New rifle break in and cleaning tips.
- Thread starter YukonBrett
- Start date
The reason that military personnel use pull throughs while on deployment, is logistics. How awkward would it be to carry a one piece cleaning rod in a battlefield? As for the supposed incredible accuracy of the sniper rifles, they may not be nearly as accurate, as you are assuming them to be. Even a skilled shooter, likely wouldn't do all that well in a benchrest shoot, using most of the sniper rifles being issued today. It is the sniper's skill in the field, more than having the most accurate rifle, that allows him to be so effective. As to the 1000+ yard shots, yes those shots are made on occasion, but some are also missed , which is why the snipers are trained to be able to stalk much closer than that, to get into the ideal range to make a kill, yet to be far enough, to make an escape. The people that make the most precise shots, are not snipers, but rather competition shooters, such as benchrest shooters, and I have yet to see one benchrest shooter use a bore snake, on his competition rifle.
Im going to focus on the out-of-the-box aspect. My experience with new, out-of-the-box rifles (or pistols) is to check them over thoroughly. The best way is to field strip it before you even cycle the action. I had a bolt action Savage BRJ Mark II .22 cal, my second firearm I owned, a few years ago, brand new out of the box that on examination had metal shavings inside the chamber. Had I taken it to the range to shoot, Im sure it would have done some damage. I saw the shavings inside the magazine well when I checked inside and it raised questions. That made me stop in my tracks and do a secondary inspection on everthing in the box. There were also some shavings inside the box it came in, not much, maybe 4 or 5 pieces less than 1/4mm diameter each. Barely visible against the cardboard. I took apart the bolt and looked inside the bolt and cleaned those pieces out too. Glad I did since Im sure it would have caused damage. I know its a $350 gun, but still... I dont know if the metal shavings were from this gun or just inside the box, etc. Just wanted to point out that this gun was picked up from a LGS, not shipped to get to me
After you check it over in a field strip, then lightly oil and put back together. Put oil where the manual sez, put grease where the manual sez (wont go into the oil vs grease debate here)
Run a patch through barrel, or boresnake chamber to muzzle where practical.
Now you are ready to shoot for the first time.
Others have already covered their ritual for cleaning, so I wont beat that horse further.
Im still out on whether break-in is legit or not for sub $5000 hunting / shooting firearms, just dont wreck your rifle by overheating the barrel. Avoid the urge to blast off mag after mag at pop bottles or whatever once you get it dialed in. Overheating is a killer for any firearm. Saw a guy at my range get shot happy at a 24 pack of water bottles he set up on the backstop with his .223 Tikka T3 bolt. He knocked them all down in a matter of 2 or 3 mins but when he finished to rest the rifle down off the benchrest he burned his hand and you could see the bluing on the barrel was a little purplish with the overheating. Thats a $6-800 rifle!!
After you check it over in a field strip, then lightly oil and put back together. Put oil where the manual sez, put grease where the manual sez (wont go into the oil vs grease debate here)
Run a patch through barrel, or boresnake chamber to muzzle where practical.
Now you are ready to shoot for the first time.
Others have already covered their ritual for cleaning, so I wont beat that horse further.
Im still out on whether break-in is legit or not for sub $5000 hunting / shooting firearms, just dont wreck your rifle by overheating the barrel. Avoid the urge to blast off mag after mag at pop bottles or whatever once you get it dialed in. Overheating is a killer for any firearm. Saw a guy at my range get shot happy at a 24 pack of water bottles he set up on the backstop with his .223 Tikka T3 bolt. He knocked them all down in a matter of 2 or 3 mins but when he finished to rest the rifle down off the benchrest he burned his hand and you could see the bluing on the barrel was a little purplish with the overheating. Thats a $6-800 rifle!!
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- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
When I'm looking for a means of cleaning the bore of a rifle in the field, I won't consider a Boresnake. If other guys like them, I have no problem with them using one in their rifles; I would think the primary consideration is to keep the Boresnake free of grit. As for what soldiers use, that's often due to a lack of options, the military says you use this, so that's what you use. You don't always get the best tool for the job. Historically the military has supplies a pull through with the rifle, and the Boresnake is just a continuation of that quaint idea.
But your assumption is correct, I am unaware of any rifle that has been damaged through the use of a Boresnake, whereas there have been many rifles damaged through the inappropriate use of a cleaning rod. What we're talking about here though is a training problem rather than an equipment problem. Lack of damage to the bore of a rifle seems to me to be a poor reason to carry a Boresnake, given its other limitations.
Consider the following . . . There you are out in the wilds, miles away from help (as opposed to being at the range with you truck full of gear 50 yards from the bench) when you have a bad fall in difficult terrain, and although you're able to protect the optics on your rifle, on inspection you realize that the muzzle is packed tight with snow, mud, or whatever. A pull through under those conditions won't get the job done. But a jointed steel rod equipped with a brush and a brass jag, with enough sections that its long enough to reach from the receiver to the muzzle, has you back in the game in no time. Similar situation, you've been out in the rain all day, you need to patch out the bore of your rifle to dry it, then run a oily patch through it, then another couple of patches to remove the excess oil. What's easier, a jointed steel rod or a Boresnake? You have a difficult long range shot to make from an awkward position, and you need a field expedient bi-pod for a rear support. A couple of sections of cleaning rod can be wired together, and now your position is stabilized. Try that with a Boresnake.
Yes I do push the patch through then take off to pull back. I use a brass jeg and tight fitting patch (the style that pokes a hole on the patch). I do take off the brush and/or jag after each push through as well so I don't have the metal of the jag scraping back down the bore (if the rod is smaller in diameter than the jag). I use gun grease on the bolt usually. I don't put a lot of oil in the action area as that can seep down into the bedding if not careful.
