best way to look after my new rifle

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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by brett1868 » 16 Nov 2016, 10:28 pm

bigfellascott wrote:
brett1868 wrote:I thought I was champion barrel cleaner till I purchased a bore scope. Even with all the methods above I can almost guarantee the bore wont be spotless and free of contaminants. It's both amazing and depressing sticking the camera down the bore after a "Good" cleaning only to find copper and / or lead residue. I clean in the usual ways with solvent, brushing, patching, copper solvent, patching, then oiling but once I've done this I get a worn brush and wrap a bit of flannel around it. A few dabs of JB boreshine then back into it, replacing the patch every 10-20 strokes and repeating the process. When appropriately "Shiny" on the inside ill hit it with a squirt of Bore Scrubber and nylon brush before patching dry and oiling ready for storage. I'm never sure how long a rifle will sit in the safe between uses so I tend to over oil the bores and wipe down all metal with a oily rag just for my own piece of mind.


Yes Brett what gets seen with a borescope cannot be unseen! :D not a good idea to look down bores unless you want to be :shock: :o :? as someone pointed out earlier they are designed to wear out and are a consumable item, just use them and enjoy them and when they are well and truly shot out either replace the barrel or buy another rifle.

I reckon some people do more damage than good when it comes to cleaning bores at times, you see them scrub the crap out of it like nobodies business then dick around doing this that and every other thing and still can't shoot for s**t anyway :lol:



I've got a few barrels that'll cost in excess of 4k each to replace so I tend to look after them very well. I'm not so anal on every rifle, just those where it counts and all the pistols. Generally damage caused by cleaning can be attributed to not using a bore guide, wrong chemicals or leaving them in too long or damaging the crown. Projectiles traveling > 3000fps will do far more damage then a proper cleaning with bronze brushes, Hoppes, Sweets etc etc as in it'll get shot out before worn out by scrubbing :) My 300Wby Mag is a copper fouling monster but others are fine, I do follow a regime of barrel break in but that's another contentious subject. "Let the barrel dictate the cleaning regime" is my approach, some will foul more then others and will require a little more time or aggressive approach to cleaning.

Like any topic, it's all BS without pictures so I downloaded the pictures from the bore scope as an indication of just how much crap can be left behind. Each barrel had been quite well cleaned using solvent and brushes and appeared fine to the naked eye. Bring on the bore scope....

Below pic is from a Colt Gold Cup 45ACP shooting 200gr Hornady XTP's. Gave the barrel a "good" cleaning with solvent, brushing, patching etc etc. It's "Clean" but still signs of fouling and copper.
PICT0036.JPG
After a good regular clean.
PICT0036.JPG (30.03 KiB) Viewed 3848 times


Same spot up close after cleaning with JB's Non Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound (just checked the name on the tub) - I love this s**t, guaranteed not to damage the bore and picture proves results.
PICT0037.JPG
After JB's
PICT0037.JPG (28 KiB) Viewed 3848 times


Approx 200 rounds of 122gr Coated LRN. Notice the thickness of the lead fouling, could have brushed it for hours and still not removed it all.
PICT0033.JPG
Walther Q5 Match after "Cleaning".
PICT0033.JPG (27.35 KiB) Viewed 3848 times


Oh so shiny :)
PICT0034.JPG
After JB's
PICT0034.JPG (26.63 KiB) Viewed 3848 times


I'm cleaning on average 6-8 barrels a week at the moment (5 from just last nights fun) and I'm still learning and improving. A clean rifle is a happy rifle and happy rifles shoot better then grumpy ones :)
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by bigfellascott » 16 Nov 2016, 10:54 pm

Yeah ya gotta look after em if they cost $4k! I think people get a bit over worried about all this stuff, fair enough if you are into high end comp shooting and every little detail helps get the best out of your shooting etc, but for the average bloke who rolls up to a range for a bit of plinking etc or goes for a shot in the bush every now and then well it's not so important to be that anal about it, a little rough patch of carbon or a bit of copper etc isn't world ending in that situation.

I ran the 22-250 for around 120 shots I think it was before I decided to give it a clean and it was still shooting like a demon, a mate and I put up a target at 270m and I had a couple of shots to see where it was shooting at that distance and both shots landed almost touching :D which surprised me and my mate too cos the ol Howso out shot his flash Sako with a Maddco big arsed heavy barrel on it.
I can't remember why I hadn't cleaned it for so long as normally I would after each time I went out (I may have been doing some culling work or been to the range, too long ago to remember now :unknown: My 204 has a couple of patches of carbon present in the bore, but it shoots fine for my need so I figure I will just leave it be and when and if it really starts shooting badly I will get some of the JB's and give it a good ol scrub and see how that effects it (if it ain't broke leave it alone type thing for me) :D

Did you go to the last 50cal shoot? I know John and Michelle did but can't remember how they went now.
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by brett1868 » 17 Nov 2016, 6:53 am

Did you go to the last 50cal shoot? I know John and Michelle did but can't remember how they went now.


