I shoot F class and one time was paired opposite relay with a National Champion shooter. Before the match, I watched him scrub his barrel back and forth no less than 50X. I pulled targets for him where he shot (at that time) 3 match clean (perfect score) and a national record.

Reminds me of the Company Sergeant Major's question to a group of us, all very young cadets doing summer range team practice for some service rifle matches coming up. "Aye, You There! Lad!" (Points). "When de ye clean that fine rifle yer haulding in yer wee hands?" (A moment of terrified silence follows). Then the Stentorian roar, "Ye clean her when she's dirty, wha is every time ye've had yer grubby paws on her, shooting rounds oot o' her an' missing those targets awa o'er there!" 47+ years later and I can still hear the echo in my ears. ( I can't really hope to reproduce his accent. He was 6'4" of kilted splendor from a Highland regiment, and a fine shot as well as a fine range master and instructor. We were completely in awe of his skill. Seems to me he was a MacDonald too, although memory is a tricky thing). Thanks for the step-by-step and detailed instructions. I should be getting acquainted with a new target rifle soon, and it's good to be reminded of all the steps. I hope you'll post a copy of your cleaning check list. Thanks for making this vid.

Our ranch rifles, 1970's Colt AR-15's, are high mileage guns. The barrels are scrubbed and lubed every fifty to 100 rounds and still shoot well after, almost, a half century. They aren't competition guns, so our cleaning protocol is quick and simple.

Mike: Very good presentation and instruction. I have been doing a similar routine for 35 years and my long guns are still dime size groups @100 yds. I also bed and float each rifle.

I keep forgettin' things will never be the same again....

Very helpful. Thanks. Just the right amount of detail.

Excellent step by step and includes what materials to use.

Interesting that your builder friend recommends brake cleaner as a 'final pass' down the bore! Did he specify to you that 'Non Chlorinated' brake cleaner is the one to use? In my own decades-long experience w/ shooting/assembling/repairing/cleaning the AR-platform rifle/carbine, I've found that NON-CHLORINATED brake cleaner is great for cleaning out filthy FCGs and the entire FCG pocket in general, and sometimes even bbl extension/star chamber area. I've never considered purposely using it down the bore, other than the excess that will find its way down the pipe when cleaning the locking lugs in the star chamber. Regular Hoppe's #9 serves me well 90% of the time, unless I've got stubborn copper - then I use Hoppe's Copper Remover or Sweets 7.62, if I'm impatient or in a rush that day. I've always made sure to push a dry patch or three down the bbl after brake cleaner gets in the bore, but it does a fantastic 'disappearing act' all by itself, as it evaporates damn quickly. It supposedly leaves very little residue - but I still run the dry patch anyway. When working on other people's firearms, as a final step after cleanup, I run a patch wet w/ Eezox or Slip 2000 as a metal protector. I do this whether the particular rifle is a common-use, rack grade AR or a safe queen (which I don't personally own any of). Thanks for the video. I kind of stumbled onto your channel while bumming around KZread. PS - The use of brake cleaner has a caveat: it'll remove any lubricating oil that it touches, and reapplication after cleaning is absolutely necessary.

@fiveowaf454

4 жыл бұрын

Possibly with a stainless barrel you can get away with doing nothing after using brake cleaner, but given how effectively it removes oil and grease I wouldn't want to not run something through the barrel subsequently for rust protection based on my experience with steel I've used brake cleaner on in other applications, where corrosion sets in rather quickly.

Thanks for a great video

Sniper in the field tip. Take a small baby food glass jar and fill 1/3 with your favorite bore cleaner. Add cotton patches which fit your bore size. Now, you have pre-soaked bore cleaning patches. I always wear disposable gloves and use disposable shop towels when cleaning my rifle. Upon task completion, pull your gloves off inside out and insert all waste. Tie open end and carry out with you.

You are very well organized in your shop. I also admire the consistent process approach. Well done video. Good choice in tools. I did make a comment about protecting the crown below. IMHO, I would avoid the back and forth. Stick with projectile path only. One more question: You don't seem to use mops. Can I ask why? I like to use mops to saturate the bore with solvent.

