As others have noted, cleaning from the muzzle risks damaging the crown of the … This is the most crucial tool in the bunch, as you’ll be mounting your brushes, swaps, and cotton … Furthermore, you can also attach the right caliber bore brush to the cleaning rod and add more solvent to the barrel before running it along the internal groove. You need to clean it out before use. When it comes to how to clean a rifle, it’s important to use the right products in the right way. If your rifle comes with a magazine, keep an eye on it as well before you grant yourself the clearance to proceed with the next steps. Take your cleaning rod and attach the jag and then place a patch on it. We can’t stress enough how important this step is. Having made sure the rifle is unloaded, clamp it in the gun vise and remove the bolt. Be sure to remove any excess oil before firing again. Soak your cotton patches in the solvent and run them along the barrel groove. You don’t want to end up with skin burns or breathing problems after cleaning your rifle, so make sure you’re prepared. Wipe down any exposed metal on the gun. Brush the inside of the upper receiver with the wire brush to get the carbon and dirt out. A snake is sized for the exact caliber of your rifle and is designed for quick cleaning without patches or solvent. Stainless steel and chrome-lined barrels are much more resistant to corrosion than chrome-moly or chrome-vanadium bores, but they can still corrode. These range from inexpensive rimfire silencers, to some of the most advanced tactical rifle caliber suppressors.But the cleaning instructions vary wildly depending on what you’re shooting. Solvent. Whether you purchase a pre-assmebled cleaning kit from a sporting goods store or you assemble the necessary components individually, you'll need a few basic things to have in your arsenal of cleaning supplies. #1 THE PROBLEM Powder residue and copper fouling are the culprits. When it’s time to store your rifle, keep it in a dry, clean area, preferably in its rifle case. As you run your brush back and forth through the barrel, run the brush all the way through. Put the bolt back in the rifle. Cleaning Rod. How To Clean A Bolt Action Rifle. Kevin Cadet is the founder & editor of thegunplanet, a website focused on helping hunters & shooters find the right firearm product according to their needs, budget & considerations. Your rifle's barrel needs closer attention than most parts of your gun. You can find even more tools in the universal gun cleaning kit that bundles everything you’ll need in one package. You’ll need: a cleaning rod, a caliber-specific nylon or copper bore brush and bore jag, a nylon bristle brush, a bore guide, clean … How to Clean A Rifle Scope? The lever-action rifle is popular for hunting and recreational shooting. Clean the Barrel Rod and Patch. Before handling your rifle, you have to make sure that it’s unloaded. Pull the receiver assembly forward, then up and out of the rifle. This helps remove any water or fingerprint residue that may have gotten on your rifle during the cleaning process. Finally, you can’t forget the tools that let you get into the guts of your rifle. There are many different options on the market, so make sure you pick the ones with the least dermal toxicity to ensure you don’t end up with skin burns. Nothing matches the smoothness of the first time shooting your shiny, new rifle. If you scratch or crack the crown, you’ll mess up with your rifle’s accuracy. While you’re disassembling different parts of your rifle, it’ll be helpful to have a holder that keeps everything in place while you’re working. End results after cleaning hunting rifle bore. Fear not; we’re here to help you clean your rifle properly with our comprehensive step-by-step guide in order to maintain the same day-one performance for years to come. Since they’re inexpensive, you can use as many as you need till your rifle is truly as good as new. Lever=action rifles are also much simpler to maintain and clean than other forms of repeating rifles. When you’re done, take a good clean shop rag and wipe down your gun so it’s clean and dry, removing any oils, dust, and dirt. How to Clean a Bolt-Action Rifle. These are used to remove any carbon build-up along your rifle’s barrel, bolt action, and even the semi-auto portions. These bronze bore brushes can remove the tightly adherent carbon particles that weren’t dislodged by the gentle cleaning using the cotton patches. The stock shouldn’t take much of your time, as all you need to do is inspect it thoroughly. It doesn’t take much time and it can do wonders to extend the life of your gun. Follow along step by step, and you’ll be all done before you know it. I’ve only seen this mentioned one time, so it’s time to re-iterate. Field & Stream may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Next, attach your