Help with rifle cleaning

[offtarget]

I was told to use these 2 products to clean my rifle.

I feel how I'm using them incorrect, can some please tell me how i should be using them.

[tom604]

you will need some oil as well, i wet brush a few times,wait a min or so,dry patch, wet patch,repeat if needed, if clean give it a light oil patch and wipe down, done.

[Wedge]

I was also sold these exact two products when i bought my first centrefire.

My understanding is that the Hoppes is for powder residue removal - I put some on a patch and push through the barrel once and remove and throw out the patch. I do this 2 or 3 times and then I put a dry patch through and repeat until they come out clean. Then I move onto the Sweets.

The Sweets is for copper removal I believe. I put a fairly wet patch through the barrel and then put some onto a nylon brush and push that through the barrel. I have read a bit about whether you should pull the brush back through and I'd like to hear some comments about that. However one thing I definitely do is only change direction when the brush is clear of the barrel. Apparently a scrubbing action is required to get the most out of the Sweets. I leave the barrel then for 5 minutes and then push dry patches through until they come out clean.

Finally - I put a patch of isopropyl alcohol through the barrel to neutralise any remaining solvent - let it dry (30 seconds) - and then put a patch of G96 through the barrel so it has a layer of oil before going into the safe.

That's my method - hope it helps - and I'm sure the more experienced shooters will put us on the right track if I'm wrong - for which I will be grateful.

[offtarget]

That's pretty much what I do as well, but I can use sweets it take over 10 time and I still get a grey mush on the patch. Is my gun just really dirty? all is it normal to take that many runs to get it clean?

When using Hoppes I get a blue stain on the patch's that take about 5 runs to get a clean patch,

Oh I use the Hoppe's first then the sweets

Can I do damage by using this products over and over again until the gun is spotless? I get to a point where I say to myself that will have to do as I'm worried i'm doing more damage than good


I know it might sound pretty stupid to most people in what I'm saying but as a new shooter I would rather ask the question than damage my rifle by doing the wrong thing.

The rifle is a Tikka T3 ,223

[Timb0]

You could ask 10 people on here how they clean their guns and you could very well get 10 different answers.

Sweets 7.62 is quite a strong ammonia based copper remover and I don't use it every time I clean my guns. If I only put a few shots through a hunting rifle and I'm going to use it again in a few days or a few weeks I just clean it with a light solvent then oil it and put it away.

If I want to clean the copper fouling out of my barrel I use 7.62 on a nylon brush and give it 10-20 passes back and forward, wait a few minutes then patch it out until the patches stop coming out blue/green. Inspect the bore to see if the copper has all been removed from the barrel, if not I do it again.

[Westy]

Hear read this
http://www.ssaa.org.au/stories/hints-ti ... DmbFWccR9A

this even lists the products and how to use them that your local LGS sold you

Cheers Westy

[tom604]

if you use a copper brush you can get a false reading when you patch out, i use a copper one first and then a nylon. make sure the grey isn't just from the sweets, dry patch will show crap better. if your gun hasn't had a good cleaning for a while it can take a bit to get it clean but don't over clean it

[mausermate]

Goes without saying but "Read the labels".
Simple lesson; "Get a good set up and cleaning will no longer be a chore or a hassle"
Everyone does have their own idea about cleaning. 35 years of Competitive rifle shooting, here is mine.

You need some tools;
1. Two of the correct size, good quality, one piece cleaning rods and a bore guide. The guide fits in the back of your action to keep your rod aligned so it does not rub on the lands. One rod has your jag for patches the other for your bronze brush.
2. a rack to hold your gun while you clean it.
3. patches cut to the right size for your rifle. Have lots on hand. I buy the red stripped flannel roles and cut them to size.

You need 4 Chemicals.
1. Hoppes for Powder residue.
2. Sweets Solvent for Copper fouling. Use a bronze brush. No! the bronze brush will not hurt your barrel if you use it correctly. Put the Sweets in on a very wet patch and rub it until you get a white foam. Leave for 10 minutes then 3 or 4 full swipes with a wet bronze brush and push out with a clean patch.
3. Sweets Oil for storing your rifle and lubing metal parts
4. Metho for cleaning your bronze brushes.

Tip 1. Hoppes, Sweets, repeat. When clean, store with Sweets oil.
Tip 2. if you put the Sweets through, leave for 10 minutes and then push out with a clean dry patch (do not use bronze brush) and you have a green mark on your patch, you have more cleaning to do. The Sweets turns the copper fouling in your barrel green. No green, no more fouling.
Tip 3. Sweets works best in a hot barrel.
Tip 4. Always clean your bronze brush in metho immediately. The Sweets Solvent will destroy it.
Tip 5. Store your rifle muzzle down. Storing guns muzzle up destroys butt pads and the oil in your barrel runs back into your action and trigger.
Tip 6. Get a card and write "oil in Barrel" on it and slide it between stock and barrel when storing your rifle with oil. Always prevents the chance of firing a gun with oil in it.
Tip 6. Jim Sweet was a great bloke, crack shot and if you get the chance you should read his book called "competitive rifle shooting"
Good luck.

[Jack V]

If you scrub with a bronze brush and Sweets and let it soak for 10 to 20 minuets powder fouling will come out with the copper at the same time.

Hoppes can be left soaking in the bore all night without harm to the steel but if it runs into the stock bedding it's no good . No oil or solvent is good for stock bedding .

Sweets should not be left in the bore for more than about 20 to 30 minuets at a time . Swab the bore with turps on a patch to wash out any remaining solvent and it speeds up final patch out . Mop out the bolt lug recess after that to remove any excess solvent that may be laying in the recess as it can weep down the barrel threads and front action screw into the bedding / stock area. A good o ring bore guide helps to prevent this . A wooden dowel with a hole across the end that neatly fits a round Dental pad works good.

[Manimal]

but I can use sweets it take over 10 time and I still get a grey mush on the patch. Is my gun just really dirty? all is it normal to take that many runs to get it clean?

Some cleaners/solvents with react with some brushes.

I use brass brushes and my solvent is a gold colour, after I run it through the run off is always murky green. Regardless of how clean the barrel is.

Your probably experiencing the same.

[Wes]

Can I do damage by using this products over and over again until the gun is spotless? I get to a point where I say to myself that will have to do as I'm worried i'm doing more damage than good

There shouldn't really be a need to do it over and over and over...

The barrel will be harder than the cleaning rod and brush, but they're not indestructible. Cleaning it 10x more than needed to satisfy your OCD certainly isn't going to be doing it any good, even if it isn't doing it harm.

Try giving the solvents more time to do there work. It shouldn't be a case of scrubbing the fouling out with brute force.

[offtarget]

Thank all for the reply's

I wasn't letting the Hoppes in long enough only about 5 min so I will stretch that out too 15min as my understanding it that is a safe product to let soak

And the sweets again I left in for 5min as I will let that soak for no longer than 15min as I guess it as strong as the smell.

I will also patch the barrel out with some turps after the sweets then finish off with some oil

Once again thanks for the help

Cheers

[Jack V]

If you make the last application of solvent with a nylon brush or cloth patch and then patch it out . That will remove any likelihood that the bronze brush is dissolving a bit and causing colour on the patches . Wash all brushes and jags in turps after to neutralise sweets . Don't waste money on expensive cut patches for hunting rifles. use a wrap around type jag and buy a big roll of chux towelling from Bunnings , tear it in 20 mm wide strips lengthways . You adjust the fit by more or less overlap on the wrap .

[Rocker]

Definitely don't forget the oil.

The solvent gets it clean, but the oil keeps the rust out