Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What to use for cleaning?

What is better for pushing a patch down a barrel, a "jag tip" or the slotted tip? What is the difference in there designed use?

Parker-Hale style jag from Dewey. Advantages of the P-H are self evident once you use one.

Hate Dewey rods but I agree a jag is far superior to a slotted tip.

I'm an acknowledged cleaning-rod-aholic. I make or modify many of my jags.

For a wrap around patch, the PH is great.

For a round patch, a pointed jag works best.

In any case, proper geometry and the size of the patch and jag relative to the bore are important. In my experience, many of the jags and patches on the market don't work that well, typically being oversized. .22 cal. is the worst.

For my .22 rimfires, I've settled on a .20 cal. Montana Extreme jag on a .17 cal. rod like my Tipton.

Paul

Jag and Sweets.

The slotted tip lets you pull the patch back through the bore, like double the cleaning in a single pass. I like that. With the right pointed jag you can pull the patch back through if you don't push it all the way out the muzzle. 6 to one, half-dozen to the other. Pick your poison. i don't use any of them very often.

I like shooters choice copper remover for the bore. There may be better but that is what i have used and it works.

For action and bolt cleaning I like Hoppe's #9 and a toothbrush. I like the smell of Hoppe's. Brings back memories. Its a real man's cologne.

Big Read,
I agree on Hoppes and memories! Or Ofactory gland and brain are our strongest memory sensors! That is why they lay the babies on mothers chest right after birth.

jag,kroil,butches,jb........

Generally,slotted heads are for general mopping,drying,applying large amounts of solvent;jags are for fine work like lapping,copper removal...the real stuff.If fitted properly for snug fit to the bore with a patch cut to size.

I use a jag. When I withdraw the cleaning rod, the patch just drops off so no grit re-enters the bore.

As other people have suggested, a jag and a proper-sized patch pushes all the gunk out the muzzle, and doesn't bring it back in. (Of course, if you're cleaning something other than a bolt-action or single-shot, then you've got to push it into the muzzle.)

The only time I use something other than a jag is when a bore is REALLY copper-choked. Then I used a slotted tip to run a solvent-soaked patch back and forth, or a bronze brush wrapped in a patch with some JB Compound smeared over the patch.

But if a bore copper-fouls that much, once I get it down to bare metal I apply Dyna Bore-Coat, which vastly reduces the fouling. After that I just run a couple patches soaked in Montana X-Treme down the bore and let it soak overnight--or a couple days. Unlike some older copper solvents (such as Sweet's) X-Treme won't etch the bore, no matter how long you leave it in, and the X-Treme Copper Killer is just as effective as Sweets'.

Once in a while I've found a good powder-fouling solvent such as KG necessary, but if a clean-burning powder is used then that usually isn't necessary.

A hint when using a jag: Slip one of the plastic soft drink or water bottles over the muzzle.

Heavy barrel and bottle neck too small? Cut a slit in the neck. It doesen't have to be pretty.

This will catch the patch when you pull the rod back through and you don't have to bend over to pick the used ones off the floor or the ground.