Can someone please explain this to me?

[CCW]

I watched a video on the Ruger website and there was a guy showing how to clean a Ruger Mark III. He said that you should always clean a pistol barrel (bore) from the breech end. That got my attention because I don't think that I've ever cleaned any of mine from the breech end. What's the reasoning here?

 

[gregs45auto]

Hello: It keeps the rod from rubbing against the crown of the muzzle. A bore guide also keeps rods from the bore. An aluminum rod will wear the crown into not a round crown, and your accuracy goes south. You can also use a bore snake. hth, greg :)

 

[CCW]

Okay, I understand that but wouldn't you have to really be careless to oblong the muzzle end because an aluminum or brass cleaning rod is softer than the barrel steel.
And what about revolvers where you can't access the breech end?

 

[CCW]

I see, thanks for the responses guys. I guess I should probably invest in a bore snake.

 

[gramps]

IMO most people clean their guns way too much, to the point of wearing it out from cleaning.
gramps, who has never cleaned any gun from the breech (hmm, I may have to try it---NOT)

 

[coach]

You can also use a muzzle guide to protect the crown when using a cleaning rod

 

[Dan in MI]

Okay, I understand that but wouldn't you have to really be careless to oblong the muzzle end because an aluminum or brass cleaning rod is softer than the barrel steel.
And what about revolvers where you can't access the breech end?

1) accumulated crud embeds in the soft metal, acts as an abrasive and degrades your crown.

2) Cylinder removed. With a bore guide insert the rod. Attach the brush, jag, whatever implement you are using and pull it back out. (note - you may need to be a little anal to do it this way)

 

[CCW]

gramps, who has never cleaned any gun from the breech (hmm, I may have to try it---NOT)

I tend to agree with this statement. I just happen to read this posting below from another website and made me think twice about using a bore snake -

I dont get on forums much but I want to spread the word about something. I've always used bore snakes and they have been pretty handy, but now I'm never going to use one again. I'm a patient guy but right now I'm pretty ****ed off. When I was cleaning my ar 15 today my bore snake got lodged in the barrel, and I mean it is freaking stuck. I tied the end to a tree and pulled, cut the end off and tried to get a cleaning rod down the barrel, and tried to tap it through from the chamber-out but just ended up getting my cleaning rod stuck in the bore snake material. So now I have a useless 750 dollar gun, and I don't know what to do do. I'm short on cash, buying the gun was a stretch but I really wanted it, and now I'm screwed. I've contacted DPMS and hopefully they will help me out, they are already a month behind on sending me a return package for my upper since the front sight was canted, and I'm going to beg them to do something about the stuck bore snack. All in all, I'm pretty sick with the whole situation right now, and I don't know what to do.

 

[Pat-inCO]

This is but another subject to keep gun writers employed. :roll:

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I always clean barrels from the breach end if possible and I use a tapered rubber thingy I made from a spark plug boot if I have to go in from the muzzle, like on revolvers. :D

 

[CCW]

I always clean barrels from the breach end if possible and I use a tapered rubber thingy I made from a spark plug boot if I have to go in from the muzzle, like on revolvers. :D

I had to refrain myself from saying something sarcastic, that was too easy

 

[Huhwhat?]

I use Bore Snakes.

 

[gtxmonte]

Unless you clean that snake after every pass........you just keep dragging BACK through the barrel, what you just got out. No thanks

 

[Tenbore]

Even if you clean from the breech (if possible) you still need to protect the muzzle from the rod going out that end. If not, you may as well clean from the muzzle.

 

[Montelores]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/412497/otis-25-to-45-caliber-pistol-cleaning-kit

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/342578/otis-micro-pistol-cleaning-kit-9mm-to-45-caliber

http://patchworm.com/patchworm.html

Monty

 

[737tdi]

Oh good grief. This old story needs to be put to rest. An aluminum/copper drag will not harm any part of your gun. Good grief. Metallurgy 101. Every time I hear this I cringe. Clean your gun with a copper brush and it will be fine. You don't need to do it often, definitely not after every shoot. Common ammo is non corrosive so quit cleaning it all of the time. Wipe down the outside and move on.


Karl

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Oh good grief. This old story needs to be put to rest. An aluminum/copper drag will not harm any part of your gun. Good grief. Metallurgy 101. Every time I hear this I cringe. Clean your gun with a copper brush and it will be fine. You don't need to do it often, definitely not after every shoot. Common ammo is non corrosive so quit cleaning it all of the time. Wipe down the outside and move on.

I have to dis-agree with you on this. I think carbon left in a barrel will attract moisture and contribute to rusting. I may not get around to it the same day or even the next day but I always leave my barrels clean, shinny and oiled.

...and as far as cleaning from the breach and having the patch or brush or jag come out the end and the rod touch the muzzle, that can't be as bad as dragging the rod along the inside of the crown doing it from the other end. :D

 

[Captain America]

I clean after every trip to the range, I enjoy it the same way that guys who reload enjoy doing that. My everyday carry gun gets cleaned once a month regardless of whether or not it's been shot, you'd be surprised at the stuff that accumulates from living in my pocket or on my ankle for a while. An aluminum rod with plastics tips will never damage any of my guns, period, just make sure that the rod rotates freely when cleaning and your good to go.

 

[gtxmonte]

Don't care if some want to believe it or not, but you can wreck a barrel with improper cleaning techniques.

They say "brass and aluminum are softer than steel"........well yes they are, but that doesn't mean it doesn't effect it. Water carved the Grand Canyon from stone as well

 

[Bob Wright]

As to damage to the muzzle from a brass or aluminum cleaning rod, I've yet to experience it. I clean my guns after every range session, with stainless steel bore brushes even, and never had any problem. And yes, I have done so over a goodly period of time. My oldest Ruger is over fifty years old, and most have had over 15,000 rounds fired through them.

