# Gun cleaning



## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

I've heard of a lot of different cleaning techniques before going hunting for deer, everything from cleaning with water to using old hoppes #9. What is your technique?


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

MT

Water ????????? You must be talking black powder? However you did mention Hoppe's #9 so perhaps not. I have seen people trade off guns because they thought their loss of accuracy was due to throat erosion, and it was only copper fowling. Many people do not properly clean their gun. As a matter of fact I would say 90% of people do not properly clean their gun. In the past I have used Sweets 7.62 copper solvent, and Barnes CR10. They are harsh however, and if you are not careful they will damage the rifling near the muzzle where it drains when the rifle is inclined forward.

This is how I clean.

Put the rifle in a vice with barrel inclined slightly down.

Use a cleaning jag and not a slotted tip bore cleaning tool.

Insert a bore guide in the breach. Never clean from the muzzle you will eventually destroy your crown.
Run a bronze brush through the bore two or three strokes.

Push the residue out with a patch dampened with a carbon solvent. KG1 is good.

Run the bronze brush down the bore and out the muzzle end. Saturate the brush with a few drops of Spooge bore cleaner. Spooge is a product of Answer Products, and is very good on carbon and copper. Also, it is not as damaging to the bore as other aggressive copper solvents.

After about 20 strokes with the saturated bronze brush let the rifle set for 20 minutes.

Using the cleaning jag and a clean dry patch push the disolved copper residue out of the bore.

I put a Qtip in the bore to check for copper residue. The white cotton will reflect light well enough to inspect the first inch or two of the bore. I prefer this to a bore light for inspecting the muzzle.

Repeat this step until there is no, or very little sign of copper.

Coat a patch with JB Bore Cleaner and swab the bore with four or five strokes. If a higher polish is desired use JB Bore Bright. I use both. This should remove any last bit of copper.

Buff the bore with a clean dry patch.

Run a patch down the bore saturated with TSI 301 synthetic lubricant and store your rifle. TSI 301 will appear totally dry within the hour and it is not necessary to remove before firing your rifle.

After this process you may find that your rifle is more accurate than the day you brought it home new.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

I use pretty much the same system that Plainsman does. One additional thing I would mention is to use a one piece cleaning rod, preferrally a coated Dewey rod. Stay away from those cheap sectioned aluminum things that come in most cleaning kits, they can do damage to the bore.

Also, some rifles shoot to a different point of impact when they are clean, keeping a log will show if this is consistent. Mine is about 1 inch left when firing a clean cold bore shot. I clean at the range and then fire 3 rounds through it and put it away, this keeps my point of impact consistent. I should mention that I shoot this rifle twice each month, if you are storing for an extended period of time this method should not be used.

huntin1


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

I've got the general cleaning down pat, but a lot of people have special rituals of cleaning their gun to get all the smells off of it as to not ward off deer, I was wondering if you did anything special to help keep smells on the gun to a minimum


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

There is no way that you can get rid of the smells from your gun so that a deer will not smell them. A deer's sense of smell is fantastic and no matter what these companies who make scent-loc tell you the deer's sense of smell will not be defeated. 
Work the wind.

huntin1


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

MT

That's really humorous. Where on earth did you find somebody dumb enough to think deer wouldn't smell their gun coated in Hoppe's # 9. Find that guy and tell him to see a doctor. I think their brain is beyond repair, but perhaps the doctor could do something for their nose.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

the idea was alternatives to it, but forget it I dont much care any more


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I like to run a patch full of Tinks doe in heat thru the bore and pull the trigger when they are licking it :lol:


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## sdeprie (May 1, 2004)

bobm, doesn't that ruin quite a bit of the delicious tongue meat? I like to wait until there's a DIFFERENT meat working on the bore.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

you guys are getting bucky....it's almost here!!!


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