Cleaning new rifle

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wellsy

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Hi I'm just in the process of cleaning my first new rifle, a Savage 111 in .270 and it seems overly dirty to me for a new gun. What I've done so far is run a patch saturated in Hoppes #9 down the bore and let it sit for about a min. the patch was pretty dirty. Then I ran a brass brush that I put a bit more Hoppes on down the bore five complete strokes, clearing the barrel of the brush each stroke. I then ran another patch with Hoppes down it and it was really dirty. Kind of a brown, charcoal color. I then ran about 5 dry patches through it but they kept coming out dirty so I heavily saturated a patch, put it through and let it sit for a min. I then brushed another 5 strokes and the next patch came out very dirty again. I put about ten more patches through and it's just not getting any better. I put one last saturated through and am letting it sit for a while now hopefully that will help.

I guess what I'm asking is this standard for a new rifle? Should I try a different bore cleaner? I've cleaned rifles after firing sessions at the range and had them clean up quicker than this. Just wasn't expecting this from a new rifle. Maybe it's standard. Let me know what you think. Thx.
 
Most of that stuff is a rust preventative that is put in. Hoppes will take it out but let the stuff work for several minutes( about 10 should do). I clean off my brushes if the bore is really grungy or else you adding the crud you just brushed out. Wipeout or other foam cleaners will do the job with less elbow grease.
 
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It took a bit of elbow grease for sure but I got it clean. I borrowed some Shooters Choice bore cleaner off my dad for the last couple of patches and it finally gave me some clean dry patches. Off to the range now when I get a chance to break it in and see how it shoots. Thanks for the tips I'll have to pick up some Wipeout.
 
New barrels can have contaminants left in the bore from the manufacturing process. The contaminants in a new barrel can include lapping compound, although that is unlikely in a factory barrel, cutting oil, light grease to prevent rusting and carbon and jacket fouling from the rifle being factory test fired.

First off, use a rod guide when cleaning your rifle, more rifles have been worn through improper cleaning than by shooting. Use a jag with a proper sized cotton patch for best results. If you use a .270 jag, a 1.75" square patch stabbed in the center will be too tight so stab it off center, some experimenting might be required. A 1.75" square patch or a 2" round patch is perfect if you use a 6mm jag.

When you apply solvent to the bore, work the patch back and forth advancing an inch or two with each stroke, to ensure that the entire bore surface is wet with solvent. Constantly check to see that the jag remains tight on the rod end as they have a tendency to unthread. It might take 2 or 3 patches to ensure the entire bore surface is wet. If the patch is wet when it exits the muzzle, chances are the bore is wet. Allow the rifle to sit for 10 minutes to allow the solvent to soften and loosen the fouling.

If you suspect heavy fouling due to the colour of the patches you might wish to brush out the bore after the rifle has sat for 10 minutes or so. Run the brush straight through the bore without changing direction. Some say to remove the brush from the rod at the muzzle so as not to pull it back through the bore, but I disregard this because I use a rod guide that prevents debris from being dumped into the receiver and trigger. Once again run a few wet patches through the bore to carry out the loose fouling and any lost brush bristles. This time push your patches straight through without changing direction. Repeat the process until the final patch comes out clean.

If you are getting a green or blue color on your patches it could be from copper from jacket fouling or from lost bore brush bristles. If it is from copper jacket fouling, you will need a more aggressive cleaner than Hoppes #9 to get rid of it. I like Sweets, but everyone has their own ideas. Once your bore is clear of fouling and your patches are coming out clean you can patch the bore dry and apply your choice of lubricant. Soak a patch with oil, then work the patch back and forth though the bore as you did with the solvent. Once you are confident the entire bore surface is wet with oil, patch out the bore with a couple of dry patches, don't worry, there will be enough residual oil left in the bore to protect it.

Now that you have completed the initial cleaning, you can maintain your rifle with a foaming bore cleaner like Wipeout after each shooting session. This will keep your rifle in good shooting condition with a minimum of effort and no brushing. Simply apply the product then allow the foam to sit in the bore overnight and patch it out the next morning.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but I'm just curious about something... could you use brake cleaner to clean a barrel ? I have never heard of anyone doing it, but I'm sure someone has.
 
steve-o1979 said:
Not to hijack the thread, but I'm just curious about something... could you use brake cleaner to clean a barrel ? I have never heard of anyone doing it, but I'm sure someone has.
Click to expand...

Doesn't work well for removing heavy fouling due to copper/lead buildup. Works ok for lube and powder buildup, but it will leave the barrel stripped of oil and prone to rust.
 
I actually just went through the same process as the OP on the the same gun/caliber and was actually quite surprised as to how much grime was in that barrel. I spent about an hour and a half on the barrel using Hoppes No 9 and a brass Outers rod with patches and brush. I am pretty sure I got the barrel clean, but after reading this thread I think I will do it again before I take it to sight in. I have never heard of a bore guide prior to reading about them on here. Since I don't have one, yet, I send the rod in from the chamber and pull it back as the patch/brush starts to come out the muzzle.
 
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