Break-in / Cleaning

[Musicianized]

I just bought my first bolt action rifle and I will be breaking her in and need to know what products I am going to need and ahould be using.

Apparently gun cleaning has come a long ways. I've nevernused anything on my guns except for sectional aluminum rods, brushes, patch holders, patches, Hoppes 9 and oil...

Apparently I need a one piece rod, a bore guide and countless different patches, plugs, jags, carbon solvent, copper solvent.. etc..

I have a 6.5 CM.. I want to break it in right doing a cleaning after each shot for 10 and then every other shot for 10.. is there a particular kit that comes with everything less a rod, or should I buy items separately? What exactly should I buy?

 

[film495]

a kit is not that expensive and less than individual pieces. cleaning kits usually don't come with a bore guide. I tend not to use them with an aluminum rod, but people say you should. Hoppes is good overall solvent, I use it 99% of the time. It is a good idea to have something with more copper solvent in it if you get some fouling, there are many types. I have a little bottle of shooters choice that will probably last a lifetime.

I tend to use a sectional rod, but should use a single piece. The segmented rod is kind of a pain to use, but convenient to store. I just have to check to make sure it is tight all the time, as they will unscrew a little on their own in my experience.

I've never broken in a new gun, but - from my understanding you're basic process of cleaning should work, there are a lot of products - but, it really hasn't fundamentally changed as far as I can tell.

 

[Musicianized]

Maybe it hasnt changed.

Id just never heard of bore guides and never had anything other than hoppes..

Then again 90% of my guns are shotguns and most of them arent rifled barrels. My rifles consist of 3030's and .22s.

I just want to make sure I'm properly taking care of my barrel.

 

[Bronco72]

Always clean from the breach in a bolt rifle or any time you can! There are guides that will fit the action of your rifle. After you are done cleaning, run a dry patch and oil the bore.

 

[Musicianized]

Whats the proper way to clean the chamber? I see theres chamber brushes that have a bore sized brush and chamber sized brush in one. I was always under the impression that you never change direction with a brush until its all the way through the barrel.. but these chamber brushes would do just that if that smaller dia brush is sticking into the bore when you get the larger diameter end of the brush into the chamber?

 

[Aim1]

I really like Tipton 1 piece carbon rods and I just bought their cheaper bore guide.

I just started using Montana Xtreme Copper Killer Bore Solvent and Montana Xtreme Bore Conditioner after that.

I use Breakfree CLP for cleaning and then Birchwood Casey storage wipes for when I put the gun away long term.

 

[Aim1]

Whats the proper way to clean the chamber? I see theres chamber brushes that have a bore sized brush and chamber sized brush in one. I was always under the impression that you never change direction with a brush until its all the way through the barrel.. but these chamber brushes would do just that if that smaller dia brush is sticking into the bore when you get the larger diameter end of the brush into the chamber?

I've only used a chamber brush on an AR. Everything else just gets a bore brush down the bore.

There is probably some good YouTube instructional videos out there.

 

[George Foster]

I have always use a one piece solid steel rod along with a bore guide. I like the Bore Tech cleaning products for the bore cleaning. I use Bore Tech Eliminator for regular cleaning Bore Tech CU2 copper remover if there is any copper in the barrel. I use nylon brushes for my regular cleaning and I will use a bronze brush to remove copper in a hurry. I use hopes oil in the bore after the cleaning is done.

 

[Steve S.]

Cleaning and break-in may get over thunk sometimes - being careful and common sense go a very long way. Break-in, shoot some rounds slowly and clean the bore - I am not sure that there is a magic number. Cleaning, Bore Tech Eliminator is my 1st choice and I do not have a second. The techno cleaning gadgets and process probably benefit a very small group of elite shooters that need microns of target detail to prevail in their selected competition - me, I shoot for a ragged hole at 100 yards and I am very pleased. I achieve my ragged holes thru reloading, cleaning is secondary and break-in is about #10 on the list. Good luck with your new shooter.

 

[Demi-human]

A chamber brush is to be spun whilst inserted and removed.
A sectional brass rod will be sufficient for a range cleaning during break in. Don’t let waiting on specialized gear keep you from enjoying your new rifle!

I also use the Tipton one piece rods. Wipe-Out is where it’s at, as well as the Remington 40x paste for the throat.

What is your new Creedmoor? And Welcome to the board!

