View Full Version : Rifle Cleaning Experiment
I normally clean my rifles after every trip to the range. (Que the OCD comments....)
Usually, I'm not in a rush to clean them, so I leave the cased guns sitting out so I remember they need to be cleaned. They could sit there for 3 days or up to 3 weeks before I got around to actually cleaning them.
When I got home from the range yesterday, I took the two rifles directly to my bench and ran solvent through them and let them sit, while I did other things for a couple of hours.
They cleaned up so easily I don't think I even had to run more than 4 patches down them and they were bore-scope spotless.
I've let the solvent sit overnight in rifles after sitting for a week or so in their cases, they were still difficult to get clean.
The big change, that made a huge difference, was doing it immediately after firing.
This may not be news to some. I knew it would probably be better, I was just amazed at how much better doing it this way actually was........
Continue to not clean your guns, that isn't the point of this information. If you do keep your guns clean, this may be worth trying if you haven't.
I went through a phase of patching some CLP into the bore before bagging up the guns to leave. I mean, they were still warm. It did seem to work better. If I shot alone, I'd still do this.
I was shooting with a SWAT group that literally put their MP5s muzzle down in 5 gallon buckets of mineral spirits. Came back later, ran a burst through them and declared them clean.
Honest Abe
02-29-24, 01:50
We love to shoot, but we HATE TO CLEAN! I will try a patch down the bore as soon as I get home from the range....I am usually so fatigued from lugging gear and shooting...the last thing I feel like doing is running a solvent patch down the bore!
titsonritz
02-29-24, 02:28
Just be sure your solvent is not ammonia based or is can cause damage to your bore by soaking it for extended periods of time. You’re okay with mild stuff like CLP or Hoppe’s No. 9.
https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/how-to-clean-a-rifle-barrel/457034#:~:text=Many%20types%20of%20copper%2Dremoving,and%20Patch%20Out%20shown%20here.
We love to shoot, but we HATE TO CLEAN! I will try a patch down the bore as soon as I get home from the range....I am usually so fatigued from lugging gear and shooting...the last thing I feel like doing is running a solvent patch down the bore!
LOL. I was probably 12 when after a range day with my dad and his buddies they all drop their crap on the table on the back patio and then go get a beer. Typically I was cleaning 8-10 rifles (AR-15s, M-16A1s, HK-91s, one guys damn Mini 14, M-10s and such).
The upside is I knew my way around military firearms pretty well but man I smelled like Hoppes and CLP.
triggerjerk
02-29-24, 05:49
I'm old fashioned and wet patch, wet brush, dry patch, wet patch until only light gray/blue on last patch. Finish with a couple or 3 dry patches. Trick is to spray brake cleaner on brush between brushings. Just a little until it drips clear. Shake brush and set aside while patching. It'll be dry by the time you finish dry/wet patching. This way you don't reintroduce brush crud on next brushing. Went from a baker's dozen reps to a couple or 3 to get clean enough. Shooter's Choice. Werks for me. Fwiw...
Horse, Saddle, Man--the concept is older than the example I found but you ge the point.
“First the horse, then the saddle, then the man.” -old cavalryman’s creed
https://www.moore.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/2015/OCT_DEC/Paine-Leonard.pdf
I am usually so fatigued from lugging gear and shooting...the last thing I feel like doing is running a solvent patch down the bore!
That's where running a CLP patch when your barrel is still warm at the range is nice. Before you pack up and unload and all that stuff.
Isn't running a bore snake after a range session good enough most days?
titsonritz
02-29-24, 12:56
Isn't running a bore snake after a range session good enough most days?
That’s all I do for my “regular” guns but some like classic Smiths, precision weapons, etc. get a little more attention.
Bore snakes are a silly joke. Might as well do nothing at all.
Just be sure your solvent is not ammonia based or is can cause damage to your bore by soaking it for extended periods of time. You’re okay with mild stuff like CLP or Hoppe’s No. 9.
https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/how-to-clean-a-rifle-barrel/457034#:~:text=Many%20types%20of%20copper%2Dremoving,and%20Patch%20Out%20shown%20here.
I really don’t think that’s accurate. Anhydrous can cause stress cracking, but I’ve never seen in real life or literature about ammonia solutions corroding steel.
Add a chrome lining and it’s even less vulnerable.
I really don’t think that’s accurate. Anhydrous can cause stress cracking, but I’ve never seen in real life or literature about ammonia solutions corroding steel.
Add a chrome lining and it’s even less vulnerable.
Isn't hard chrome especially vulnerable to ammonia-based solvents if left to sit for too long?
Bore snakes are a silly joke. Might as well do nothing at all.
That's not true. They make a great "clean sweep" once you've actually cleaned the barrel.
Isn't running a bore snake after a range session good enough most days?
That’s all I do for my “regular” guns but some like classic Smiths, precision weapons, etc. get a little more attention.This is what I do… Then just a quick wipe down of the bcg and inside of receiver with clp. Doing it the same day as shooting definitely makes it easier to remove the carbon.
Isn't hard chrome especially vulnerable to ammonia-based solvents if left to sit for too long?
Over time, it will remove chrome, nickel, and copper. Not sure how quickly, though. Never actually witnessed it. "Ammonia corrosion" generally only refers to mild steels, not the stuff an AR would be made of.
militarymoron
03-01-24, 17:39
I've used bore snakes for more than two decades and they're just another tool in the cleaning kit. Not as thorough as a detailed clean, but they sure are fast and work well enough that I'll use them for guns I shoot most frequently between range outings. I use a CLP with a boresnake instead of separate solvent/lube. I've never had any issues with them getting stuck. Just don't use them in a hot barrel.
