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Just wondering the processes you use when you clean your firearms, the bore specifically? Now, I know that it's always recommended you clean from chamber to muzzle, but do you ever clean from muzzle to chamber? I ask this because I've always done it like this from time to time and was starting to wonder if it could actually damage the rifling in any way?
I mean, sometimes when I have only fired a few rounds through the firearm and don't want to go through a complete breakdown, I'll slip a wet patch through it a few times, then I'll scrub it with the bristle brush, ALL THE WAY DOWN, then back up. I never reverse the bruistles inside the barrel because I know that CAN damage it, then I'll run dry patches through until they come out clean.
Then you have guns like the AK that really have me in a perplexed situation. Perplexed because I refuse to use a bore snake on a rifled barrel due in no small part to all the horror stories I've read about them getting stuck. Now with the AK, a boresnake is actually considered the proper cleaning technique because ya can't get a cleaning rod in at the chamber end. So, I just clean from the muzzle end and then when I do a complete breakdown, I clean the bolt and carrier and all that.
Basically guys, my question boils down to this....... Will it hurt anything to clean from the muzzle down to the chamber?
Last edited by WhipperSnapper 88; 09-15-2013 at 09:56 PM..
Always clean from the chamber when you can and always use a bore guide and a one piece guide rod. More barrels are ruined from improper cleaning techniques than shooting.
Only clean the bore when accuracy suffers in a rifle. I only worry about cleaning the bolt/carrier if ar15 when reliability suffers or an obscene amount of rounds down range.
Well there's and oldy but good question. Meh, I've been cleaning mine from muzzle to breech for 35 years and have never had a problem. I like the muzzle snakes, never had one get stuck.
I'll wear out a barrel from shooting long before I would ever damage the crown from muzzle cleaning.
i'm still new to the game, and only shoot .22 pistols, but i wasnt very confident in how it felt running the rod into the barrel when cleaning. I did pick up a boresnake, seems to do a nice job (considering how often and how many rounds i shoot), and again to my newbie way of thinking running the brush in the same direction as the bullet makes pretty good sense.
I have always cleaned my guns with a simple brush to the size of the caliber, from either end, and then followed by a swab and a swab with oil. I use solvent on the brush, only other thing I do different is if I shoot black powder or any corrosive rounds. In that case you have to use hot soap water on all parts that have contact with the powder. Then Oil. I have never used a boar guide, and non of my guns have ever been damaged. I have also never used a boar snake. I have always regarded these as something you use if you can't do a proper cleaning with a hoppies aluminum rod and brush.
Some guns like lever actions you are stuck cleaning from the muzzle end of the barrel. That said, if you get a quality cleaning rod with a brass sliding muzzle guide, and are reasonably careful, you should have no problems. You just don't want to hit or rub hard on the bore right near the muzzle.
i'm still new to the game, and only shoot .22 pistols, but i wasnt very confident in how it felt running the rod into the barrel when cleaning. I did pick up a boresnake, seems to do a nice job (considering how often and how many rounds i shoot), and again to my newbie way of thinking running the brush in the same direction as the bullet makes pretty good sense.
If only shooting .22 pistols ...
I wouldn't be cleaning these at all unless there was enough lube/fouling in critical areas to affect functioning or accuracy.
Case in Point:
In college, I shot on a ROTC pistol team. We had various models, including S&W 41's and a host of Hi-Standards (military models as well as higher grade models), Rugers, Browning, and a Hammerli or two for the autoloaders, and a wide range of revolvers (some of the top shooters preferred to use a revolver in all but the rapid fire sequence). These firearms were generally each used by several team members, typically shooting 50-100 rounds per session 2-3x per week. They went years between cleaning ... the gunny's advised not to clean them because it could cause damage to them. I shot a Hi-Standard military model for 4 years and never cleaned it except for using a toothpick on the face of the bolt to clear out some of the lube and by the extractor. I know that the pistol had been in service for at least 10 years before I got to use it, and it was used by at least 20 other shooters (team try-outs, firearms familiarization, other team members) during the time I used it.
In 4 years of college team shooting, I never heard of a misfire or a failure to feed. The accuracy of any of them was sufficient for a top-ranked college level team.
Same thing with the Remington 40X's and Winchester 52B, C, & D's that we had in our JROTC at our high school. I know that none of these received a cleaning in my 3 years in high school, and most of us on the team shot 40-100 rounds 2-3-4x per week. We had team members that regularly shot prone and sitting with 100's and 8-9-10 x's with these rifles, and the rifles had been used for many years of service.