 

[sparkyv]

IMO, many overthink this simple process. Use Hoppes #9 or your favorite gun cleaning solvent, sop up some on a cotton patch (I make mine from discarded t-shirts) run it thru the bbl breech to muzzle. Any cleaning rod will suffice, but I don't use steel ones. Let the solvent sit a few minutes, then run dry patches thru until they come out clean. Never used a bore guide, and I've never ruined a bbl by cleaning it yet. Repeat if necessary, or run a solvent-wetted wire brush thru a few passes if you've had a really long range session and follow with the patches again. I run a final patch with a light spray of silicone. Wipe down the bolt and bolt face with the solvent and then wipe it off. Use a lubricant like light moly grease on the bolt body (not the bolt face) and on other moving parts. Wipe all the rifle's metal with a rag sprayed with a lubricant like silicone. Boom, Bob's your uncle.

 

[Musicianized]

What is your new Creedmoor? And Welcome to the board!

Thanks for the advice everyone.

It's an Xbolt hunter.

 

[Demi-human]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...more-teslong-pics.860996/page-4#post-11362015

Everything you’ll need to know about bore care.
Well, not everything, but a good chunk...

 

[RavenTai]

couple things,

Cleaning is a significant portion of bore wear, poor cleaning technique can be the majority of bore wear. most people clean their guns too aggressively and too often.

there may be a reason for repetitive cleaning during break in depending on who you want to listen to. but if you want to go that route make sure you are not doing more harm than good.

we think of a bore as being a high strength steel but what many fail to realize is that the very inner surface of the bore changes from heat, abrasion and combustion chemicals looses a lot of its strength I personally don't run a brush through a bore unless I cannot get it clean with a patch alone. the same with abrasive cleaners, the last time I used an abrasive bore cleaning product was for a antique I bought that had rust in the bore.

segmented rods stink, the joints flex under load and contact the bore, even soft materials like aluminum and brass can wear steel as they collect abrasive particles. this is particularly bad for firearms that cannot be cleaned from the breach as most of this wear happens at the critical crown.

clean from the breach when you can and bore guides are nice to have, they keep the rod centered away from the bore and keep solvent out of the action and prevent it from dripping out on the wood.

 

[Aim1]

couple things,

Cleaning is a significant portion of bore wear, poor cleaning technique can be the majority of bore wear. most people clean their guns too aggressively and too often.

there may be a reason for repetitive cleaning during break in depending on who you want to listen to. but if you want to go that route make sure you are not doing more harm than good.

we think of a bore as being a high strength steel but what many fail to realize is that the very inner surface of the bore changes from heat, abrasion and combustion chemicals looses a lot of its strength I personally don't run a brush through a bore unless I cannot get it clean with a patch alone. the same with abrasive cleaners, the last time I used an abrasive bore cleaning product was for a antique I bought that had rust in the bore.

segmented rods stink, the joints flex under load and contact the bore, even soft materials like aluminum and brass can wear steel as they collect abrasive particles. this is particularly bad for firearms that cannot be cleaned from the breach as most of this wear happens at the critical crown.

clean from the breach when you can and bore guides are nice to have, they keep the rod centered away from the bore and keep solvent out of the action and prevent it from dripping out on the wood.

Very interesting about only using patches.

 

[lightman]

Products you will need or want:
Some type of a rest or cradle to hold the rifle (you can use your rifle rest and rear bag if you want)
A good cleaning rod
Bore brushes
Patches
A cleaning jag
Bore solvent
A light weight oil
Maybe a bore guide
There is also a bottle looking thingy that goes on the muzzle to catch the used patch. It helps keep the smell down if you clean inside.
There is also no end to the gadgets and accessories that you can buy.

The best gun cleaning stuff has been argued over about as much as reloading dies or tools. FWIW, I like Dewey cleaning rods and Shooters Choice Bore Solvent. I also like Sinclairs line of cleaning stuff like patches, brushes and jags. I don't like the kits, especially jointed aluminum cleaning rods. My "kit" is an aluminum tool box with the stuff I have acquired over a lifetime.

On factory guns, both rifles and pistols, I don't worry about any break-in. I break it down into the major groups and give it a cleaning and patch out the barrel. Sometimes I remove lots of machining residue and sometimes its fairly clean. I do start off shooting it fairly slow the first time and let the barrel heat up slowly. Just because!

On a custom barrel I'll patch it out before I shoot it. Then I'll shoot it once and patch it out and continue to shoot once and patch out until the one shot shows no copper fouling. This is usually between 6 and 8 shots. I got this from some famous benchrest rifle builder. It might have been Speedy Gonzales but I really don't remember.