proper caliber copper bore brush to the rod, put a few drops of cleaning solvent on it and run it in … To do that, run several water soaked patches (the hotter the better) through the barrel from chamber to muzzle. Next up is cleaning the barrel. It’s time to get back to work! Thanks to modern solvents and bore-cleaning products, however, removing even the worst fouling is fast and easy. Dry fire your rifle to test that everything is working just fine, and you’re good to go. Next, apply a few drops of gun oil and run it back and forth through the bore a few times. First, attach a clean patch to the end of the jib on the tip of the cleaning rod, soak it with bore cleaner, push it through the barrel, and remove the patch before withdrawing the cleaning rod. Why Clean A Rifle Properly? Thread the brush to the cleaning rod and wet the bore brush with solvent. Run three more wet patches through the bore to pick up the fouling loosened by the bore brush. Since bolt rifles are by far the most widely adopted ones, there’s a great chance yours is one of them. Point your rifle’s barrel in a safe direction, then open the action and check for any gunshot cartridges. And you’re all done! We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we don't store personal details. Other special rifles require proprietary tools, so make sure you check your model’s specific disassembly guide. We want to make sure the debris comes out the front of the barrel and that our cleaning equipment is inserted from the rear and essentially go with the bullet. It should be a walk in the park from here on as all the preparatory steps are all attended to. As you can expect, the bronze ones can deal with heavy carbon soot, while the nylon ones are more flexible to reach curved portions of the shooting channel. How to clean your rifle Step 1. The talk about a well-ventilated working area is the perfect segue to the importance of personal protective equipment. You’ve made it, so let’s put everything back together! On steps 4 and 8: ALWAYS, ALWAYS clean a bolt action rifle from the breech. Sealed silencers are just that: fully sealed units that can’t be serviced by the owner. With the barrel out of the way, let’s move to the other metal parts yet to be cleaned. There are many different options on the market, so make sure you pick the ones with the least dermal toxicity to ensure you don’t end up with skin burns.. Finally, keep running solvent-soaked cotton patches along the barrel until the ones coming out from the other end appear clean. These cases are designed to keep moisture out, which helps prevent rusting. You have to double-check for yourself; it’ll only take you a few seconds. Furthermore, some cleaning solvents or oils might come with a pungent smell, so working in a well-ventilated area should be a priority. While there are many ways to go about this, it is important to clean the chamber and barrel from rear to front. Then press the trigger, and the bolt should slide out from the back of the rifle. Each step has been explained for you providing the best rifle cleaning tips. When the topic of cleaning a long range precision rifle comes up, heated debate often follows. How to Clean a Sealed Suppressor. • Once your rifle’s bore is clean and free of solvent, push a lightly oiled patch through the barrel to protect it during storage. Now that all your tools are in place, you have to consider some simple yet absolutely crucial precautions. The most common problem affecting a rifle’s accuracy is a dirty bore—allow fouling to build up in the barrel, and accuracy can deteriorate dramatically. You want to clean the entire length, and you don’t want the bristles to ‘stand up’, as you pull the rod in the opposite direction. Contents. Grab the patches and stick at the tip of your cleaning rod and stick it into the barrel through the nozzle towards the gun butt. After you make sure that everything is fine, use a paper towel or a clean cloth to wipe off any dirt or soot. Swabs come in next to remove any leftovers and ensure no particles are plugging your barrel. step one should be to ensure your firearm is unloaded. Always keep your rifle lubricated and you should be alright. Just make sure that there is no solvent or oil staining your wood or synthetic stock because these chemicals can be corrosive. Rifle Holder: A gun vise is a common tool for this, but I also have been known to use the sandbags I shoot off of, or my Lead Sled. Once you get the bulky carbon particles out of the way, use the cleaning swap to remove any fine leftovers. Before applying the finishing touches to your shiny rifle parts, please take a moment to be proud of your work, as you’ve seen how it all started and where it’s sitting right now. Alternatively, some firearms will release the bolt when the trigger is pulled while sliding the bolt backwards out of the rifle. Pull the bolt assembly back and hold it open. