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I just picked up my first hunting rifle - a left-handed Savage 11 TH XP in 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm excited to get out to the range and shoot it when the rain clears up, but I'm having trouble finding a cleaning kit/supplies. Don't want to spend too much, and it would be nice if I could order through Amazon. Anyone have recommendations? I'm pretty new at this.
Thanks!
Quality 1-pc 40" or 46" clearing rod (Bore Tech, Tipton, Dewey, etc)
Bore Guide
6.5mm bore brushes
6.5mm jag
6.5mm bore mop (optional but recommended)
Bag of patches
Your choice of bore cleaner and copper solvent
I don't recommend buying a "kit" as usually they're far from being high quality. Get yourself a small to medium fishing tackle box to put all of your cleaning stuff in (except the cleaning rods of course). For the cleaning rod(s) you can buy a pre-made case like this one, or you can make your own out of PVC as shown here.
FOr cleaning rod length I generally just match the overall length of the rifle (muzzle to rear of butt pad) as close as possible. Nothing worse than buying a cleaning rod only to have it show up and find it's a few inches short of what you need.
I generally don't take my cleaning stuff to the range with me because rarely do I ever shoot the same rifle enough in one trip that would warrant having to stop to clean it. Instead I just clean my firearms when I get home before putting them away. As such I just have a rack that my cleaning rods hang from in my workshop since I'm not dragging them to the range. I do however keep a 3-pc .22cal aluminum cleaning rod in my range box just in case I need something to free up a stuck case in the chamber.
Above - and I re-double the recommendation for a good quality one-piece rod. (Mine's a Bore Tech V-Stix).
Also fan of one piece rods. I keep the rod in my gun case so it goes to the range with me. The Gunslick rod I bought has turned out to be almost as good as the Tipton I bought a while ago. I also recommend a bore guide, both muzzle and breech types.
I also keep the various attachments in the gun case. Jag, brush and mop all fit nicely in an Altoids can.
For patches I use old bed sheets. Tear into strips and then cut off a patch when I need it.
Copper solvent I highly recommend KG12. I have found it works much faster than any of the others.
Thanks a lot, guys. That gets me pointed in the right direction. I mentioned taking it to the range because I had read that cleaning it every five shots or so for the first box of ammo was part of the barrel break in. I figured I might as well, since that barrel will get hot from repeated shots anyway.
Your Savage will probably shoot better with a little copper in the barrel to fill in the "railroad tracks" left by the rifling tooling. Barrel break in is unnecessary. Just shoot it and clean when your groups start opening up A LOT. Clean the barrel thoroughly before your first range session and be sure to run a LIGHLTY oiled patch down the barrel lastly, then one dry patch before leaving for the range.
Get a bore guide https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...prod25927.aspx a chamber mop to dry out the chamber after cleaning. Foaming bore cleaner like Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner works great to clean out copper and powder residue and is available everywhere.
Hint: To use the Gunslick Foam with the Possum Hollow boar guide, I found that a 223 case makes an excellent adapter to fit the clear tubing of the Foam can. I had to drill out the end of the bore guide to fit the neck of the 223 case, and cut off the head. This delivers the foam where you want it and not all over everything.
A good set of nickel plated jags will eliminate false indications of copper when de-coppering your well fouled barrel. Get a one piece cleaning rod such as Tipton.
And lastly and perhaps most important, buy an inexpensive endoscope camera to look into the chamber and muzzle to confirm your cleaning methods. Without that, you're just guessing as to the effectiveness of your methods. https://www.amazon.com/Depstech-Endo...+camera+iphone
Agreed with above. Get a one piece cleaning rod. I really like the carbon fiber rods. I really like the Bore Tech Eliminator for cleaning. Nylon brushes work great for any scrubbing needed. I usual get an undersized brush as well and wrap a patch around it for mopping out the mess. More surface area that way and you don't have to worry about a brass jag giving you false readings.
Is there anything wrong with starting with a bore snake? Or will I regret that?
IMHO they are bad stuff. You want to avoid touching the muzzle end of the rifling at all cost and minimize touching the rifling in the throat. Even when cleaning from the breech end, be careful with the brush or jag exiting the muzzle. Do not yank it back as it can 'catch' on the muzzle, eventually nicking it or wearing it off center. That's one of the reasons why many people recommending not cleaning very often.
FWIW, on barrel break in. I'd do it. IMHO, it means you get smaller groups with fewer rounds down the barrel. Why? All those little grooves need to be smoothed out. Some say that filling the grooves with copper works, and it might. But, I'd rather smooth out the rougher spots and let the copper 'fill' the smaller remaining spots.
Bore snakes are designed for a quick field cleaning, and only that. They aren't designed to do a thorough cleaning or intended to be the primary means of cleaning. They're good if you were out hunting in wet weather or something and you need to make sure there's no moisture in the bore at the end of the day, but no matter how many times you run one through it's not going to get out all the carbon or copper fouling buildup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Solid
Thanks guys. I appreciate that advice.
Bore Tech Eliminator is awesome. I haven't tried many solovent, but this is a major step up from hoppes 9. I do a breakin, shoot some and clean it. I also clean my rifles often, to each there own.
I do carry a bore snake in my day pack in case I slip and get mud or snow in the barrel. Handy for a field cleaning.
If you drop it in from the breech I don't think there is much danger of harming the muzzle crown from a lifetime of occasional use.