Are Bore Guides Necessary for Cleaning

[MontanaRifleman]

Are bore guides necessary for properly cleaning your rifle and if so why? To portect the chamber and throat? Would be interested in hearing some opinions on this?

Speedy Gonzales seems to think so but doesn't say why.

Barrel Break-in

Thanks

 

[eddybo]

In a word yes....for proper cleaning. You can get your barrel just as clean without one but can possibly damage your barrel IMO. The bore guide just keeps things straight. Imagine cleaning without one the jag would ride along the bottom of the chamber then ramp up the shoulder than wallow into the bore. If you use the proper bore guide it will also keep the solvent out of your magazine and trigger assembly.

 

[royinidaho]

Hell yeah!!!!!!

For those who shoot matches etc, much cleaning is required. The cleaning rode passes through the barrel as many or more passes than bullets do.

Think about wear in one area of the barrel due to bending the rod.

Ya don't want the rod touching (rubbing) the bore particularly in one spot.

I clean after 20 rounds and try to use minimum number of passes.

Warthog and wipe out serve me well.

Also with a 30+ in barrel there ain't no such thing as a stiff cleaning rod.

 

[srhaggerty]

Where do you get that Warthog at?

 

[royinidaho]

Warthog1134.com

 

[srhaggerty]

Thanks. How do you like it?

 

[MontanaRifleman]

In a word yes....for proper cleaning. You can get your barrel just as clean without one but can possibly damage your barrel IMO. The bore guide just keeps things straight. Imagine cleaning without one the jag would ride along the bottom of the chamber then ramp up the shoulder than wallow into the bore. If you use the proper bore guide it will also keep the solvent out of your magazine and trigger assembly.

Just playing devil's advocate here... but would the patch keep the jag from *riding* along the chamber, shoulder, throat. The patch would be in contact and not the jag... wouldn't it?

And good point about the solvent but I have seen that as a big issue. Also, When using Wipeout, that stuff expands all over and gets into magazine, etc.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Hell yeah!!!!!!

For those who shoot matches etc, much cleaning is required. The cleaning rode passes through the barrel as many or more passes than bullets do.

Think about wear in one area of the barrel due to bending the rod.

Ya don't want the rod touching (rubbing) the bore particularly in one spot.

I clean after 20 rounds and try to use minimum number of passes.

Warthog and wipe out serve me well.

Also with a 30+ in barrel there ain't no such thing as a stiff cleaning rod.

I use Wipeout too and am very happy with it, but not on the bench because it takes too long.

So a coated Dewey Rod will cause rub marks in a steel rifle bore?

 

[eddybo]

The thought of hat spear tip on the jag encountering the leads would keep me from attempting it. But, as my signature implies I do not know much, only what I learn from people here and from a few friends who know more than most will ever figure out.
I have heard of guys who build muzzle guides to guide the brush back into the muzzle after it passes through. I am not that OCD

 

[Marine sniper]

The military tested this a while back and learned two things. One, always use a bore guide and just as important make sure the rod its self is clean. I wipe mine down before every pass down the bore, you might be surprised how cruddy it gets.

A dirty rod with no guide will damage the throat

 

[BountyHunter]

Use the best bore guide you can afford, particularily for custom/match barrels. Right now the Lucas bore guide by Mike Lucas and Dewey rods is as good as it gets.

By all means wipe the rod down each time also.

BH

 

[Boss Hoss]

My thoughts word for word bh!!

 

[srhaggerty]

Just put in an order to Mike should be here by 11-10-08. Can't wait.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Thanks for the input guys, I am convinced. I was leaning this way but was looking for some experienced input.

On the brush comments, I don't use a brush. I did a little experiment cleaning on the bench using Butch's Bore Shine. After one group of shots I cleaned with a brush and patches and after another group of shots I cleaned with just patches. The brushes did not save any time or effort to achieve the same result. So I only use patches. A while back I cleaned my old Ruger with Wipeout after it had about a 1000 rounds through it and only ever used Hoppes 9 Nitro Powder Cleaner for the first part of it's life then used Bore scrubber for the last part. I used about 8 long treatments of Wipeout before coming up with a clean patch (never used a brush during the Wipeout treaments) that showed no copper blue. Then I took it for a bore scope and it was totally spotless. Since these two experience I no longer use brushes.