None of these rifles were in a case; they were stored in a rack at the range ... unless transported in a case to a match off-site. Most of our matches were postal matches, so the rifles didn't get outside very much. I checked a couple of bores through the years and they were all bright and shiny. I recall being at a match one day and drooling over the Anschutz that one of the more serious high school competitors had bought for his personal use ... and the fellow told me that he hadn't ever allowed anything to be put through the bore since he'd bought it, not even a cotton patch. The rifle was a hand-me-down from one of his relatives who was a serious competitor (and bought a BSA International to replace the Anschutz) and probably had 20,000 rounds put through it before the high schooler got it. BTW, he was the top shooter that match ... I can't remember his score, but he'd have placed in the top 10 anywhere in the country with that score in national competition. Made a big deal about having 4" taken off the length of the barrel to accomodate his body structure and having the muzzle crowned to protect the end of the rifling lands from any damage.
The only .22 that I've owned that was fussy about being cleaned was a Remington Nylon 66 ... a rifle that didn't give me very good service compared to a 552 Speedmaster or my later Ruger 10-22's.
In any event, if you feel compelled to clean the bore on your .22, use a bore snake and feed it from the chamber to the muzzle. It will get just as clean with this tool and proper use as it will using a strong cleaning solvent and brushes and cleaning rod.
FWIW, I stopped in at a gun dealer/range in the Seattle metro area a few times where they have a display case of various pistols and revolvers for rent for folks to try out or for their concealed class use ... and they don't clean the firearms except for an infrequent wipe-down of the exterior. They were especially pleased with their Glocks ... many of which had 100,000's of rounds through them without a misfire/misfeed/malfunction in any way. While I'm not a Glock fan, it says a lot about their reliability in view of the use they're put to at this range.
Some guns like lever actions you are stuck cleaning from the muzzle end of the barrel. That said, if you get a quality cleaning rod with a brass sliding muzzle guide, and are reasonably careful, you should have no problems. You just don't want to hit or rub hard on the bore right near the muzzle.
Sorry, Mitch, but I've never seen a lever action rifle that defied using a bore snake fed from the chamber.
What rifle did you have in mind that you cannot clean this way?
thanks for the insight sunsprit.
My 1st pistol was a '51 Colt challenger handed down to me thru family this past winter, and i have a new Buckmark as well. The colt sat for years, then i probably ran 1000 rounds thru it at the range in a few months. I only cleaned the barrel and the action, never completely stripping it apart as i was somewhat fearful an old screw or piece would break and i'd be stuck. Now that i have the BM, it's only used at the range, maybe 2-250 rounds a month, and it's only cleaned the same way. Even it's manual now states not to fully strip it.
I figured the wipe down it gets, along with running the boresnake a couple times, was enough to clean any residue and debris out of it as some of the ammo i've been able to buy hasnt been the cleanest firing lol. And if it lasts like the old Colt has.... someday i'll hand it down to my grandson..
ranger17 ... the BM is a fine shooter and durable/reliable pistol.
when my wife was looking for a new(er) range pistol, we looked at several used BM's at local gun shows ... every one of them had been dragged through the mud and looked like they'd been carried through several world wars. Totally beat up, you couldn't be sure that somebody hadn't taken a hammer to a couple of them after running over them with their pick-up truck out in the woods. I was kinda' shocked to see firearms abused so badly and still asked at fairly high prices (almost at new) and none of them had any more sale prep than a superficial wipe-down to make them look presentable.
Nevertheless, every one of them my wife test fired functioned well and shot decent groups at 50 ft in the range.
PS: I've got a '39 production Woodsman that I bought 25 years ago and it's still got to be one of my favorite plinkers and carried in the woods. I doubt it was cleaned much before I got it, and it was clearly carried a lot. I haven't even run a boresnake through it in 25 years. While it's a field pistol, I've taken it to the range a couple of times and it's a natural shooter ... still a very nice trigger, reliable ... and capable of giving me scores right up there with my pristine HS Victor's or the Trailside. Your Challenger is essentially the same pistol as the Woodsman .... and you'll be handing it down to your grandson as a wonderful classic pistol along with the BM.
Last edited by sunsprit; 09-18-2013 at 06:39 AM..
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