic reminder. All of us here need reminding once in awhile to take that extra step before we put our tools away.
The Sinclair Staff