cleaning a bolt action rifle?

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uchi

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i was watching some guides on cleaning bolt action rifles and it seems most of the videos ive seen the guys remove the bolt and clean from back to front. all the stuff i have i clean from the front to the back of the gun. is it personal preference to which way you clean the rifle or is there a reason from going bolt side to barrel side?
 
There are problems associated with cleaning a rifle from the muzzle. It raises the possibility of causing damage or accelerated erosion to the muzzle, which is arguably the most important part of the barrel from the aspect of accuracy. It also drives powder and copper fouling into the trigger group, which can be avoided if this material can be simply ejected from the muzzle. There are was to mitigate these problems, but they seem complicated compared to simply cleaning from the chamber forward.
 
from the chamber to the muzzle so you are pushing gunk out of the gun not into it, where it can gum up in the chamber etc. At least that is why I was told to do it that way.
 
Damage to the crown can occur if cleaning from the muzzle. Especially precision rifles whether it be a rifle used in the field or on a bench strictly for target shooting. The crown is the last point of contact prior to the projectile exiting the barrel and if damaged, accuracy will be affected. I also don't know of anyone I work or shoot with that do not use a bore guide and a good one piece coated rod like a Dewey or Bore Tech etc.
 
good to know thanks for the help. ill have to visit a gun shop before i take her shooting and get a guide and longer rod. my three piece just isnt long enough to reach all the way through. thanks for the help guys
 
uchi said:
good to know thanks for the help. ill have to visit a gun shop before i take her shooting and get a guide and longer rod. my three piece just isnt long enough to reach all the way through. thanks for the help guys
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Buy a one peice rod and give your 3 peice rod to some one you don't like.
 
Make sure an get a "good" bore guide aswell, one piece coated rod or carbon fibre as said. Never pull anything but the rod and the jag, not the patch back through your barrel.
 
but the 3 piece is so convenient. lol

moose thats how the guy in the last video i watched did it, he showed the patch through and out the barrel and then used a brush through it, then patched it till it came clean. i might start cleaning all my rifles and shotgun that way. the actions come out of the sks's easily enough and i can yank the barrel off the shotgun and clean them that way. im gonna visit my local shop and hopefully find what im after.

i mainly like the 3 piece because it fits into my range box, so i guess a longer one is in order
 
uchi said:
but the 3 piece is so convenient. lol

moose thats how the guy in the last video i watched did it, he showed the patch through and out the barrel and then used a brush through it, then patched it till it came clean. i might start cleaning all my rifles and shotgun that way. the actions come out of the sks's easily enough and i can yank the barrel off the shotgun and clean them that way. im gonna visit my local shop and hopefully find what im after.

i mainly like the 3 piece because it fits into my range box, so i guess a longer one is in order
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I transport all my guns in hard cases. So its easy to toss the long one peice rod in with the gun. Both the gun and the rod are safe and sound.
 
good point. for some reason i didnt think about tossing the rod into the gun case. man im slow some nights, haha. do you guys know if crappy tire carries cleaning rods worth getting?
 
uchi said:
good point. for some reason i didnt think about tossing the rod into the gun case. man im slow some nights, haha. do you guys know if crappy tire carries cleaning rods worth getting?
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I highly doubt it.

Buy yourself a Dewey one piece stainless nylon coated rod. I have some carbon rods and they work great in the bigger calibers. But carbon 17 cal rods are hard to use. The problem with carbon rods is that they have brass on the end for the jag to screw into. This could give you a false copper sign on the patch.

I use stainless rods with a Bore Tech Proof-Positive jag.

I went threw a few cheap rods before I decided to buy a quality one. I could have bought 2 quality ones for the price of the 5 crappy ones I broke.
 
thanks bud, where can i get a dewey rod online for a good price? the only shop i can think of that may have one is 45 minutes away and i wont be going up that way for a few weeks at best.
 
uchi said:
thanks bud, where can i get a dewey rod online for a good price? the only shop i can think of that may have one is 45 minutes away and i wont be going up that way for a few weeks at best.
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You could always call and ask if the gun shop has any cleaning rods you are looking for.

Cabelas Canada has Tipton carbon rods. They are top notch. Its all my girlfriend uses.
http://www.cabelas.ca/index.cfm?pageID=71&&section=1187&section2=1286&section3=1741&ID=5974

Whole Sale Sports has a good slection of rods too. Here are the Dewey rods.
http://ca.wholesalesports.com/storefront/gun-maintenance/firearm-cleaning/one-piece-spring-steel-cleaning-rod/prod164144.html
 
Ruger 10/22 barrel has to be cleaned from muzzle unless you drill a hole in the chamber housing near the breech.

K_Roc said:
from the chamber to the muzzle so you are pushing gunk out of the gun not into it, where it can gum up in the chamber etc. At least that is why I was told to do it that way.
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kevguy said:
Ruger 10/22 barrel has to be cleaned from muzzle unless you drill a hole in the chamber housing near the breech.
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Boresnake, Otis, small lead wieght and a sting, all can be used from chamber to muzzle. If your bolt will stay in the open position you can go from breech to muzzle. I am not familiar with 10/22's though.
 
cam1936 said:
Will a dewy .22 cal rod work just fine for something up to .30 cal? Or will I need 2 rods?
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A .22cal center fire rod doesnt work in a .22 rim fire. Its normaly to tight. I use a .17 cal rod and a .20 cal jag for my .22 rimfires.

I have 5 different one peice rods.
 
the SMART way to clean is to always clean from chamber to muzzle- you wonder how to do this?- as stated in fm23-8, you open the action. stick the rod down,the muzzle and attach the brush/jag/whatever to the rod when the end is in the chamber, by rotating the rod- then you pull the works back through the barrel -ONE TIME- you don't see-saw it back and forth;that's spreading the dirt back in, even if you do change patches
 
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