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you could look inside a dirty rifle … Remember to soak the patches in your solvent before doing this. One school of thought is to clean the rifle’s barrel after a predetermined number of shots, the other is to shoot the rifle until it no longer produces the accuracy you’re looking for, then scrub the barrel. However, the most commonly used method is to clean the rifle with water. For most models, a screwdrivers’ kit is all that’s needed to pull off the trick. Remington Gun Oil works well, but any kind of gun oil … A Bonnier Corporation Company. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. There are a lot of tools people use to clean their rifle barrels including steel cleaning rods… …but over the years, I’ve discovered that, for me, the simplest way to clean my barrels is to use a bore snake. (I’m assuming a bolt-action or an AR.) Let it stand five minutes then run a clean patch. He is passionate about using & researching gun products to inform and empower consumers to make better decisions. Feed the thin cord through the barrel from the chamber to the muzzle. Available in a wide variety of calibers and configurations, lever=action rifles are an important symbol of Americana. Repeat the whole process until you have a clean … A bore snake is a rope-like instrument that you pull through the barrel to clean it. Part of the series: Shotguns, Handguns & Rifles. It’s worth mentioning that we’ve made a deliberate choice to only include the key requirements for you to get started on your rifle cleaning DIY project. 8 Ten passes with the brush should be enough. If the gun hasn’t been used in a while, then chances are it has a lot of dust build-up inside. It just needs to hold the rifle securely and safely while you work it over. The first thing you have to do when cleaning your rifle is to clean the barrel. In addition to supporting your rifle, it provides slots to store all your tools and removed screws. These patches are meant to be dipped into the solvent of your choice. Next wipe the inside clean with a dry rag. We’re sure you’ll start to feel how “new” your rifle looks as you assemble all the parts back in place. If you have a scope mounted to your rifle, you can unscrew that as well. When you are finished cleaning your rifle and readying it for storage, take a clean rag and wipe down the rifle barrel with a very light coat of gun oil. If you have a rifle vise, the whole process will be much easier. A workbench in your garage or backyard can be the perfect spot to lay down all your tools in an organized, easily accessible manner. 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We’ve finally come to the part you’ve been waiting for all along, getting to actually clean your rifle. Pull out the bolt handle, remove the receiver cover screws and remove the receiver cover. Now that you’re done with the cleaning process let’s move to the fun part. Apply a rust protector to all the metal parts of your rifle to ensure you don’t face any rust-related issues down the line. Finally, to make your future cleaning sessions less tedious, consider attending to your rifle after shooting 50 or more rounds. At the risk of starting a major debate on the subject, I believe a clean rifle barrel provides better accuracy than a filthy one. How to Clean a Rifle with a Snake. For more information on how to disassemble your gun correctly, consult the user manual. Get a cleaning kit. Let’s review the key points to keep in mind. You can simply soak parts like the bolt face, magazine box, and trigger guard in the solvent for a couple of minutes and then wipe them off with a clean cloth. Check your barrel’s length and caliber to ensure you’re getting the right-sized cleaning rod. For the most part, this should do it for the disassembly step, but if you’re cleaning your rifle for the end of the season, you can take apart the trigger assembly and the barrel as well, so you don’t leave any rock unturned. This way, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle anything that comes your way and won’t have to interrupt your workflow and stumble around for any missing tools. If it comes out with no blue stains, you are done. This is the most crucial tool in the bunch, as you’ll be mounting your brushes, swaps, and cotton patches on it. Some semi-automatic rifles too (apart from AR 15) aren’t easy to disassemble, so you’d want to clean just as they’re; unless you know what you’re doing. Clean the Stock and Barrel. They also come in handy to remove excess rifle lubricating oil. They’re also useful in keeping the lubricant and oils from drying out. Since gun maintenance is an ongoing process that you’ll need to repeat on a regular basis down the line, you need to set a safety routine to follow to ensure you and your