A rod for cleaning the bore of a weapon. Modern methods for cleaning rifle barrels

Do you remember that Leskov’s Lefty asked him to tell the Tsar Father that the soldiers should not clean their guns with crushed bricks? Look, when did people in Rus' think about the abrasive properties of ceramics and the correct technologies for cleaning weapons!

Seriously, not so long ago, in remote places, trunks were simply “soaked” with boiling water, then chased away with a brush and wiped dry. But do not rush to accuse your ancestors of barbarism. The same operation is carried out for modern pneumatics for collective use in very advanced cases, when the barrel is so leaded that no chemicals or mechanical devices can handle it. Physics comes to the rescue: thanks to the difference in coefficients thermal expansion Lead flakes peel off safely from the steel.

I think that among the readers there are no enthusiasts of a bubbling kettle or, God forbid, an electric drill as a drive for a brush. And yet, how to properly clean a weapon and with what?

Professionals and amateurs: the difference in approaches

The author belongs to the group of “moderates” who believe that excessive enthusiasm for cleaning and lubrication, especially without a critical understanding of the essence of the processes, also does not lead to good. This is mainly due to long-standing experience, when shooters had at their disposal kerosene (then the super-product WD-40), an alkaline compound and neutral oil. Weapons maintained with the help of these components have served faithfully and continue to serve for many decades, failing for reasons not related to the chemistry used and the frequency of hygiene procedures. I note, however, that all this applies to serial domestic shotguns, albeit high-quality ones, as well as to civilian versions of army rifles - OP-SKS, "Tiger", numerous "Kalashoids".

With the advent of specialized chemicals, especially aerosol ones, on our shelves, everything has become even simpler. For example, the same legendary “Ballistol” allows you, after a day full of shooting and rain, to simply wipe all the iron, fill it inside and outside with this spray and not worry about anything else until you get home, where you can clean it in a more comfortable environment.

And finally, “maximalists”, most often fans of high-precision shooting. People of this type practice thoroughness in everything. As a rule, they prefer a table covered with newspapers, albeit a compact one, but still a center for cleaning. For example, such as in the photo, the extremely inexpensive “Portable Maintenance Center”.

And it’s hard to disagree with them. Look how thoughtfully and conveniently everything is done.

When you read the recommendations of adherents of “high precision”, you are amazed at the perseverance and scrupulousness, the purely scientific approach to removing various types of contaminants. Can you imagine what kind of practical experience and surgical precision of movements you need to have in order to remove copper plating on match barrels using abrasive pastes!? Their arsenal of techniques includes, for example, the selection of chemicals for cleaning different AREAS of the chamber, methods that provide for special cleaning after EVERY shot, the use of substances that are neutral to some barrels, but literally dissolve the metal of others. In a word, if you have a burning desire to become a real BR shooter, you shouldn’t engage in guerrilla warfare - come out of the forest to people and join a team of like-minded professionals. Moreover, there is no “benchrest” without regular competitions.

For the majority of people, all this is somewhere on the other side of good and evil. Therefore, let us be guided by the condition “necessary and sufficient” known from mathematics. Without stopping at the basics of preliminary procedures, such as the need to unload and disassemble the weapon, prepare all the necessary accessories, etc., the entire cleaning process can be divided into three stages.

Stages of cleaning weapons

filling with an alkaline composition (solvent) everything and anything that came into contact or could come into contact during the firing process with the primer, cartridge case, bullet and, of course, powder gases;
actual cleaning;
lubrication and preservation of weapons.

Start over.

For the vast majority of cases and non-exclusive weapons, the already mentioned “Ballistol” or the well-known “Hoppes No. 9".

There are many more modern drugs with similar effects, there are much more effective ones, for example, Shooter’s Choice formulations, but many of them are highly specialized. For example, they can only be used for stainless steel barrels. If you are the owner of such a weapon, which is not too widespread, carefully study the manufacturer’s recommendations.

So, the composition we have chosen is applied to all areas to be cleaned - the barrel bore, the bolt, the mirror (at the smoothbore), the gas outlet parts, the outside of the barrel - 5-6 centimeters from the cut. We leave the entire household to soak for 10-20 minutes.

Let's move on to the actual cleaning. Here we will need tools

Toolkit closely related to weapon features

Ramrod.

Somehow it has long been customary that for rifled weapons it must be solid, for a smoothbore it makes no difference, but more often it is composite. The approach is correct, taking into account the caliber: you never know what can happen in a long tube, the internal diameter of which is less than a centimeter, so the requirements for strength characteristics in the first case are increased.

The cleaning rod material is also different. For a smooth bore, wood and brass are quite suitable; for a rifled bore, only metal, always braided, although bending-resistant and relatively safe stainless steel products are available on sale. Do not use aluminum devices under any circumstances; the oxide covering them has abrasive properties comparable to crushed brick.

Another prerequisite for rifled barrels: the cleaning rod itself must rotate freely on a bearing installed in the handle, so that the cleaning devices return forward movement they followed the rules strictly.

Actually, ideally these options look something like this:

On the left is a cleaning rod for smooth-bore calibers, two-section, length 86 cm, the set includes a classic SL visher attachment. On the right is a cleaning rod for rifled weapons. 35 cal., 9 mm and above, single-section, with bearing, length 91 cm.

Visher and patches.

The chamber and the barrel cut are “ sacred cows” and should be treated accordingly. Therefore, the movement of the cleaning rod with the wiping material (patch) always goes in one direction - from the breech to the barrel. The insertion itself must be extremely careful, and the contaminated patch must be removed from the visher upon exiting the barrel. It is very convenient to do this with vishers of modern design. Compare: on the left is the classic type, familiar to almost all shooters, on the right is the brass .22/.223 cal.

Agree, it is very convenient to pin a branded or homemade patch on the latter (a square or round piece of cotton fabric, selected for the caliber), which, upon exiting the barrel, will simply fall off and fall into a carefully placed container.

Cutting defects will also not add accuracy to a smoothbore gun. And here, willy-nilly, you will have to use a traditional visher, into the slot of which a cloth of suitable size is threaded and loosely wound.

Cleaning guides.

Somewhat ambiguous devices that serve to protect the chamber, the bullet entrance and the cut of the barrel of a rifled weapon.

The photo shows guides .30 ABS3 and .30 C30.

Let's start with the second one, for cutting the trunk. The scope of its application is extremely narrow, mainly for some models, and all because, as we remember, the barrel is cleaned only from the treasury to the barrel. There are rifles where the manufacturer, as if on purpose, did everything to make access to the breech difficult. But even here it is better not to resort to technology turned 180 degrees.

