Proper Rifle Cleaning Techniques with Otis Technology

[@chital_shikari3163]

I’ve been cleaning guns and rifles for many years and this was probably the most thorough guide I’ve watched.

[@laughton57]

I'm 76yo and learned a lot about cleaning my gun. Thanks Ron!

[@kcstott]

The bore guide is not to “keep everything straight” It’s there to insure the solvents only gets in the bore. If you apply solvent at the breach without a bore guide the solvent can drip into the trigger mechanism. This will cause issues down the road.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Good point, KC. Good bore guides also seal the chamber so solvents don't leak into the action. Thanks! (So many things to remember when making these videos. Guys like you help keep me on track.)

[@catfishsiegel30]

When Otis first came out I was sold on it. I have 3 master kits and several carry kits.😊 good stuff

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

... I've used Hoppe's #9 for 50 yrs ... no issues with any gun I've used it in including a Win 94 from the 50s and a Win 100 from 1961 ... and I like the smell of the stuff

[@wesleyhargis5115]

I have a winchester 100 myself in .308. It was the gun my grandfather was most proud of and the one he most wanted me to inherit from him. I made all my first big game hunting kills with that little .308 Sadly it's now a broken wall hanger. The stock has cracked and been repaired so many times but the reason I haven't replaced that is the action. Now when the gun is fired it locks up and the only two ways to open it are a dowel rod and hammer or a Kickstart on the bolt. It's been to 3 gunsmiths and no one can figure out why do sadly I've pretty much retired it. If someone could fix it I'd buy a new stock but the old gal has probably seen the last of her days sadly.

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

@@wesleyhargis5115 ... you need to take it apart and clean it thoroughly and see if there are any broken parts ... there are walk-through videos on youtube ... unfortunately some people who call themselves gunsmiths aren't deserving of the title ... I think you can get a replacement stock from Boyds

[@williambell2188]

Best smell ever!

[@1991Green]

Hoppes #9 and G96 oil have never failed me.

[@ryanglass3570]

I think that bore guides are primarily to keep solvents out of the magazine and trigger group, just my 2 cents.

[@clintivy623]

You'd be right.

[@timferguson593]

I still like them no matter what.

[@allthingsconsidered3211]

save money, stuff oaper towels in mag and clean from muzzle!

[@chrisgunsandguitars1403]

That and keeping your rod in line with the bore and so as to not damaging the initial lands ESPECIALLY if you use one of those 3 piece aluminum rods. The active ingredient in sand paper is aluminum oxide crystals. So a bore guide keeps you from “sanding” your lands with misalignment of the bore. Bore guides are cheap and make the process go faster overall.

[@allthingsconsidered3211]

@@chrisgunsandguitars1403 false. it does not sand the inside of ur barrel. check out primal outdoors video on cleaning barrels

[@addamhellie8478]

Hi Ron! Love the channel! What do you think about bore snakes?

[@jeffreyvannederynen8342]

Good video. I needed this 40 years ago.

[@GunsAndGrenache]

Even though this is a cleaning video, I just wanted to say that the Trijicon AccuPoint 3-9x on top of this rifle is one of the nicest hunting riflescopes out there. The 1" tube is lightweight, capped turrets, + battery-free dual illumination: tritium + fiber optic!

[@roosterfish3742]

Thanks for the super thorough walkthrough Mr Spomer. Exactly the type of video I need as a new hunter learning by myself

[@hirkojs]

Nice thorough presentation on the how’s and why’s of properly cleaning a rifle

[@dimensionsofearth]

This is the first time I ever heard about running a dry chamber! It makes sense and I'm not sure I ever had mine oiled but it would be a really easy mistake to make!

[@wesleyhargis5115]

I agree with you Ron. I grew up with the military mindset that the rifle should be fully cleaned every time. No exceptions. But with my own stuff i do just like you. When it looks like the groups are starting to open up i give it a full cleaning. However at the end of shopting for the day, 2hilw the barrel is still warm, ill run a hopes bore snake or bore viper through it once or twice but thats it. Leaves it lookong great. And now that i have gotten into shooting blackpowder to take advantage of extra hunting time and locations i have come to appreciate modern caetridge rifles so much more. Not juat for how much faster they are to shoot but i found my blackpowder rifle holds decent groups as long as i run something through the barrel after each shot. And a shotgun boresnake is a great fast tool for that too. But blackpowder has also taught me how important the right level of fouling can be

[@tsufordman]

My guns have become more reliable and accurate since I learned to quit cleaning them so often, but mostly to quit over oiling them.