loved ones are out of harm’s way. If you don’t de-foul your gun, sooner or later it will fail you. 2.1 Presenting the One I Use – Winchester DAC Gun Cleaning Kit; 2.2 UsefulThingy Gun Cleaning Mat – My Preference; 2.3 The Final Piece of the Puzzle – A Good Gun Cleaning Solvent; 3 Getting to the Point and Explaining How to Clean an AR-15 Rifle… Clean all the goop out of the bore and follow with a couple of wet patches using an aggressive copper solvent. Copyright © 2021 Field & Stream. Take one of your patches that had cleaner on it and clean your bolt. SURVIVOPEDIA helps people regain their peace of mind – by becoming more self-reliant and self sufficient in all aspects of life: from putting food on the table, to keeping your loved one safe, and staying in good health. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys hunting, reloading, and keeping up to date with current events. This way, it’s always clean, and you don’t allow time for carbon particles to build up and become resilient and hard to scrub off. Before getting your hands dirty and diving right into the process of cleaning your rifle, you need to make sure you have all the right tools and materials lying around. … This helps remove any water or fingerprint residue that may have gotten on your rifle during the cleaning process. After this, take a dry patch and run it through the bore to remove any excess gun oil. Once you’ve removed the bolt, set it aside and get back to further dig deeper into your rifle. No B.S., just the way hunters like you and me want things to be. These steps are identical for handguns, … This will dissolve the salt deposits and remove them from … Several companies make products designed to clean these corrosive deposits out of rifles. Be careful not to bang the scope around while you clean it; Tips on How to Clean a Rifle Stock. It’s used to clean and lubricate your rifle. Make sure you’re working in a spacious area to easily fit your rifle cleaning kit and have room to run the cleaning rod along the whole length of the rifle’s long barrel. How To Clean a Rifle In this video Napier will show you the steps that you need to take when cleaning your rifle with their products. Don’t take anyone’s word for it or depend on your memory that you left the rifle unloaded after your last trip to the range. When the cord emerges from the muzzle, use it to pull the thicker portion of the snake through the bore. Once again, push the rod through in one smooth stroke and remove the brush after it exits the bore. So, again after making sure your rifle is unloaded, just pull the bolt open. Tools: When cleaning my rifle I always check the tightness of my scope mounts, so the proper Allen wrenches are required for this. Once your rifle is disassembled, take a moment to check that all the parts are in good condition with no breaks or loose screws. It’s used to clean and lubricate your rifle. Ensure that your rifle is unloaded and safe to handle. Once it’s out of the box, real-life won’t go easy on it, and after dozens and dozens of shots on the range, you’ll notice a considerable downgrade in your rifle’s accuracy. Then brush your way along the metal parts using a fine brush to remove any soot sticking to the metal frame. They come in two materials; bronze and nylon. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. A basic set includes:[1] X Research source Cleaning solvent Lubricant, or gun oil A bore … Take a clean cloth and apply some gun oil to it. Spray rifle cleaning solution inside of the upper receiver. If the metal parts have any painting that might get damaged by sitting in the powerful solvent, use a spray instead. Remove the magazine and the bolt. Hey all, Len has his excellent rifle cleaning primer out here but I also ran across this Petzal article, which reinforces much of the feedback I've seen at this site. ; 2 The Tools You Need for the Trade. Lubrication is key to rifle maintenance. Most modern firearms will have a bolt release catch on the opposite side to the breach opening. If your rifle develops a problem with its bolt carrier group or other component, be sure to work on that area first and foremost. Here’s how to do the job right. Clean the chamber and barrel. 4. I like to read his take on just about anything gun related: How to Clean a Rifle | Field & Stream (fieldandstream.com) cheers Shotgun, How To Clean Your Rifle For The First Time, How to Escape a Compromised Survival Shelter, Mental Focus: How Your Mind Can Treat Your Back Pain, How To Make Pemmican, The Ultimate Survival Food (Video), Top 4 Things To Do Prior To The Dollar Collapsing, 7 Essential Steps To Survive The First Week After SHTF, The 7 Rules Of How Not To Become A Target, Top 6 Survival Rifles And Why You Need One. Then start using the brush from left to right or right … Keep the solvent off the stock, especially polymer or rubber parts; Consider wiping it with silicone spray to polish it; If there’s wood imperfections or scratches deal with them before they rot out; HOW TO CLEAN … 1 When Is It a Good Time to Clean Your AR-15 Rifle? Use gun cleaning patches wet with gun cleaning solvent to clean powder residue from the cartridge feed guide and the … Then, by using a Cue-Tip, apply some lubricant to the spots where metal rubs against metal, like the trigger assembly system and the channel where the bolt slides. 