I recently bought a jag for a rifle that I own and cannot for the life of me get the jag and the "appropriate" sized patch down the barrel of my gun. Even using smaller patches I feel like I'm screwing the barrel up, and that's if I can get the jag down the barrel at all. What gives? Should I try a different manufacturer's jag or perhaps a smaller diameter jag? Any and all help would be great!

What is the condition of the bore. If it is a corroded and dirty bore, the surface will grab the patch make it impossible to push it through. My 80 year old Mannlicher rifle has this problem and it needs a good brushing and a very wet patch before it will allow the jag with patch to more. Even then it is very difficult to pull the patch back like I can do in all my other rifles.

If the bore is a good one, then I would try a smaller diameter jag. I would also mic the jag to see if the one you bought was true to label of it was a packaging error at the shop.

That is a more common problem than you might think--it is really beneficial to get the tightest fit you can on a patch but not to the point where you bend your rod.
Brownell's has some good advice about this in their tech section that is basically telling you to stab--if you are using SPEAR TYPE JAG--THE PATCH OFF CENTER--WHAT THEY DO NOT TELL YOU IS THAT SOME JAGS ARE SO SHORT THAT FOLLOWING THIS ADVICE ALLOWS A CORNER OF THE PATCH TO slip over the wider pert of the jag or adapter and bind the rod that way. Sorry for the ALL CAPS I don't care to retype all that due to a typo..............Using a Parker Hale type jag can be a lot more controllable for some folks. I like that type when using ISSO or JB, but normally I will use a size smaller spear jag with a really grabby patch like Butch's triple twills........so a .224 jag used with .243 patches in a 6mm barrel or a .270 jag in a .30 barrel.......I noticed Tony Boyer advocating that same thing in his book, so that made me feel....something---BTW-- Dewey offers aluminum jags and etc for those folks with copper fouling problems who just WILL not buy a borescope--no false traces with those tools and they are still soft enough to be safe for your bore..........

Soak the bore with some Wipeout, and then drop one caliber size jag and try again.

If off-center piercing of the patch does not solve your problem, just chuck the jag into an electric drill and grind it down with some sand paper ever so carefully until it fits. No big deal.

I just realised that I have a full set of jags in a plastic box - from .17 to 458 - totally 8 or 10 jags. I also buy 22 & 7mm spares as I tend to use them more. I sometimes go up a caliber in jag size for a good scrub with a Napier woven patch which is a bit thinner but stronger for scrubbing.

Thanks for the advice. I bought a new jag and a different variety of patches and that seems to have solved the problem. It's amazing how finicky they can be.

Try a "Parker-Hale" type jag. It is designed to wrap the patch around the jag, which increases the bearing surface of the patch within the bore. see this website for an example: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=271331

I use it for all my long guns. Got this tip from a high power shooter assigned to the Army Marksmanship Unit at Ft. Benning, GA, at Camp Perry, OH, last year. Regards, Bill.

I always use jags that are for a smaller bore size so that a larger patch can be used, therfore, larger surface area for cleaning.

Ya just have to experiment with patch size and scissors to determine the proper size to clean your bore.

quote:

Originally posted by craigcampbell:
Thanks for the advice. I bought a new jag and a different variety of patches and that seems to have solved the problem. It's amazing how finicky they can be.

Yeah, like finding the right patch thickness for the muzzle loader.

quote:

Originally posted by McFox:
If off-center piercing of the patch does not solve your problem, just chuck the jag into an electric drill and grind it down with some sand paper ever so carefully until it fits. No big deal.

I did what McFox suggested with a boretech proof positive jag, it was a little tight at first but was grounded down little at a time until a nice fit was achieved...sage advise I reckon!

I use a well worn and used bore brush with a patch wrapped around it, dipped in solvent, to wet the bore. I use a jag to do the final swamping out.
Another hint I use 45 cal patches for everything. Cut the patch in half and it's a good 30 caliber patch. Split that in half and it becomes a good 25, 24 cal. patch.
I order in several thousand 45 patchs and have all my bases covered.

Jim

I recently bought one of the Parker-Hale style jags from Dewey and I'll tell you it has amazed me how much better jag it is. You can very easily vary the thickness of the patch in the bore and there is much more surface area of the patch contacting to the bore. I;ll never go back to the other style. One other thing that is cool is that the end is rounded so you can put your finger over the end of the bore and feel the jag hit so you can reverse direction and there is no spike to stick you. A great idea, a simple idea. Looking for the other calibers to match the rest of my guns.