The guides inserted instead of the bolt, according to authoritative shooters, with rare exceptions do not provide accurate centering of the cleaning rod, since they are made universal for a certain caliber. Meanwhile, each rifle has its own characteristic features. In a word, it’s easier to protect the USM from dripping reagents with a cloth, and center the cleaning rod by eye; the main thing is not to rush or get nervous. Or thoughtfully, again without rushing, choose a guide strictly for your weapon.

Ershik.

In the photo: brass and hard nylon brushes, 30 and 12 gauge, as well as a puff, which serves both for lubrication and for removing excess oil.

There are also brushes for cleaning the chamber. As a rule, they come as part of cleaning kits, but they can also be purchased separately, even on a handle.

And one more thing: brushes are used only when dry, otherwise they are immediately covered with abrasive particles and only aggravate the process of destruction of the barrel mirror.

"Lifesaver"

You definitely won't be able to do without this device. Essentially, this is a kind of miniature hybrid of a spatula and a toothpick, carved from wood. It is with them, sometimes with a wrapped rag, that you will clean out dirt from hidden places, of which there are plenty in the weapon, or carefully remove the remaining copper from the end mirror receiver(where are the strikers).

The weapon is “soaked”, let’s start cleaning

Blessed are the owners of classic break-in shotguns and other kiplaufs, as well as modern semi-automatic rifles. It’s more difficult for the rest - you can’t unfasten the barrel, and here the already mentioned branded cleaning center could be a great help. The basic rule: in a machine or just on a table, the barrel should point down so that all the nasty stuff does not flow into the weapon’s mechanisms.

So, we put a patch on the visher (twist a rag) and in one leisurely movement we push the cleaning rod forward. We discard the contaminated patch and carefully remove the cleaning rod. We alternate patches with brushes (only on dry trunks). Cleaning the chamber rotational movements, under no circumstances trying to push a special brush into the bullet entrance. If necessary, treat the barrel with the cleaning compound again.

And so on until we achieve results. Professionals carefully evaluate contaminants, using specialized chemistry depending on their types.

For the average shooter, all this is more interesting in theoretical terms. Or when changing ammunition. So that you can say: “This is dirty!” And don't contact him anymore.

Our task is simple: regardless of whether the copper on the patches turns blue or matte remains of polyethylene in the sleeve are found, we must ensure that the cleaning material at the exit does not differ from what was at the entrance. That's all. Depending on the degree of contamination, all procedures can take ten minutes or an hour.

Lubrication and preservation

Finally, the patches emerge from the trunk pristinely clean. And it’s the turn of neutral oil. By and large, we use it to remove not so much dirt as the remnants of cleaning substances, including from metal micropores. Suspicious marks will again appear on the patches. After they disappear, apply a thin layer of neutral oil to the now dry trunk with a lightly lubricated patch, cloth, or powder puff. Or a preservative composition - depending on your goals and objectives. For example, Rust Prevent Corrosion Inhibitor or Elite Hoppe's GO4.

It is highly advisable to repeat the second stage of cleaning (with neutral oil) after three to four days, maximum a week. This is how long, on average, the sweating of contaminant residues from the deepest microcracks continues.

I would like to repeat it again. With the modern variety of weapons, carefully read the manufacturer’s recommendations if you have, say, stainless or chrome-molybde new trunk. And select cleaning compounds, especially aggressive ones, strictly in accordance with them. Do not always trust opinions from the Internet; if you read carefully, they often contradict each other. In a word, be careful and careful.

Andrey L.
Cleaning a weapon is not an idle question for any shooter, be it a hunter, an athlete, a sniper or just an amateur. At the same time, there are a great many recipes for “correct” cleaning, and this topic is the reason for writing more and more new articles and heated debates. Despite the variety of existing methods and recommendations, it seems possible to highlight some general tips for cleaning weapons. Moreover, with the gradual increase in popularity on Russian market both new imported samples of high-precision rifled weapons and various chemical care products, the appearance of an article devoted to methods for cleaning rifled barrels in the West seems very timely.

When shooting from a rifle, as a result of the shot, both combustion products of gunpowder and the cartridge primer (carbon deposits) and sedimentation of bullet shell particles (copper plating) occur in the barrel as a result of the shot. It is immediately necessary to make a reservation that we will limit ourselves to primarily considering firing a bullet with a copper jacket and a non-corrosive primer from a non-chrome-plated barrel. Cleaning the barrel for other options (steel-jacketed bullets, lead bullets, chrome-plated barrels, etc.) does not differ significantly from the option under consideration, although, of course, some differences cannot be forgotten.

It is advisable to clean the rifle after finishing shooting, if possible without delaying it for too long. Although modern Boxer primers do not emit corrosive products during firing, when shooting Russian-made cartridges or military surplus cartridges, in the vast majority of cases you will encounter corrosive Berdan primers. Moreover, experience shows that in good weather Spending an extra half hour at the shooting range cleaning a rifle is much more pleasant than doing it at home, often in a room poorly suited for such work with insufficient ventilation.

Accessories

To clean the barrel of a rifle, it is advisable to acquire the following accessories:

A good cleaning rod suitable for the rifle caliber. It is desirable that the cleaning rod be one-piece, with a plastic coating and a bearing in the handle. Dewey is considered the quality standard in the American sports shooting community, although there are analogues from other manufacturers.

Rice. 1. Various accessories and chemicals for cleaning the barrel

Visher, suitable for the caliber of the rifle (usually supplied complete with a cleaning rod).

Bronze brush for rifle caliber. As a rule, with proper regular care of the trunk, there is no need to use a brush. Moreover, cleaning chemicals can interact with the brush material itself, and the use of steel brushes in high quality barrels is highly undesirable.

Cotton flannel patches for cleaning the barrel (hereinafter referred to as “patches”). It is desirable that the size of the patches correspond to the caliber in such a way that when pushing the patch along the barrel, it passes under tension, that is, the force on the ramrod is felt, but is not excessive.

Guide bushing for cleaning rod, suitable for rifle bolt group. When cleaning the barrel with patches, bending the cleaning rod can lead to unwanted contact of the cleaning rod with the surface of the chamber or bullet entrance, which can have an extremely negative impact on the accuracy of the rifle. If possible, cleaning the rifle should be done from the breech - the quality of processing of the muzzle significantly affects the accuracy of the combat, so any contact with the muzzle is extremely undesirable. This is why, in addition to cleaning from the breech, it is recommended to push the patch along the barrel in one direction only, and to be extremely careful when pulling the cleaning rod back into the barrel from the muzzle. In cases where the design of the rifle does not allow cleaning the barrel from the breech (some semi-automatic models), it is strongly recommended to use a special cap to protect the muzzle from possible contact with the cleaning rod.

