Who actually uses cleaning GUIDES?!! Which grease, which cleaning rods?

[Motega]

What's the rule with grease vs. oil? I know there is a recommendation about oil on some kinds of parts (moving metal to metal parts? ) and oil in others... so is there a generally accepted "BEST" grease?
Same question about rods... Dewey rods are a pain they are 1 piece... whats the best way to go... and how about bore guides? No one I know uses one but I'd like to start if it is necessary. what kind to use?

Anyone think their cleaning method has any worthwhile tricks to pass on such as never pulling a dirty patch backwards?

thanks!

 

[cal74]

Always use a bore guide if possible, stick with one piece rods and unless your looking at long term storage don't use grease.

Here's some good gun oil, used to be available at Midway but didn't see it there.
http://www.midwest-tactical.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=Eezox_4OZ-Can

 

[theshephard]

+1

What Cal74 said - Good advice.
I'll just add an explanation about the one piece vs. breakdown rod in case you're interested in the 'why'.
With a typical three piece rod, at each of the joints where the pieces screw together you do not get a smooth transition between pieces, but often some form of a ridge due to imperfect alignment. The concern here is at least two-fold.

First, these ridges at the joints end up scraping the lands at the crown or throat, the most delicate aspects of your barrel rifling. Even if the rod is brass, abrupt edges of a softer metal can still cause wear.

Second, a concern that some foreign material could get lodged in the joint that would work as an abrasive during the back-and-forth process of cleaning.

How likely are these risks? You can be careful about keeping the rod centered and clean. Did it for years, many still do. Today I use a one piece carbon fiber rod and prefer it greatly.

Re: bore guides - The primary use is alignment of the cleaning rod with the barrel, again to protect the edges of the lands at the throat of the barrel. A bore guide has a secondary benefit of preventing a ton of solvent and/or sediment dripping down into the action of the gun.

 

[USSR]

What's the rule with grease vs. oil? I know there is a recommendation about oil on some kinds of parts (moving metal to metal parts? ) and oil in others... so is there a generally accepted "BEST" grease?
Same question about rods... Dewey rods are a pain they are 1 piece... whats the best way to go... and how about bore guides? No one I know uses one but I'd like to start if it is necessary. what kind to use?

The rule is: "If it slides, grease it". Places to be greased on a bolt action rifle are the bolt lug raceways on the receiver, and the back side of the bolt lugs where they contact the receiver. Always use a bore guide when you are able to clean a rifle from the breech. As previously stated, always use a quality one-piece rod.

Don

 

[Welding Rod]

Dewey rods are my favorite, and one piece is the way to go.

I have some older Tiptons and they are great, but the new ones are Chicom so Tipton can get bent now as far as I am concerned.

I like Tetra grease and I also like Gun Butter.

If you have an AR the JP bore guides are pretty awesome. I don't bother for my bolt guns, but the only thing I normally do after shooting is pass an oiled patch through the bore. So I have minimal potential to do damage.

All the nonsense about thoroughly cleaning bores seems to me to be just that... nonsense. For a gun in the 1/2 - 1 1/2 MOA range it just doesn't seem to make much difference if the bore has been cleaned or not... I just don't want them to rust.

 

[awgrizzly]

I use Tipton one piece carbon fiber rods. Another thing I'd like to add about the three piece rods that's the worst part is the damn things keep coming unscrewed. I was about to throw a set through the window, and decided to buy some Tiptons.

And speaking of Tipton, I just tried one of their Rapid bore guide kits today on an AR. I thought it was all a bunch hewey but wanted a set of bore guides anyway. Hey, it works great! The thing has a collar that slides into the receiver and the end of a tube fits into the chamber. You can lock it in place and easily slide the patch into the barrel without fumbling and dropping the patch. The thing also fits into a bolt action rifle in place of the bolt. I love it.

 

[christcorp]

Wow; so many different opinions.

Mine:
1. Grease: I use grease on metal on metal moving parts. e.g. bolt, bolt carrier group, buffer spring, buffer, charging handle, etc... depending on the rifle
1a. Grease Type: Walmart Super-tech moly-lithium grease. Couple dollars for a tube that will last for all weapons about 20+ years.

2. Oil: I use oil on moving parts that aren't metal on metal. e.g. trigger assembly, inside bolt carrier group, mag release, etc... depending on the rifle
2a. Oil Type: Parts I can physically touch; Mobil-1 synthetic motor oil. Parts I can't physically touch and need to spray; CLP oil.

3. Bore Guide: Don't touch them. I consider them a waste of money and especially time. It's just me. A one piece cleaning rod with a nice brush on the end is what I use. I don't care if solvent gets into the trigger/action area. I plan on cleaning that too. "HINT: Clean the barrel prior to the rest of the gun". Anyway, for me, a bore guide is a waste of my money and time. I own some guns that are more than 50 years old. They've been cleaned with a cleaning rod and brush for more than 50 years. They are doing perfectly fine.

 

[snake284]

One way to ruin a barrel is to NOT use a bore guide. I have a Gunslick brand rod with different size caliber inserts. I like either a fiberglass rod or a hard stainless one piece rod. I don't use jointed and/or aluminum rods. Also if you have a semi auto or lever gun that requires cleaning from the muzzle end, they make a guide for the muzzle as well and you'd be crazy not to use one.

As for oil v. grease? I use Rem Oil or Break Free or something similar. I also will use Liquid Wrench with Teflon. I don't use WD 40 on guns. I don't like grease either because it can get hard. But if you clean your action and trigger group occasionally, it doesn't make much difference. I use brake cleaner or Burchwood Casey's Gun Scrubber, about the same thing. But be careful and don't get it on a finished wood stock. It can take certain finishes off in a heartbeat. I bought a Mosin Nagant 91/30 a couple years back and sprayed it down with Gun Scrubber and it took the Shellac off before my very eyes like lightning. So if you use it use it with care. What I do is spray the trigger group and all down with it and let it drip dry. Then I spray it lightly with Remoil or Breakfree. Then I call it all good. What ever lube I use, I like it to contain teflon or something similar.