Also - I always store the barrels facing down when oil is in the barrel (trick Casey at Tac-Ord told me), so the oil drains out of the barrel and not back into the action/bedding. Two of 3 of my longrange rifles/hunting rifles are properly bedded in the stock and oils can destroy the bedding. The 3rd I will attempt to bed myself.
C1A1 (FN) had a cleaning kit with a steel cleaning rod ... course there was also a "pull through" that could (and often did) get stuck halfway down the barrel. Cleaning rods are fine ... if you know how to use them properly. For a lot of guys a "Boresnake" is a simpler expedient...I use them as well as rods (one piece) and guides
The link to Gale McMillan's commentary was most interesting as it came from a man who could be considered an expert on the subject and also uses a high degree of common sense. Of all the human senses, common sense these days is the one least used.
In particular I found the reference to nylon being abrasive to metal/ceramic surprising and to prove such take a look at your fishing rod guides, so I did. The man has a point they were marked up from the fishing line. Is the grooving caused by extreme pressure at a small point coupled perhaps with grit on the line?? Debatable point I suppose.
None the less Mr. McMillan makes his point and makes it well.
In particular I found the reference to nylon being abrasive to metal/ceramic surprising and to prove such take a look at your fishing rod guides, so I did. The man has a point they were marked up from the fishing line. Is the grooving caused by extreme pressure at a small point coupled perhaps with grit on the line?? Debatable point I suppose.
None the less Mr. McMillan makes his point and makes it well.
What about the gunsmith who said he recommended a break in procedure so he would sell more barrels... you think that is realistic? That one could actually measure bore wear or determine how much 'life' was actually shortened by firing slow 20 shots over a long period of time? One relay at a competition would take far more out of a barrel... That whole thing was more or less an ancient anecdotal joke.
One thing is for sure, this topic comes up on a regular basis and is always controversial.
To date, on this thread, I noted guys are starting at the breach and stopping at the muzzle; and then repeating the process. After my three shot groups, I use a nylon brush (sans bore guide) and run it back and forth 12 times. This is also repeated with a wet patch and then three dry patches. In order to avoid debris in the chamber I use a 410 nylon shotgun brush and mop to clean it out prior to the next volley of load development. It's time consuming, but fun, especially with the results of tight groups and no pressure signs on the brass.
Well I just reread this thread (and my own trivial contribution) and conclude that we all seriously need to get a life! I think I would be very happy if I could get enough shooting in that I would have to worry about wearing out a barrel .... and I think I would be real pleased if my shooting was good enough that I could tell if accuracy was degraded by piss poor cleaning ... or rather by poor ammo, indifferent reloading techniques etc etc OR the most probable candidate .. poor shooting by the operator!
Before shooting my new 9.3,I ordered Dana bore coat from Jordan Smith. I have shot s couple dozen rounds and the bore is shining clean.
On my another old 9.3 husqy, I was not able to clean everything out, even I have applied Dana coat, it still shows fouling.
So before you shoot, clean it and coat it with Dana.
On my another old 9.3 husqy, I was not able to clean everything out, even I have applied Dana coat, it still shows fouling.
So before you shoot, clean it and coat it with Dana.
- Location
- Some where in bc
Snakes don't damage bores
I don' t let snakes close enough to my firearms to do any damage. In fact if they come into the yard, one of my dogs usually kills them.
After having read MANY reports on several different hunting/rifle forums, and observed that there is no consensus of opinion .. so
My father was a professional hunter and guide, and he had a different way of cleaning.
I've owned rifles most of my life and I have my own way of keeping them clean and pristine.
Differences aside, I think that we can all agree that we should protect our treasured investments by:
- I honestly have no idea if new barrels NEED a break-in procedure.
- And I honestly have no idea what is the BEST approach to cleaning a given barrel.
My father was a professional hunter and guide, and he had a different way of cleaning.
I've owned rifles most of my life and I have my own way of keeping them clean and pristine.
Differences aside, I think that we can all agree that we should protect our treasured investments by:
- CAREFULLY cleaning each rifle after every use, and
- lightly oiling if the firearm is not going to be used again anytime soon.
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I try to eliminate laborious procedures that don't bear fruit, and subsequently I clean as little as possible, but as often as necessary. I use products that aid with that objective.
For a new rifle, I clean the bore to bare steel, degrease, apply DBC, then shoot 10 rounds. Clean again. Then I shoot the rifle until accuracy deteriorates. Spray a shot of WO in the bore, leave it overnight, push a dry patch through in the morning, and repeat the process.
Shoot it until it doesn't shoot anymore, then clean it until it shoots again. Repeat as necessary. I've found so many barrels that shoot their best when they are fouled that I don't see the sense in stripping it right down to bare metal just so I can turn around and put it back in again. When a barrel is getting more fouling shots than hunting shots; or the accumulated cost of the foulers exceeds the cost of the barrel its time to rethink this cleaning business. Same with more passes of the rod than bullets fired. A very few barrels only shoot when they are meticulously cleaned, but they are as rare as 4 point unicorns. UBC can change the nature of those barrels. Some of the super smooth custom barrels are difficult to get dirty. If there's next to nothing in it, why clean it? I'll shoot a rifle, take it home and clean everything but the bore. If I lived by the ocean it might look different. Long term storage is a different case.
sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Essex county (Ontario)
I have used a borsnake on my big game rifles at the range between groups. groups were under an inch - I think I am doing fine. I scrub the barrels once a year before hunting season, then go to the range to foul them and run a bore snake between practice groups, then boresnake it before it goes in the case to go hunting. I think being consistant with cleaning methods, whatever they may be, allows you to know how your gun is shooting and just gives me confidence.
My varmint rifles get a bit more attention.
My varmint rifles get a bit more attention.
