Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Last patch

Just wondering what the last patch is that people are running when cleaning a centerfire rifle barrel. I’m referring to a rifle that would be used within a short time frame, not something your going to store for long periods. I guess I usually go dry or a few small drops of CLP.

I run a patch of solvent, then dry patches until it comes out clean...I’m done. Oil will change poi on first round. 😎

If the rifle is going to be used next weekend I'd leave it unoiled. I only put an oily patch up when the rifle is not going to be used for a while. However, I live in an area with hardy any humidity. If I lived near the coast or further north I'd run an oily patch up always and dry before using.

If getting put away for the season, RIG on a not too tight patch. The stuff was used in place of cosmoline by the military, though I suppose most anything would work if not handled or stored under harsh conditions. Otherwise what
s in Ed's Red or a little Kroil, and a dry patch when I take it out again.

Last patch gets 4-5 drops of Kroil that I run through twice, regardless of whether I'm shooting it in 5 minutes or 5 months.

I have no problem with clean/cold shots to 500 or beyond doing so........

If I'm getting ready to hunt, I shoot one round through the clean barrel and leave it at that. I always try to hunt with a very lightly fouled barrel.

Patches? cleaning a barrel? What are you guys talking about?

If it will be used in a fairly short period of time......at least 2 rounds fired. Almost all of the small-bore (30 caliber and under) firearms we have, show a definite POI change from a clean bore to a fouled bore. It seems the smaller the bore, the more dramatic the POI shift. Our hunting rifles “do not” show a significant POI change......but they get “fouling rounds” as well! memtb

I quit using CLP as the last patch and instead went to Eezox. I had read years ago that the CLP I was using (Safariland) had teflon in it. Putting teflon in the bore was a question around first shot accuracy. Therefore, went to Eezox. I might be wrong here but that's my method.

It's like a foreign language.

Did you notice any difference in accuracy when you changed?

I usually finish up with Ed's Red, still using on a large batch I mixed up 20 years ago. It's about all I use on my cast bullet rifles.

"Patches? Patches??!! We don't need no stinkin' patches!!"

First shot seemed to not throw as many fliers when going to Eezox.

My last patch is Ed's Red, or more precisely the gun oil version which is simply 50% Kerosene and 50% ATF. If the rifle is not going to be out of the safe again in 6 months, I'll mix in Eezox.

I've found Ed's Red does an amazing job of deep cleaning. I just have to remember to run a patch down the barrel before the next use. If my deer rifles go into the safe in December, and I pick them out again in the summer, the Ed's Red will continue to pull crud out over the intervening months. The last patch may have been clean, putting them into the safe, but that first patch before shooting the next summer will be remarkably dirty.

For the rifles that are going to be used throughout the year, I just use the full Ed's Red mixture as the last patch. Again, I'll usually run a patch through as they're coming out of the safe to make sure the bore is clean.