 

[Wayne G]

I agree with Welding Rod. I use Tetra Gun Grease on all sliding friction points and Gun Butter on rotating friction points on my 1945 Inland M1 carbine.

I use a one piece carbon fiber cleaning rod made from an arrow shaft with a bore guide turned from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) since this weapon must be cleaned from the muzzle.

I have a similar bore guide for my 12ga Remington 870 which I use for quick cleaning when I don't remove the barrel.

 

[christcorp]

I've never seen a barrel 'RUINED" by using a cleaning rod/brush with a bore guide. I clean the barrel of ALL my rifles from the muzzle side. Due to geometry, the only part of the barrel that can be affected by the cleaning rod is the crown/muzzle. And that's if you're abusive. Even with using a .223 brush, it's larger than the rod. The rod isn't going to hurt the rifling of the barrel. The only part that can possibly be harmed would be right at the end of the barrel. Guess I know how to take care of my rifles because I haven't "Ruined" any barrels.

As for grease getting hard, that depends on what you're using. Most people who have been shooting long enough, realize that most of the name brand cleaning/lube products are gimmicks. Mobil-1 synthetic oil and similar is much less expensive, and does a great job on your guns. If it can protect a $50,000 automobile, it can handle a $1000 gun. As for grease getting hard; not if it's moly-lithium, ball bearing grease, etc... These types of grease are used in motor vehicles, farm equipment, aircraft, etc... at 20 degrees below zero, and it's NEVER GOTTEN HARD.

 

[bryank30]

I'm with you Christcorp. I use a one piece dewey rod and forget about all the unneccasary gadgetry these old farts at the range think they have to have.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I like to use a bore guide when I'm cleaning from the breech end of a rifle barrel. It makes it easier to clean the gun. (A gun vise makes things easier too.)

I use Dewey bore guides with my ARs (5.56 & 6.8). They work very well.

I have a couple of Delrin bore guides from Possum Hollow that I use to clean my bolt action rifles from the breech.

I also use Dewey one-piece solid brass cleaning rods, a HySkore cleaning vise, SLiP 2000 Extreme Weapons Lube (oil) and an old jar of RIG +P stainless steel lube (grease).

 

[Art Eatman]

Been using one-piece stainless .22 rod for everything, since 1950. Haven't seen a problem, yet. I use the brass cone when cleaning from the muzzle end, of course.

I've never shot a large number of rounds at any one time with a bolt-action, so a regular oiling after cleaning is plenty good to avoid wear on the bolt lugs. No headspace problem after 4,000 rounds of '06 through my Weatherby, anyhow.

Semi-autos do better with a little grease in key places.

 

[christcorp]

cleaning is such a controversial topic. There are those that go 500-1000 rounds without cleaning. There are those that in my opinion are worse, and clean their weapons after 20-30 rounds. I see some of them at the range. Spending more than a half an hour to shoot a box or two of rifle ammo; then they sit there and start cleaning. Some people are way to anal about this.

I normally shoot at least 200 rounds of .223/5.56 at one sitting. I'm sure in hell not going to stop after every 20-30 rounds to clean the rifle. When the weather is good, and I know I'll be shooting again within a few days, then I don't do a full cleaning. After the 200 round setting, when I get home, I'm spray some gun scrub down the barrel. I'll also spray some in the trigger assembly and around the outside of the bolt area. I then run a bore snake with some hoppe #9 on it about5 times down the barrel. I'll do a basic lube and put it away until next week. After next week, and I have 400+ rounds, I'll do what I previously did, but I'll swap out using a bore snake with using a cleaning rod and brush and patches.

I've been cleaning weapons for about 40 years. Including a lot of "Corrosive Ammo". It isn't rocket science. You don't need these "Special Cleaning/Lube Products".

 

[BrocLuno]

Everyones weather is different. Folks in TX don't have Cali coastal conditions, etc. Alaska and WI are way different that Florida. Use what works in your environment.

I use one piece Dewey rods, Browning premium Gun Oil, various cleaners including brake clean (if the action is out of the stock), and GunSlick grease with graphite as it lasts a l-o-n-g time ans is still slippery after years of storage It is dirty and will make you fingers black if you get it all over, so use appropriately.

 

[terryknight]

ballistol and i clean with a one piece rod before and after hunting season and once more during the year depending how much i shoot. wipe down the outside once a month

 

[fatcat4620]

You guys clean your guns? JK but I don't clean that much only when they need it. It is an ak and glock tho

 

[langenc]

Dewey rods, gunzilla for cleaning the bore. Kroil as a ruist preventative in the bore and RIG for the OUTSIDE of the gun.

 

[ol' scratch]

I use a cleaning rod guide on my M1 Garand to protect the muzzle. I use a one piece carbon fiber rod.

As far as grease, the only rifle I use grease on is my M1. I use Lubraplate, but have some moly I will use when I run out of Lubraplate.

Everything else I clean from the chamber out, so it is no big deal.

 

[Sooner1911]

I use bore guides to clean all of my guns. Why? Because I want to minimize the chances of screwing up the chamber, the bore, or the crown. Can you clean for years without a bore guide for years without screwing up any of the above? Based on the responses above, apparently you can. However, given that my cheapest rifle costs in the neighborhood of $600 a $9 bore guide seems like cheap insurance to me. I use 1 piece Dewey rods for the same reasons. JMHO.