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Cleaning and Lubing Your Rifle

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K

KnowNothing

Member
Jul 8, 2019
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California, United States
 I am wondering what you out there think is the best product for cleaning your rifle bore. 

I see lots of cleaning rods that are in sections, and have one of those. The problem is that the rifling in the bore tends to make the cleaning rod unscrew.. I tried purchasing a rid that was one piece, but when it was delivered, it was bent at a 30 degree angle, and was useless. I've seen what I believe are called snakes, but most look like they really are good for maybe one or two uses before you have to discard them. Then I saw one gentleman in a YouTube video that had a bore snake that had a bump on it to retain the patch, as it was pulled through the bore. That looked to be something good, but he did not link this item, so I am at a loss to know what it is called.

Right now I have Hoppe's #9 Gun Bore Cleaner that I run through the barrel with a brush to loosen up all the gunk laid down by the pellets and general dirt. I then use patches with Hoppe's Lubricating Gun Oil to remove all the gunk. I keep running these patches through with a dob of this oil until there is no more dark on the patch. Then I run through several dry patches to remove the majority of the oil. I sure hope I am doing this correctly.

I use RWS Spring Cylinder Oil to lubricate moving parts like the cocking hinges, and charging handle area.

I use RWS Air Chamber Lube for when I am installing a new CO2 cartridge, or installing the PCP air bottle. I put a couple drops on the gaskets, and one drop near where the air or CO2 hole is. I read about this somewhere, though cannot reference it. I also use this to wet the patch on my Daily Avanti 753. This patch is located just to rear of the piston under the cocking lever.

This is about my extent of knowledge about cleaning, and lubing , and am really not sure I am doing it correctly, or am missing something.

I do use Jephny Silicone Treated Gun Cloth to wipe down my rifle's exterior, after dusting it with a clean cloth.

My goal is to make sure these Rifles do not deteriorate, and hopefully last the rest of my life.

I appreciate any feedback you have. I am still learning things about our wonderful pastime. Kind of the reason I took the handle "KnowNothing". CaleyAnn
 
I use a Patch Worm cleaning kit and Ballistol. This may be what you were referring too.

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If you have a barrel with a serious fouling problem, it may need scrubbing with a rod an brush. If so, I recommend removing the barrel and breech O ring, and cleaning from the breech end. Generally, a pull through of some sort should be adequate. A bore snake works great, but you should remove the brush that is embedded in it, which is easy to do.When you consider that the bore snake has many times the surface area as a patch, it may be the equivalent of pulling a hundred patches through. Be careful with solvents meant for firearms, you should not need anything that strong, some of which are harmful to O rings and other air rifle parts. We don't have to deal with powder, primer, and copper fouling as in metallic cartridge rifles.
 
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In agreement with elh0102. I'd stay away from solvents. "Patchworm" type of cleaning systems seem to work just fine. I made one myself with weedwhacker line & a small one hole copper cable crimp. Works great! I try not to use brushes too often because the patches seem to remove the loose debris & lead without removing the leading my barrel needs to shoot accurately. 
 
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As for cleaning the bore there are two camps, those who clean only when accuracy falls off, and those who believe the bore should be cleaned regularly. It does depend on the gun, but most of mine get cleaned once a year at best. Just because the patch comes out a little gray with lead residue doesn't mean there is so much lead buildup in the bore that accuracy will suffer. In fact some guns seem to need to have the bore be "conditioned' by shooting after cleaning in order to restore best accuracy. In general, let the gun tell you whether the bore needs to be cleaned or not.

I would not use any cleaning product designed for firearms unless you are sure it will not harm the rubber seals found in airguns. I use the least aggressive cleaning agent that still seems to do the job. Most of the time I just run oiled patches through the bore till they come out clean, then follow with a dry patch or two. I use a synthetic oil like Birchwood Casey. The same oil can be used to lubricate linkages and other points of wear.

I prefer to use a one piece rod from the breach end if possible to avoid damaging the crown. If I can't work a rod from the breach, I use a home made plastic bore guide at the muzzle. The Patch Worm kit also works well, I hear. If you do want to clean before or after each shooting session, you could try using the felt cleaning pellets. But I worry about using them on a springer because they are so light. I am afraid I might damage the piston or spring without the resistance of the pellet to slow it down. I have them and do use them on pistols, sometimes running an oiled one through followed by a couple dry ones.
 