Thanks for uploading this intriguing video. You won't get from me, any thing but good comments from the brake cleaner step. After lapping my lugs I chase the receiver with a bent straw and brake cleaner. It gets that mess out very easily. I have been using Hoppe's for 30 years but I am still having trouble getting my barrel completely clean. Time to switch to Butch's and give it a try for a while. I sent you an email requesting your cleaning formula. Thank you for making some great videos available and for all your efforts!

Wet with solvent Scrub with brush Blow out with brake cleaner Dry with patches Mop with oil This method is fine for the vast majority of people. Dissolving copper isn't necessary unless you're a competitive shooter, and even then it may not be necessary every time the bore is cleaned.

Great video

I was told not to use bronze brushes with copper cleaning solvents like Butch's bore shine, since a bronze brush itself is made up mostly of copper, so you will be dissolving your bronze brush in the process. I was told to use a nylon brush when using copper dissolving cleaners.

@gordongekko4752

Жыл бұрын

1. Use nylon brushes with the copper remover, and then use your bronze/brass brushes for any cleaning without the copper solvent. 90-95% of the time I clean with just Hoppes #9, a non-copper solvent, and then use a copper remover occasionally. If you always use copper remover, you should convert to nylon brushes. 2. Bore brushes are expendable wear items. Buy new bore brushes as needed. 3. If you do use your bronze brush with copper bore cleaner, you can give it some relief by hitting it with some kind of solvent; soap & water, brake cleaner, WD-40, or even a jar of kerosene to dip rinse it.

After the brake cleaning and barrel is dry, do you store the barrel dry or put some type of rust prevention in the barrel while gun is stored?

Thanks for info on rifle cleaning. I'm getting back into shooting and hunting and this is very helpful. I notice that your camera is not showing the end of the barrel/ muzzle . Do you let the jag and/or brush go past the end of muzzle ? Also , if you see this comment I'd appreciate having a copy of the chart . Will this procedure be fine for a rifled shotgun barrel ? And how about a smooth bore shotgun barrel ?

I love the room man! Damn I want that space lol

have to use a bore scope to know if your even cleaning or just going through a motion, isso or J&B will clean a barrel clean, I use a similar method as you but after 100 shots or so I use Isso or jb, nice scope nice rifle, I have the gold e also but I like my tenmile 5x50 it is bright

Well as far as I'm concerned if you clean your weapon every time you use it you don't have to go through all this crap just because your Uncle Fred from another mother told you to do it. Clean as needed. If it's clean it's clean.

Good video

Nice

After you get done cleaning take a look into the muzzle with a bright light. See if the is any copper streaks.

@performanceshootinginc.1625

5 жыл бұрын

Todd B you are right sometimes this process will not remove 100 percent of the copper and more aggresive methods need to be used

Can you use bore mops as patches ?

Finding it very difficult to get the brush through the barrel. Nervous to break the rod inside the barrel. Any suggestions? Do you have to hold the handle as you push thru vs the rod itself?

If you"re shooting jacketed bullets they will "burnish" the barrel for you. Don't worry about copper fouling until accuracy begins to suffer, then try copper removal to determine if that may be cause but, remember, a certain amount of copper buildup fills in the imperfections in the bore and makes it more accurate; so, don't remove it all! (I use Windex or the Generic Equivalent for copper removal). I never did buy the "breaking in steel" stuff. I use de-chlorinated Brake Cleaner sometimes for gun cleaning (mostly ARs and the like) but where he used BrakeKleen, I use Nitro Solvent. But each to his own.

I found that with my bolt action rifles groups open up for 5-10 shots after cleaning. I get good groups in most of my rifles from 20-500 shots or so... I clean once a year, for winter storage (no shooting up here in Alaska at -10 to -40 degrees) What do you think of initially using CLR for start to thoroughly out carbon like the F-class shooters use?

@desertoasislawncare8342

2 жыл бұрын

I’m an idiot. Are those temps to cold to fire a rifle?

Get a borescope. It will completely change the way you clean. You’ll find out exactly what works and what doesn’t! I cleaned with Hoppes 9 and brushes for 50 years, thought I had the cleanest barrels around. One week with a borescope and some testing and no more brush and use Hoppes way differently now.

Spray the brush at the muzzle end at 7 strokes with BrakeClean.....then zap the brush with more solvent and repeat....makes a big difference. You don't carry the losened crud back and forth up and down the bore.

