After setting up my new chassis yesterday I realized it's probably easier to pull the barrel to clean. Between the adjustable buttplate and comb it seems like more work to reset those than pull the barrel. I know a folder is probably the best solution but, ive been told they can be sloppy, which can effect accuracy. If you guys do pull your barrels is it easier and will a regular bore guide work
Removing barrel to clean
- Thread starter Sparkeytj
- Start date
I guess I don't understand...if you pull the barrel, why need a bore guide?
Pull your barrel or barreled action? I remove the BA every 3rd or 4th cleaning just to give the chassis inlet a good detail.
Its my understanding a bore guide is to stop me from running into the lands sideways and damaging them.the danger is still there wether the action is screwed on or not
Pull the barrel. I have an terminus apollo and run prefit barrels so it's very easy to pull the barrel
Which is more work and money, re-installing your adjustable butt plate and comb, or having to re-zero the rifle after re-installing the barrel?
I guess you could if you want to go that far I remove from the chassis the barrel and action just to make soaking easier .
I only remove the barrel for cleaning on hooked breech guns and NEVER remove pinned barrels for cleaning. I will pull the barrel on my pinned barrel guns every two or three years to check for rust - not really necessary since I don't hunt in the rain. Any new gun does get the barrel removed right away. I do this to check that the pin holes in the barrel lugs are open enough to allow stock swelling & shrinking. I also use that time to grease the barrel bottom and seal the barrel channel when necessary. Other than when work is needed, the barrel doesn't come off.
This has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.
Put some witness marks on the buttplate and comb and move them out of the way.
Put some witness marks on the buttplate and comb and move them out of the way.
Please explain to me how this is dumb? The way I see it its 10 min or less to bolt the barrel in a vice and remove it. I can do it without even pulling it out of the stock. It also seems like it would be easier to clean the action and around the lugs. Everytime I do move the comb out of the way which is only slightly out of the way My rod still hits it and when i disassemble the buttplate it never is exactly the same even with witness marks. My question was if anyone was doing it, and if there was a possibility of destroying my lands. You can call it dumb all you want but at least back it up with why.
several people pull barrels from actions to clean and clean out the front of the action as well...all personal choice
i started doing it so i could use a smaller cleaning rod taking up less space in a already cramped room and with a short cleaning rod i can bring it in the same case or bag as the folded stock.
for people who think its a waste of ammo to because you have to rezero...
if you dont keep records of your cold bore to group POI it doesnt matter if you have to rezero or not, you still dont know exactly where the first shot goes
if it takes more than 2-3 shots to zero then you prob need practice on adjusting the scope which is good practice anyway
and if your off by several inches you should have your barrel shoulder or action face looked at
i started doing it so i could use a smaller cleaning rod taking up less space in a already cramped room and with a short cleaning rod i can bring it in the same case or bag as the folded stock.
for people who think its a waste of ammo to because you have to rezero...
if you dont keep records of your cold bore to group POI it doesnt matter if you have to rezero or not, you still dont know exactly where the first shot goes
if it takes more than 2-3 shots to zero then you prob need practice on adjusting the scope which is good practice anyway
and if your off by several inches you should have your barrel shoulder or action face looked at
A properly fitted bore guide keeps the rod from flexing and damaging the chamber.
With a proper barrel to action fit and correct installation, POI shouldn't shift more than, say, a few tenths after reinstalling the barrel. Even if it shifts 1 or 2 mil, 3 shots and you're back zeroed.
Hi,
So a cleaning rod and jag is going to damage your barrel if you do not use a bore guide???
Do you know the alloy composition of most projectiles; along with their RPMs, lol???
Can someone please post up pictures and the details of a barrel damaged by a cleaning rod and jag.
Sincerely,
Theis
So a cleaning rod and jag is going to damage your barrel if you do not use a bore guide???
Do you know the alloy composition of most projectiles; along with their RPMs, lol???
Can someone please post up pictures and the details of a barrel damaged by a cleaning rod and jag.
Sincerely,
Theis
So, I am honestly confused here.