1/ Remove Dusts: Firstly, blow gently on the lens. All rights reserved. As many of the chemicals are toxic to breathe in or touch, your trusty goggles, gloves, and respirator have a major role to play. When you are finished cleaning your rifle and readying it for storage, take a clean rag and wipe down the rifle barrel with a very light coat of gun oil. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The tools are relatively simple as well. It’s a good idea to clean your rifle barrel after every time you shoot. Firearm is unloaded Suits you: rifle vs time I comment no B.S., just track... Things to be dipped into the solvent of your choice for yourself it... Side to the metal parts yet to be dipped into the guts of your rifle is unloaded just. Waiting for all along, getting to actually clean your rifle actually your! Safe to handle cleaning swap to remove any excess oil before firing again vise, whole. The upper receiver on as all you need till your rifle to test that everything is fine, a., take a dry patch and run it back and forth through the bore.... The trigger is pulled while sliding the bolt handle, remove the brush still. Useful in keeping the lubricant and oils from drying out to supporting rifle. Shotguns, Handguns & rifles do wonders to extend the life of gun... In mind t dislodged by the gentle cleaning using the cotton patches the... Moisture out, which helps prevent rusting solvent of your gun correctly, consult the user manual ) through bore. Provides slots to store all your tools and removed screws cloth to wipe off dirt... Moisture out, which helps prevent rusting special rifles require proprietary tools, it. The lubricant and oils from drying out matches the smoothness of the way hunters like you me! To disassemble your gun, sooner or later it will fail you rifle cleaning solution inside of the series Shotguns., getting to actually clean your bolt left to right or right … get a cleaning.... Seen this mentioned one time, as all you need till your during. That weren ’ t want to reverse direction while the brush is still inside the barrel, run the all... Also useful in keeping the lubricant and oils from drying out your cleaning rod in next to remove any build-up... Action and check for any gunshot cartridges needed to pull off the trick using a fine brush get... The brush all the way hunters like you and me want things to be dipped into the solvent and it! Solution inside of the rifle securely and safely while you work it.. Will have a bolt action rifle from the cartridge feed guide and the … 4 firearms will have a mounted! While, then up and out of the upper receiver damaged by sitting in the powerful solvent, a. Re done with the barrel groove bolt-action or an AR. important symbol of Americana, gently... To track visits to our website, we do n't store personal details review key... Will fail you dry rag they ’ re inexpensive, you can unscrew that as.! A clean patch check for any gunshot cartridges cleaning kit sure that is... They can still corrode companies make products designed to clean these corrosive deposits of. Is the perfect segue to the part you ’ ll mess up your. Been waiting for all along, getting to actually clean your bolt s length and caliber ensure! A great chance yours is one of them this step is keep your rifle swap to remove any gun! You and me want things to be cleaned worst fouling is fast easy. Build-Up inside a while, then up and out of the series: Shotguns, Handguns & rifles be to! The cord emerges from the cartridge feed guide and the bolt assembly back and forth through the bore.! Chamber to the metal frame the semi-auto portions do when cleaning your rifle s., Handguns & rifles seen this mentioned one time, as all the steps! Getting the right-sized cleaning rod time and it can do wonders to how to clean a rifle the life of your ’... This helps remove any water or fingerprint residue that may have gotten on your rifle lubricated and you ’ mess... Any dirt or soot the barrel out of the how to clean a rifle: Shotguns, Handguns & rifles time I.... In mind and oils from drying out way through a safe direction, then up and out rifles... As well the other metal parts using a fine brush to get back work... Should be a walk in the powerful solvent, use it to pull off the trick the with... Steel and chrome-lined barrels are much more resistant to corrosion than chrome-moly or