I would modify ur modified procedure by adding a drop or 2 of oil on a patch and run it through

Please send me the list aswell for cleaning thanks

Can you make a video on a bore mop?

I never pull brush or jag back through.

Thanks for the video, I like your technique and would appreciate a copy of your procedure, thanks

@performanceshootinginc.1625

5 жыл бұрын

JSG ll. . . God, Guns & Liberty please send me a email and I will forward a copy mike@performanceshooting.com

Is it normal for the rod to be really difficult to put through the barrel? I got like a quarter way through and it was real hard to fit it through so I decided to pull it out rather than force it. I’m using the dooey on a Sauer 100 223

@joshuavizzacco5691

Жыл бұрын

Same question. What did you figure out?

My gunsmith side kick recommended Sweets. I run a saturated patch on first pass and let is soak. I will run patches until the patch comes out grey and NOT indigo/dark blue. I then repeat the process until the first patch comes out grey.

@timmylitt45

3 жыл бұрын

The sweets didn't remove the copper completely from my bore. How many wet patches and how many dry patches do you do? And what do you use with your bore brush?

@tomn5880

3 жыл бұрын

@@timmylitt45 With the Sweets I wet the barrel and let it sit for about10-15 minutes. Then I run patches until the patch comes out with out the blue/green color (usually 5-9 patches) then I run one well wetted patch of hoppes #9 to stop the corrosive reaction of the Sweets. I usually use a bore snake for routine cleaning. I clean every firearm every other month whether I shoot them or not. (Failure will NOT be because of poor maintenance)

@earlhuff7847

2 жыл бұрын

I know this question is old. But my uncle was a USMC sniper. He shot thousands of rounds from his rifles. Sweets is the shit for removing copper. Actually I'm sure there are other products. But if you are not getting all the copper out, you aren't doing it right. Follow instructions on the bottle exactly and it works. It's all I use and I've scoped my rifles and none have copper fouling if done following instructions

It's clean and dry. isn't it now exposed to humidity which could lead to oxidation and rust? Perhaps running a final patch down it with a small amount of Break Free to put a thin protective coating on it would be a good way to leave it.

Sa me donne de renseignements sur toutes les choses .

I always use a nylon bore brush for positive copper reading, your procedure is not wrong nore right,id sooner do it Hornadys way

One of my rifles is a Barrett and the cleaning instruction from Barrett says to never go from the muzzle to the butt with a cleaning rod. Can you explain what the difference is if you push the cleaning rod through all the way (out of the muzzle) and then pull it back out through the butt? How is that also not damaging the barrel crown? Thanks.

@VietPho

3 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering too

@rout9291

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Guy? Is not bronze softer then steel? Plus are you that good of a shooter to even notice micro level of wear if there was? Most of us would do much better shooting if we worried about are rifle fundamentals more. Just my two cents?

Put your bore cleaner in and let it set for 15 minutes. Promise that it works without all this Regimen

@marcmurphy5315

5 жыл бұрын

That's what my instruction manual says.

@JS-te4gz

4 жыл бұрын

What cleaner? Hoppes

Isn't the blue from the Copper jag?

I seriously thought brushing only supposed to go in direction of bullet.( in order not to damage the crown?)

@HasnainKhan-mp1rk

5 жыл бұрын

Well the rifle shoots a projectiles at over 2500fps a little bitty brush isin't going to do much damage compared to a bullet.

@toddb930

5 жыл бұрын

But the projectile doesn't crash into the muzzle and come back through the bore

@HasnainKhan-mp1rk

5 жыл бұрын

@@toddb930 not going to disagree there. I guess it would be okay to go forth and back inside the barrel but once the brush is out you dont retract it back? I am new to all of this so pls correct me if i am wrong.

@toddb930

5 жыл бұрын

Right. So the recommendation is - if you are using a bronze brush, you need to push it all the way through in one direction. You cannot reverse direction while the bronze brush is in the bore. If you are using a polymer brush then it's okay to reverse direction while it's still in the bore.

@davemould8261

5 жыл бұрын

Todd B that’s it matey....or you damage the crown...unless you have a screwed crown cap on it that is... Remove moderator after shooting then look down the barrel and see what crud is in there...you may not have to clean at all.... Too many of us amateurs doing this are all passing on wrong info because “it’s what joe x told me”...joe x may have told YOU WRONG. FOLLOW GUN MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTION AND YOU WONT GO WRONG GUYS....