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For my HFT gun I pull it through with a bore snake after every use . That way I know its bang on for the next time . The Red Wolf however needs a proper clean after using slugs and that too get a bore snake then a proper clean with Napier pull through patches ( I never use the Napier pull through as they are rubbish and keep breaking ) but that gun needs a really good clean because it get so so dirty . When I was using just pellets , I cleaned it after every couple of tins I guess, and that worked fine . I try to keep on top of it because accuracy goes off sharpish if I dont . My TM 1000's both need to be kept really clean ready for the next comp , they both get a proper hard clean after 500 pellets for sure . 





Rog
 
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Cleaning the bore on a rifle is like cleaning a bath tub . You need to know how dirty it is and with what and then decide what’s the most effective way to clean it. I don’t think it takes a lot to clean an air rifle barrel until you start shooting at high velocity. Honestly for the average guy the bore snake is probably as good a method as any. 

If you have significant leading you probably will need a good solvent FOR LEAD and I like the nylon brushes. Scrub until it’s clean and best way to tell is a bore scope . No bore scope dry patches and with some experience you can develop a “feel” for how the patch goes threw the bore .

I’ll often scrub with a nylon brush and a good one piece rod and finish with a pass thru with the bore snake. I can’t think then little bit of brass brush could do much good or bad on those snakes . Unless you have O rings you might snag. 
 
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I have 6,000+ rounds through my Brocock and it has never been cleaned, ever. I think sticking to one brand of pellets helps avoid fouling past initial barrel leading because the materials, sizes, and seating are very close to being the same. I have not experienced issues relating to not cleaning.

So I'm curious -- for those who clean often or at all, why? Are you trying to solve a non-existent problem or do you see improved results after cleaning that aren't explained as POI shift for other reasons?
 
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Thanks Gentlemen, The bore snake is something I will purchase, though I am not sure there is room to thread it through the breach area on my Daisy Avanti 753. I will also purchase the appropriate one piece rods for my 177's and my .25 rifle(s).

I have to clean my Daisy Avanti 753 after about 50 shots. I'm not sure why the barrel gets so dirty with so few shots, but I've noticed that 50 shots is about the max before my pellets start wandering all over the place. And it definitely is not my aiming or my jerking the trigger. I've gotten to the point where I can get 1/2 inch groups at 15 yards. Maybe not as impressive as many of you, but totally outstanding for me.

I also clean my Hammerli 850 about every 100 shots, as I have noticed a little deviation on the impact points after that.

Once these two rifles are cleaned, they again start hitting very close to where I am aiming.

I don't have enough experience with my Umarex Gauntlet .25. It seems to be pretty accurate, but I am using a cheap scope, which I think affects my aim. The scope seems to be made of cheap optical material, which causes some distortion.

I take it the Hoppe's #9 Gun Bore Cleaner is not for air rifles. Is that correct? Then I will need something that can clean the barrel that is not toxic to O-rings and other parts that don't like such cleaners. I just looked at Ballistol, and from the write up on Amazon, it looks good.
 
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The PatchWorm Kit, Ballistol, a straw, and patches are what I use to clean the rifle bore. Silicon oil on linkages,bolts,triggers,seals. I clean the rifles after maybe a 1000 rounds or so. They may not need it but it's like insurance. Don't hurt anything and they are re-seasoned after a couple of shots. Most of the residue on my patches is from the graphite mold release agent left on the pellets from the manufacturing process. I clean my pellets with soapy hot water,rinse,let dry, then gently roll them on a cloth saturated with Ballistol. I think this helps to keep the barrel from fouling. By cleaning the pellets you separate any loose bits of lead as well that may otherwise make it into your barrel.
 
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HeyU, Ah Ha! Clean the pellets. Didn't know that. I will try doing that with a my next tin of pellets that I purchase. Maybe that's why some of you claim to be able to shoot 1000 or more pellets without the bore getting dirty.

