Cheap cleaning kit, bad?

[cbzdel]

I was at the range last night and after I was done I decided to clean the rifle (10/22) there to save a mess at home..

I had a guy come up to me and said if you want your gun to last more than a year you need to get a better cleaning kit. I just have a kit I bought at Cabellas for $40 and it came with everything you could think of. He said because I use a cleaning rod that you assemble its tearing up the inside of the barrel.

Can anyone put any truth to this?? If they are such crappy tools why do they sell out so often.. I don't mind having a long cleaning rod if this is the case, I would rather just have a compact unit.

I plan on keeping my Rugers for a lifetime so I want to take the best care of them, that I possibly can.

I also have a Mark III Hunter that I am going to pick up in the next couple days and I planned on using the same cleaning kit on it as well...

 

[Quentin]

He's right that a single piece cleaning rod of the correct length is better than one you piece together but if yours is made of brass, aluminum or plastic not steel it's probably ok. I've used that type off and on for years and no damage. Do be careful of the crown though, you don't want to beat that up. Nice to have a muzzle guide like the one in the AK47 cleaning kit to protect the crown.

 

[Snake45]

The first thing you need to know is that it is absolutely NOT NECESSARY to clean a .22 rimfire's bore every time it's shot. It's not even desirable to do so. Some very good and experienced .22 shooters only put a rod down their bores every few thousand--or every few tens of thousands of rounds.

It's been said that more .22s have been worn out by cleaning than by shooting and I tend to believe that's true.

I'm sure there will be argument about this here, and that's fine. Everyone has their own way of doing things. But I can tell you that unless you get a bad batch of .22 ammo with no lube and it leads up the bore, or something like that, it will NOT hurt the bore of your rifle to just leave it alone.

Now the action and bolt are another matter. For best functioning and durability, you want to clean the guck out of the action from time to time.

 

[cbzdel]

Would it be best to just invest in a bore snake?? seems like that would be the safest way to clean a gun..

I would hate to just trash this kit, but if it really could cause damage in the long run then I wont mind trashing it...

 

[Snake45]

I've been cleaning my guns with jointed USGI cleaning rods for decades with no problems and no damage. Have never used a commercial jointed rod so can't really speak for them.

 

[CajunBass]

Unless you use a jointed/screw together cleaning rod like a plunger it will not damage anything. And if you use it like a plunger, a one piece rod will do damage too. In other words it's a matter of operator, not equipment.

Take your time. Keep the rod centered as best you can with one hand, don't let it drag along the sides of the barrel, especially at the crown and you'll be fine.

Of course I only clean a 22 about every February29th or so.

Never used a bore snake. Can't comment on them, but I've had the same type kit as you've got for years.

 

[Rat76]

Would it be best to just invest in a bore snake?? seems like that would be the safest way to clean a gun..

I would hate to just trash this kit, but if it really could cause damage in the long run then I wont mind trashing it...

After I got my first bore snake I pretty much stopped using the cleaning kit. Toothbrush, snake, solvent & oil pretty much sums up my kit now.

Now have snakes for all calibers. They get the bore cleaner in one pass than I could get with brush & patches ... ever.

For .22s I hose out the action & drag a snake thru the barrel once.

I remember my Grandad teaching me how to clean a .22. Oiled rag on a string with a lead sinker on the other end. Maybe he should have patented it. :wink: :lol:

 

[Snake45]

If you ever get a fired case (or dud round) that the extractor just won't pick up for whatever reason, you'll be glad you have that "crummy" cheap takedown rod in your shooting bag. I use mine for something or other almost every trip to the range. :wink:

 

[cbzdel]

something else I noticed was my cleaning rod is only about a fraction of the size of the 22 barrel, so I am sure they must make a smaller rod?

Maybe I will get the bore snake or cleaning it and keep the bronze brush/rod for the field as a just in case.

I suppose hand guns are the same? Same bore snake in the MarkIII Hunter as the 10/22?

 

[Sakoluvr]

I only clean my .22's when they puke. That is, when accuracy goes to hell. it takes a bunch of shooting for that to happen. Malfunctions are another issue that often do not require the bore to be cleaned (maybe just the chamber area).

 

[Snake45]

I only clean my .22's when they puke. That is, when accuracy goes to hell. it takes a bunch of shooting for that to happen. Malfunctions are another issue that often do not require the bore to be cleaned (maybe just the chamber area).

Good point about the chamber. I've now gotten in the habit of cleaning out the chambers of my semiauto .22s every 500 rounds or so. This doesn't require a rod; a Q-tip or bent pipe cleaner with some Hoppe's #9 on it inserted from the action (chamber) end works just fine.