Why do you wet the brush sure makes the cleaning more messy. Why not put the cleaner in with a jag and let sit then dry patch then brush?

At what point do you sit down and completely clean all copper and carbon from the barrel if ever? Is this the cleaning method you use during a season of competition and then do a complete thorough cleaning once a year or just when say groups start to open up? If most rifles need a little fouling to shoot their best, I guess a complete stripping is not a good thing to do during competition season or hunting season.

@reddawng43x91

2 жыл бұрын

Never

Keep your eyepiece/occular lens covered and NEVER dip your brush into the solvent after you've already pushed it through the bore ..it contaminates whats in the bottle....thought you would have known that?.....i was told that by several shooters years ago! 😉

Can I clean the barrel from the front to end? Same like from end to front?

@reddawng43x91

2 жыл бұрын

Lol! If u ever have u have ruined ur crown

@NgJackal1990

2 жыл бұрын

@@reddawng43x91 So how do you clean the barrel?

Never pull your brush backwards over your crown that a big NO NO. You should also remove your jig before you pull it back also never pull over you crown backwards

@alanderson8933

4 жыл бұрын

old wives tail

@mk325ef

3 жыл бұрын

I would be interested to know why as I'm new.

@whliving

3 жыл бұрын

@@mk325ef the crown is the last thing the bullet sees and therefore a bad crown distorts accuracy. I personally can’t see a bore brush doing any harm to your crown.

@mandtgrant

3 жыл бұрын

Oh yes, the magic bronze that can erode steel.

@spartin1997

Жыл бұрын

What damages a crown is negligence like putting the muzzle on the ground or scraping at it with a metal as hard or harder than your barrel steel. Your barrel is put under excessive pressure and has a piece of metal being squeezed through it every time you pull the trigger. It's almost impossible to damage your crown with proper cleaning equipment.

Excellent, clear instruction - please send me your instruction leaflet.

I hear so many theories on how modern ammunition is so far advanced that it isn't necessary to clean firearms so thoroughly or as often. It almost seems as though this is an excuse to not spend a lot of time cleaning and maintaining your firearms. I think that the cleaning procedure that you demonstrated is almost a lost art. The only thing that I was taught differently was to use the copper brush in one direction disconnect, reconnect and repeat as necessary. Am I incorrect about using the brush in that manner ? I'm not an expert by any means and would like to know about that one thing. in some opinions the procedure shown is over cleaning your rifle but it is your firearm and you have the right to maintain it as you see fit. Im sure 20 years from now your rifles will perform well and look brand new. Thanks for the vid.

@performanceshootinginc.1625

5 жыл бұрын

I was taught using this method and my barrels have proven to be very accurate and I get excellent barrel life. I think that was a old wise tail about the brass brush damaging your rifling.

@fiveowaf454

4 жыл бұрын

@@performanceshootinginc.1625 I've often wondered how much truth there is to the various ways that are bandied about that you can damage your barrel. While obviously one should take care, it seems the barrel material is so much harder than a copper brush etc. that it would be hard to cause damage unless you are using a lot of force and doing something ridiculous.

@fiveowaf454

4 жыл бұрын

@@nerformance I think care needs to be taken when cleaning and you should not use a lot of force and take your time to ensure what ever you are "pushing" or pulling" through your barrel you keep everything nice and straight and inline. I actually like the Otis cable I have best for when a thorough cleaning is needed, a lot of times I find the bore snakes do a good job to with little potential to wreck anything and leave a nice shiny bore. At the end of the day regardless of the device there are those with little "mechanical sympathy" who can wreck anything up to and including and anvil.

@larrysmith9628

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve been a avid shooter and hunter for over 56 yrs and growing up I never knew about the one direction barrel cleaning process

@larrysmith9628

3 жыл бұрын

My favorite deer hunting rifles I grew up with and still use are a 6mm Remington and a 7x57mm Mauser, Both shoot 1/4 MOA at 100 yds. Never knew about the one direction barrel cleaning process. I would clean after every deer season before putting them up for the next season. I would wet patch, dry patch, bronze brush pass about 5 times both directions, wet patch then dry patch until the patch came out clean. Never have lost any accuracy. But maybe I had gotten lucky I didn’t damage my barrel or crown, I don’t know. But Now that I do know there is a chance of damaging by going in both directions I will change my cleaning methods, why take a chance. I’m 64 yrs old, so I have more time to clean in one direction lol.