Carbon remover. Hoppe's No.9 Bore Cleaner has proven itself well (the choice of Corps reconnaissance snipers Marine Corps USA), other brands include Kroil, Break-Free, Shooter's Choice.

Copper remover. These cleaners can be divided into two groups - weak alkaline (a typical example is Hoppe's Benchrest Copper Remover) and strong ammonia (such as Sweet's 7.62). The products from the first group, although significantly weaker in terms of removing copper plating, are more gentle on the trunk itself than the potent products from the second. Thus, Sweet 7.62 is not recommended to be left in the barrel for more than 15 minutes, while Hoppe's can be left in the barrel for several hours to combat severe copper plating.

A cradle, slipway or machine for holding a rifle. When cleaning the rifle, it must be firmly fixed so that the cleaning rod can be pushed through with force. If the rifle is equipped with a bipod, it is enough to use it. It is advisable that the barrel of the rifle be slightly tilted forward when cleaning to drain the chemicals.

Cleaning the rifle

The cleaning procedure begins with removing the bolt from the rifle (for bolt-action rifles) and installing the guide sleeve in its place. Often these bushings use a bolt retention system or bolt handle opening to securely lock into the bolt group. Sometimes the bushing is equipped with a rubber seal to prevent chemicals from leaking from the rifle barrel into the chamber and bolt group.

Rice. 3. The sleeve is inserted into the receiver and held by the opening for the release handle

Once the sleeve is securely installed in the chamber, you can proceed directly to cleaning the barrel. You should start by removing carbon deposits - the most easily cleaned component of contamination. To do this, you need to soak one patch in a cleaning agent, then put it on the visher and smoothly drive it through the bore. The easiest way to remove a dirty patch that appears from the muzzle (each patch is used only once!) is to place a garbage bucket under the muzzle - the patch will fall off the visor itself when the cleaning rod is pulled back. This procedure must be repeated several times, each time coating a new patch with a cleaning compound, until the patches come out of the barrel clean (or there are no obvious improvements in the quality of the emerging patch).

Rice. 4. A clean patch is put on the visher and pushed into the barrel through the bushing from the breech

Now you can proceed to removing copper plating from the barrel. The procedure itself in this case is similar to cleaning carbon deposits, but there are several differences. Of course, in this case, a copper remover is used. After running the first two or three patches, generously moistened with an anti-copper solution, you can pause for a few minutes to give the solution time to oxidize the copper deposits. The next time you run the treated patch along the trunk, it will show characteristic blue-green traces of copper oxides. This procedure must also be repeated until the patches come out of the barrel clean.

Rice. 5. At the exit from the barrel, a patch with traces of carbon deposits is removed from the cleaning rod during the reverse stroke

If it is not possible to completely get rid of copper in the trunk, there are several options for further action. The simplest is to treat the barrel with a cleaning agent and leave it to “soak” for 12-24 hours (it is advisable to place the rifle with the barrel down, resting it on a rag, which will absorb the solution flowing from the barrel). After such chemical treatment, copper is removed from the barrel much easier. The second option is to use stronger ammonia-based products (under no circumstances leave in the trunk longer than prescribed by the manufacturer!). The procedure for their use does not differ from that described above for weaker alkaline ones. And finally, you can try using a brush (under no circumstances a steel one!) to remove copper from the barrel. When using a brush, it is recommended to treat it with a cleaning agent, then make about 10 reciprocating movements through the sleeve, smoothly moving the brush along the entire length of the barrel. It is necessary to observe maximum caution and smoothness at the moment when the brush enters back into the barrel from the side of the muzzle - the quality of the cut is crucial for the accuracy of the rifle's fire.

Rice. 6. Some bushings allow you to wet the patch already on the cleaning rod through a special hole in the bushing - in this case, powerful Sweet's 7.62 is used

After completing the cleaning procedure, it is necessary to drive a dry patch through the barrel. If you find no traces of copper on it (very faint traces), the barrel cleaning is complete. Next, you need to run a few more untreated patches through the barrel until they come out completely dry, and, if the rifle is to be stored for a long time, run one or two patches with preservative lubricant through the barrel (in this case, before shooting, the lubricant must be removed with two or three dry patches ).

There are often cases when it is not possible to completely clean a rifle barrel of copper using the methods described above. This usually happens with rifles that have been improperly or irregularly maintained, or rifles with an unbroken barrel. In this case, you can try the barrel break-in procedure described below. There are examples when running-in improved the characteristics of even barrels with significant preliminary firing. There is a more radical way to clean the barrel - using abrasives, type J-B Cleaner, however, opinions about the benefits and harms of using such products differ greatly and therefore it is not possible to definitely recommend them for use. If no cleaning really helps severe copper plating, there is a method of electrochemical cleaning, but using it at home is extremely difficult and therefore this method is beyond the scope of this article.

Barrel running in

The inner surface of the barrel of almost any new rifle is imperfect (the exception is hand-polished one-piece barrels) and has pores and irregularities left as a natural result of the barrel manufacturing process. When firing, these pores are gradually smoothed out, but at the same time they are filled with copper from the bullet casing, which leads to a strong increase in the rate of accumulation of copper deposits - as a result, the number of shots fired from the rifle without loss of accuracy due to copper plating will be small, and the barrel will be completely cleared of copper is often simply impossible.

To avoid filling the pores and micro-irregularities of the barrel with copper, it is recommended to carry out the barrel running-in procedure according to the following algorithm.

Fire one shot from a new rifle, after which the barrel must be cleaned of copper according to the cleaning procedure described above. This process (cleaning after each shot) must be repeated several times until the copper plating after the shot clearly decreases.

Next, you need to move on to shooting in series of several (in different sources the specific figure varies from 2 to 5) shots, after each series it is again necessary to clean the barrel of copper deposits. The number of series should also be determined by the apparent reduction in copper plating after the series.

Then you need to lengthen the series to 10-20 shots between cleanings, and after several such series the barrel of your rifle will be broken in.

Accurate technical description the processes occurring in the barrel during break-in of a rifle cannot be found in the literature, however, apparently, the break-in process is a gradual polishing of the barrel by firing while simultaneously removing copper from the pores and irregularities. This interpretation explains both the improvement in the quality of the new barrel after break-in, and the benefit of running-in barrels that have already been shot but not run-in.

