A reader from Australia sent the following e-mail to us as a follow-up to our general article on “Case Cleaning”.  I thought there were some good points worth sharing with the other readers and Ken was kind enough to give us permission to share his findings. Thanks Ken for providing the input!

Bill

To: Support@sinclairintl.com

Subject: Re: The Reloading Press – November 2009

“Some useful information about using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean cases.

I have been Ultra Sonic cleaning cases for over 10 years and here are a few of my tips.

The most efective cleaner is one that uses a ultrasonic frequency around the 40 kilohertz ( cycles per second) It must have a capacity of 1 liter (1/4 gallon) for cleaning 20 cases or larger. One with a timer and adjustable heater is even better. Avoid small jewlery / eye glass cleaners as they don’t have enough power to clean cases.

Use water from the hot tap around 60 C ( 140 F).

The most cost efective additive to assist in cleaning is Tartaric acid commonly known as cream of tartar used in the kitchen for baking cakes ( dont use baking powder as it also contains bi carb soda and this neutralises the tartaric acid when added to water ). Cream of tartar is available from your local supermarket at around $1.00 for a small tin 50g/2 oz, this will clean at least 1000 cases

Use a level teaspoon of Tartaric acid to each litre ( 2 pints) of water, replace the water when you cant see the cases in the water any more.

After cleaning, rinse the cases in rain water, melted snow or condensate from your air-conditioner.

Rinsing in tap water that contains clorine will discolor the cases.

I blow dry the cases with compressed air from a small air compressor and then place then on a paper covered metal tray in the oven after the sunday roast has finished cooking utilizing the residual heat in the oven. You can use any warm place you have available.

Note that some primers leave a residue inside the case will not be removed by ultrasonic cleaner. Early Winchester primers were notorius for leaving a glass like residue around the flash hole. For this reason I always use CCI primers as they don’t cause this problem.

If you ultra sonic clean cases that have been fired numerous times and resized befor U/S cleaning you may well have to resize the neck again as you will remove the build up of ash inside the neck and the neck will be over size. If you U/S clean each time you reload then this doesn’t happen.

To prove that the U/S cleaner is working properly fill it with water turn it on and hold a strip of alumimum wrap foil in the water for a minute then hold the foil up to the light and if the cleaner is working properly you will see a pattern of small holes punched in the foil.”

Regards

Ken L

Australia

Editor’s Note: As we continue to develop our “Reloading Press” newsletter we want to focus some of our articles on subjects that will be of use to beginning reloaders. This article focuses on cleaning your brass after firing. We welcome any contribution on this basic subject that you would like to make. This task is one that many reloaders have developed their own “perfect” process.

After firing your brass, the first task is to clean the cartridges. Residue from firing collects on the outside of the case. Some residue may be present along the body but most of it is concentrated in the neck and shoulder area. Heavy residue on the case body is an indication that the neck is not sealing fast enough or not sealing properly. Improper sealing can be due to a light powder charge or powder with an incorrect burning rate.

There are several reasons to clean your cases. One reason is to keep the debris and grit from building up in your dies and decreasing their life. Cleaning your cases also avoids scratching or galling the brass in the dies. The accumulation of debris in the interior of the cases can flake off and potentially contaminate your load. Also, you don’t want to put dirty cases back in your chamber after you just finished cleaning the chamber! Finally, cleaning the cases allows you to inspect them easily and spot any potential problems. There are several alternative methods for cleaning cases; most of them are relatively simple.

Tumbling

The most common method of cleaning a large batch of cases is to use a case tumbler. Tumblers work exceptionally well and require no complicated procedures to use them. Your cases will clean up faster and better if they are cleaned as soon as possible after firing because the carbon soot left on the cases will take a set over time and become harder and harder to remove. When you return from the range, dump the fired brass in your tumbler as soon as you can. To achieve the best results, change your media periodically. Media additives can be used to rejuvenate media and to help control the dusty film left on the cases. Some handloaders tumble their brass with a treated media first and then tumble them for a shorter time in a batch of untreated media to remove the polishing residue. A good brass/media separator like the RCBS Separator makes short work of removing most of the media from the interior of the cases. I use tumblers on most of my high volume brass and recently have preferred to use treated walnut hull media. Treated corn cob also works well and is not quite as aggressive as the walnut hull media.

