I'm a bit of a gun noob so please take it easy on me. Recently I was given a Winchester Model 70 30-06 by my uncle. He purchased the gun about 15 years ago and over the next few years shot a few hundred rounds through it. According to him he didn't clean it all that often (and knowing him, he probably didn't do too thorough of a job). When he cased it for the last time 5 years or so ago he said that it had not been cleaned.

I know that when he first got this gun it was extremely accurate. I don't know what effect his lack of maintenance has had on the accuracy. I've not yet looked into the barrel but I'd bet the farm that it is filthy. I've not shot it.

Questions...

What do I do to clean it?
What should I use to clean it?
How "aggressively" should I clean it?
How often should I clean it after shooting it?

Your sharing of wisdom is appreciated.

Clean and inspect before firing is the best attitude for this rifle. A normal but through cleaning is all it will probably require, depending of course upon how humid your enviroment is. Attention to both the outside and the inside of the rifle. Check all screws especially the main action screws as they tend to loosen with disuse... Stock shrinks a little over time. I would soak the bore with a penetarting oil after removing the action from the stock. Keeps the oil out of the stock that way, and allows you to peek around a bit. Probably better than you think.

Good luck.

Thank you, sir, I appreciate it!

Timbermonkey, before I give you my advice, I should first base it on what claning equipment you have. Do you have or have access to the falowing items:

<>Correct for caliber Bore guide
<>Some form of gun cradle to hold rifle while cleaning
<>Good quality one piece cleaning rod NOT MADE OUT OF aluminum
<>correct for caliber bore jags and nylon or bronze bore brushes
<>Correct for caliber cleaning patches
<>Good cleaning solvents that will first remove the non-copper fowling like carbon then a good copper removing solvent.

Once I know what you have I will gladly give you all the guidence you will need. I highly accurate rifle is to be cared for in the extream.

To let you know I have been cleaning rifles, MLs, slug guns, handguns, and shotguns for over 25 yeras and have tried most of whats on the market, so i have a good idea what works and what is BS ans or hype.

Correct for caliber Bore guide - NO

Some form of gun cradle to hold rifle while cleaning - YES

Good quality one piece cleaning rod NOT MADE OUT OF aluminum - No

correct for caliber bore jags and nylon or bronze bore brushes - YES

Correct for caliber cleaning patches - YES

Good cleaning solvents that will first remove the non-copper fowling like carbon then a good copper removing solvent. - NO

Wisdom shared is appreciated!

Timbermonkey, I will have to get back to you tomarow becuase husband duty calls and I need time to properly explain what i wish to tell you. So I will post back to you tomarow.

Regards,
Arthur.

Timbermonkey, Let me start by saying Gene Shilen of Shilen custom barrels who is a world wide respected barrel maker whos has made barrels that have won countless shooting titals on the both national as well as international levels has openly stated repeatedly that in his decades long experience of replacing worn out rifle barrels, by far the overwhelming number one cause of this barrel ruining wear is not shooting, but IMPROPER CLEANING tecnique used by the rifle owner.

Thankfully for me I came accross this article written by Mr. Shilen as I was reasurching my first high power center fire rifle purchase some 14 years ago. In this article Mr. Shilen, contained a list of what he considered "must have" cleaning equipment for use in cleaning rifle barrels, spacificly bolt action ones. I will list for you pieces of cleaning equipment and where to get them that I feel are "must have" items.

MUST HAVE CLEANING EQUIPMENT:
<>One piece cleaning rod eithor made out of coated spring steel or uncoated stainless steel, sized apropreatly for caliber of rifle. The maker of the rod will list which rod is for what range of calibers or bore diameter.

I personally use and recommend Dewey one piece coated cleaning rods made by J.Dewey MFG Co. Thay make them for every concivable caliber. Thay cost around $27.00 each from www.natchezss.com
Thay are coated with a solvent proof extra tough nylon coating that is still 100% intact on all six of mine after over 14 years of HARD use. They are also available at Cabelas.