Individual approach

Rice. 7. Cleaning your rifle at home

There are many legends, myths and beliefs associated with barrel cleaning procedures. Someone considers it unacceptable to use coated cleaning rods, due to the deposition of abrasive combustion products on this coating, which scratch the barrel as the cleaning rod passes (to the question, “Why will these abrasives scratch a steel barrel and not a softer plastic coating?”, the answer is received usually fails); someone considers the use of potent agents in stainless steel barrels unacceptable; someone pushes the ramrod along the barrel only 5-10 cm at a time, and considers feeding the ramrod in one smooth movement absolutely unacceptable; The list can be continued almost endlessly. An article recently appeared in one of the American weapons publications in which the author deliberately subjected his rifle to numerous cleanings in the worst possible way - without a bushing, with a composite aluminum cleaning rod with a steel brush and a terrible pot of chemicals - and was convinced in practice that after such “bullying” the accuracy of the battle his rifle has not deteriorated. All these facts speak only of one thing - cleaning a rifle, in addition to a practical exercise, is also a ritual that will certainly be unique to each shooter, different from all others. In this case, all of the above are just some general considerations, in accordance with which the process of cleaning a rifle can be structured in such a way that it brings both benefit to the barrel and satisfaction to the shooter himself.

Do you remember that Leskov’s Lefty asked him to tell the Tsar Father that the soldiers should not clean their guns with crushed bricks? Look, when did people in Rus' think about the abrasive properties of ceramics and the correct technologies for cleaning weapons!
Seriously, not so long ago, in remote places, trunks were simply “soaked” with boiling water, then chased away with a brush and wiped dry. But do not rush to accuse your ancestors of barbarism. The same operation is carried out for modern pneumatics for collective use in very advanced cases, when the barrel is so leaded that no chemicals or mechanical devices can handle it. Physics comes to the rescue: due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients, lead flakes safely peel off from the steel.
I think that among the readers there are no enthusiasts of a bubbling kettle or, God forbid, an electric drill as a drive for a brush.

How to properly clean a weapon

In order to avoid omissions, let’s say right away that there are a lot of legends, myths and opinions in this area of knowledge. The most radical of them: cleaning weapons is harmful. As a rule, it is followed by those who have ruined the barrel or bolt group through incorrect actions, for example, the wrong choice of lubricant. Or - you will laugh - owners of models with extremely difficult disassembly/assembly and access to the breech.
The author belongs to the group of “moderates” who believe that excessive enthusiasm for cleaning and lubrication, especially without a critical understanding of the essence of the processes, also does not lead to good. This is mainly due to long-standing experience, when shooters had kerosene at their disposal (then spray WD-40), alkaline composition and neutral oil. Weapons maintained with the help of these components have served faithfully and continue to serve for many decades, failing for reasons not related to the chemistry used and the frequency of hygiene procedures. I note, however, that all this applies to serial domestic shotguns, albeit high-quality ones, as well as to civilian versions of army rifles - OP-SKS, « Tiger", numerous " Kalashoids».
With the advent of specialized chemicals, especially aerosol ones, on our shelves, everything has become even simpler. Let's say the same legendary " Ballistol"allows you, after a day full of shooting and rain, to simply wipe all the iron, fill it inside and out with this spray and not worry about anything else until you get home, where you can clean it in a more comfortable environment.
And finally, “maximalists”, most often fans of high-precision shooting. People of this type practice thoroughness in everything. As a rule, they prefer a table covered with newspapers, albeit a compact one, but still a center for cleaning. For example, like the one in the photo, extremely inexpensive Portable Maintenance Center.

And it’s hard to disagree with them. Look how thoughtfully and conveniently everything is done.
When you read the recommendations of adherents of “high precision”, you are amazed at the perseverance and scrupulousness, the purely scientific approach to removing various types of contaminants. Can you imagine what kind of practical experience and surgical precision of movements you need to have in order to remove copper plating on match barrels using abrasive pastes!? Their arsenal of techniques includes, for example, the selection of chemicals for cleaning different areas of the chamber, methods that provide for special cleaning after each shot, and the use of substances that are neutral to some barrels, but literally dissolve the metal of others. In short, if you have a burning desire to become a real shooter" Benchrest“, you shouldn’t engage in partisanship - come out of the forest to people and join a team of like-minded professionals. Moreover, “Benchrest " there is no such thing as regular competitions.
For the majority of people, all this is somewhere on the other side of good and evil. Therefore, let us be guided by the condition “necessary and sufficient” known from mathematics. Without stopping at the basics of preliminary procedures, such as the need to unload and disassemble the weapon, prepare all the necessary accessories, etc.

Basic steps when cleaning weapons

filling with an alkaline composition (solvent) everything and anything that came into contact or could come into contact during the firing process with the primer, cartridge case, bullet and, of course, powder gases;
actual cleaning;
weapon lubrication.

For the vast majority of cases and non-exclusive weapons, the already mentioned “Ballistol” or the well-known “ Hoppes no. 9».

The first one is extremely convenient to use, since it is made in the form of an aerosol, it quite successfully copes with all contaminants, including lead and copper plating, while being absolutely safe. And not only for the wood or plastic of the stock, but also for your hands. Moreover, according to the manufacturer and numerous users, it has a bactericidal and generally beneficial effect on the skin. "Hoppes", on the contrary, is very toxic, so the author does not really like its relatively rare aerosol version. You can grab a dose even in the fresh air. It copes with its direct responsibilities perfectly, perhaps better than Ballistol.
There are still a lot of modern drugs with similar effects, there are much more effective ones, for example, formulations Shooter's Choice, but many of them are highly specialized. For example, they can only be used for stainless steel barrels. If you are the owner of such a weapon, which is not too widespread, carefully study the manufacturer’s recommendations.
So, the composition we have chosen is applied to all areas that need to be cleaned - the barrel bore, the bolt, the mirror (at the smoothbore), the gas outlet parts, the outside of the barrel - 5-6 centimeters from the cut. We leave the entire household to soak for 10-20 minutes.

Cleaning weapons

Here we will need tools that are closely related to the characteristics of the weapon. Let's look at everything in detail.