1. Its my understanding the folks in the dont clean the rifle camp contest that more damage is done by cleaning the barrel than not, cleaning should only be done after accuracy drops off.
2. I know brass is softer than steel and theoretically cant damage the bore. A fiberglass rod wont either.
3. I dont have the balls to test and ruin a perfectly good barrel when it seems easier err on the side of caution.
1. Its my understanding the folks in the dont clean the rifle camp contest that more damage is done by cleaning the barrel than not, cleaning should only be done after accuracy drops off.
2. I know brass is softer than steel and theoretically cant damage the bore. A fiberglass rod wont either.
3. I dont have the balls to test and ruin a perfectly good barrel when it seems easier err on the side of caution.
Theis, you are a shit ton more knowledgeable than I when it comes to alloy compositions of barrel vs projectiles vs cleaning rods. However, when I hear someone like Mike Bush of Vudoo talk about the bore guide he designed for Bore-Tech, specifically for his actions/chambers with specific nose dimensions to be used with specific rod diameters so the rod don't flex and possibly damage the chamber/lands. I listen. Is it, no pun intended, VuDoo hearsay? I don't know. But, I don't spin my own RF barrels up. So, a $30 bore guide that will last forever, is a piece of mind investment.
I am in the camp of don't clean until accuracy or precision falls off simply for consistency. I had a R700 that would always act funny for a couple boxes after a cleaning until it finally settled, and it wasn't even a deep clean. The other side of the consistency argument is clean it the same way after every single outting, but that just sounds like an excuse people use to get away from their wife.
Last edited:
Yes I can. And I do, when I clean a barrel buy pulling it. But the OP's question wasn't "Other ways to clean without a boreguide."
Hi,
Key words there, lol.....actions........Not referring to using bore guide on pulled barrel.
The biggest benefit of a bore guide is IMO it keeps all the grim, gunk and liquids out of the trigger area; not to keep my barrel from being damaged by cleaning rod.
RF also typically have coned breech.....not same as CF chambers.
I don't have a Vudoo; do they have coned breech or flat face breech?
Sincerely,
Theis
Fair enough. "...Not referring to a pulled barrel"
I just got my Vudoo last week, so I don't know if they have a coned or flat face breech. Now my curiosity is peaked, so I will look next time I have my vudoo in my hands.
If the barrel is pulled all need for a bore guide is gone. Since you mentioned rimfire a, typically ejectors and such are affixed in the action and not on the bolt. The bore guide in that instance protects the rod more so than the internals of the action. It also allows the rod to self center in the bore because you’re blindly pushing it through 5-9 inches of void space that you can’t see a misalignment.
I clean rimfire barrels everyday still affixed to our actions and dont use a bore guide. We do sell them because it keeps the rods damage free and keeps solvents and oil out of triggers and magazine wells.
Remove the barrel and there is zero need for a bore guide.
there are a million threads on cleaning frequency...ill sum them up
every top barrel maker says clean (they have posted it here)
every top barrel maker that shoots competitively cleans (they have posted it here)
every top f-class guy cleans
every top BR guy cleans
top of the food chain guys look for .2 or better accuracy over long strings, not a cherry picked pic on your phone
BR... if your group starts with a .1## your out of the top spots
guys who "shoot 1moa steel all day long" know nothing of pure competition accuracy like above
Hi,
Guess what never falls off (At the worse time you could ever dream it would) if you keep your rifle cleaned on a regular basis???
The accuracy and precision..
Sincerely,
Theis
Guess what never falls off (At the worse time you could ever dream it would) if you keep your rifle cleaned on a regular basis???
The accuracy and precision..
Sincerely,
Theis
I am wondering the same thing. Maybe the potential damage would be to the crown if someone was to yank the rod back out recklessly?
Maybe that is true, but the practice has stuck with my newer barrels. I just note when things start to act funny and then clean 50-100 rounds before that window. If you know you have an intensive weekend coming, you can clean earlier. I guess it is like cleaning on a regular basis... It hasn't kept me out of the 0.5s, but I also don't have the need for sub-0.3s. Reloading will help me more than any cleaning regiment on that side of things.