I prefer to keep my cases separated into cartridge boxes of 50 or 100 for lot number control, accessibility, and ease in carrying. Even though I may have several boxes of brass that are from the same lot, once they go into a box they will stay with their companion cases for the rest of their useful life. Therefore, when I tumble brass I may only tumble 50 or a 100 at a time, even though my tumbler capacity is 300 to 400 cases.

If you de-prime your cases in a separate de-priming operation prior to cleaning them, make sure you carefully inspect the cases after they have been tumbled. Some of your cases will have the flash holes plugged with finer media granules. These will have to be picked out with a dental pick or paper clip or blown out with compressed air. I prefer to tumble my cases with the spent primers left in and rarely have media stick in the flash hole.

If the necks of your cases (inside and out) are not clean enough for your liking, follow up with any of the hand cleaning methods detailed below.

The most common complaints about tumbling are the noise, the dust, and the polishing rouge left on the cases. For me it is a lot less labor intensive and the least expensive with the exception of cleaning cases by hand.

Besides the traditional corn cob and walnut hull media, other reloaders have experimented with everything from kitty litter, small ceramic media, plastic beads, etc.

Chemically Cleaning

Another case cleaning process that some handloaders favor is to use a chemical cleaner such as Iosso Case Cleaner. Cases are placed in a mesh bag and then immersed into a container of cleaning solution. The cases are allowed to soak for a short time and are then rinsed off with hot water and left to air dry. This procedure works well and is fast except for the dry time. The cases come out “squeaky” clean but not as highly polished as a tumbler will produce. The plus side is that they won’t have any residue that you get from the polishing rouge found in some of the treated media. If you want a cleaner “looking” appearance, throw the cases into a tumbler of untreated media after they dry. It will only take a few minutes to polish them up a bit. Iosso is a cleaner that is environmentally friendly; when it becomes too dirty it can be disposed of in a household sink. Birchwood Casey also makes a brass cleaning solution but I haven’t had a chance to use it.

Hand Cleaning

Cleaning cases by hand has one major benefit; you can easily inspect the cases while you are handling them. If you are going to hand clean your cases, begin with the inside of the case neck. Insert the appropriate size case neck cleaning brush into the case neck, retract it and then tap out any loosened residue. Most case neck cleaning brushes can be chucked into a power drill and used under low RPMs or use the Sinclair Neck Brush Adapter in a power screwdriver. If you are using a brush by hand, the spiral twist in the brush will normally work well by simply pushing the brush straight in and pulling it back out.

The outside of the case, especially the case neck, can be cleaned with all types of products. We commonly use a chunk of “0000” steel wool. The steel wool leaves very little or no residue on the outside of the case. Another product reloaders will use is Nevr-Dull ™, a “wadding” impregnated with a cleaning compound that works very well in cleaning cases. We sell it or you can sometimes find it at your local hardware stores. Nevr-Dull ™ does leave a little residue on the cases, but the cases can be easily wiped clean with a paper towel. Krazy Kloth is another commercial brass cleaning product that works well for removing stubborn powder residue. It is a reusable cloth impregnated with a cleaning compound.

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Cleaning cases in an ultrasonic cleaner is a favorite of a few shooters. There are several ultrasonic cleaners on the market with enough capacity to do enough cases. You can spend under $100 on ultrasonic cleaners from places like Harbor Freight or several hundred dollars on larger and higher quality models. Cleaning solutions vary from vinegar/soap/water mixtures to specific solutions designed specifically for carbon and brass.

I personally have tried using an ultrasonic cleaner and it seemed like a lot of work to me. I just had a small unit and experimented with some different cleaners. By the time I cleaned them, rinsed them, and then let them dry I was ready to go back to just chucking them in the tumbler and walking away. The plus side to the cases that I cleaned using the ultrasonic cleaner is that the cases were clean inside and out. I did like not having to wipe off cleaning rouge residue from the tumbling media.