1. Cleaning rod

Somehow it has long been the custom that for a rifled weapon it must be one-piece, for a smooth-bore weapon it makes no difference, but more often it must be composite. The approach is correct, taking into account the caliber: you never know what can happen in a long tube, the internal diameter of which is less than a centimeter, so the requirements for strength characteristics in the first case are increased.
The cleaning rod material is also different. For a smooth bore, wood and brass are quite suitable; for a rifled bore, only metal, always braided, although bending-resistant and relatively safe stainless steel products are available on sale. Do not use aluminum devices under any circumstances; the oxide covering them has abrasive properties comparable to crushed brick.
Another prerequisite for rifled barrels: the ramrod itself must rotate freely on a bearing installed in the handle, so that the cleaning devices, when moving back and forth, follow strictly the rifling.

Actually, ideally these options look something like this:

On the left is a cleaning rod for smoothbore calibers, two-section, length 86 cm, includes a classic Visher attachment SL. On the right is a cleaning rod for rifled weapons. 35 cal., 9 mm and above, single-section, with bearing, length 91 cm.

2.Visher and patches

The chamber and bevel are sacred cows and must be treated as such. Therefore, the movement of the cleaning rod with the wiping material (patch) always goes in one direction - from the breech to the barrel. The insertion itself must be extremely careful, and the contaminated patch must be removed from the visher upon exiting the barrel. It is very convenient to do this with vishers of modern design.">

Compare: on the left is the classic type, familiar to almost all shooters, on the right is the brass .22/.223 cal.

It is clear that the reverse movement must be no less careful, so as not to damage the rifling ribs at the barrel cut, even with soft brass. This will lead to loss of accuracy of any rifled weapon, including pneumatic ones.
Cutting defects will also not add accuracy to a smoothbore gun. And here, willy-nilly, you will have to use a traditional visher, into the slot of which a cloth of suitable size is threaded and loosely wound.

Somewhat ambiguous devices that serve to protect the chamber, the bullet entrance and the cut of the barrel of a rifled weapon.

The photo shows guides .30 ABS3 and .30 C30.
Let's start with the second one, for cutting the trunk. The scope of its application is extremely narrow, mainly for some models, and all because, as we remember, the barrel is cleaned only from the treasury to the barrel. There are rifles where the manufacturer, as if on purpose, did everything to make access to the breech difficult. But even here it is better not to resort to technology turned 180 degrees.

The guides inserted instead of the bolt, according to authoritative shooters, with rare exceptions do not provide accurate centering of the cleaning rod, since they are made universal for a certain caliber. Meanwhile, each rifle has its own characteristic features. In a word, it is easier to protect the USM from dripping reagents with a cloth, and center the cleaning rod by eye; the main thing is not to rush and not to be nervous. Or thoughtfully, again without rushing, choose a guide strictly for your weapon.

4.Brush

There are also a lot of nuances here. In principle, you should remember two things: do not use soft polymer brushes (not to be confused with “puffs”), which generously scatter torn bristles everywhere, and steel brushes for rifled barrels. Hard nylon and copper or brass only. For smooth-stemmed steel, when removing lead and hard carbon deposits, the use of steel mesh devices is quite acceptable.

In the photo: brass and hard nylon brushes, 30 and 12 gauge, as well as a puff, which serves both for lubrication and for removing excess oil.
There are also brushes for cleaning the chamber. As a rule, they come as part of cleaning kits, but they can also be purchased separately, even on a handle.

One more thing important rule: brushes are used only when dry, otherwise they are immediately covered with abrasive particles and only aggravate the process of destruction of the barrel mirror.

5. Lifesaver

You definitely won't be able to do without this device. Essentially, this is a kind of miniature hybrid of a spatula and a toothpick, carved from wood. It is with them, sometimes with a wrapped rag, that you will clean dirt from hidden places, of which there are plenty in the weapon, or carefully remove the remaining copper from the mirror of the end of the receiver (where the firing pins are).

The final stage of weapon cleaning

Depending on the configuration, we scrub various parts with a stick, sponge, or rag. After the dirt has disappeared, wipe it dry, generously lubricate it with neutral oil, wipe it again and now lubricate it with what is called a thin layer. We drip a little bit into the holes of the smoothbore strikers. It is clear that competition forces manufacturers to move and produce a wide range of solvents and oils. If you want to support them and do everything according to Feng Shui, you can purchase and use lubricants, say, separately for the stem or bolt stops or something else in the same spirit. But, in general, even domestic neutral gun oils are the same “ Golden eagle", are quite functional.

Blessed are the owners of classic break-in shotguns and other kiplaufs, as well as modern semi-automatic rifles. It’s more difficult for the rest - you can’t unfasten the barrel, and here the already mentioned branded cleaning center could be a great help. The basic rule: in a machine or just on a table, the barrel should point down so that all the nasty stuff does not flow into the weapon’s mechanisms.
So, we put a patch on the visher (twist a rag) and in one leisurely movement we push the cleaning rod forward. We discard the contaminated patch and carefully remove the cleaning rod. We alternate patches with brushes (only on dry trunks). We clean the chamber with rotational movements, under no circumstances trying to push a special brush into the bullet entrance. If necessary, treat the barrel with the cleaning compound again.
And so on until we achieve results. Professionals carefully evaluate contaminants, using specialized chemistry depending on their types.

For the average shooter, all this is more interesting in theoretical terms. Or when changing ammunition. So that you can say: “This is dirty!” And don't contact him anymore.
Our task is simple: regardless of whether the copper on the patches turns blue or matte remains of polyethylene in the sleeve are found, we must ensure that the cleaning material at the exit does not differ from what was at the entrance. That's all. Depending on the degree of contamination, all procedures can take ten minutes or an hour.
Finally, the patches emerge from the trunk pristinely clean. And it’s the turn of neutral oil. By and large, we use it to remove not so much dirt as the remnants of cleaning substances, including from metal micropores. Suspicious marks will again appear on the patches. After they disappear, apply a thin layer of neutral oil to the now dry trunk with a lightly lubricated patch, cloth, or powder puff. Or a preservative composition - depending on your goals and objectives. For example, Rust Prevent Corrosion Inhibitor or Elite Hoppe's GO4.

I would like to repeat it again. With the variety of modern weapons, carefully read the manufacturer’s recommendations if you have, say, a stainless or chrome-molybdenum barrel. And select cleaning compounds, especially aggressive ones, strictly in accordance with them. Do not always trust opinions from the Internet; if you read carefully, they often contradict each other. In a word, be careful and careful.

