While you are on the site, in your browser find and click "Add to Home Screen" A CGN beaver app icon will then be created to your phone that is directly link to the site.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
New to the game here. I picked up a Marlin 795 a few weeks ago, and have put about 300 rounds through it. I cleaned it after each outing and it works better than I had expected. I've been cleaning with a Hoppe's kit. It works quite well but its small and I'm used to industrial cleaners that spray with some power.
My place of work uses a degreasing agent on all our mechanical parts. This one:
http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=03185
Is this safe to use on my Marlin? I would be using it to spray down the bolt and action once removed. I would probably not be spraying it down the barrel unless going for a 'deep clean.'
Most likely it's the same stuff sold by CRC as their "Brake Cleaner".
Likely it'll be fine. But you want to try a small bit of it on some paper towel on the stock and any plastic parts. If this little touch comes away at all coloured on the paper towel even after a minute or if the finish on the wood, if you have a wood stock, begins to look hazy or otherwise different from the surrounding finish then don't use it.
Also keep in mind that spray solvent gets into places you can't reach later on unless you also use a spray oil. If you don't properly re-lube you risk the degreased areas possibly rusting where if left with oil on these areas that they would be fine.
Also note that unless you use a great deal of care with the bore that you run the risk of damaging the bore from excessive cleaning if using the wrong tools. In particular the muzzle crown which is very sensitive to either dings or grit embedded in the cleaning rod wearing away at the crown.
I never thought of any issues with oiling after - that's a good call. I will probably hold off until I pick up some 'spray' oil.
What would you call excessive cleaning with the wrong tools? I use a cleaning rod with brass brush, cleaning action to muzzle. I thread the brush on in the action so that it only goes one way. After that, a couple pads with solvent, and then pads until clean. Then one with oil.
Haha, I mean the gun. Nothing to do with shooting is relatively safe for humans, between the noise levels, chemicals, little controlled explosions six inches from my face...
The reading I've been doing and the practice I've adopted because of it is to use the brushes a lot less. Instead I've got a good jag which I wrap a patch around and push solvent wetted patches until they come out clean and then a lightly oiled patch and then a dry patch. For my rimfires this usually means two or perhaps three wet ones to get things clean, then the oiled patch and finally the dry patch.
With this the jag I'm using is long enough that I can let the patch just poke out the crown and then pull it back instead of allowing the rod and jag to fall out the end. This way I avoid any hard contact with anything that might ding the metal or that might be carrying any embedded grit which would rub on the critical crown area.
For my guns that simply do not allow me to clean from the rear of the barrel I use a cone style brass or plastic crown protector. It's not as good as patch contact only and breech cleaning but it's the best I can do for those cases.
The only reason you might need to use a bore brush is if you're getting some leading. But if that happens then it's time for different ammo after you are done cleaning.
And then there's another school of thought for rimfire rifles that suggests one should simply leave the bore alone unless a leading problem develops. This idea isn't new and it's not based on laziness. The idea here being that each shot is self cleaning to a consistent extent every time the bullet passes down the bore. And since accuracy is based on consistency there is much to be said for this idea. And as long as we don't get any leading this actually isn't a bad way to operate since the wax lube on the bullets protects the bore. This was a well respected method for many match shooters for a lot of years.
Then there area the bench rest shooters that clean the bores after every string. They then shoot a set number of "foulers" to return the bore to a state that will be consistent before shooting a string for scoring. After a string they clean again so they can shoot some foulers before the next string.
For the sport level shooting I do I've come to rely mostly on the "leave it alone" approach for my bolt action and single shot rifles.
The semis puke back too much crud due to the blowback operation to let me do this with the semi autos though. And once I'm into the guts with some cleaning solvent then I pretty much need to swab out the barrel since it's impossible to avoid flushing solvent into the chamber and have it dribble down the bore. But even then I don't find that I need to clean after each outing. My 10-22 and semi auto rimfire handguns work just fine if I clean them after about 500 to 600 rounds. Generally that means after about 3 or maybe 4 outings.
Something to consider for general cleaning is to mix yourself up a batch of Ed's Red. Google for variations on this recipe. It's smelly but it's cheap to make and it leaves a light film of ATF as a protectant and lubricant in those impossible to reach places at the same time it dissolves and flushes out the fouling.
A little plastic squeeze bottle will do nicely for picking some of it up and squirting it into the deeper and darker places. It's also re-useable for a while. I make it up in a 4.3 liter jug and then pour out a half liter into a dunking jar. This gets used for about 4 to 6 gun cleanings before being put into the waste oil from the car and motorcycles for recycling.