I have inserted a link to a more in-depth article written by one of the Brownells staff who is a reloader. The article regards his experimentation and methodology in using a handgun ultrasonic cleaner to clean brass. Click here to read the article.

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International, Inc.

Editor’s Note: This is the third and last 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. The last installment is presented by Rod Green.

I started varmint shooting close to 50 years ago and just recently got hooked on F-Class competition within the last few years. To me it brings the best of both long range prone varmint hunting and bench rest shooting all into one sport plus you don’t have to wait around in a bean field or the hot prairie for targets to pop up. But whether it’s in the field or on the line, at the end of the day, there’s one last job to do…That’s right, Clean Your Rifle!

Now, with so many products to choose from, and the list is constantly growing, it can get a bit confusing on what to use. Over the years I’ve tried most of them, and I must admit they will all do the job they were designed for; some just work faster than others. And with the advent of borescopes, the shooter can actually track his or her progress and pick the cleaners that are working best in their barrel. In recent times, I have searched for products that are both fast and also barrel and user friendly. Currently, I am very impressed with the Bore Tech line of solvents and have been using Eliminator, exclusively, in all my rifles.

Just prior to the F-Class Nationals, my boss handed me two sample bottles of Bore Tech’s latest cleaners to test out. The first one was C/4 Carbon Remover and the second was Cu+2 Copper Remover. If these two worked anything like the Eliminator, I had a combo of fast and friendly solvents to get the job done and no better place to find out then four days of shooting at Camp Butner, N.C.

Before I get started on my cleaning regiment, let me state that whether I’m at the range, in the field, or on the line, I don’t clean my rifles til the smoke clears, at the end of the day. This can mean that somewhere between 66 and 250+ rounds will exit the muzzle. Also, all my rifles whether they are custom or factory, get cleaned in the same manner. The only difference is the solvent-soak time. Most factory barrels need a little more time to let the cleaner do its thing than do match grade custom barrels.

 Cleaning equipment I recommend besides solvent:

 1)      Cleaning cradle of some sort to hold your rifle securely

2)      Bore guide with solvent port (keeps the solvent off you and helps eliminate waste)

3)      Stock boot to keep solvent off of stock

4)      Splatter Box or MuzzleMate to contain solvent spray if cleaning indoors

5)      One piece cleaning rods (Quantity 2), one with a pierce type jag and one with a nylon brush

6)      Correct size double napped cotton cleaning patches

7)      Sinclair Action Cleaning Tool Kit

8)      Any good gun oil (Butch’s, TM, Montana X-Treme, etc.)

My Procedure

STEP 1: Run 3-4 wet patches of Bore Tech Carbon Remover down bore. You might want to stab them off center at first, gradually moving to the middle of patch as the bore gets cleaner. Patches will be black.

STEP 2: Using rod with nylon brush, wet brush with Bore Tech Carbon Remover and brush down and back 10 times or 20 strokes. Re-wet brush and repeat. Let barrel soak for 10-15 min.

STEP 3: Repeat STEPS 1 & 2

STEP 4: Run two wet patches down the bore followed by two dry patches

STEP 5: Switch to Bore Tech Copper Remover and repeat the process in Steps 1&2 and then dry the bore out completely with 2 to 3 dry patches.

STEP 6: After both Carbon and Copper applications are complete, I run 3 wet patches of Bore Tech Eliminator down the bore and let the solvent work for approximately 5 minutes. I then follow with one dry patch. This patch should come out streak free and maybe a faint blue (solvent reaction with jag). If I see any streaking I repeat STEP 2 using Bore Tech Eliminator and alternate wet and dry patches until the streaking is gone. Usually, 3 to 5 patches and we are squeaky clean.

STEP 7: I then run one oil patch down the bore, swab the chamber, and then clean the action and bolt (body, lugs, and face) and I’m good to go again!

In conclusion, I found both the Bore Tech Carbon and Copper Removers to be very effective at doing their intended jobs. Also, like the Eliminator, there is no rank odor and they can be used in the confines of home while watching Monday Night Football with no complaints from the peanut gallery! So, if you are looking for a new product that works and is not harmful to you or your rifle, give the new Bore Tech solvents a try. I know I’ll be getting some more.

 Happy Shooting!