Best wishes for a great hunt

Saltsov Igor

Gun barrel cleaning device made in the form of a visher, which is a tip with the diameter of the working part, consistent with the caliber of the barrel, with an end section (2) for placement on the ramrod, while the tip is a piston (3), made of an elastically deformable material, rigidly connected to a metal rod (1) passing along the axial line, the piston is made in the form of a body of revolution with annular grooves (4) along the generatrix. The technical result is an expansion of the range of devices for cleaning weapon barrels, providing effective cleaning with minimal labor costs. 1 n.p. f-ly, 1 salary files, 1 drawing

Claimed utility model refers to accessories for cleaning gun bores and can be used to clean gun barrels of smooth-bore and rifled guns from soot, soot, and unburnt particles of gunpowder.

A machine is known for cleaning the bore of small arms with brushes mounted on a rotating eccentric shaft, mounted on a frame that moves progressively in the direction of the bore, ensuring the movement of cleaning rods over the full length of the barrel (USSR Copyright Certificate 119101, 1958).

Bronze and nylon brushes, which are mounted on cleaning rods, are widely used for manual cleaning of gun barrels from carbon deposits to this day.

A device for cleaning the barrel of a weapon is also known, containing a rod with a replaceable nozzle, the rod is connected to the piston of a pneumatic cylinder, the cavities of which communicate with the source compressed air through control equipment and a controlled spool, while the pneumatic cylinder cover with a hole for the rod is connected to a centering clamping device for connection with the muzzle part of the barrel by means of fastening with side windows made on it for access to the replaceable nozzle when replacing it (Patent RU 2107877, 1998).

Known devices provide automated cleaning of weapon barrels, i.e. can be used on an industrial scale and are not used for cleaning personal weapons. To manually clean the barrel of a personal weapon from carbon deposits, various bronze and nylon brushes, which are installed on cleaning rods, as well as powder puffs, etc., are still widely used. tips.

A known cleaning device inner surface a gun barrel, including a fabric sleeve having a first end, a second end and a wall; and a brush placed inside said sleeve, wherein the bristles of said brush penetrate through said wall of said sleeve. The device may be provided with a flexible cord attached to said fabric sleeve for pulling the cleaning device along the bore. (Utility model patent RU 99136, 2010).

The well-known kit with a flexible snake, oil and solvent is applicable for cleaning personal weapons, however, it is usually used as an auxiliary cleaning method in addition to cleaning the barrel of a weapon using a cleaning rod; it is labor-intensive and not convenient enough.

The closest to the proposed device is Visher Yu.N. Lysakovsky, which is a threaded brass tip with the diameter of the working part, matched with the caliber of the barrels for winding rags (patch), equipped with an end section equipped with a thread for screwing onto a ramrod and a hole for a pin for unscrewing the visher (see “Handbook for a sportsman hunter ", edited by Prof. P. A. Manteifel, Publishing House "Physical Culture and Sports", Moscow, Volume 1 section "Care and Conservation of Hunting Weapons", 1955, and "Encyclopedia of Hunting Weapons". DELTA-MM Corp, 2002 ). Vishers are used as ramrod tips to remove carbon deposits and residual oil from the walls of the bore.

Known tips require a labor-intensive process of cleaning the bore by repeatedly moving the cleaning rod from the breech to the muzzle of the barrel. In this case, with each pass of the ramrod, the patches attached to the visher must be replaced with new ones, and the used ones must be thrown away. Moreover, the brass tip is not deformed, but smoothbore weapon has a slight narrowing in the muzzle. This creates additional difficulties in using the well-known visher. In addition, patches, brushes and brushes are prone to clogging with solid particles.

The task to which the claimed utility model is aimed is to expand the arsenal of devices for cleaning the bore of a weapon.

The technical result is to perform the function of cleaning the bore of a weapon with increased efficiency.

The problem is solved by the fact that the inventive device for cleaning the barrel of a weapon is made in the form of a visher, which is a tip with the diameter of the working part, matched to the caliber of the barrel, with an end section for placement on a ramrod, while the tip is a piston made of elastically deformable material, rigidly connected to a metal rod running along the axial line, the piston is made in the form of a body of revolution with annular grooves along the generatrix.

The claimed device differs from famous for that the body of the visher is made of an elastically deformable material, which can be elastic polymers, for example, vulcanized isoprene rubber (rubber), silicone, nylon, etc. materials.

The material used to manufacture the metal rod is bronze or brass or stainless steel or similar metals and alloys.

The end section of the metal rod, intended for mounting on the cleaning rod, can be made with threads, flange connections and other similar known detachable connections.

The head section of the visher, opposite the end section intended for attachment to the ramrod, is made soft (elastically deformable), allowing passage of the choke area.

Making the working part from an elastically deformable material, made in the form of a piston with annular grooves, allows for effective final cleaning of the weapon barrel from the breech to the muzzle in one pass, ensuring a tight fit to the walls of the barrel both in the breech and in the muzzle. Existing carbon deposits and other residues to be removed are pushed out of the barrel bore during translational movement due to the tight fit of the elastic surface of the head and annular sections of the piston to the walls of the barrel. A tight fit is ensured by matching the diameter of the piston with the caliber of the barrel and the elastically deformable material of the piston. The head part of the piston and several annular sections of the working surface of the piston, formed by annular grooves, provide in one pass the same effect that is provided with multiple passes of known vishers. At the same time, not only large carbon particles are removed, but also small particles, including rust, as well as cleaning agent residues, copper plating and lead particles. When using known devices (brushes, ruffs, visher with rags, etc. devices), carbon deposits are removed from the barrel channel in stages, remaining in the channel, including due to the shedding of working surfaces from the fibers. This requires repeating cleaning operations many times, replacing brushes, brushes and patches with new ones. Unlike the known ones, the inventive device makes it possible to effectively clean the barrel channel of carbon deposits with minimal labor costs, because The working surfaces are not only the piston head, but also the ribs of its annular sections. In addition, the elastic material of the piston cannot damage the inner surface of the bore. The above allows us to conclude that the claimed device provides the claimed technical result, which is in a direct cause-and-effect relationship with the claimed set of essential features.

The inventive device is illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows a general cross-sectional view.

The figure shows a visher having a central rod 1 with an end section 2 intended for ramrod attachments (not shown). The piston body 3 is made of elastically deformable material, rubber is used, is equipped with end grooves 4 and is rigidly connected to the central rod 1.

