Bore guides - how important are they?

[pineoak]

Between a Lucas vs Possum Hollow vs generic cheapie bore guide-

What are you getting?

It keeps the rod centered. Depending on rod length, maybe keeps the jag/tip of rod from hitting the muzzle?

If most jags and rod tips are soft brass, will they damage a steel barrel?

Muzzle?

Compared to a bullet traveling down a little bit faster than you can shove a rod down a bore guide... won't the bullet do more damage? Or not, because it's done uniformly down the rifling?

Thank you for educating

 

[cas6969]

If nothing else it keeps you from losing the patch on the way to the chamber or dripping gunk down where you don't want it.

I NEVER used them until recently and when I did I felt like an idiot for a lifetime of wasted effort.

 

[pineoak]

I'm primarily interested in the difference in quality.

I've always used them

 

[spife7980]

What are you talking about muzzles for? Don’t drag something into the bore via the muzzle.

 

[pineoak]

What are you talking about muzzles for? Don’t drag something into the bore via the muzzle.

Like when you push the patch out the front

 

[spife7980]

Something inside the action isn’t going to effect the muzzle by any measure able degree. The bore itself will keep it aligned once you are that far in. Just unscrew the jag before you retract the rod so there isn’t anything to snag on the muzzle.

The bore guide is so you don’t jam up the throat (brass is softer than steel but plain hardness alone doesn’t mean material can’t still be displaced) and so that fluids don’t get inside the action.

As far as what I use, the Sinclair that has the little fluid port on the side. You can start the patch into the guide and then apply fluids in front of and onto the patch so that it doesn’t get wrung out starting into the guide.

 

[Mr. F]

I use lucas but i feel they are as important as how straight/rigid is your rod…

 

[Hairball]

Don’t use them, never have used them.

 

[Baron23]

Yes. Dunno if Lucas still makes them.

I like and use this from 21st Century Shooting.

Bore Guide

21st Century Shooting, Reloading products, Reload, reloading ammo, 21st century, twenty first century shooting, shooting, bore guide, gun reloading, tools for reloading, front rest, f class, bench rest, short handle, arbor press, powder measure, bullet, bullet comparators, die base, shell...

www.xxicsi.com

 

[Nik H]

I'm primarily interested in the difference in quality.

I've always used them

Lucas is made for your action and for the diameter of the rod that you are using...that is the difference and it makes a difference with respect to your barrel getting gouged.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Who cleans a rifle?

 

[Baron23]

it makes a difference with respect to your barrel getting gouged.

How?

Seriously, every bore guide that I've seen and handle had some way to seal at the neck end of the chamber and if one is using a good quality coated rod then how would you gouge your barrel in any case?

 

[CK1.0]

I have/use/like a Possom Hollow, and yes, if you've ever tried a cheapo one (sucks donkey balls), they're worth it.

They just make cleaning go so much faster IMO, way less chance of doing something bad to the inside of the reciever or chamber when moving at a good clip.

 

[kthomas]

I have Lucas and Boretech bore guides.

The Lucas is more snug, but they both accomplish the same thing at the end of the day.

I think a quality cleaning rod makes a bigger difference than the quality of bore guide. For cleaning rods, I've completely swapped over to the polished stainless ProShot cleaning rods.

 

[Rob01]

Used Lucas for years. Very good product. Couldn't find one after my Lucas broke so went with a Possom Hollow and have a couple now and they work just fine too. They have different inserts to keep the rod tighter in the guide. I wouldn't use one of the cheap ones like this below. I like the bore guide to go into the chamber and have a tight O-ring seal to keep solvents there.

Tipton Universal Bore Guide

The Tipton Universal Bore Guide protects the bore, chamber and action of your rifle by properly aligning the cleaning rod and reducing solvent overflow....

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Nik H]

How?

Seriously, every bore guide that I've seen and handle had some way to seal at the neck end of the chamber and if one is using a good quality coated rod then how would you gouge your barrel in any case?

You need to read more about barrel damage during cleaning. It will be another topic for September

 

[Nik H]

I have Lucas and Boretech bore guides.

The Lucas is more snug, but they both accomplish the same thing at the end of the day.

I think a quality cleaning rod makes a bigger difference than the quality of bore guide. For cleaning rods, I've completely swapped over to the polished stainless ProShot cleaning rods.

I wouldn’t rate one over the other. I do like ProShot rods for certain.

I use Ivy or Stiller one piece stainless rods. Not sure Denny makes them anymore which is a damn shame but Stillers are available at times

 

[hafejd30]

I use Dewey bore guides and boretech rods. Your jags won’t damage the barrel pending your using the correct size jag/patch. I’ve heard instances where people have hammered jags through because they tried shoving them in the bore with to big of patches. Don’t do that

The only real way you can damage the muzzle (in this case the crown specifically) is cleaning from the muzzle end which you don’t do. Or catching a jag with a sharp corner on the crown when reversing the rod. Crown damage is very preventable if you pay attention while cleaning

 

[kthomas]

Just don't use jags

 

[Dough300]

The idea behind a bore guide is to keep the rod from touching the rifling. Steel on steel is of course not the best, but aluminum and plastic coated rods can pick up grit, which is an excellent abrasive and worse than steel. You don't HAVE to use them, but they don't hurt anything, and might just extend the life of your bore.

 

[northshorelumber]

I use Lucas and purchased my latest one just a few months ago. Hands down the best bore guide I have found.

 

[FN-Whitney]

Just get Lucas, there is not a huge price difference between different guides and Lucas is the best made, period.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

I have mostly Lucas guide rods. Sinclair makes a knockoff that works well too.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

The idea behind a bore guide is to keep the rod from touching the rifling. Steel on steel is of course not the best, but aluminum and plastic coated rods can pick up grit, which is an excellent abrasive and worse than steel. You don't HAVE to use them, but they don't hurt anything, and might just extend the life of your bore.

Agree with you about the coated vs non coated. Everyone should be using a precision ground non coated rod but not everyone is smart.