Bore guides

Yes I use one. Yes, I think they are necessary. As is a good cleaning rod.

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Anyone use bore guides when cleaning a rifle barrel? Are they necessary?

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Yep, I ordered guides for all my rifles a few years ago from Sinclair's. Would check there, Midsouth, or Midway.

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Solid coated rods only, I use Bore Tech and Dewey. Either brass brush's or brass patch jags for that specific caliber. Need a tight fit or it isn't cleaning anything.

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What he said. I am using a Tipton rod on my big rifles currently, but ordered another brand for my smaller calibers. The Tiptons are nice, but I have heard of some problems with the tips coming off. THe Dewey rods have a good reputation. Read the reviews on Midway's site as they seem pretty helpful. Brass brush, brass jag, cotton patches, Hopes bore gel, Sweets 7.62 solvent. THat jag will be TIGHT. Tight like something doesn't feel right tight. I also use a stainless .45 caliber brush on a pistol rod (covered in a couple patches) to plug the breech after cleaning with the hoppes. Set rifle on butt and drip the Sweets down the barrel and let it soak for a while. .45 brush helps the keep the sweats out of the action and off the stock. Swab it out till the patches come out with no discoloration. If its a stainless barrel, I leave it dry. Got this of a long range shooting DVD and it was a rational modification of what I was already doing. Seems to work well.

Oh, I put the Hoppes straight on a brush and scrup, then swab it out with a patched jag. Then the Sweets.

Tigerdawg,
Lots of good info here. There's a gizillion different ways to clean a gun barrel. I now approach it like medicine.....first, do no harm. NOT using a good bore guide when cleaning a gun can do MORE harm to the chamber/throat area than not cleaning the gun at all. You're right.....get a GOOD bore guide. I've bought a number of bore guides through the years from a number of different manufacturers. Just bought 2 new ones from Midway that are a contender for best of show. Here's the link for one model.
LINK
You'll need to use the applications chart on this page to find the right model for YOUR particular gun.

Forgot to make a comment on bore cleaning. I'm still a sucker to try the latest and newest bore cleaner, although I do try to refrain as much as I can..... I've used Sweet's in the past, but don't use it as much now. There's lots of info out there on both sides of the fence regarding the more potent copper removing solvent's like Sweet's; for now, I've mostly landed on the other side of the fence. Now, I mostly use 3:1 mixture of Kroil and Shooter's Choice. If the bore's really dirty I'll also use some JB's Bore Paste. I also find myself using Wipe Out and similar foam bore cleaner's, especially when cleaning a number of barrel's at one time. As far as bore cleaning, my emphasis now is to use a high quality rod and bore guide and try to keep the bore clean. I don't worry so much about trying to keep the bore "spotless" like I used to.

I clean the barrel of my deer rifles about once every 5 years...


I know, I know.

I really need to get a bore guide. Not having one is about half the reason I never clean them. Something about shoving a flimsy brass rod down the barrel of my rifle makes me nervous.

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I clean the barrel of my deer rifles about once every 5 years...

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This.

But I baby my benelli.

i treat my 870 like shite, but that ole bitch is a warrior. the worse you treat her arse the more she wants!