The inventive device is used as follows. The end part 2 of the visher is placed on the cleaning rod and fixed. First, the barrel of the gun is treated with cleaning agents. To do this, a patch moistened with a cleaning agent is put on the piston 3 of the inventive visher. After use, the patch is removed from piston 3 and discarded. The treatment operation with cleaning agents is carried out once or repeatedly, depending on the cleaning regulations. Next, the claimed visher (without a patch) is inserted with the head part into the bore from the breech side of the gun, slowly pushing it with a ramrod to the muzzle. The central metal rod 1 provides the necessary rigidity, and the head part of the elastically deformable piston body 3, in close contact with the inner surface of the barrel bore, provides mechanical cleaning from carbon deposits, cleaning agent residues and other removable residues, pushing the removable residues separated from the walls towards the exit from the muzzle of the barrel. Particles of the removed residues that did not separate during the passage of the head part of the piston 3 are successively in contact with the ribs of the annular parts of the piston body, accumulating in the annular grooves 4, and are pushed out of the barrel bore during a single pass of the visher.

The inventive device makes it possible to expand the range of devices for cleaning weapon barrels and provides effective cleaning with minimal labor costs.

1. A device for cleaning the barrel of a weapon in the form of a visher, representing a tip with the diameter of the working part, consistent with the caliber of the barrel, with an end section for fixing on the ramrod, characterized in that the tip is a piston made of elastically deformable material, rigidly connected to a metal rod , passing along the axial line, the piston is made in the form of a body of revolution with annular grooves along the generatrix.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that elastic polymers are used as an elastically deformable material.

Leaving aside debates about the correctness of cleaning a rifled barrel, its necessity in general and the quality of the approach to this process, I will simply describe the entire cleaning process as I do it myself. Surely this article will be a good help for novice users of rifled weapons, and perhaps experienced shooters will find some new and interesting points. Of course, there are also critics who have a diametrically opposite opinion on the need for high-quality cleaning of a rifled barrel and make do with an ordinary “spindle” to maintain their carbine.

Of course, immediately at the beginning of the process, 3 main questions arise:

1. What are we cleaning?

2. What do we clean with?

3. Why do we clean?

So what are we cleaning?

The firing process leaves behind on the inner surface of the barrel carbon compounds and other combustion residues of the primer composition and gunpowder in the form of soot, traces of bullet casings smeared with a thin film, all this is superimposed layer on layer, forming an aggressive layered cake. The more shots fired, the more layers of the cake we get. Of course, depending on the quality of the rifled barrel installed by the manufacturer, and whether or not the new barrel was prepared for use (polishing, fire running), the amount of contamination can vary greatly. Often, after a couple of shots, there is more dirt in a barrel that has not been prepared for use than in a prepared barrel after five or six shots. But in any case, we get multi-layered, aggressive contamination, which must be completely removed from the barrel.

What do we clean with?

This is a very important question! When buying an expensive rifled carbine, do not spare money on good chemicals, high-quality tools and accessories (cleaning rods, brushes, visers, inserts). Gone are the days when gun stores had two types of oil available for gun care: alkaline and neutral. Today you will find a wide range of chemicals, consumables and tools for high-quality care of your weapon, and qualified sellers will always advise and help in choosing the necessary materials.

My rifle care kit.

Let's start with the main cleaning tool - the cleaning rod. Ramrod must necessarily correspond to the caliber of your barrel, be solid (not assembled) and rigid enough to avoid deflection in the barrel bore, and, accordingly, friction of the ramrod on the rifling fields, have protective covering, excluding direct contact of the steel rod of the ramrod with the inner surface of the barrel. Also, another important condition for a high-quality cleaning rod is the presence of bearings in the handle, which allow the cleaning rod rod to rotate freely and easily when the patch or brush moves along the rifling of the barrel.

In my use, I had several cleaning rods from different manufacturers, and settled on cleaning rods and replacement attachments for them from an American manufacturer "Dewey". Of course, professional athletes also use more expensive cleaning rods, and even individual “custom” versions, but a cleaning rod from this manufacturer will be quite sufficient for both an ordinary hunter and a shooter who spends a lot of time at the shooting range.

Various attachments are included with the cleaning rod:

Ruffs : There must be several for the required caliber: nylon, brass, nylon on an aluminum base (for application and cleaning with solvents). Never use steel brushes when cleaning your weapon.

Vishers : there should be several under different types patches and methods of use.

Pugs: for applying preservative oil.

Aluminum brushes and patch holders for solvents.

Cleaning insert .

To clean the Blaser barrel, which is removed from the stock and has free access to the breech, I do not use an insert; it is easy for me to control the position of the cleaning rod relative to the geometry of the barrel without an insert. In all other cases, I recommend using an insert; it will allow you not to worry about contact of the cleaning rod with the bullet entrance during manipulation. With the insert, it is convenient to apply various chemicals to brushes and patches through the solvent port, avoiding getting into the internal mechanisms of the weapon and on its stock. Overall, the benefits of insertion are plentiful.

Patches.

I use different ones. I definitely recommend felt patches-tampons like VFG or their domestic analogues. They are produced for all kinds of calibers, and are very convenient for cleaning carbon deposits, applying chemicals, and polishing the barrel with pastes. In general, having tried it once, I can’t imagine my cleaning kit without them. Patches made from pressed cotton pads from women's toiletries are quite good and very cheap. Having spent very little time, you can choose required size to your caliber and cut any quantity with scissors. Such patches are well suited both for removing carbon deposits and for finishing wiping with preservative oil. I also use standard cotton patches, which are mainly used to control the removal of copper plating. I pass such a patch along the trunk after soaking with solvent; the amount of oxidized copper in the form of blue is clearly reflected on the wide surface of the patch.

Chemistry.

Several types are required, each of which is intended for a specific operation.

I use:

Powder soot solvents: WD-40 and penetrating composition Kano Kroil.

More powerful solvents (also removing copper): HoppeS-9 And Eliminator.

Copper Solvents: SweetS-7.62, Robla Solo Mil.

Cleaning and polishing pastes (necessary for polishing a new barrel and when the barrel is heavily soiled): J-B pastes .

Neutral preservative compositions: Ballistol, Silicone Grease.

Weapon machine .

I use a homemade powerful, tough one. It was possible to build this device, which allowed both to clean any weapon in assembled or disassembled form, and to use it as a sighting machine.

The HandMade machine was designed for zeroing rifled weapons and turned out to be universal.

The machine allows you to clean the weapon as if it were assembled (most bolt-on carbines)

The same goes for disassembled parts, for example the barrel of a Blaser carbine or the barrel of a smoothbore weapon.

In no case am I forcing everyone to follow my path; it will be quite enough to have a machine of this type, which is available in weapons stores in various configurations.

And finally, we come to the third question. Why do we clean?