You can get by with only one but I recammend you buy two same exact ones. One for your bore brush and one for use with a bore jag. There are other good cleaning rods out there especially from a company called "Bore Tech" and I actually feel that the one peice coated rods made by "Bore Tech" are actually a better design than my Deweys, and if given a choice now, I would by them insted of the Deweys, but I already had my Deweys rods for several years before Bore Techs became avialable. Thay cost a few $$$ more than the Deweys and are also for sale at Natchez shooters supplies. If you are on a tight budget and the Deweys and Bore techs are out of your price consider the one piece SST/ST rods made by "Klean Bore" or "Pro Shot" both make 1-peice rods for less than $20ea. I have no personal experience with eithor, but I have looked them over and thay seam like well made cleaning rods. Keep in mind no other single peice of cleaning equipment is IMO more important than your cleaning rod. Which ever one you buy make sure the cleaning rod is attached so as to be independent of the handel, and the handel spins freely so you do not unscrew your jags and brushes with every claning stroke.

You should also strongly consider a one peice stainless steel hadgun cleaning rod as such a rod is irreplaceable for cleaning inside of your rifle chamber and receiver. Everyone I listed that make full sized rods make them and one should coast you no more than &12-$17. If you look around you can find a good one that comes included in a HG cleaning kit for the same $$$.

<>Rifle cradel:
You do not need to spend alot of money here to get a realy good rifle/shotgun cleaning cradle. The one I have and love is Made by "MTM" called "MTM Gunsmith Mainttnance Center" it costs $26.99 at Natchez item #C07MTRMC5. MTM makes 3 different cradles all FS as Natchez so look them over you might like one better than the one I am recammending.
I pretty sure this is the cheapest one MTM makes. I also have a cradle made by "Tipton" that cost around $99, but I actually only use it when I have more than 1 rifle to clean and prefer my $27 MTM.

<>Bore Guide:
Lots of companies make bore guides I use the ones made by "Stony Point" and "Pro Shot" and thay are available at Natchez and Cabelas and cost around $20ea. This item is just as important as your cleaning rod in that your bore guide hepls keep your cleaning rod centered while going down and back through your barrel. It also keeps unwanted dirt, gunk and the cleanong solvents loaded with same out of your rifles trigger assembly. It also allows you to incert slovent soaked patches into your barrel so as to minimize the solvent dripping off your patch from going anywhere you do not want it. As I said alot of companies make bore guides so look at them all before you deside. You will find 99% of them at eithor Natchez, MidwayUsa, as well as Midsouth SS and Graf and Sons. Bore Tech also makes a quite nice one but its kinda pricy.

<>Phosforus Bronze bore brushes, nylon bore brushes, bronze patch jags, and patch holders:
Again lots and lots of companies make all of these. The single most important thing about them, ESPECIALLY THE PATCH JAGS, is buy ones that are sized correctly for the caliber of the rifle you are using them in. I have both bronze and nylon brushes from Klean Bore, Pro Shot, Montana Extream and thay all are excellent quality. Thay are avilable at Natches, MidwayUsa or www.midwayusa.com as well as other places like Graf and Sons, Midsouth shooters suplies. The patch holders I use are made by the same people I buy my brushes from. I use patch holders for general cleaning inside of the rifles chamber as well as all ahrd to reach places on all my firearm types. The difference btwn a holder and a jag is THE JAG is sized spacificly to the bore and is similar to a bullet in design with a point on its end to hold the patch in place while cleaning. A PATcH HOLDER most closely resembles the slotted end of a large nitting neadle and is not for use to actually clean a rifle bore. The patch jags I use and highly recammend are made by "Tipton" thay make a new nickle coated bore jag that will not react with copper removing agents and I this is the patch jag I strongly recammend you buy. Thay are called "Tipton Ultra Jags" available only at MidwayUsa and cost about $4.50 each. You realy only need one or two jags per rifle caliber you own. I recammend you get 2 to 3 each of the bronz and nylon brushes per caliber rifle you own though, and two patch holders as well as they are cheap at around $2 each. Regardless of the brushes you buy make absolutely certain thay do not have the wound end of the brush cut off to form a sharp barrel damaging end. the end should be wound over and look like a peice of wire that has been bent over inn half and twited not cut. Cut ones are typical of cheaply made brushes.

<>General cleaning brushes:
You can usually pick up packs of these containg six brushes, three each of a nylon brush, bronze brush, and stainless steel brush. You will find uses with out end for these must haves. Cost is around $5-$6 for a six pack. Available anywhere thay sell gun cleaning suplies.

<>Cleaning Patches:
Once again almost everybody who makes cleaning supplies/solvents makes cleaning patches.It is of the utmost importance you get the correct for caliber size cleaning patches. Again the patch maker will list this info for you. The ones I use and are my favorites are made by "Butch's Bore Shine" available at Natchez for around $11.00 per 500 count bag and "Pro Shot" Pro Shot's patches are cheaper at around $6 per 500.