Try using real, application-specific "bedding compound" like AcraGlas and buy/build rifles and "loads" that don't copper-foul so you have to use "corrosive" cleaning solvents and you won't have to "clean" rifles nearly so frequently, aggressively and "carefully". Metal fouling in gun barrels is not "normal" or "inevitable" unless abuse and/or neglect while "building" and "developing" and "using" the gun and ammo "causing" the fouling are "normal" too.

This is definitely over thinking.. all you need is a good bore brush and some patches. Barrel breakin is a myth or old time saying. It simply means to clean it, if it is not a full auto then just clean it as needed. I know a handful of older gentlemen who use wd-40 and there guns still look and fire like new after 20+ years.

Hi There, Then you would not use the bore snake ?, and what do you think about applying synthetic motor oil to finish the process in the bore?

@performanceshootinginc.1625

5 жыл бұрын

Karl Dierdoff Ive never heard of anyone using synthetic motor oil so Im really not sure.

@karldierdoff6530

5 жыл бұрын

@@performanceshootinginc.1625 Thank you for answering, I think the recommendation to use synthetic oil for motor weapons, I heard from the man of the channel "DOWNEASTGUNWORKS" in youtube, who has 82 videos with different themes of weapons, in any way I appreciate the attention to answer me. Greetings.

@reddawng43x91

2 жыл бұрын

Bore snake would have to be passed 30 times to do what he did in effectiveness

More like the INCORRECT way to clean your rifle.

@Mr.Cheeseburger24

4 жыл бұрын

You know, you could actually tell us what the incorrect part is instead of pointing it out without telling exactly what. You seem more like a troll in this comment section doubting a cleaning methode of a world class gunsmith but if you do seem to know what you are talking about then how about enlightening us with your knowledge on how to clean a rifle the right way and share it like Michael did...

@cbsbass4142

4 жыл бұрын

@@Mr.Cheeseburger24 Well, there seem to be about as many "Correct ways to clean a rifle barrel" as there are videos about the correct way to clean a rifle barrel. Even the instructions from the barrel maker that made the barrel I just bought have different instructions than this.

Where can i buy cleaning kit?

@OldSchoolMikey

4 жыл бұрын

Walmart

Figuring that the manufacturer of any barrel has a dog in the fight, I just go with the manufacturer's method...Especially seeing as how everyone has some so called "expert" opinions, often times completely contradicting each other. And that's MY method(s) and that has worked for me through many national records, state and regional match wins, etc. Seems to me the best things are consistency and NOT overdoing it, which can easily result in ruining a barrel.

bro would you be able to email me the cleaning guide. I just bought a new rifle and new to the long rage shoot or I should say I want to start doing long range shooting and hunting. thank you and Merry Christmas and happy new year

Make sure to have ventilation with those chemicals.

@vegapower454

3 жыл бұрын

I tried to use butches, I feel like im going to pass out.

Where do you buy all your medals from?? I only have 2 hahaha

@performanceshootinginc.1625

6 жыл бұрын

HA....I think you know!!!

@REDMANKLAN

6 жыл бұрын

Performance Shooting, Inc. ya from whooping all of ass but it’s ok I’ll be on top one day

"Builders" of "world-class" guns that don't "build" their "world-class" guns using the products and parts of "custom" gun parts manufacturers and only recommend certain processes and/or supplies and take credit for the "performance" of the finished product while refusing to MAKE rather than "build" a complete in-house "product" are rarely sources of the "proper" way to do anything component-specific like barrel "cleaning". If you want to know how to take care of a barrel, listen to the barrel maker. And that means a barrel maker that doesn't just make barrel "blanks".

Try not cleaning it for a while and see if it’s really worth all the fuss. You said this process has helped you with accuracy over the last couple of years. Maybe it’s the two years of practice and not so much the over cleaning of your rifle. Just saying.

Got to do all this under your ribbons, are those from your glory days in HS…. Did you know you can buy gun cleaning kits, push and pull two or three time wipe with little cloth apply oil and your done, way to serious about cleaning 🙄

U will ruin the barrel faster this way. OMG