Rod Green

Sales Tech Sinclair International

Hello Fellow Shooters,

I sometimes talk to shooters about “across the course” shooting and I take for granted that everybody know what this type of shooting is. I was asked to write a few lines and give those of you not familiar with it a crash course in “across the course” shooting.

Other names for “across the course” shooting are NRA High Power, National Match course, and Regional match course.

Conventional High Power is a match as follows:

1^st course of fire – 200 yards offhand or standing with 2 sighters and 20 shots for record. Single shot loading is utilized. Time allowed is 22 minutes. Total points possible are 200-20X.

 2^nd course of fire – 200 yard rapid fire sitting with 2 sighters and 2 separate strings of 10 shots. Time allowed is 60 seconds for each 10 shot string. Fired from the sitting position. There are a total of 20 rounds shot for record. Match rifles load 5 rounds and require a reload of 5 rounds in each string. Service Rifles are loaded with 2 rounds in the first magazine and require a magazine change with 8 rounds in the second magazine. Total points possible are 200-20X. Scores are presented to the shooter after each string of 10.

3^rd course of fire – 300 yards rapid prone with 2 sighters and 20 shots for record (2 strings of 10). You are allowed 70 seconds for each 10-shot string.  This course is shot from the prone position but the procedures are the same as in rapid sitting. Again, total points possible are 200-20X.
(There was a rule change last year that allows you to remain in position after your sighter shots – you used to have to return to a standing position prior to the start of rapid fire.

4^th course of fire – 600 yards slow fire prone with 2 sighters and 20 rounds for record.  Time allowed is 22 minutes with 200-20X maximum total points. Scoring and shot location is done after each shot.

This type of shooting is done at rifle ranges which have target carriers that allow the target to be raised and lowered by other shooters protected behind a berm (referred to as the “pits”). During slow fire courses the targets are lowered, scored with shot position marked, and raised after each shot. The same procedure is provided for sighters. During rapid fire courses the target is raised to start the time and then pulled or lowered at the completion of the allowed time period. Scores are sent up after each string.

Many ranges around the country may not have a 600 yard range and may only have a 100 or maximum of 200 yards. Reduced targets are used on these ranges with the aiming black and scoring rings reduced in size proportionally for the 200, 300,& 600 yard courses of fire. This compensates for the reduction in firing distance.

Another part of High Power Competitions can include Mid-Range Prone matches.

These can be shot at 300 yards, 500 yards, & 600 yards. The matches are 2 sighters and 15 rounds for record in 17 min or 2 sighters and 20 shots for record in 22 min. All of these matches are shot from the prone position using iron sights. Some ranges will hold 3 matches that are all at 600 yards and open the field to allow F-Class shooters to participate.

 I hope this helps other shooters understand “across the course” or High Power competition if they weren’t already familiar with it. This is a very simplistic explantation. If you want more information, I recommend you get a copy of the NRA Rule Book that explains all the rules including the courses of fire, scoring, and firearm requirements. It also explains the different classifications that shooters hold – Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert, Master, and High Master.

I originally began High Power with the hopes it would help me shoot better in the field. I enjoy varmint and big game hunting and learning to shoot from different positions was a big help.

Ron Dague

Reloading Technician
Sinclair International

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

One of our readers from Italy asked a question regarding the most recent article on cleaning by one of our technicians. In the article, the tech is reviewing his procedure for brushing using a bronze bore brush and TM Solution. He mentions following up with Bore Tech Eliminator but didn’t specify about how he applied it to the bore. The reader thought we should clarify the procedure about using a nylon brush with Bore Tech Eliminator.

You definitely should use a nylon bore brush or patches with that particular cleaning solution. The manufacturer recommends it and so do we. It is pretty hard on brushes plus gives you some false copper presence indication from the brush bristle residue. Thanks Mr. A for asking the question so we can clarify that. Bore Tech Eliminator is a very good product!

Thanks,

Bill Gravatt

Editor’s Note: We have asked three (3) of our Technicians on staff to describe the cleaning procedure that they follow. Over the next three months, we’ll introduce each of their procedures. It is amazing how everyone takes a different approach to cleaning. Enjoy and feel free to contribute your procedure! Here is Ron’s procedure.