If this gun suffers any loss of accuracy, it's sure not apparent:



Bob Wright

 

[DGW1949]

...........
....And what about revolvers where you can't access the breech end?

Sure you can:
1) Open or remove the cylinder.
2) Place the appropriate bore guide onto the rod.
3) Carefully slip the rod through the bore.
4) Install the patch holder (or brush) onto the rod.
5) Center and hold the bore guide into the muzzle.
6) Pull the rod/patch (or brush) Ass'y through the bore.

Note that it helps a lot if you first secure the revolver in a padded vice. Either way though, it's doable.

From the FWIW Dept:
You may find it interesting that a lot of NRA Service Rifle competitors have been cleaning the bore of their M1 and M1A match rifles that way for years (and I among them), the only difference being that instead of opening or removing a cylinder, access to the breach is gained by locking the rifle's bolt back. The reason they do that is because it's impossible to bend (AKA flex) a cleaning rod while pulling it. In other words cleaning rods can only flex while being pushed, the tighter the patch (or brush) is the more prone to flexing the rod becomes, and it don't take much flexing for the rod to start rubbing inside the bore, muzzle guide or no muzzle guide.

I realize that that last part has little to nothing to do with the in's and out's of revolver cleaning...but hey, it does point out that there's always more than one way to skin a cat.
Plus, it didn't cost ya anything extra. :lol: .

DGW

 

[coach]

A comment about the guy that got a bore snake stuck in his AR, that's what happens when you don't use the proper caliber snake I'm guessing.

 

[Rick Courtright]

An aluminum rod will wear the crown into not a round crown, and your accuracy goes south.

Hi,

From personal experience, as reinforced by my ol' gunsmith boss, methinks this is one of the longest running myths in the gun world. Especially when the same guys who say not to use aluminum rods turn around and recommend Flitz or JB, actual abrasives, to simply POLISH their barrels. ;)

Rick C

 

[gtxmonte]

The average shooter will never notice anything with their pistol or rifle, no matter which way they choose to clean it. But for those who say it doesn't matter, or doesn't effect it........that's simply wrong. Just depends on HOW accurate you want to shoot. I have seen crowns damaged in ONE pass with a bad cleaning rod on a BR type rifle and the crown had to be redone. Would most notice it?...........nope, but doesn't mean it can't happen

As with most anything else, this is not a "one size fits all" question. So while you can say you have cleaned your guns this way for 40 years with no ill effects, that doesn't mean there are NOT ill effects. Just means you don't check close enough to see them

 

[Huhwhat?]

I suspect 95% of the shooters out there would never be able to see any ill effects. And if they aren't obvious, do they matter? Sure, if you're a bench rest shooter, and you're shooting for one hole groups, every single little detail matters. If you're shooting your deer rifle for "minute of pie plate" it doesn't matter in the least.

It's like most things. It's all relative.

 

[gtxmonte]

^^^^^^Exactly, that's the point. While it may not matter to YOU, to say it does not matter across the board is an incorrect statement.

 

[Huhwhat?]

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does a cow poop on a flat rock in Texas?

This is one of those ridiculous arguments that is completely irrelevant, except for the people who blow it way out of proportion.

 

[NikA]

"Metallurgy 101" is metals form oxides. If the metal in question doesn't rust or corrode in the presence of oxygen, then it's forming a "tenacious" oxide layer. In the case of aluminum, this is one of the hardest and most abrasive materials known to man. The softer metallic base also makes it more prone to damage in ways that would cause wear.

For a cleaning rod, the stiffest possible rod that fits in the barrel is generally going to be the best. To me, that means 1-piece steel rods.

 

[Mobuck]

"Unless you clean that snake after every pass........you just keep dragging BACK through the barrel, what you just got out. No thanks"

My barrels aren't THAT fancy. I'll admit the stuff that comes out of the bore goes somewhere(mainly into the fibers of the boresnake) but it would have to be one fine barrel to be damaged by a couple of drags. What do you think happens when a bullet goes down the barrel with that stuff in there? I'd rather have at least some of the stuff cleaned out and a boresnake does that fairly well.

 

[daveg.inkc]

...........
....And what about revolvers where you can't access the breech end?

Sure you can:
1) Open or remove the cylinder.
2) Place the appropriate bore guide onto the rod.
3) Carefully slip the rod through the bore.
4) Install the patch holder (or brush) onto the rod.
5) Center and hold the bore guide into the muzzle.
6) Pull the rod/patch (or brush) Ass'y through the bore.

Note that it helps a lot if you first secure the revolver in a padded vice. Either way though, it's doable.

From the FWIW Dept:
You may find it interesting that a lot of NRA Service Rifle competitors have been cleaning the bore of their M1 and M1A match rifles that way for years (and I among them), the only difference being that instead of opening or removing a cylinder, access to the breach is gained by locking the rifle's bolt back. The reason they do that is because it's impossible to bend (AKA flex) a cleaning rod while pulling it. In other words cleaning rods can only flex while being pushed, the tighter the patch (or brush) is the more prone to flexing the rod becomes, and it don't take much flexing for the rod to start rubbing inside the bore, muzzle guide or no muzzle guide.

I realize that that last part has little to nothing to do with the in's and out's of revolver cleaning...but hey, it does point out that there's always more than one way to skin a cat.
Plus, it didn't cost ya anything extra. :lol: . Why would you want to skin a cat? Never figured that one out. And would you start at hind feet like skinnin a 'possum?

DGW