As I wrote above, in the process of firing, and even more so several times, a layer cake of aggressive compounds appears on the surface of the barrel. The thing is that the combustion products of gunpowder and primer composition have an acidic environment, which in turn has a detrimental effect on the surface of the barrel, causing corrosion. By high-quality cleaning using all the materials, tools and chemicals listed above, we disassemble (clean) this entire pie layer by layer and our goal is to disassemble the pie completely, freeing the barrel metal from the aggressive components left behind by shooting.

Well, now, step by step, leaving all the theoretical aspects above, we will consider the entire process of cleaning a rifled barrel.

Let's clean the barrel Blaser caliber 243Win. 15 shots were fired from the barrel with a cartridge containing a bullet Lapua Scenario.

It is convenient for me to clean the Blaser barrel separated from the stock and with the optical sight removed.

I clamp the barrel at a slight downward angle with the muzzle to allow the chemical to drain. I soak the entire inner surface of the barrel with a fairly large amount of WD-40, also passing it several times to distribute the solvent with a nylon brush, and leave it for 10-12 minutes.

We screw the visher and patch onto the cleaning rod and pass along the barrel until the patch comes out of the barrel. The first couple of patches are the dirtiest, and it is not advisable to return the dirt and rub it along the trunk. With the remaining patches we make several reciprocating movements; the limit before the patch leaves the barrel is a mark made of electrical tape on the ramrod axis.

To control the position of the patch inside the barrel, place a note on the cleaning rod.

We clean until the outgoing patches have the original white look, in my case it turned out to be 10 patches for the first stage of cleaning.

Patches after the first stage of cleaning.

At this point, many opponents of “major cleaning shamanism” would have finished the whole process, because the last patch was almost snow-white, which means, in their opinion, the trunk is clean.

Well, we will continue. Having removed the carbon deposits, and even then not all of them, because it still remains under the layers of copper, we will begin to soak the dirt using a penetrating composition Kano Kroil.

I think it's the best remedy today for cleaning weapons. Possessing high penetrating ability, Kroil swells the resulting dirt film, which facilitates its further removal with patches.

We apply Kroil using a brass brush, passing several movements along the entire inner surface until the brush completely exits the muzzle. Under no circumstances should you make a reverse movement with a ramrod with a brass brush without pushing it completely out of the barrel, otherwise the antennae of the brush will break and the brush will not last long. Just as in the first stage, we leave the barrel alone for 10-12 minutes to soak. After a while, the visher and clean patches are back, and what we see: it seems that the trunk has already been cleaned until the patches are snow-white, but after a little soaking with Kroil, the first patch is no different from the first patch of a dirty trunk. At the second stage, 8 patches were spent until white came out.

Patches after the second stage of cleaning.

For soaking with solvents we use an aluminum patch holder.

This product dissolves carbon deposits well and actively oxidizes deposited copper. We pass the moistened patch along the trunk a couple of times and leave it now for 15-20 minutes for the composition to actively work with the contamination. Now, after time has elapsed, on a patch driven through the barrel, we see the remains of gunpowder residue and a layer of copper that begins to oxidize after the layer of carbon deposits (a slight blue tint can be seen on the dirty patch). After the third soaking, 3 patches were enough to get it clean, due to the fact that the bulk of the dirt had already been removed.

When soaking with solvents, it is imperative not to allow the composition to leak onto the outer surface of the barrel, since with prolonged exposure the solvent eats up the bluing.

Next we clean with felt patches soaked in HoppeS-9. The felt patch runs more tightly along the barrel, efficiently cleaning the rifling and corners of the combat edges. With each new patch soaked in HoppeS-9, I make up to 10 reciprocating movements over the entire surface of the barrel, without the patch leaving the muzzle. It took 8 patches or 80 passes along the barrel until the white patch came out. That's how much dirt still remained in the seemingly clean trunk.

Patches after cleaning with HoppeS-9 solvent.

Once every 50-60 shots, I additionally clean the barrel using a “fine abrasive” pastes J-B blue . The paste, due to its abrasiveness, helps to clean off carbon particles pressed into the metal of the barrel and cannot be cleaned with solvents. You should not overuse cleaning pastes, especially on a barrel that has already been polished and previously run-in, but 10-15 passes of a felt patch lubricated with paste, at intervals of 50-60 shots, will not harm the barrel. And here we again see dirt removed by patches after passes with paste.

After a clean patch appears, we can confidently say that we have cleaned the barrel, only we have not cleaned it of all the components of the layer cake, and this is easy to check. We drive a clean patch into the barrel not reaching the muzzle 0.5-1 cm and hold it up to the light, moving it towards the table lamp, we see layers of copper on the margins and in the rifling.

Traces of copper on the margins and in the rifling.

I use it to remove copper Eliminator or Robla Solo Mil, for which I generously moisten the felt patch in the specified solvent, make several passes along the trunk and leave for 15-20 minutes for the drug to act.

After the time has passed, I run a cotton patch, which clearly shows the amount of copper removed from the barrel; depending on the number of shots, it takes from 1 to 5 soaks until the copper is completely removed.

Cotton patches with traces of copper oxide.

I carry out a control soaking with the most aggressive composition towards copper. SweetS-7.62. I do not recommend leaving it in the barrel for more than 15 minutes. Last soaking with SweetS-7.62 enough to completely remove copper from the barrel.

Now, in order to remove the remnants of aggressive solvents from the bore, we again use penetrating Kano Kroil. Having moistened generously several times, we go through the patch, and then another dry patch.

We clean the chamber with reciprocating, circular movements, using a short cleaning rod with a suitable brush and a flannel cloth wrapped around it.

That's it, the barrel is cleaned to zero, that is, perfectly clean. Depending on whether the carbine will be used in the near future or not, I leave the barrel dry or, for long-term storage, pass it through with preservative oil. Ballistol.

Patches after all stages of cleaning.

Cleaning the barrel after 15 shots required very few consumables and a fairly small amount of time. Of course, the main time interval is spent on soaking with solvents and, as a rule, there are other activities during these intervals.

I would also like to warn novice users of rifled weapons that this cleaning “to zero” with such a small consumption of materials and time becomes possible only after proper preparation of the barrel for use, that is, the specified Blaser barrel has gone through a full cycle before use.

Cleaning the shutter.

We wipe the outer surface of the barrel with preservative oil.

We collect. The carbine is ready for further use.

I would also like to add about the need to have such a small set for people traveling with their own weapons. Be it long hunts or rafting. Create such a kit for yourself and you can always service your weapon outside the home.

My traveling kit for 20 and 308 caliber combo guns.

Let your carbine serve you for a long time and please you with excellent results both when shooting at targets and during real hunting.

Alexey Suvorov