I prefer Dewey rods and like Boretech as well I tend to use a 2 to 1 mix of Shooters Choice and Kroil. I also like Butchs Bore Shine but don't use it to often. About every third cleaning I'll scrub the bores with Sweets and JB to remove anything that's remaining. I'll finish up with Rem. Oil. I always use a nylon brush with the copper solvents like Sweets. Otherwise the ammonia attacks them. Be sure to use a good bore guide and preferrably an "O" ring to keep the solvents from getting into your rifles' action. When using products like Butchs Bore Shine, Shooters Choice or Montana Extreme let them stay in the bore for about 15 minutes to give them time to lift some of the crud. You'll develop your own pattern and product preferrence as time goes by. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I think we probably tried everything on the market, and settled on the following.

We use Dewey coated rods exclusively, with either Sinclar or our own made bore guides.

We also use cleaning pads made by VFG in Germany. These are made to fit each caliber, cylinderical in shape with a small hole in the middle. They supply an adaptor that fits on the cleaning rod. You push this through the barrel, and as you pull the rod back it drops off.

If you wish to have it go in and out, you can screw iut onto the above mentioned adaptor.

We find these are better than any cleaning patches.

1. We soak one in Hoppe's #9, and push it through the barrel.
2. Push a nother, dry patch through.
3. Soak a bronze brush of the correct size in Hoppe's #9, and work it forward and backwards a few times.
4. Push a dry patch, followed a wet one or two.
If they all come out still very dirty, another application of the soaked brush is made.
5. Dry teh barrel by pushing two or 3 patches, then saok one in Sweet 7.62 and run it through the barrel.
6. Wait a few minutes, and run another wet patche of Sweet's.
7. Continue this until the patches come out clean.

8. If the barrel takes several applications of Sweet's and the patches are still coming out green/blue in color, then an application of J-B Compound is called for.

9. We apply J-B to a patch, and run it forward and backward through the barrel several times. Several patches are run this way.

10. Another application of Hoppe's #9, then some more of the Sweet 7.62 treatment.

The above is really for very badly fouled barrels, and so far I hagve not come across any barrels that this method did not clean very well.

Some barrels are cleaned in 10 or less patches of all the applications. While others you might have to run over a 100.

WE have found that premium barrels from any of the major US makers like Hart, Shiled, Krieger, Lilja and so on; do not require so much cleaning, as they seem to foul very little.

Some factory barrels seem to be almost impossible to clean, unless you keep at it for a very long time. Once they have been fired a few rounds, you are back to square one.

Good info, thanks for the input.

I was looking for Dewey rods today, and they are going for $25 locally. Ouch! That much money for a rod to do one gun? And I like the way Dewey changes the threads on you, so you can't use a smaller rod in a larger barrel.

But what about graphite/carbon rods? I hefted one today, and it seemed plenty stiff enough to do the trick, and obviously doesn't need the nylon coating.

And as for the Mark Lucas bore guides, where can you find them? I looked at Grafs, Midway, and a couple of others, and could not find them. The local guys never heard of them (then again, they only had Hoppes' kits that Wal-Mart sells).

'Preciate the info!
F6

Here is a link to VFG

Some of our American friends may be can help you with finding the products you are looking for.

F6Hawk: I owned a Hoppes Elite Graphite rod for a while and it was much better than the typical 3-piece rod but not even in the same league as the Dewey IMO, you might as well pay the extra money for a Dewey the first time around because I guarantee you you wont be satisfied with the carbon rod for long.



On the subject of cleaning solutions I use a 2:1 Butch's Bore Shine and Kroil Mix, and it works wonderfully for all types of fouling. Also as far as rod guides go for my hunting rfles I use a Stoney-Point and for my target rifle I use a Sinclair. The Sinclair is a better guide, but the Stoney-Point is much, much more versitile.

Thanks for the input cmb, I ordered my Dewey's today... A good reminder, that what might save a few dollars today can end up costing a lot more in the long run.

As for the posts about Sweet's... why use another solvent, then follow it up with Sweet's? Is it better, or for different stuff? Why not use it only, if it is better?

Keep up the good input, I appreciate it!

on my factory barrels that foul badly, I run a couple patches with Butches through, then the brush a few times, then patch with Butches and dry patches till the powder fouling is mostly gone. Then I finish the easy way, fill the bore with Wipe Out and let it lay on the bench overnight. Next morning, a couple of dry patches, then a boresnake, or chamber mop to get all the foam out of the chamber, then some Ed's Red or oil before storage. Got to get the Wipe Out out of the chamber or you'll ruin the first case you fire in it. The case will turn green after a day or so from the chemical attaching the brass. For a copper foul prone barrel, nothing I've tried begins to match Wipe Out. That includes Sweats, Butches, and J_B paste.

Just give it all up and buy a can of Wipe-out. A decent rod and a bore guide are nice, but you hardly use them once you switch to Wipe-out. JMO, Dutch.