[@roblindberg9339]

What about instead of using oil and grease in the action and chanber, you use ground up pencil lead. The graphite in todays pencil lead is a great lubricant and doesn't attract dirt. Just something I've tried, and has seems to work. You're thoughts Ron

[@gunsandmachinesenthusiast]

Interesting. Might try this

[@benjaminlewis671]

They sell this powder for key locks

[@dbass1276]

I use a dry lube spray. The propellant evaporates, leaving behind a lubricating powder.

[@jamescrouch740]

Good idea!!! But does graphite prevent rust!!!! They use it alot of locksmithing work for outdoor locks so. You might be on to something!!!!

[@jamescrouch740]

I believe some bullets have a graphite coating also!!!

[@rangetime6779]

Bartlein Barrels recommends only patches and no brushes. I've had great success with jags sized appropriately with the right sized cotton patch. Let the bore solvent soak ( avoid ammonia solvents). It takes a while to clean so make sure your bore is sloping muzzle down a bit so it can't drain into the chamber.

[@sappysiggy2351]

I have always used a bore mop that I soak w/solvent then used patch to finish. Will try brush and patch. Never tiring of learning tips from pros

[@carycary5824]

I’ve been using Hoppe’s #9 and M-Pro 7 oil to clean my guns for years. My method seems to work fine but I learned a lot today Ron. I will be cleaning the bores better with your method. You are very correct when saying you don’t need to clean the bore after every time out. My old model 70 shoots Less than 1” moa and I may run several hundred rounds through my rifles before cleaning. Before going hunting I will run several rounds through it to refoul the barrel. Does this make sense brother Ron?? Thanks for this very informative video !

[@Charles_ONeal]

I miss my old outers foul out. It was the most effective way to clean bores.

[@Sparks00psn]

I typically just give mine a good old wet down with the garden hose and towel it off

[@kene8895]

Now that's both funny and pitiful..... 🤪

[@DM-w5o]

Sort of like the black powder guys pouring hot water down the bore.

[@LilYeshua]

I use a lightly soaked bore snake which has a bronze brush built into it and ballistol. For polymer guns I use cleaner specially formulated to clean polymer safely. Gun grease where it needs it. The Winchester model 67('37)my dad had appeared to have had the rifling shot out plus my brother told me that the rifling was shot out however after repeatedly running cleaner soaked patches through it the rifling reappeared. The bore looks like brand new.

[@jamesbonnell4597]

Aluminum oxide is a very good abrasive. It forms fairly quickly on aluminum cleaning rods. If a person wanted to worry, it makes an aluminum rod worse than brass or stainless steel.

[@BigBlue1026]

I have a Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle in .308 that has never shot great groups in the YEARS that I've owned it. I know the original intent of the scout rifle was one that shoots 2" groups at 100 yards, but I have always tried to wring out something better trying many different types and weights of ammo in the process. Today I gave it a really good bore cleaning and checked that everything from the scope down was tight and plan to give it another go at the range next week. They are a very well built, handy, solid rifle and I just wish I could get better groups from it.

[@TexasLonghornRanch]

2 inch group is a deer killer.

[@BigBlue1026]

@@TexasLonghornRanch Very true at 100 yards, but I'm lucky if I can get even that. I'll keep trying for now. They are very nice rifles.

[@clintivy623]

Have you thought about rebarreling? Bolt action is a bolt action. It should be able to shoot right

[@BigBlue1026]

@@clintivy623 Very true. The Ruger M77 is a very strong action with controlled round feed. It's certainly worthy of a new barrel should it come to that.

[@guypoulin6929]

​@@BigBlue1026Do you reload or shoot factory ammo?

[@fightingbear8537]

I wished that Ron would start his own outdoor Brimmed Hat line.

[@jamesyarbrough4777]

i always used the old hoppes bore cleaner and oil. now ive switched to acetone and baby oil. same stuff for less $$$.

[@DM-w5o]

I try to get most of the powder and carbon out and work a little on copper. I don’t clean to bare metal. I use a bore guide and patch from breech to muzzle. I patch a couple of times with BoreTech Eliminator before running a brush through and back. Then run patches through until the patch is clean. Repeat as required. I do clean the chamber and use a special tool to clean galling out of locking lugs channel. My dad taught me, 60 years ago, that if you shoot it, clean it. If you take it off the rack but don’t shoot it, wipe it down. I live by those rules and am too old to change. One piece coated rods only. I learned this while shooting three position small bore in college. Anschutz 1413 is too valuable to risk with an aluminum rod.

