I was reading a vintage gun book, "Gun Owner's Book of Care, Repair and Improvement", written in the 1970’s by Roy Dunlap. In the section on cleaning, he states that with a rifled barrel, especially a high accuracy rifle barrel, you should never pull a brush, patch or jag back through from the muzzle. Doing so will wear the rifling at the crown and impair accuracy. His advice is to push the brush, patch or jag from the breech and then unscrew it form the cleaning rod.

It seems to me that it would take a lifetime of cleaning to have any effect on the crown rifling. Does anyone do this today?

I have seen that mentioned in several places.

Some shooters to to extreme methods to protect their barrels, bench rest shooters come to mind.

I do know the quickest way to damage the muzzle is by running the rod down from the front.

Ive cleaned from the breach since I learned what cleaning rods are for.
there are some arms where the practice is next to impossible. on these, a rod guide should be used unless the gun is resigned to duty as a short range crusher.

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it just needs more voltage

I too have always cleaned my rifles, and handguns that allowed it, from the breach. But I’ve never removed the patch or brush before pulling the cleaning rod back out as Dunlap suggests.

I've done it ever since I read that's what your supposed to do. I hadn't heard it was for high accuracy rifles, just gun cleaning in general. It's definitely not much of a bother on handguns that you clean often.

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Hold on. SWAT's at my door.

can't say as I bothered with patch removal, but I do remove the brushes. They seem to hold up a bit longer that way.

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it just needs more voltage

Sir, I do that with all my rifles, but especially with my match rifles. It's a common practice among serious comp shooters. I don't bother on handguns.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Conventional wisdom has always said clean from the breach if possible to avoid wear at the muzzle crown.
Obviously not possible on some guns.

I seldom remove a brush. I pull them back through. Sometimes, I pull them back without exiting so the bristles are pointed toward the direction of travel. That's rough on brushes, but it is also rough on rust and leading. Brushes are cheap.
If I'm pushing lots of soaked-loose crud out, I'll remove a patch often, and sometimes a brush.

Go back farther and read Townsend Whelen- "Mr. Rifleman".
Whelen said "Only accurate rifles are interesting."
He was going to have a pet rifle shortened, so he headed to the range with rifle, pet load ammo, and a rat tail file.
He fired a control group for baseline accuracy.
Then, he mutilated the bore on one side of the muzzle with the file.
No change in groups.
Then, he made more pronounced mutilations.
No change.
He went on to make it practically a blunderbuss with no appreciable change in groups.
Don't believe me. Read it. Read about Whelen. One of the first men to ever shoot the 1903......

YMMV.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

When I entered service, I was issued an M-14. As you know,
the cleaning rod for those is sectioned steel. I've no idea how many others had used that rifle before me; at 500 yards, I was shooting
10 of 10 bullseyes. That ability lasted through my tour, and with different issue rifles at different duty stations.
I realise our 500 yard bullseyes were pretty big, but the accuracy
didn't seem to suffer from the clraning. I wasn't so hot at 300 yards kneeling. TACC1

HMMM we fire high velocity copper jacketed projectiles through the bore followed by hot expanding gasses.

Then we worry about a solvent soaked brush being pulled or pushed through the bore out of the muzzle doing some damage?

I think I will worry about something else, such as can I shoot all the ammo I have before my dirt nap.

Just my $02. YMMV

Bruce

I believe I have one of "Ole Roy's" books where he recommends everyone should mark all there guns with an electro- pencil.Remember that when you see those names and SSN's on your otherwise 99% gun.

That was the method taught at Ft. Dix when I was there.

Get an Otis cleaning kit

Reversing is not a problem.

Best cleaning kit I ever used and it goes anywhere.

I remove the brush but it's so I don't drag any crud back into the action.

I guess this guy stole my dad's idea My first cleaning "kit" was a length of 80 lb test dacron fishing line with a loop tied in one end. The other end was knotted and a small length of bead chain was put on. Was the greatest thing ever to clean .22's with. A bit of cloth soaked with hoppes through the loop and pull it through the barrel of our Marlin Glenfields from the breach and voila-clean gun.

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Forum consigliere

Well, shows you what Dad and you know. You are not supposed to clean 22 rifles.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I have been using MPRO7 products for many years and adhere to their recommended cleaning procedures. If at all possible, you should clean from the chamber to the muzzle. If that is not possible, use a muzzle protector which is mostly for revolvers. Also, use a jag and place a clean patch on it and run it through the barrel. When the patch is out of the muzzle, remove it and look at the color of the the patch. Then take a bronze brush and run it out the muzzle and back through the chamber. Use this application three times. Then, run a clean patch and see what the color of the patch to determine if it is powder or copper residue. You may have to apply this method for several times until it comes out clean. I usually soak the initial patch about three minutes before I run the brush after you soak the barrel. You may have to let it soak for a longer period of time depending on the color of the patch. If you clean your firearm every time you are done shooting, you will not have to work so hard to clean the bore. MPRO7 will gladly send you their brochure on methods of cleaning all types of firearms. My firearms are extremely clean and take pride in knowing the firearm will function without a problem.

I remember reading articles by Colonel Whelen in the old Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines. I have one of his books, “On Your Own In The Wilderness”. Now you’ve got me interested in “Mr. Rifleman”. I’m going to have to get the book.

What? You guys are actually cleaning yer guns?

HG

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

I believe he had a co-author, Bradford Angier.

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Dick Burg

You are correct sir, Bradford Angier was a co-author. Bradford Angier was a prolific writer about all things involving wilderness survival. My favorite Angier book is “Wilderness Cookery”.

I've always cleaned from breech end when possible.

Wear probably isn't as much an issue with modern rods like the carbon fiber ones as it was with steel ones,though.

Whelen was know as Mr. Rifleman long before the book was written, which is, of course how the book got that title.
I think it is in that work, but can't swear to it. I've read most of what he wrote.
I'd like to have known him.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

....and Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Ed McGivern,....

I just wish I had been smart enough to invent the bore snake!!!

Guy22

Not me-I wish I had been smart enough to invent FaceBook

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Forum consigliere

A Boresnake and I presume the Otis system do not twist with the rifleing. This doesn't sound to good too me for the bore. I think I will stick with my Tipton carbon fiber cleanig rod and try to keep rod centered in the barrel. Sonora

I forgot to mention I'm cleaning revolvers. Sonora

I actually did invent Facebook but some young punk stole it from me while I was learning how to down load pictures from my brownie box camera. Hey, it ain't easy.

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Dennis
He's got a gun!

My dad did it that way too. Only he used a heavy braided fishing line with a split sinker on one end that he tapped with a hammer to make it fit the .22 bore. Carried it in his pocket.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner