rifle cleaning
- Thread starter rkr
- Start date
There is no right or wrong answer. All rifles will need to be cleaned at different times. No 2 are alike.
Buy quality cleaning gear and a proper bore guide.
Watch the crown when pulling jags and brushes back through the bore. Consider unscrewing them before you pull the rod back.
Buy quality cleaning gear and a proper bore guide.
Watch the crown when pulling jags and brushes back through the bore. Consider unscrewing them before you pull the rod back.
Aluminum rods can leave aluminum oxide deposits in your bore.
The same stuff that the aggregate used in emery cloth is made from. Ponder on that for a while.
I clean my rifles when they need cleaning.
For some rifles that's every 150 rounds, on others it can be every 30 or 40 rounds.
That's because every rifle is different. Some shoot better a bit fouled, some shoot better squeaky clean and then get wonky after minor fouling. There is no way to say for sure. You have to figure it out through shooting your rifles, and seeing what results in accuracy, and accuracy drop off.
$50 for an item that can be used in multiple applications, over a course of numerous years. Is a great investment.
What did your last round of golf, or your last concert, or last date night run you?
Certain things are worth being thrifty over.
Other things are not. A cleaning rod is one that's not worth it. IMO.
The same stuff that the aggregate used in emery cloth is made from. Ponder on that for a while.
I clean my rifles when they need cleaning.
For some rifles that's every 150 rounds, on others it can be every 30 or 40 rounds.
That's because every rifle is different. Some shoot better a bit fouled, some shoot better squeaky clean and then get wonky after minor fouling. There is no way to say for sure. You have to figure it out through shooting your rifles, and seeing what results in accuracy, and accuracy drop off.
$50 for an item that can be used in multiple applications, over a course of numerous years. Is a great investment.
What did your last round of golf, or your last concert, or last date night run you?
Certain things are worth being thrifty over.
Other things are not. A cleaning rod is one that's not worth it. IMO.
50 bucks isn't much for something that lasts forever and is good on most of your rifles. Junk will aways be junk.
I don't clean my rifle bores very often at all except when they are new, then they get cleaned everytime they are shot for the first few times. Or if it rains. A lot of barrels shoot better when they are fouled and many don't make any difference. Living in a dry climate might have a lot to do with it. It's not laziness either, I'll often often clean everything but the bore.
Still, just because of the amount of rifles around my rods get a lot of use. I've got 4 Dewey rods that I use.
I don't clean my rifle bores very often at all except when they are new, then they get cleaned everytime they are shot for the first few times. Or if it rains. A lot of barrels shoot better when they are fouled and many don't make any difference. Living in a dry climate might have a lot to do with it. It's not laziness either, I'll often often clean everything but the bore.
Still, just because of the amount of rifles around my rods get a lot of use. I've got 4 Dewey rods that I use.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Dewey rods are my choice as well, but a jointed steel (not aluminum) rod can be useful in the field, weighs little, and takes up little room, should your muzzle inadvertently become plugged with snow or mud, or if you just want to patch it out after a rain storm. In these circumstances a jag is better than a brush, unless you prefer to carry both.
I often see them everywhere, but I know that WSS always has a few handfuls of them in the rack.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I purchase my Dewey supplies from Plenty "O" Patches in Drayton Valley AB, but haven't made an order recently as I purchased enough for years ahead. Google will give you the contact information and a price list IIRC.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I use Dewey rods as well.
As for field use I have a jointed brass rod. For you who use steel may I ask why you would want that over brass? Seems to me brass would be the best material being softer than steel and doesn't leave oxide in your bore like aluminum.
As for field use I have a jointed brass rod. For you who use steel may I ask why you would want that over brass? Seems to me brass would be the best material being softer than steel and doesn't leave oxide in your bore like aluminum.
A cheap aluminum rod will break. Broke mine after one use. I now have a 30 cal rod and a 22 cal rod. Payed between $30 and $50 bucks for them, and it been years of ownership. I plan on getting one for my shotguns next. Buy once, cry once.
The theory that I heard is that brass being soft can get grit embedded in it. I don't even know if its true or not. I only carry the jointed steel rod for emergency cleaning, plugged muzzles, stuck cases or de-bulleted loads so although I don't want to use it at all if I do there might be a hard push involved.
When I first got into decent rods there were only the Dewey and Parker Hale around, and I don't know if Dewey even had a coated rod yet. Parker Hale only took their proprietory jags and brushes unless you used an adaptor but were popular with the SPRA crowd.
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- Location
- West Quebec
Got mine directly from Dewey..
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Dewey makes a brass adaptor for using the .30 caliber rod with shotgun brushes and jags.