 

[ab4ka]

I love boresnakes. They make life wonderful when you want to give a quickie to a revolver. For actual cleaning, I love my Otis kit. I've got a small kit that I think was ~$35 at Dick's and it works great on pistols & rifles of different calibers.

 

[BuckJM53]

Maybe I will get the bore snake or cleaning it and keep the bronze brush/rod for the field as a just in case.

Since I changed completely over to bore snakes for all my guns a few years ago, I haven't had an occasion to even pull the old rod and brush out of the kit. When I first started using the bore snakes, I would still run some clean patches through the bore because I initially had trouble believing that such an easy cleaning process could replace the process that I had used and trusted for many years :shock: (didn't take me to long to become a believer :wink

 

[Hugh]

I was at the range last night and after I was done I decided to clean the rifle (10/22) there to save a mess at home..

I had a guy come up to me and said if you want your gun to last more than a year you need to get a better cleaning kit. I just have a kit I bought at Cabellas for $40 and it came with everything you could think of. He said because I use a cleaning rod that you assemble its tearing up the inside of the barrel.

Can anyone put any truth to this?? If they are such crappy tools why do they sell out so often.. I don't mind having a long cleaning rod if this is the case, I would rather just have a compact unit.

I plan on keeping my Rugers for a lifetime so I want to take the best care of them, that I possibly can.

I also have a Mark III Hunter that I am going to pick up in the next couple days and I planned on using the same cleaning kit on it as well...

Don't forget, some people just have to tell you you're doing something wrong, just because they might do it another way.

If your cleaning equipment is harder than the inside of your barrel it may cause damage. It is not very likely that brass and aluminum are harder than the inside of your barrel.

If it were me I would probably politely thank him and go about my business.

 

[J. D. Moreguns]

I just got into the boarsnake thing and they are GREAT!!

 

[raw6464]

If barrels stand up to a bullet being forced thru, with 10's of thousands lbs. of pressure... I wouldn't worry about a brass rod.

It the rods did damage the barrel the gun manufacturers would void your guns warranty if you used them and say so in their documentation.

From Rugers Owners Manual
2. Using a cleaning rod, run a solvent-wetted patch through the bore several
times. Then attach a solvent-wetted bristle brush to the rod and run it back
and forth the full length of the bore as many times as necessary to remove
grease and dirt from the bore and chamber. Clean bore with dry patches and
examine. Bore fouling can contribute to reduced accuracy, and grease
accumulation in the chamber can interfere with proper feeding of cartridges
from the magazine.

3. Using powder solvent on a clean patch or bristle brush, remove powder
residue from all components of the mechanism. After cleaning, run a dry
patch through the bore, then follow with a patch that is very lightly oiled.
Wipe all surfaces clean with a cloth, then wipe all surfaces with a patch or
cloth that has been very lightly oiled.

 

[Hawker Man]

The cost of a cleaning kit says nothing, as long as you use it with some common sense. There has been a lot of good advise in the previous replys and you should use what makes sense to you.
If you don't want to spend a bunch of money, you can get a piece of weed whacker line just longer than your barrel, cut one end at a sharp point, heat the other end and mash it flat to form a nail head. Punch a hole in the center of a patch, push the pointed end through the patch and pull the patch down to the nail end. Dip the patch in solvent, feed the pointed end into the bore from the breach and pull out the muzzle. Do this three or five times, no bore damage, clean bore, and some cash left in your pocket.
Tom

 

[Rocdoc]

Hardness is the key, a softer metal (brass or aluminum) rod cannot scratch a harder steel barrel.

 

[Rick Courtright]

If it were me I would probably politely thank him and go about my business.

Hi,

Amen to that!

I first heard this "barrel worn out from cleaning" story when I was a kid. That was a hair over a half century ago. For most of the intervening half century, I've been trying to wear out barrels w/ those cheap, multi-piece aluminum rods that Outers and Hoppe's have sold gazillions of, and...

I'm still waiting to see my first worn barrel.

Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I've yet to see it myself.

BTW, my machinist type buddies always get a good laugh when I ask 'em how much work they do using aluminum or brass cutting tools on steel. I 'spose that's their way of telling me to read the other part of Hugh's and Rocdoc's analysis again?

There are lots of opinions, and a cleaning system to satisfy each. They all work, so pick the one you like... you'll be fine. Well, unless you've got a stuck case. The Bore Snake's a little tricky in that department! Somethin' about a string being easier to pull than push...

Rick C

 

[blume357]

#1 on the bore snake.

With that said, I'll usually run one through my barrel every so often whether they need it or not... I actually think you get more gunk in the barrel from it laying around and dust floating in than when shooting it.