[@Deuceblank]

I like bore guides just for cleanliness, not a big deal if I run one without it. They more of a gimmick and an OCD shooters dream😂

[@jamespierson9472]

one addition I thought of, you often say let your rifles accuracy tell you when to clean it... BUT if youre not a good shot and youre working earnestly on your accuracy fundamentals and shooting consistently, maybe clean it more regularly. Keep it in top shape, build good cleaning habits, and most importantly, control for the inaccuracy caused by uncleanliness. So youre not wondering, was that shot bad because I pulled the trigger too hard or was it bad because my rifle is dirty.

[@BuckIt00]

Im not sure how to react to this cleaning regiment. I'll bow to the fact you got more miles backing up then i got driving forward 😂 perhaps ill take something and keep something. Thanks for the 411.

[@chaseacklam6174]

I love the “bronze brushes will destroy your gun” guys. Like that’s somehow worse than a plated bullet screaming through it with 60,000psi+ behind it

[@jimjim6803]

Just my thought!

[@carycary5824]

I guess I’m not very smart but never thought to clean the chamber. I usually just oil it. Not anymore. Will do it like you have demonstrated. I never had problems with chambering rounds in any of my Model 70’s but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be cleaned so out comes all my rifles😂❤!!!!

[@lolk4530]

Ron you should do a video on the 6mm Max. Its a .350 Legend Case necked down to .243 cal and is capable of launching a 55gr 6mm bullet at 3,000 fps in a 10 inch barrel!

[@brianwilson4861]

Aluminum cleaning rods are the most likely to damage the bore due to the entire rod is covered in aluminum oxide which is the same material as the abrasive in sand paper and most grinding wheels.

[@michaelwilson9986]

Gooden Sir. ? Why not use the CLP to lightly lube or keep from rusting.? I have used it n just run a couple patches before firing.

[@kcstott]

I clean every rifle I own down to bare metal, or as clean as I can get it due to the age and condition of the barrel. Hunting rifle are different, it’s not an F class gun. That said there is no good reason to leave anything in the barrel. Yes it may require a fouling shot or few to settle in. But there is just no good reason to leave anything in the bore.

[@farmerwayne1404]

@@kcstott Eric Cortina says he cleans his rifle after any amount of shots.

[@tlloyd9325]

I have been moly coatings my bullets for YEARS. My whole career was in aerospace/aircraft. Moly is designed as a HIGH pressure HIGH heat lubricant. Yes you will loose a little velocity. That said, I have yet to have ANY copper fowling in a bore and very little powder fowling. I have a friend/engineer that has been shooting a Garand for over 30 years and has yet to clean it due to accuracy fall off. He even moly coats lead bullets.

[@Kgib338]

Now do one for lever actions. I have been struggling on a new lever action because I know that I’m not getting enough dirt out.

[@BuckIt00]

Do you remove your bolt?

[@stevewealthy6120]

Agree

[@theironscorpion2128]

Will this work on a shotgun or muzzle loader?

[@copper12heavy69]

Saw the thumbnail and had to find the song reference, got right to it. As far as cleaning goes, you might as well ask if you roll the TP over or under, or if pineapple goes on pizza.

[@donbenson5292]