Just to let you know, I live in the high desert of southern California. It is constantly dusty. I keep just about everything I own boxed, but the dust is so bad, it takes just an hour or so for a film of dust to attach itself to everything. In other words, I can dust inside my house, and several hours later, it looks like I never touched the surfaces I just dusted. I believe the dust gets introduced to the bore also, and the dust we have likes to stick to what it falls on, or in. CaleyAnn
 
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Thanks Gentlemen, The bore snake is something I will purchase, though I am not sure there is room to thread it through the breach area on my Daisy Avanti 753. I will also purchase the appropriate one piece rods for my 177's and my .25 rifle(s).
Click to expand...

Good morning knownothing

I agree with HeyU regarding the Patch Worm

It is much more friendly to the bore than the Bore Snake as there are no metal parts; and IMO is much easier to pass through the bore

It can be used with patches, or 2 different felts;

The felts that come with PatchWorm are VFG brand, I believe

The VFG felts can be had either as plain felts or "Intensive"

The intensive felts are impregnated with tiny brass bristles; do a great job on new or dirty barrels

With PatchWorm they are used on the string; but can also be used with a cleaning rod, should you have the barrel removed or are cleaning from the muzzle end.

I use them with Ballistol;but have also read of their use (on GTA) with JB Bore paste

If I can locate e the thread I'll post it.

The VFG are available at many on line retailers.

The best price I found is here

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VFG-Intensive-felts-for-cleaning-rod-system-Brass-reinforced-felts/332403465154?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=541420592564&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Hope this helps more than it confuses

Ed








 
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I just stumbled over this while trying to find something interesting on YouTube to watch. This video makes a case for those who say they don't clean their rifle bores very often. In this video, the instructor says to clean the bore only when accuracy falls off. Note the comments about pellet residue. That makes a case for clean your pellets, but only just before you are to shoot them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgkgLWKMDzY

I've learned a lot from the comments here, and especially this video. Unfortunately, my Daisy Avanti 753 gets cranky, and more than likely will still need cleaning. But I think it will now be less frequent if I start washing the pellets before firing them. Caley Ann
 
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Just a word on the Bore Snake. I have found it to be a great cleaning tool. But, you should remove the brushes, and that's easy to to, think there is a video somewhere. But, just start one end of the brush through the braided fabric, then peel it back like a banana. When you get it started, grab the end of the brush with pliers and pull it out. Most have two brushes, so repeat. Smooth out the fabric and you're ready to go. I have found that, if accuracy begins to fall off, usually a single pass with a dry snake will restore. Think of the surface area of the bore snake, probably the equivalent of a couple hundred patches. If needed, first pull a patch with your preferred cleaning agent through with patch worm. The snake is great!
 
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No matter how often or rarely you clean is up to you. 

I think the ‘patchworm’ branded kit looks good. I have a break-barrel so I choose a one piece rod. In my opinion Tipton cleaning rods are the best that money can buy. I don’t use solvents ever, only a pass or two with a bronze bore brush then oiled and dry patches on a jag till they come out clean/white. 
 
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Sounds like you are getting lots of good advice. I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but you might try oiling your pellets for your non-springer guns. Some of us think it helps reduce buildup of lead or other residues. I do it by putting a drop of oil in the bottom of a tin, adding a layer of pellets, then swishing them around. This lightly coats only the outside of the pellets. You can do that after cleaning, but the only pellets I ever felt needed cleaning were the Crosman Premiers.

If you are cleaning the bore every 50 shots, I would definitely give the felt cleaning pellets a try. I bet they will do the job for you. So much easier, and less possibility of damaging the bore. You can still give a thorough cleaning with rod and patches every tin or so.
 
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The Daisy Avanti 753 instructions say to clean the bore after every 50 shots. They also say that once the chamber oil clears out enough, then cleaning may not be needed so frequently. The chamber oil is required at about 1000 shots. It has a patch that you saturate.

My other rifles don't need cleaning that often.

I think that once I start washing the pellets, and giving them a very light coat of oil (silicone oil?), the cleaning frequency will drop off. I've just been shooting the pellets right out of the tin.

I've noted some people have measured the pellet head diameters, and also weighed them to get all the equal ones in batches. I also saw that you have to watch out for the batch numbers when you do this, as pellets are manufactured in batches, and also at different manufacturing plants. The problem is that this starts being a lot of work, and begins to make the fun part go away.
 
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