by Justin Utley
Long Range Rifle Multi
National Record Holder
and Firearms Instructor
As Americans, owning and using firearms is an important part of who we are as a country. It’s part of our culture and the reason we are the country we are today. The Founding Fathers believed so strongly in this God given right, that they wove it into the fabric of this great country, by making it the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
With this right comes great responsibility. We are responsible to be familiar with our firearms, know how to operate them safely and keep them out of the hands of those who do not share this responsibility. Part of operating a firearm safely includes maintaining that firearm and keeping it in good working condition.
I have been shooting since a very young age when my dad taught me how to shoot, and basic firearms safety. He also instilled in me the knowledge and discipline to keep my rifles clean and well taken care of. After every shooting session came the dreaded cleaning session. It has never been my favorite thing to do, but I have come to realize the importance of it. As a competitive shooter, I demand the highest performance out of my rifles and that can only be achieved through proper maintenance. Maintaining a rifle is not hard if it is kept up with and not neglected. This article outlines basic things to pay attention to and things to do for proper rifle maintenance. Although this is focused on rifles, the same general steps can be applied to pistols and shotguns.
Regardless of what type of shooting you plan to do from plinking in the back yard, going on the hunt of a lifetime or high level competitive shooting, it’s a pretty safe bet that we all want our rifles to perform to the best of their ability. A clean rifle is a happy rifle. Although a dirty rifle may still function, it will not be at its best performance and will almost definitely not be at its peak accuracy. Depending on what type of rifle you have, cleaning it will be slightly different. There are several different types of rifles, but this will just focus on the most common modern rifles used today. Older rifles made early last century and before, require greater care and need to be properly researched before cleaning to preserve any historical value they may have.
There are some things you will need to make this job as easy as you can. A basic cleaning kit will have most of what you need, but there are some additional items you can purchase to make the job even easier. For most rifles, you will want to buy a bore guide that fits that particular rifle. A bore guide is a tool that replaces the bolt and simply guides your cleaning rod down the center of the bore during barrel cleaning. This will ensure there is no damage done to the rifle or the cleaning rod. When dealing with a bolt action rifle, there are some bore guides that are universal and will fit most rifles. Another good thing to invest in, is a good one piece cleaning rod. Dewey and Tipton brands are excellent choices among others. These cleaning rods are a single solid rod and are either coated with something like nylon, or in the case of the Tipton, carbon fiber. They ensure that no damage will be done to the inside of your barrel because the outside of the cleaning rod is much softer than the steel bore. Another thing you will need is a jag. A jag is an attachment that goes on the cleaning rod which allows for cleaning patches to be pushed through the barrel. There are several type of jags and you may have to try a couple to find the type you like the best. Most cleaning kits will include these. Lastly, and most important, be sure you have a quality firearm oil and solvent. The solvent will make cleaning the barrel much easier and much faster, by breaking down the fouling. Good firearm oil is specifically designed and engineered to be used on firearms. Other types of oil can work, but to be safe, just stick with a dedicated firearm oil. There are many brands available today. Don’t get too worried about which one you choose as most work as advertised. Now that we’ve talked about gear, lets get into actually cleaning a rifle!
Just kidding! Before you start messing with your firearm, BE SURE IT IS UNLOADED! Visually and physically inspect the magazine and chamber to be sure there is no ammunition present. It is also good practice to not have any ammunition nearby while you are doing any kind of maintenance on your firearm. You can never be safe enough!
Also, before you begin, you may want to refer to your owners manual (I know, I know) to be sure you know how to take the rifle apart. I don’t mean a detailed disassembly, just a simple field strip. In the case of a bolt action rifle, this may just simply be removing the bolt from the action. In the case of a semi auto rifle like the ever popular AR-15 or AR-10, you should learn how to field strip the bolt assembly as well. Some rifles don’t really have a good way to field strip them (like a lever action) and you may just be stuck cleaning them as best you can with them fully assembled.
Bolt action rifles are generally the most basic and easiest to clean of the currently produced rifles. For basic maintenance and cleaning, all you really need to do is remove the bolt from the action to complete these tasks. From here you can clean and lubricate the bolt and clean the barrel. Cleaning the bolt and inside of the action can usually be done by simply wiping them down with a good clean cloth. Then lubricate the bolt paying special attention to the locking lugs on the front of the bolt. These are what takes the force when the rifle is fired so they need to be properly lubricated. We’ll talk about barrel cleaning a little later on.
Semi-auto rifles are a little more complex, therefore a little more disassembly is needed. There are many different models of semi-auto rifles and their operations can be completely different. Some of them will be a lot more difficult to disassemble and you will have to refer to the owners manual for the disassembly instructions. However, the most common semi-auto rifle in America today is the AR-15. These are very simple rifles to field strip and after doing it a couple of times, you will agree. Cleaning these rifles is very simple as well. Once it is field stripped, clean everything by wiping it down or using some solvent to help break up and clean the carbon build-up. Once its clean, lubricate and reassemble the bolt. Refer to your owners manual or a lubrication chart found online if you are not sure where to apply lubrication.