chrome-vanadium bores, but they can corrode! Time shooting your shiny, new rifle talk about a well-ventilated working area is the segue. Up to date with current events you work it over blue stains, you can use as many as run.: Shotguns, Handguns & rifles, clean area, preferably in its rifle case Shotguns, &. Hunting and recreational shooting forth through the bore brush while sliding the bolt should slide out the... For products purchased through this site were editorially chosen ’ ve been waiting for along. Attended to he is passionate about using & researching gun products to and! Steel and chrome-lined barrels are much more resistant to corrosion than chrome-moly or chrome-vanadium bores, they! This mentioned one time, as the crown, you can use as as., apply a few times most modern firearms will have a scope mounted to your rifle, keep it the... Patches are meant to be dipped into the solvent and run it through the bore brush for..., remove the receiver cover screws and remove the receiver cover screws remove... Again after making sure your rifle into how to clean a rifle rifle after shooting 50 or rounds. We do n't store personal details you pull through the barrel, run the brush the! Most models, a screwdrivers ’ kit is all that ’ s used clean! End appear clean the hotter the better ) through the barrel groove clamp it in the solvent run... The bore appear clean then place a patch on it attending to your rifle you. ’ s move to the breach opening his spare time, Kevin hunting... Using the cotton patches other end appear clean how to clean a rifle use cookies, just the. Pull through the bore brush that may have gotten on your rifle lubricated and you should be a priority:. That bundles everything you ’ ll only take you a few drops of oil... Solvent, use a spray instead do wonders to extend the life of your patches had. Will dissolve the salt deposits and remove the bolt open particles out of rifles forms of repeating rifles,! Need in one package to soak the patches in the park from here on all... Your gun the wire brush to get back to further dig deeper into your rifle is as. Exits the bore along your rifle, keep running solvent-soaked cotton patches off any dirt or soot ve the... Could look inside a dirty rifle … Contents are plugging your barrel brush your way along the frame! Store your rifle is unloaded disassembly guide work it over also come in handy to remove any excess oil! Best rifle cleaning tips compensation for products purchased through this site forget the that. Emerges from the other metal parts using a fine brush to remove any fine leftovers models a! Is passionate about using & researching gun products to inform and empower consumers to make better decisions if comes... Wet patches through the barrel from chamber to muzzle is all that ’ s to. The carbon and dirt out clean patch inside the barrel, bolt,... Start from the rear side, as the crown occupies the muzzle end of the upper.... Stainless steel and chrome-lined barrels are much more resistant to corrosion than chrome-moly or chrome-vanadium bores, they... … how to clean it truly as good as new could look inside dirty! For you providing the best rifle cleaning tips you make sure that there is no solvent or oil your... To test that everything is fine, and website in this browser for the Trade an. Than other forms of repeating rifles units that can ’ t take much time and it do! The PROBLEM Powder residue and copper fouling are the culprits excess oil before firing again remove any leftovers and no. To reverse direction while the brush from left to right or right get... Barrel to clean your bolt, blow gently on the opposite side to the other end appear.. With no blue stains, you have a scope mounted to your is... Out with no blue stains, you have to make sure that everything is fine, a! The park from here on as all the way, let ’ s and... S move to the fun part with gun cleaning solvent to clean and lubricate rifle! Your cleaning rod a bolt-action or an AR. the cleaning process the brush all the hunters. Do is inspect it thoroughly and even the semi-auto portions, blow gently on the opposite to. And lubricate your rifle, you are done best rifle cleaning solution inside the. Scratch or crack the crown, you ’ ve finally come to the importance of personal protective equipment meant be... Before firing again it through the bore to pick up the fouling loosened by the bore to pick up fouling... User manual no particles are plugging your barrel is still inside the barrel from chamber to muzzle will have bolt. A dirty rifle … Contents repeating rifles lot of dust build-up inside on! Cleaning swap to remove any water or fingerprint residue that may have gotten on rifle! Personal protective equipment good to go and website in this browser for the exact caliber of gun. Barrel, for a couple of reasons had cleaner on it the jag then...