Oh no.. A cleaning question.

[Pydpiper]

I just went at my .204 for the first time, probably 300 rounds through it. Yesterday at the range I noticed my groups were still tight but dropped an inch. Got me thinking about cleaning.
Thanks to you guys I have what I needed, a Dewey rod, Lucas guide, brushes, jag and patches. I also have a bottle of Hopps and some copper cutter. I cleaned it throughly, in the end I ended up pushing through patches that were coming out like new.
My questions:
Cleaning my cleaning equipment, is there any special way to clean my brush and rod or just store it as is?
My Bore guide, I do not think I understand it completely, there is a slotted area and a removable insert for the back of the bore guide, that slot is well hidden under my scope when I get it in to place, what is it?
Finally, the chamber, how do I deal with it? How do I get in there to clean it without pushing any debris back in to the barrel? A bit confused with that one.. I picture the bore guides washer pushing everything in there forward and out of reach.
I must say though, I thoroughly enjoyed cleaning that rifle!

Thanks, and sorry

[JD11]

I've found you always need to hit your brushes with a cleaner. Once I neglected to clean one and the copper solvent reacted with the brass core (even though the bristles were nylon) and a while later it looked like a corroded automotive battery terminal---the green stuff. To wash the solvents and cleaners out of my barrel and chamber after cleaning I use Tetra Gun Action Blaster. For my brushes, etc, I use automotive brake clean---way cheaper and probably close to the same stuff. They're both in spray cans with a straw nozzle. I just wipe my rods, etc, with a cloth or paper towel.
Can't help on the guide, mine's a Dewey.

[Hawkeye Joe]

To neutralize brushes and jags, I use Isopropyl Alcohol with the highest Isopropyl content I can find(80%-90%). It's cheep and available everywhere. For the chamber, I use a 410 shotgun mop on the handled section of a 3 piece shotgun cleaning rod.

[Pydpiper]

Excellent advice guys, thank you.
I have all of that stuff except the .410 mop, I will get one tomorrow before I shoot again.
So while I am at it, what is the point of a mop, I bought a couple from Dewey when I made my order, but have no idea why.

I promise I wont keep these questions coming, I just want to make sure I get this right.

David

[Rick in Oregon]

The mop is to dry your chamber from any remaining solvents after cleaning and prevent cartridge setback due to a wet chamber = a dangerous condition, and can shear bolt lugs with the chamber pressure generated by any high intensity cartridge.

I use a .45 mop in my chambers, but a 410 ga would work too, just a bit looser.

[Wrangler John]

I use carburetor cleaner in the nifty spray can to blast off my bronze brushes, it's cheap and sold at discount parts stores. CRC brand and Berryman's B-12 Chemtool are both great as they dissolve and remove any traces of solvent residue, while quickly evaporating and leaving no residue of their own. They will soften the coating on Bore-Tech cleaning rods however, so I just dampen a patch unless using a stainless steel rod. Powder residue dissolves easily. After cleaning, I swab the bore with CRC or Chemtool, dry with a couple of patches then lube the bore with Holland's Witches Brew before firing.

Same thing with the bore mops, dampen the first with carburetor cleaner, follow with a dry mop. The dirty mops can be blasted clean with the stuff and squeezed out into a paper towel.

CRC contains toluene, methanol, acetone, heptane and xylene (Berryman's drops the heptane and adds Methyl Ethyl Ketone, 2-Butoxyethanol, Isopropanol a form of Isopropyl alcohol, and Mixed Xylenes) use in well ventilated areas and, because its heavier than air, away from pilot light flames and blazing Dominican cigars. This stuff will clean the metal down to the pores, and prevent carbon buildup from petroleum based bore solvents. If it isn't specifically labeled as pure anhydrous isopropyl alcohol, the commonly available isopropyl alcohol contains 12.5% water as a result of the manufacturing and distillation process, requiring a bore preservative prior to storage.

I also use Berryman's to clean lube off of sized cases with a shot on paper toweling.

The stuff in the bore solvents isn't any safer, so I use blue nitrile disposable gloves when cleaning guns.

[JD11]

I use Isopropyl Alcohol with the highest Isopropyl content I can find(80%-90%).

If you want 99% any drug store pharmacy will order it for you if they don't have it in stock. If I remember right it was about as cheap as the 80-90%.

[Rich V]

I use distilled alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol.Think it dries faster cleans better and has no water.