AR Sponsor
Posted: 11/17/2004 12:06:30 PM EDT
|
I'm planning on ordering some cleaning supplies and have read several times that a bore guide is a must. First I want to clear up how to use one. You insert it in place of the bolt/carrier group and then you run your cleaning rod threw it. Do you just push the brush or patch out of the muzzle and then unscrew it to pull the rod back threw or what? Is this a good one? Dewey Semi-Auto Breech Rod Guide 9" AR-15 Its cheaper and doesn't have as much to it as the JP one but is it still decent? |
|
I never exit the muzzle. Take a wooden block or something that will not damage the crown and simply hold it against the muzzle and push the rod to the block, then pull it back! DO NOT exit the muzzle. Also ,use a Parker Hale type jag. This is the type that you wrap the cleaning patch around so that NO part of the metal jag touches the bore. Use a Delrin or plastic type bore guide. I do not like the aluminum ones. |
|
Did not say go back and forth just not all the way out. The crown must stay scratch free. If you use a good cleaner . You should not have to use a brush. Some barrel makers do not reccomend brushes. Hoppes Benchrest solution or others are good for copper fouling. No brush needed. A parker hale type jag holds the patch and never had one left in barrel. Use a Dewey coated rod or similar brand that has a protective coating. Jag Dewey coated rod |
|
The bore guide is a major help. I use a chamber mop after removing the bore guide. My mop is a 38 cal. bore mop on a short cleaning rod - simple enough. You may need a brush if not using a chrome bore. Some new barrels strip copper, some do not and if you have a barrel that fouls badly when new, strong solvents may need to be in the bore toooo long . A brush will help with this. It will not affect the crown of your average rifle barrel, custom precision machinery is a different story. Push the brush out the muzzle, remove, repeat - bronze brush, Back and forth with a nylon brush is o.k. Do not short stroke the brush. Rod contact is what you want to avoid allong with over cleaning. If it is not stripping copper, a couple patches wet/dry will clean it up fine. If you use a chrome bore, user / cleaning damage is farther reduced. Common sense, avoid ammonia if not necessary, and you will be just fine. Learning to do this will become your own thing from experiance. Get the bore guide [I like mine from sinclar  delrin with 'o' rings, nice.
|
| Thanks for all the advice. The upper I ordered is a cmmg 16" with crome lining. I plan on getting a dewey rod and a dewey bore guide. Would it be a better idea to just get a bore snake and clean the barrel with that most of the time and just use the rod every so often to take care of copper fouling? |
I won't need any rod for a while, I'll just stick with the bore snake for a couple thousand rounds. |
|
Do you allow your bullets to exit the muzzle? 
|
| seriously, if you care about your rifle, you'll use a one-piece rod and a good quality bore guide. Do like the benchrest shooters do (one-piece rod adn bore guide). there's a section in teh sierra reloading manual on proper firearms care also. there is no talk of flexible non-sense like pull-through cords, ropes and cables, nor do they recommend not exiting the muzzle. If your patch fits tightly on your jag (as it should) you will not be able to reverse direction in the bore. Also, use cotton patches. |
|
The bore guide is a very nice thing to have if using a one piece dewey rod. It keeps the rod centered in the barrel as it goes back and forth. This is important so the the rod is not rubbing the inside of the barrel. Especially important if not using a coated rod. I use the biggest mother of them all as far as bore guides go, the JP bore guide. I believe in a SHTF scenario you could probably use it as a club and cause severe damage to someones cranium. It would be a little nicer if it was delrin as opposed to aluminum but I have not found a delrin bore guide I like yet. As far as not letting the rod exit the muzzle I disagree. If you are using a coated rod and a brass dewey Jag, you're not going to scratch a thing coming or going. I personally do not wrap patches around my dewey jag. I push each patch out from breech to muzzle and then start again with a clean patch. Patches go in one direction, the same direction as the bullets, and carry debris out with them. As far as brushes go, some of the newer more agressive cleaners attack the phosphor bronze bristles and greatly shorten the life of the brush. Do what I do and use a nylon brush. It's easier on the bore and the nylon will not get chewed up by the bore cleaner. Pro-shot makes a really nice .223 brush with a brass shank and nylon bristles. Brownells has them I think. Even with a nylon brush it's tough to get away with reversing the direction of the brush while it's still in the bore. Just let the nylon brush exit the muzzle, then pull it back through. If you use what I've recommended, there should be very little chance of damaging the chrome lined bore or the crown. TS |
How long is your AR overall? A 36" rod fits just fine in a nice hard-sided case. But it's not for everyone. Just the anal-retentive among us who baby our ARs in hard sided cases and with 36" one-piece rods, and bore guides, and cotton patches...... |
AR Sponsor