For as many years as shooters have been sending rounds down range in high power competition, there have been just about (probably even more) that many “correct” ways to properly clean and prepare the firearm for optimal performance.  Cleaning procedures have always been a “hot” topic among shooters and I am not trying to start a debate on who is right and who is wrong.

I am a firm believer that the first shot should always be useful as a true indicator of the performance of your record shots that follow.  It is very important that the first shot down range on a clean bore should always count. The following is the sequence of a cleaning technique that I have found very productive for high power competition, which translates well for all other shooting disciplines:

 1)      I use a Sinclair O-Ring style rod guide and Dewey cleaning rod to run 2 or 3 wet patches through the bore to wet the lands and grooves. Piercing a square patch off center will allow for better solvent coverage when you run it through the bore. I will usually leave the barrel sit for a few minutes while wet with solvent.  (Editor’s Note – See Phil Hoham’s article in August 2009 on offset patch stabbing)

2)      With a second cleaning rod and the appropriate bronze bore brush, I generously apply solvent to the brush and steadily stroke the brush down to the muzzle and back. (take care while the brush exits and re-enters the muzzle to avoid crown damage). I repeat this brushing stroke approximately 5 to 6 times making sure I bring the brush back into the rod guide far enough so the brush bristles reverse.

3)      I then pull the cleaning rod out, wipe the rod down, and then re-apply solvent to the brush. I then repeat the process outlined in Step 2. I repeat this process one time for each 10 shots fired. For example, if I shot 88 rounds in a high power match, I would complete Step 2 eight or nine times. I sometimes will run a wet patch through between brushings to push out debris.

4)      After the brush work is done, it is time to use patches again.  I like to run 3 wet patches through the barrel and let it soak for 10 to15 minutes.

5)      After the bore has soaked for 10 to 15 minutes, I run one to two dry patches and repeat with a wet patch.  Follow this up again with a dry patch.  Continue alternating wet and dry patching until there is no sign of copper (which is a blue/green color) or carbon/lead  (black) is present.

6)      After my rifle is clean, I like to put about 3 to 4 drops of a quality gun oil on a patch, and run through the bore about 4 times. This leaves a film of oil without over doing it.

I have tested this method of cleaning and found my first shot is within ¼ min of where the main group will print on the target. After experimenting with several methods of cleaning, I have found this to work for most rifles. In addition to my competition rifles, I use this technique on my hunting rifles. I have heard many people say they fire a fouler shot when hunting.  With this cleaning procedure , I have the confidence that a fouling shot is unnecessary thus not scaring any game off that may be within the next county!

I am currently using TM Solution for carbon and powder fouling. After powder fouling is out, I switch to Bore Tech Eliminator. I use both of these products in the house. They are family friendly, ammonia free, and will not clear out the room.

When cleaning at the range, I have found that Butch’s Bore Shine, and Montana Extreme to be equally as effective, but do not even think about using these inside the house.  These cleaning solvents like many others should only be used in a well ventilated area.

Good luck to all of you out there, and feel free to call any of us on the Sinclair Tech team with any questions, or to share your cleaning techniques and experiences.  Hope this tidbit of information helps you shoot even better, and your experiences even more memorable!

Ron Dague,

Reloading Technician

NRA High Power- Master

Sinclair International

Reloading dies if taken care of properly will provide years of service to their owner. Most dies are hardened and then micro-polished for that mirror finish many of the dies exhibit. Many of them are also treated with some type of rust preventative before they leave the factory floor.

The first step in taking care of your dies starts when you receive them. We advocate cleaning all new dies before you begin to use them. Beginning with your sizing dies; take the decapping assembly completely out of the die body. Flush the decapping assembly with a good degreaser (like Hornady One-Shot Cleaner & Dry Lube, Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber or Shooter’s Choice Quickscrub III) and wipe the expander ball clean. The only part of the decapping assembly that should come in contact with your brass is the expander ball and the decapping pin. Pay particular attention to the decapping ball as it determines the final interior dimension (bullet grip) of your case neck. Make sure you inspect it after cleaning to make sure that the surface is clean and free of burrs.