I've used bore snakes for more than two decades and they're just another tool in the cleaning kit. Not as thorough as a detailed clean, but they sure are fast and work well enough that I'll use them for guns I shoot most frequently between range outings. I use a CLP with a boresnake instead of separate solvent/lube. I've never had any issues with them getting stuck. Just don't use them in a hot barrel.
Yeah... everything in its appropriate place and time.
While I usually use a Boresnake in the middle of my barrel cleaning process (after initial brushing and patching, Boresnake, then followed by more brushing and patching until clean) I see no problem using one soaked in CLP before you leave the range. I have more than one .22 Boresnake so it would be doable.
Over time, it will remove chrome, nickel, and copper. Not sure how quickly, though. Never actually witnessed it. "Ammonia corrosion" generally only refers to mild steels, not the stuff an AR would be made of.
Isn't hard chrome especially vulnerable to ammonia-based solvents if left to sit for too long?
No, that comes from people thst dont understand the difference between decorative, industrial hard, and(i think the correct term- which Im not familiar with) thin dense chrome plating. Ammonia is extremely corrossive to copper, and somewhat nickel.
Decorative chrome has a base of copper and nickel. Thats why chrome bathroom accessories in sinks always have copper showing, people use ammonia-based cleaners and the ammonia corrodes it and flakes off the ni/cr topping.
Chrome in a bore is bonded directly to the steel, so the vulnerable layer, does not exist.
After the first cold bore shot the clean bore is history, and the cleanliness of the weapon degrades rapidly, so now we're back to the lubes. My solution is to add more. I like to clean my magazines occasionally because the shit blowing down in there is no bueno. Of course YMMV.
No, that comes from people thst dont understand the difference between decorative, industrial hard, and(i think the correct term- which Im not familiar with) thin dense chrome plating. Ammonia is extremely corrossive to copper, and somewhat nickel.
Decorative chrome has a base of copper and nickel. Thats why chrome bathroom accessories in sinks always have copper showing, people use ammonia-based cleaners and the ammonia corrodes it and flakes off the ni/cr topping.
Chrome in a bore is bonded directly to the steel, so the vulnerable layer, does not exist.
That is good to know! Thanks for the gift of knowledge!
No, that comes from people thst dont understand the difference between decorative, industrial hard, and(i think the correct term- which Im not familiar with) thin dense chrome plating. Ammonia is extremely corrossive to copper, and somewhat nickel.
Decorative chrome has a base of copper and nickel. Thats why chrome bathroom accessories in sinks always have copper showing, people use ammonia-based cleaners and the ammonia corrodes it and flakes off the ni/cr topping.
Chrome in a bore is bonded directly to the steel, so the vulnerable layer, does not exist.
There is some truth to the "ammonia" issue, but much blown out of proportion.
If you remember back in "Hatcher's Notebook," in Chapter XIV, when starting the discussion on corrosive primers, and other ammunition improvements, the author discusses how cupro-nickel metal fouling was removed with "Ammonia Dope." Ammonia Dope was a particularly aggressive cleaner, and can corrode things if not rinsed off immediately. Worse, if the solution is not freshy mixed, it stops being a cleaner and just starts etching steel on contact.
Ammonia Dope is made from:
1 ounce - ammonia persulphate
200 grains - ammonia carbonate
6 ounces - ammonia water (28%)
4 ounces - distilled water
That is a super high concentration of ammonia.
Household ammonia cleaners are between 2% and 10% ammonia, weaker that the 6 ounces of ammonia water used in the Ammonia Dope. Many people hear of Ammonia Dope and its issues, and all they hear is "ammonia = bad," so anything with ammonia in it must never touch my rifle. Yes, ammonia is corrosive, that is why it is a good cleaner, but in low concentrations, like in Windex, it's safe enough, just do not ever mix it with bleach.
Bore snakes are a silly joke. Might as well do nothing at all.
Agreed, not even worth wasting time or money.
That's not true. They make a great "clean sweep" once you've actually cleaned the barrel.
Yeah, I can see them for that purpose only.
Yeah, I can see them for that purpose only.
When you sell guns, bright shiny bores are a bonus.
Most people don't get that oil residue means clean. But pull a boresnake through it and it's now showroom ready.
I did almost the opposite today, cleaned an PCC 9mm SBR I shot suppressed almost daily for a month (great weather, outdoor range I belong to, surplus of 9mm) and put it away a year ago. I should have just clp'd it and let it sit overnight, but ground through it with flakes of carbon all over the towel I was cleaning it on when finished an hour later. Bore was easy, everything else a nightmare.
I don't recommend my way and may get an ultrasonic cleaner for the other PCC I also shot last year suppressed and put away.
Thanks for the tips, I'll do this next time for sure.
I give my BCG's this treatment:
- Strip down to parts, including extractor, but not ejector
- 15 Minutes in Ultrasonic (Heated)
- Soak in Kerosene to de-water
- Brush off loose stuff with CLP
- Patch covered CATM4 down the front of the carrier where the gas rings seat
- Liberal coating of G96 and reassemble
Come out nearly like NIB.
https://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3744697270-5.jpg
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