To some I probably overclean. I always start with a clean bore when ever I shoot. I probably have far less strokes in my bores by the way i clean. It is a method that works for me. I have bore scoped for quite awhile and see the results. Each barrel is different and my cleaning is different for each barrel. The smaller the bore and faster the round, like a 17 Rem, the quicker the accuracy will fall off and the more cleaning is needed. I used Hoppes all my life and a couple of wet patches if possible while it is warm at the range. When I get home an hour later, I run a wet patch or two down the bore and then are set muzzle down on fresh paper towel folded to a pad. I let the solvent do its work and if I can every morning and evening one wet patch or at least once a day until there is no green. Some of my best barrels that are cryo treated, 3 wet patches and they are clean of copper. Others such as some factory barrels , it my take two weeks or more to get all the copper out and will use a bronze brush and yes just the way Ron does. I have done my best to see if any abrasive marks occur with a bronze brush with magnication and cannot see any abrasion on stainless or chromemoly barrels. One piece rods are a plus as well if you want to use a bore guide. I pool cue the rod and I shoot good pool. I have em, rarely use bore guide but prefer just lay a half of a tube in the bottom across the length of the reciever. The biggest thing for me is to size the jag to the patch and bore so it is just right snugness. My better barrels I only use a plastic brush once and awhile. I always wipe my rod on every stroke down the barrel. When I am done, my brushes are "detoxed" of solvent. I very very very rarely go more than 50 rounds without cleaning. If I use alcohol it is 91% not the 70. Then I use an oil. Different oils if i am going to shoot right away or store it. Use various viscocity of dinosaur motor oil in the bore for a lube depending on the temperature, 0w up to 20w50. 20w50 Castrol or Valvoline dinosaur motoroil has served me well if it stored and I have never had rust in my barrels even for the shooter that claims moly coated bullets quickly have rusted his barrels. I never leave the range without either an oil or Hoppes in the bore AND I nearly use exclusively all moly coated bullets. AND I dont have a problem with moly build up. I can tell and read a bore smoothness with proper fitting patches but that is me. Thanks for the great video! Baby wipes do a pretty good job on the hands. Lol

[@timhood6970]

Slip out the back, Jack! 🤣

[@jameschristy9966]

I think people have nothing to talk about that's how story time starts and I been cleaning with bronze for 30 years no problems

[@barrymartin5028]

Ron, Wayne from Gun Blue says no need to remove copper fouling. What do you say to “the Master”?

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

... I think they're saying no need to remove ALL the copper fouling ... of course any fouling that interferes with accuracy needs to go but total purging of copper fouling is unnecessary

[@DeltaBadeMaker]

when I do glue-ups on my knives, I use a sharp piece of brass to scrape any epoxy off the blade. Given, my knives are going to be harder than gun barrels but I still do not think you have to worry about that rifling lmao

[@kenegerton7512]

Have you guys noticed , it's so difficult to clean your weapon without smiling 😊 1- clean bore 2- shake twice 3- put your weapon away.

[@thakurnileshprakashsingh]

I saw you using alcohol to clean the solvent from the barrel,is it really safe to clean and decrease gun using alcohol !!!!

[@danel5611]

As long as you are using 99% isopropyl alcohol, absolutely safe. If you use anything less the water content is too high.

[@williamsweet7511]

I think a hunter and a competition shooter have to keep in mind different issues. The hunter may shoot his rifle at a range a few times a year and a few times while hunting. A competition shooter will shoot 20 or more shots for testing and 75 or more shots on a weekend at a competition. So the cleaning schedule and aggressiveness of cleaning will obviously be different. If you're cleaning every week, using bronze brushes and scrubbing it out. Over time it could cause issues. I believe with the low price of good bore scopes these days, the barrel will tell you if you are doing a good job or not.

[@NElj-yq9qi]

Ron, Do you put in a dummy round and pull your trigger to release the tension on the firing pin spring for long storage? I have some friends that say you must do that and some that say it's not important.

[@gabel.5269]

Springs only wear while they're moving. There's been plenty of testimony that I have heard, and learned that say so. Doesn't matter too much. Even when the hammer is released, the spring is still under compression, albeit less than when cocked.

[@cockedandlocked9765]

I like pulling the trigger as I close the bolt. The cocking piece doesn't catch on the trigger. The gun is not in the cocked position now

[@chrisgunsandguitars1403]

Does not hurt anything and it does take some tension off the spring. A spring may last your father’s lifetime, your lifetime, your son’s lifetime, but no spring last forever. Who wants to experience a light primer strike when the wall hanger of a lifetime is in range?

[@tsufordman]

Most bolt guns, you can ride the trigger when slowly closing the bolt and the spring will stay in the relaxed position.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Various studies have shown that spring strength/tension does not suffer from long term compression. You may leave the firing spring cocked. But if it makes you feel better to release it, nothing wrong with that, either. Just don't do like one of my friends did and drop that trigger (to relieve spring tension) on a loaded chamber inside the hunting cabin in which resulting bullet whizzed past my face, through two cabin walls to hit the shower curtain next door where another hunter was just in the process of pulling it back to get into that shower stall.

[@derekbootle8316]

You should clean after every bullet fired. It slows the reload, but cleanliness is next to godliness.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Point well made, Derek. I like your sense of humor.

[@mikecrotts3943]

what is the rod where you usedth dental dams to get in the bolt lug recess???? need that!!