Next, flush the interior of the die body out with some more degreaser. Using a pistol cleaning rod or a dowel rod, push a couple of wet patches all the way through the die. Then run a couple of dry patches through. Reassemble your sizing die and you should be good to go.

Taking apart your seater is fairly simple depending on the complexity of your seating die. A standard seater just requires you to turn the seating stem out of the die body exposing the interior of the seater. Flush and clean both the body and seater as described above. Benchrest sliding sleeve seaters such as Forster or Redding Competition Dies have a few more parts involved. Just make sure as you take them apart you know how the spring is oriented and how any other parts such as chamber sleeves or seating plugs are arranged. Any springs or threads can be wiped down with a very rag or patch lightly coated with a fine oil. Make sure you inspect the opening in the seating stem for debris. You can twist a patch and use the end to clean out the smaller caliber stems/plugs.

Regular maintenance of your dies should include their routine cleaning. Sizing dies collect excess lube off the cases and this lube can begin to build up. We have seen dents formed in the case shoulder from the hydraulic compression of the excess lube in the die when the case was sized. We recommend cleaning the dies every 500 to 1000 rounds depending on how frequently they are used and the cleanliness of your reloading area. My reloading area is in the same building (different room) as my woodshop and I have to watch the dust so I keep most of my reloading dies covered or stored away. I keep a cover over my press and scales as well.

For longer term storage of your dies, I recommend putting a light oil or rust preventative on them, especially if you have a shop that has a humid environment.

Although, we titled this article about reloading dies, I might mention a few details about your reloading press. Cover it with an old towel if you can when not in use or buy a cover if one is available. Make sure you wipe the ram off occasionally and clean the area around the bottom part of the frame where the ram comes through. Primer grit and debris builds up there and can begin to wear on your ram and casting as it accumulates.

Pretty simple stuff but often neglected by many of us. Take care of your reloading tools and most of them will last a lifetime.

Bill Gravatt

Keeping good records on our shooting hobby is an important practice that all of us should do a better job of. We produce all kinds of logbooks for recordkeeping at Sinclair International, but we constantly have to remind ourselves to keep up with our own recordkeeping. It is important for insurance reasons, inheritance protection, reloading, and sight management. What lies below is just a snapshot of a few observed practices that many do in the area of recordkeeping.

Firearms

First, it is extremely important to keep accurate records on your firearms themselves. Record model #’s, serial #’s, who you purchased it from, when you purchased it, how much you paid for it, original equipment notes, changes or repairs you have made to the firearm, and your best opinion on the current value of your firearm. This last item is important for some insurance policies and to protect the person who inherits the firearm from you. Go through your list each year or at least every two years and update the current value. We have seen several cases where a trusting widow or other non-gun owner family member gets swindled by a family friend with respect to the true value of a particular firearm. We met a lady a couple of years ago that had a gun shop take her deceased husband’s collection of pristine pre-64 Winchester Model 70’s off her hands for $300 to $400 apiece. Good recordkeeping with current values would have protected this lady and produced a little more retirement funds for her. Make sure the trusted members of your family know where you keep this log. Now some of you may not want to have your significant other see how much you have spent on your firearms so you’ll have to decide how important this part of keeping records is to you.

Use a Logbook for recording load data for each of your firearms.

Sight Management

Many shooters swap scopes, use more than one load in their firearm (various bullets, target loads vs. hunting loads, long and short range loads, etc.), change open sights to scopes, or swap barrels on and off (mainly competition shooters). If you keep good records on your sight/scope settings you can save an incredible amount of time when you go back to something you had previously zeroed and dialed in. Sinclair International makes a pocket sized Sight Record Book that is great to utilize for recording your sight or scope settings for different guns, loads, and yardages. Make sure you keep recordings of scope/sight settings if you visit a range that sits at a different altitude than you normally shoot at. At long-range you will see serious changes in your elevation adjustments. If you have adjustable front sights, make sure you accurately record those settings as well as your rear sight settings. You have to be disciplined at this practice for this to pay off. If you are a competitive shooter, record your sight settings on the line or as soon as you exit the firing point. Recording your sight settings should be a priority before you case your firearm.

