Bore (or Rod) Guide

[A-37]

I have an Anschutz 1813 and a Winchester 52C; high quality and extremely accurate .22 LR rifles.

When I clean them, I always use a bore guide but not really convinced it's necessary.

If I'm using a fiberglass rod with a plastic tip and cotton patches, how could I possibly affect the rifling if I started the rod at the muzzle? Or started at the chamber end without a bore guide? Even if I used a brass or aluminum tip, the steel barrel is still much harder than either.

Is "Always use a bore guide" a myth that needs to be debunked?

 

[Rpg]

I think bore guides are a great example of excessive accessorizing.

I can't imagine the need for a bore guide when using cleaning rods and jags made of material significantly softer than the barrel material.

Maybe useful with steel rods such as are often seen with mil surp rifles. Otherwise, such things are unnecessary.

 

[feralmerril]

I use a slide adjustable simple rubber thingy on the rod to keep from hitting the firing pin hole when cleaning from the muzzle end. It seems .22 caliber it takes more force to shove a brush through than larger calibers and most often the wire brush is always longer too and in a revolver the frame window is too short to stop the inertia when the brush clears. Maybe it really doesnt hurt the gun but it seems like it could over time.

 

[Brian41]

I have bore guides for my Remington 700 rifles and use them too even though my cleaning rods are the coated types and should never do any damage. I figure it takes but seconds to install one once I find it but helps insure me I'm not doing any harm to my rifles.
It may be overkill but I can't afford to muck up my guns too.

 

[Nevada Ed]

They keep "Stuff" out of the chamber and can be useful........

However I needed an extra long cleaning rod for my rifles
since the standard 3 pc Otter kit unit was too short to make
it all the way to the muzzle with the extra length added on.

Never used a snake......always the "Old way" for me.

 

[feralmerril]

They tell me the crown and very end of the barrel of a gun is the biggest factor of accuracy. Thats what the guides are for. In my older age I shake so bad nothing but vices and sand bags can help me. I never was a fan of the steel three piece rods. It seems they tend to unscrew a little and it would seem it`s possible that if you dont catch it and continue that the sharp open joint could do damage especialy when reinserting the rod for another scrub pass.

 

[rwsmith]

Thanks feral.....

They tell me the crown and very end of the barrel of a gun is the biggest factor of accuracy. Thats what the guides are for. In my older age I shake so bad nothing but vices and sand bags can help me. I never was a fan of the steel three piece rods. It seems they tend to unscrew a little and it would seem it`s possible that if you dont catch it and continue that the sharp open joint could do damage especialy when reinserting the rod for another scrub pass.

Yeah, the way I look at it is jabbing actions that can mar metal. I don't think a rod sliding down the bore with a ton of clearance is going to hurt anything. I'll just be careful of the crown and first inch of barrel.

 

[handejector]

Townsend Whelen wrote about this many years ago in Mr. Rifleman as I recall.
For the younger, "Mr. Rifleman" was his nickname, and one that he EARNED. He knew guns and shooting.

He had always heard the story of muzzle damage from rods.

He had a rifle he wanted shortened, so he took the rifle, his pet loads for it, and a rat tail file to the range.
Fired a reference group or two.
Then, he filed one side of the bore at the muzzle. Fired more groups with no change.
So, he got more aggressive with the file.
NO change.
So, he got REAL aggressive with the file.
NO change!

Perhaps not a definitive test, but very interesting.

Buy good one piece rods.
Use common sense, and keep the rods smooth and clean.

 

[ErnieDeBord]

My rifles are either Varmint or Target Heavy Barreled. Except my Colt M4. I bought them all new. I am of Modest means and it took me a long time to aquire what little I have. I will NOT buy a used rifle because of all the cleaning types I read about and see 1st hand at the range. I would not even think about cleaning with out a bore guide & a Dewey coated rod! I don't and wont own a muti-piece rod.Don't wanna sound like a snob, but I get pretty anal with the care & feeding of my firearms. Regards Ernie

 

[oldRoger]

I don’t know, but of course I have an opinion.

I know what happened to M-1 barrels in basic and advanced infantry training. The primers were still corrosive so---you were permitted to use hot water. The source of hot water was the shower room. In the shower room one could find Bon-Ami in large containers.
A cleaning rod and patch down the muzzle coupled with a healthy dose of abrasive cleaner works wonders at making the bore shiny. It also eroded the H out of the muzzle.
When time came for qualifications, anyone who the staff thought was going to qualify Expert drew a rifle from the armory and left his training rifle in the rack. To date, surplus M-1 barrels are judged by barrel and throat erosion.

I know that if you buy a custom barrel from say Lilja, you will be told in no uncertain terms how it should be cleaned. Nothing ever should go through the barrel anyway but from the chamber end.

My old coach, long since gone to his reward was very emphatic about how the 52s were to be cleaned.

It’s your rifle I assume, and you can suit yourself when it comes to cleaning. For me, I use a bore guide on quality rifles.

 

[ironhead7544]

Cleaning rods pick up a lot of particles that act like sandpaper. The bore guides keep the rod away from the bore. Some rifles must be cleaned from the muzzle. Protecting the crown is very important. You will find some counterbored barrels that were done that way to restore accuracy.