You'd have thought the organisers would have emailed the previous competitors about the upcoming shoot, advertised it better or even update their website with information / dates of upcoming shoots. I only found out about it a week before on a post on AHN and already had plans to go bush for furry target shooting so I didn't go. The last update on the Mildura LRSC site is from June, nothing in there about the last 2 competitions. I wasn't overly impressed with the organisation of the last shoot having been told that it was factory ammo only, then to find out halfway through the day that some were using match prepped reloads as they had asked the organiser for permission. Mildura is 11hrs and 1009km each way from home and to compete on a Saturday costs me close to $3000 in lost pay, fuel, accommodation and ammo so for that kind of investment I want a level playing field.
It's no secret that I wasn't overly happy with my score but considering 2 other much better shooters then I finished within 1 point of me using my rifle and ammo I'm confident I shot to the capabilities of the rifle on the day by finishing mid field. Project 50 is due back in Sydney late January so I'll make the next comp in Mildura if I can find out when its on, I can't lose if I'm the only shooter in a class :lol: My next project is currently being debated in Canberra due to the nature of the cartridge involved, the update from Border Force yesterday was that I should get an answer within the next 2 weeks. The US F.C.S.A titles are scheduled for June 30 next year in New Mexico so all going to plan I'll compete there in the heavy gun class and possibly "King of the 2 Mile" if I can get a rifle built in time which is very doubtful at the moment.
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by in2anity » 17 Nov 2016, 7:13 am

bigfellascott wrote:Yeah ya gotta look after em if they cost $4k! I think people get a bit over worried about all this stuff, fair enough if you are into high end comp shooting and every little detail helps get the best out of your shooting etc, but for the average bloke who rolls up to a range for a bit of plinking etc or goes for a shot in the bush every now and then well it's not so important to be that anal about it, a little rough patch of carbon or a bit of copper etc isn't world ending in that situation.


And even if you are shooting comp, the type of comp you are shooting will dictate your cleaning regime. How much of a difference do you truly think a "shiny" bore will make vs a "clean" bore. For example in a 3-position comp, considering 99% of error comes from the user, IMO rigorous cleaning vs moderate cleaning will make an immeasurable difference. Granted a select few types of comps at the very highest of levels may demand a strict regime, but how many of us on here can claim to be operating at that level?

For most of us pinking across the bonnet of a ute, or even popping a goat at 300m with a .204, a simple regime (with some brushing once in a while) is more than enough to maintain excellent accuracy.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by bigfellascott » 17 Nov 2016, 7:44 am

brett1868 wrote:
Did you go to the last 50cal shoot? I know John and Michelle did but can't remember how they went now.


You'd have thought the organisers would have emailed the previous competitors about the upcoming shoot, advertised it better or even update their website with information / dates of upcoming shoots. I only found out about it a week before on a post on AHN and already had plans to go bush for furry target shooting so I didn't go. The last update on the Mildura LRSC site is from June, nothing in there about the last 2 competitions. I wasn't overly impressed with the organisation of the last shoot having been told that it was factory ammo only, then to find out halfway through the day that some were using match prepped reloads as they had asked the organiser for permission. Mildura is 11hrs and 1009km each way from home and to compete on a Saturday costs me close to $3000 in lost pay, fuel, accommodation and ammo so for that kind of investment I want a level playing field.
It's no secret that I wasn't overly happy with my score but considering 2 other much better shooters then I finished within 1 point of me using my rifle and ammo I'm confident I shot to the capabilities of the rifle on the day by finishing mid field. Project 50 is due back in Sydney late January so I'll make the next comp in Mildura if I can find out when its on, I can't lose if I'm the only shooter in a class :lol: My next project is currently being debated in Canberra due to the nature of the cartridge involved, the update from Border Force yesterday was that I should get an answer within the next 2 weeks. The US F.C.S.A titles are scheduled for June 30 next year in New Mexico so all going to plan I'll compete there in the heavy gun class and possibly "King of the 2 Mile" if I can get a rifle built in time which is very doubtful at the moment.


That's a bummer mate I guess they are new to the whole thing so some issues will be inevitable I guess. She's an expensive hobby alright. I think John mentioned something about the comp in the us too a while back not sure if he will be going or not.

He also had some issues with factory ammo to going by his post on AHN.
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by colsta » 19 Nov 2016, 8:02 am

thanks for all your help guys
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by straightshooter » 19 Nov 2016, 8:34 am

Just a comment on the use of JB paste and other abrasive cleaners.
Have you ever wondered what that black stuff is on your patch when you have used JB paste?
It is called barrel steel.
JB paste has it's uses but only if you use it very sparingly particularly if you have a hand lapped match grade barrel.
Yes it might remove some stubborn fouling but only at the cost of abrasion on other parts of the barrel without fouling.
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Re: best way to look after my new rifle

Post by brett1868 » 19 Nov 2016, 11:01 pm

straightshooter wrote:Just a comment on the use of JB paste and other abrasive cleaners.
Have you ever wondered what that black stuff is on your patch when you have used JB paste?
It is called barrel steel.
JB paste has it's uses but only if you use it very sparingly particularly if you have a hand lapped match grade barrel.
Yes it might remove some stubborn fouling but only at the cost of abrasion on other parts of the barrel without fouling.


Yes it's abrasive but so fine that it'd take more cleans then the life of the barrel to damage it. There's never been a report of JB's damaging rifling in over 50 years and while not perfect, it another cleaning tool in the arsenal. Not every rifle of mine gets the full effort required with JB's but I do use it on the pistols cause barrels are cheap, easily replaced and it does a good job. My BR barrel is hand lapped so doesn't get the JB treatment because you can have a barrel that's too shiny which isn't necessarily a good thing, Butch's bore shine gets the job done perfectly in this case.
Barrel cleaning is one of those contentious issues amongst shooters, bit like which caliber is best for Deer :) I generally follow the recommendations made by Daniel Lilja as he has a proven track record of world titles , Olympic gold and dead insurgents.
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