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Don't remember. I think it was from a kit by Tipton years ago.

[@mikecrotts3943]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors looks like have to google. That is a slick tool.

[@mikecrotts3943]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors found it, just googled tipton kits. thanks for the cleaning ideas!

[@danjohnson1809]

I think I heard you say, common sense!

[@rodneypackard8423]

I think that honing brushes would be better.

[@pierreb7878]

Sponsored by cleaning seller's cleaning methods... Two runs of bore snake and a tooth brush with 2 spray of CPL... works as well.

[@Pepe46873]

I always pull through not push. I want the last thing in the barrel to be a patch and not the rod

[@davidlaney8254]

If powder fouling wasn’t a problem, there would never be a reason to clean a barrel. Today’s rifle barrels don’t have the level of imperfections found in those made decades ago that required fouling to improve accuracy. It’s also easier to keep a barrel consistently clean than consistently dirty. As for the issue of bronze versus nylon, nylon and a good quality solvent will remove anything that hasn’t been left so long that only steel brush will remove it. It points to why it’s called “preventive maintenance”. And while the latest generation of solvents includes those that leave no harmful residue, there are some great dry lube products that are outstanding in preventing rust while having no negative impact accuracy.

[@jmac6242]

It's clear and evident. My friend cleans his rifle way too much... Cleanliness is next to Godliness, is his belief.

[@chrisgunsandguitars1403]

Well you can keep your rifle consistently clean. You can’t keep it consistently dirty.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

@@chrisgunsandguitars1403 I don't know, Chris... Yes, you can keep it consistently clean -- for one shot. Pragmatically, after one shot it is dirty, so for any kind of reasonable use, an accurate, functional, dirty barrel makes more sense. I'll go the entire coyote hunting season (roughly October through Dec.) without cleaning my bore and my rifle will still be grouping sub-MOA. What have I suffered?

[@chrisgunsandguitars1403]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors You haven’t suffered anything. I’ll be more specific. Say you clean a bore extremely well. No copper, no carbon anywhere. Verified with a bore scope. MOST guns are going to need 3-5 fouling shots before they start grouping well. There are those that say they don’t clean until accuracy falls off. Ok. So when is that? How many shots? Are you going to risk reaching that magical shot max during a big match? These competition guys note accuracy falls off at some point, and obviously your barrel gets consistently more fouled with each shot. Then you have guys that make expensive custom rifles who advise cleaning at 40-50 firings. So cleaning every 50 firings would be more “consistently clean” than cleaning at 500-700 shots or 800 or anywhere in between. How about the F-class shooters that clean between strings? They know how THEIR rifle performs with a clean bore. So many keep it “consistently clean”. I grew up poor and everything my father ever bought me came with the caveat “you better take care of it because I’m not buying you another one”! I really don’t care how someone cleans their guns. If they cause damage using the wrong product, or misusing a product, that’s on them. Expensive mistakes seem to get remembered. I really don’t care if someone wants to be lazy and never/rarely clean their guns. In the end it’s still going to cost accuracy or gun value. Gun cleaning seems to get major discussion every time it comes up. It’s like the 1911 vs Glock debate. Pro tip: 1911 is better!

[@greasydot]

​@@RonSpomerOutdoors I clean my hunting rifles at the end of the season. 45 years and they still shoot under moa with my hand loads.

[@timferguson593]

Ammonia not in my cleaning inventory.

[@chrisgunsandguitars1403]

Used to use it very carefully. Now use KG products.

[@sappysiggy2351]

i never considered the chamber

[@danel5611]

Regardless of your cleaning routine, you will never truly get your bore clean until you have a borescope. Don’t believe me find a friend that has one then do your regular cleaning process and when you think it’s all good to go run the borescope down the pipe.

[@farmerwayne1404]

50 ways to leave your lover...

[@oscarleonardsson9517]

love you🤘🤘 but this was really a movie for americans🤭 and you forgot all about eye protection😱

[@arsa5690]

Use a ziplock bag at the muzzle

[@easttexan2933]

Probably some of the worst cleaning advice I've ever seen. You can't be serious about pulling your brush backwards into the mag area with it dripping in solvent and muck? Come on Ron. Use those bore guides you poo pood off at the beginning of the video as not really necessary. If you're not going to do it right, why even make the video. You're not helping newcomers learn it correctly. You can do better than this, please.