Reloading Data

Keeping good reloading data will be hugely beneficial to you. Get an inexpensive Reloading Logbook and keep track of the brass you use, lot numbers if you have it, how many times you have loaded it, trimmed it and fired it. Keep your brass segregated with proper load labels and containers. The following is just some of the items you should keep track of.

Powder type, lot #, powder charge, and powder measure setting
Bullet brand, type, weight, and lot #
Brass Manufacturer and lot # (if available)
Primer manufacturer, type, and lot #
Case trim length
Overall length of loaded rounds (seating depth)
Chronograph data
Number of times case has been loaded, trimmed, and fired.

Shooting Diary and Other Data

Keeping a diary or shooting logbook of some sort is nice to have to keep track of shooting conditions such as weather, light conditions, and range aspects. I keep names of people I meet at shooting competitions, the range, or in hunting camps. You may want to keep notes of what you did at the range or on a hunt.

Another important piece of information to keep track of is the number of rounds fired through your firearms. You can use this to remind you when to adjust your seating depth due to throat erosion or replace the barrel. Record this in a log like our Sinclair Rounds Fired Logbook or in either of our Reloading Log Books.

The Sinclair Rounds Fired Logbook provides an easy method to keep track of cumulative rounds.
 

Conclusion

This article wasn’t meant to answer everything with respect to the specific recordkeeping you need for your particular shooting discipline. It was meant to get you thinking and remind you of the importance of good recordkeeping. As always, feel free to let others know what methods work for you. With more shooters having home computers, a lot of shooters build elaborate Excel Worksheets to keep track of a variety of data. If you keep your records on a computer make sure you get in a good habit of backing that data up on a regular basis.

Here is a question that comes in frequently from customers to the Sinclair International Technical Center:

I have the right size jag and patch! Why doesn’t it fit down the bore?

What most people are taught is to center punch the patch and run it down the bore of a dirty rifle .This can sometimes result in a bent or stuck cleaning rod in your rifle because of the bore being restricted from the powder fouling (carbon) and copper left in the bore. Some shooters try to remedy this by utilizing a smaller patch; this is not the best solution because the patch may not make full contact with the inside of the barrel. This is especially true if you use the same size patch to dry out your bore. An alternate solution is to use two different size patches – a smaller one for wetting the bore down at the start and then a larger patch for pushing out debris loosened by your brush and to dry the bore. This would mean spending extra money on more patches! While we would appreciate that from a business concern, you really need not spend the money for extra patch sizes.

When the patch is too tight, stab the patch slightly off center

The solution to the problem is quite simple. Using the correct size patch, position your jag so the point is positioned about ½ to ¾ of the distance from the center of the patch out towards any of the outside corners or on a round patch towards any edge. By positioning the patch in this manner, the patch doesn’t overlap as much on the jag and it goes through the bore snugly, but not so tight that all the solvent is squeezed off the patch as it enters the bore. The purpose of the first couple of wet patches is to thoroughly wet the bore with solvent and push out any easily loosened debris. Then the cleaning solution along with the mechanical action of the wet brush that will follow will loosen the hard stuff. Don’t worry about the jag making contact with your bore because even though the whole jag is not covered with patch there will be enough of the patch around the jag to center the jag and hold it off the rifling. Even if it did contact it would not cause any harm because the brass jag is much softer material than the barrel steel. As you clean the barrel, alternating between brushing and patching to remove the loosened material you should start moving the jag back towards the center of the patch in a few steps until you are back in the center of the patch. With the jag back in the center of the patch, the patch will be making uniform contact with the bore as it follows the rifling. As we wet patch after brushing we look for either a blue stripe (copper) or a black stripe (carbon/powder) on the patch. If we see either we know the barrel isn’t completely clean and we clean some more. If there is just a faint bluish hue to the patch it is probably the solvent just pulling some copper out of the jag.

We included our patch selection chart below that may help you with selecting the right size patch to begin with.

This is just our look at a regular question that we get on our tech line. Cleaning is one of those subjects that there are more opinions on than there are grains of sand on a beach. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this subject on the Sinclair International blog with your fellow shooters!

Phil Hoham

Sinclair Technical Staff