What cleaning equipment do I need?

[Irishfan]

I have my new Remington .204 VSSL and love it. After having the scope mounted, took it to the range and got it sighted in. What a blast.

My question is now, what equipment do I need to keep it clean. I ordered a bore guide from Mike Lucas. I have some cleaning patches. I have my Hoppe's #9. I also bought a prot-shot stainless steel cleaning rod with a .20 Cal Jag.

What other things does a newbie need to keep his new rifle clean?

Bob

[Vartarg]

Congratulations.....you're off the right start with what you have. I expect at some point you'll need bronze brushes. Also, some kind of cleaning cradle or stand. I've got an old MTM job, and it does the job. A really good product is the Kwik-Kradle by Hood Press. It's a cleaning cradle, plus two cleaning rod carriers in one. I loved mine, but it along with tons of my other stuff were carried off by Katrina , and I haven't replaced it.... http://www.benchrest.com/hoodpress/kwik_kradle.html

There are a lot of solvents and lubes out there, and you can find some good discussions on this forum about them. I've tried them all, and at this point I go with MPro7 Bore Cleaner, BoreTech Eliminator for copper, and also use JB bore paste for heavy duty cleaning. Lots of folks are big on WipeOut, but it hasn't worked that well for me, even using their accelerator. I finish off cleaning with Outer's Trilube...one patch with a touch of it, and then a clean patch to remove surplus.

Good Luck, George

[glenn asher]

I like the Montana Extreme solvents, both the regular powder solvent and the .50 BMG Copper Remover, they've worked very well for me. Otherwise, it sounds like you've got it covered nicely. I use the MTM cradle, also, not fancy, but it's handy and it works. It also fits on top of the accessory box MTM sells.

[dannybracy]

Midway USA has a sale on Montana X-treme cleaner.....regularly around $12-13 on sale for 2.80. Heard alot about it so i thought i would give it a try at that price. Heard you need to use it in a well ventilated area though!! Good luck. -Dan

[skipper]

Irishfan

You're gonna get a million different answers to this question. Here's a picture of my cleaning equipment. I like a dedicated rod for every chore, it makes life simpler. The Lucas bore guide is the best in my books and Mike is a member of this forum. The little wheels on the blue rod are for getting in the lug recess. That is a hard place to clean without them. You can see my choices of cleaning solvents except for the tube of Flitz. Oh, yeah. I use a lot of Ronsons lighter fuel on my triggers. Cleans them, lightly lubes them and won't gum them up.

[brokeasajoke]

I've had good luck with Sweets 7.62 available from midway and other shooting suppliers. It will do a number on your brushes after some use though, or at least it does mine anyway. It has gotten out copper others has left with my experience. It does contain ammonia. Nasty smelling. Used hoppes 9 a lot. I like its smell but from years of use it could possibly be acquired. I'll bet everyone will recommend a bore guide as well as a carbon rod or at least a coated rod. My wife cleaned my gun with some sort of lead out or lead away cloth and it was like scotch brite to the finish. Whew, at least it was stainless. Everyone is welcome to laugh at that one. So i won't recommend that one! I like precut patches to swab with. It saves me a lot of time cutting them out myself. I use .17cal rod and 6mm patches. I have an abundance of 17 rods. That reminds me i need to pick up a 20 cal rod or at least a 19. What kind of rods are recommended or not recommended it seems like i read someone having a problem with a .20 rod being to big. Geez I cant spell or type. Thank goodness for spell check.lol Its even worse when you read it after you post it and have to edit it again!

[WHISTLEPIG]

Skipper, Where did you get that lug recess tool? I have a Sinclair that does not work worth a hoot on the .204. Sure would like domething better.

[skipper]

That's just a Kleen Bore rod with the jag that came with it. The swabs have a hole in the middle. Just push the jag threads through the swab before you screw it into the rod. It works pretty well.

A blue plastic Q Tip with a paper clip through it will work also. You can bend the paper clip to the shape you want. The swabs are much easier.