<>Cleaning Solvents.
I have only three to recammend for your bore. I will start with my favorite non-foaming bore cleaners. I have used for years and love the one-two puch combination that Birchwood Casy's 2 in 1 bore cleaner and Barnes CR-10 gives me.

It is the opinion of most rifle owners that you must first remove the carbon fowling left behind in your barrel before you can attack the copper fowling in the most efficiant mannor. To do this I would first use "Birchwood Casey's 2 in 1 Bore Cleaner" untill my patches only came out with blue on them. Once that was done I would then use my homes brew of "Big Ed's Red" to remove all of the Birchwood Casey cleaner as YOU NEVER WANT TO MIX CLEANING AGENTS like Birchwood and Barnes CR-10. Big Ed's Red" is poor mans DYS Hopes No#9. And I can make five gallons for what it cost me to by 2 quarts of Hopes #9. This next part is of the utmost importance. You must use NYLON BORE BRUSHES when cleaning with Barnes CR-10 and fallow the directions for using CR-10 exactly as thay read on the container. Both of these solvents are available at MidwayUSA and Natchez. The Barnes CR-10 if I recall cost about $10 for 8ozs but a little of CR-10 gos a loooooong way and abottle will last you several years. The 2 in 1 I dont recall the cost.

I advise you to do a search at this website as well as at www.acuraterelaoding.com for more resuch on borecleaning solvents as well as copper removing solvents as thay have made meny improvments since I have gone 100% to foaming bore cleaners for all my firearms bores, although considering how badly you claim yours is fowled with both copper and carbon, you will probubly benafit from giving non-foaming bore cleaners a try first.

I have since retired all my other bore cleaning solvents in favor of "Wipe-Out Brushless Bore Cleaner" made by: "Sharp Shoot R Supplies" website www.sharpshootr.com. If you are intersted go to thier website and check it out it works as advertized and I love it. If you are going to give some a try email me at:
arthur-jr3229@sbcglobal.net and I will give you my opinions of it and why I love it. I will tell you it's only down side in that its a little slow working on realy badly fowled bores.

I also recammend you invest in some spray can "Action cleaner" as it is great stuff for all purpose cleaning of everyhting from your rifle to your cleaning equipment itself. Be sure to buy the stuff that does not contain 111-trichloral ethaline(sp?) or other realy harmfull agents. A few companies are now advertizing action cleaner comtaining no cancer causing agents so read the warning lable before you buy. This stuff retails for around $5-$9 for a 20oz can. If you can buy this over the counter as everybody sells it from Wal-Mart to Cabelas.

I also strongly recammend you invest in "Break Free CLP" this is a awesome lubbricant and rust inhibitore. I use it and love it a little goes a long way. A good second choice is Remingtons Remoil.

<>Container to carry it all in.
I just store all my non solvent stuff (bruches, jags, tools ets) in a old large double sided six tray Plano tackle box. My solvents and patches I just store in a medium sized rubber made container with lid.

Lastly go to Home Depot and buy yourself several pairs of form fitting cotton lined neoprene covered rubber gloves that are highly solvent resistive as you want to minimize the contact YOU MAKE WITH YOUR SKIN WITH ANY SOLVENT you are using. Cost me $5 a pear.

Lastly I would like to say Timbermonkey that with the exception of bronze bore bushes all of the cleaning equiment I have recammended to you should be considered a long term investment. By that I mean that I still have all my original cleaning equipment and with proper care and use all the items I have recammended to you will last for at least the 14 years that have for me. I do occasionaly were out and have to replace cleaning brushes, but thats it. My bore Jags, cleaning rods, cradles and so on will last for years and years if you use them as intanded and dont abuse them. I fully expect with continued proper care that all my major pieces of cleaning equipment will last for at least another 14 years.

Websites to go to find equipment and cmpair prices:

www.natcezss.com
www.midwayusa.com
www.cabelas.com
www.grafandsons.com
www.midsouthss.com
Over all day in and out Natchez shooters supplies will have the best prices.

Well dinners on the table gotta go. I hope this was what you were looking for and it was helpfull.

Regards,
Arthgur.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Thanks for all the info, I've got some shopping and work to do.

Much appreciated!