Lever action rifles, and other types of rifles, can be very difficult to disassemble. Because of this, you may want to just clean the inside of the action with it fully assembled. On these types of rifles, you will also have to clean the barrels from the muzzle end rather than the breach or chamber end. If this is done, you have to pay extra attention not to cause any damage to the muzzle with the cleaning rod. You will also want to be careful when you push the cleaning rod through the barrel and into the chamber area not to push it too hard and slam the jag into the bolt face. This can cause significant damage to the jag and even bend it so it can’t be pulled back out of the barrel.
A good source of information when it comes to disassembly and reassembly is YouTube videos. Although it is a good source, be careful what information you take from it. I know it’s hard to believe, but not everything on YouTube, or the internet in general, is reliable information and in some cases it is simply wrong information. How do you tell good information from bad information? Verify. Verify with other sources, verify with someone who is knowledgeable and you trust. Verify with a gunsmith. Verify the information somehow. Never just take one piece of information and trust it.
To clean the barrel, this is where those special tools we talked about earlier come in. Insert your bore guide into the action where the bolt was and ensure a good fit. Now take your cleaning rod and jag and attach a cleaning patch to the jag. I recommend starting with patches saturated in bore solvent. Push the patches through the barrel and out the muzzle end. It is best practice to only push the patches one direction, from the breach or back of the barrel to the muzzle or front of the rifle. I only work with wet patches until I get clean patches coming out of the barrel. Then, I run dry patches through the barrel to get all of the solvent out. If the rifle is going to be stored for an extended period of time, it is a good idea to run a patch saturated with oil down the barrel to prevent any kind of corrosion. Then after storage and before you fire the rifle, run a dry patch through the barrel to get most of the oil out.
Let’s briefly talk about differences in cleaning techniques. Chances are, you were taught a different way to clean your barrel. If you were to go to a range and ask ten people about how they clean their rifles, you will most likely get twelve different answers. There is no one way to clean a rifle. Find a technique you like and that works for you. As long as you get the desired results, it works. This also can vary some depending on what you expect from your rifle. If you are strictly a hunter and are happy with hitting a pie plate at 100 yards then you can get away with the most basic cleaning techniques. If you are a precision competitor and strive for less than 1/4” inch groups at 100 yards, then your cleaning technique will probably be more strict and detailed. The key is to do what works for you.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that for some rifles after you clean the barrel, the first round or two will not impact where the rifle is sighted in. The first couple rounds may be off from where it normally shoots. The only way to know this is to test it. Every rifle is an individual and no two rifles react the exact same. This is very important to know because if your rifle is one that takes a couple of shots to be back on target, you don’t want to take that rifle hunting with a squeaky clean barrel. It may be better to clean the rifle, then fire a couple of “fouling shots” through it to ensure you will hit where you want to hit when that trophy buck steps out in front of you. So, find out how your rifle acts and what it likes.
Now let’s touch on some other areas of maintenance that you should pay attention to. Maintenance is more than just keeping your rifle clean, it’s also ensuring that everything is in proper condition to be used safely. This includes periodically checking screws to make sure they are all tight. If you have a scope or other optic on your rifle, check the scope ring screws and other screws that hold the optic to the rifle. It is a good idea to do some research and know the torque specifications for scope ring screws. If you do not have one, I suggest getting a torque wrench that measures in inch pounds (in/lbs) as most of these specs are in in/lbs. If you overtighten scope rings, you can actually damage your scope! The action screws on a bolt action rifle also usually have a torque specification on them as well. These are the screws that hold the rifle into the stock. If any of these screws are loose, it can be very detrimental to accuracy and performance.
Look for any abnormal wear. Anything that looks excessively worn may need to be checked by a competent gunsmith. Excessive wear can cause the rifle to not function properly and become unsafe.
Finally, practice! You can do all the maintenance you want to on your rifle, but when the time comes to make that shot, if you have failed to maintain your skills it won’t matter. Shooting is a skill that takes a lot of time and effort to get good at. It is also a diminishing skill that requires maintenance. Practice does not have to be with your hunting rifle that shoots expensive ammo. Yes you need to practice with it, but the majority of your practice can be done with your favorite .22LR. As long as you are focusing on the fundamentals of shooting and working on marksmanship, any trigger time is helpful.
Lastly, pass on your passion! Teach your kids or grandkids to shoot. Teach them at a young age and stress firearms safety to them early on. Teach them what the Second Amendment means and why it is important. The future of this Country relies on us to instill strong values into our young people. Let’s keep the American culture alive!
