1) Cleaning rod long enough to pass right out of the barrel. It should be plastic coated not bare steel (the steel used in cleaning rods is much harder than that used in the barrel and so will damage the rifling).

2) Jag for carrying the type of patch to be used (either flannelette or felt pad.)

3) Flannelette patches or Felt Pads.

4) Chamber rod guide designed to fit the rifle action.

5) Cotton cloth/duster for general use.

6) Wool Mop

7) Small bottle of gun oil.

8) Hoppes.

9) Polishing abrasive paste such as “Gold Medallion” or equivalent.

10) Small tube of Molybdenum Disulphide paste (“Moly” grease or paste).

Cleaning Method

There are many different variations used for cleaning. The following method has been used by HPS for many years with excellent results:

The barrel should ideally be cleaned after shooting, some shooters do not believe in cleaning a .22lr ‘as a seasoned barrel’ in their experience shoots better; the problem with this is, that at some point the accuracy will start to’ tail off’, without any predictability; a clean barrel is always a known quantity.

1) Slide the rod guide onto the cleaning rod.

2) Screw on the jag with a clean patch of flannelette or felt pad, (the patch or pad should be tight in the bore, but not enough to cause the rod to bend or become stuck.)

3) Push the cleaning rod with the patch or pad through and out of the muzzle, this will remove the powder and primer reside. Remove the patch and pull the cleaning rod out, attach the jag and replace the patch or pad and repeat this step.

4) Repeat step 3) until the patch comes out clean. The ‘dark bars’ marking on the patch is residue Antimony, (this is used by the ammunition manufacturer to temper the hardness of the lead.) Some barrels will ‘clean’ quicker than others; occasional use of an abrasive compound such as ‘Gold Medallion’ will assist the cleaning process.

5) Finish the cleaning process with a clean patch or pad with a small amount of oil to moisten but not ‘drown’ the patch or pad. (Dry rifles will always produce a first shot that is super sonic, noted by an audible ‘crack’, the lubricant on the bullet is not for itself, it is for the next bullet; the bullet accelerates from 0 to 1075fps (approx) in less than 26” and several milliseconds, the bullet sloughs its lubricant and leaves it in the chamber area, the next bullet picks up the lubricant and uses it during its path down the barrel.) So leaving a thin film of oil in the barrel will lubricate the first shot.

Cleaning the Locking Lugs, Bolt, Firing Pin, Extractor, Action, Trigger & Sights

Every time a cartridge is fired and the bolt opened, minute slivers of brass from the cartridge are shaved off and can accumulate around the firing pin, bolt face, extractor area. Excess bullet lubricant extrudes from the chamber and collects in the extractor claw ports; these should be kept clean with the System Gemini Extractor Port Cleaning tool.
The head of the bolt, firing pin hole and extractor claw should be wiped with the wool mop dipped in Hoppes and a small amount of this lubricant allowed to run into the crevices. This will dissolve any brass slivers that have accumulated here and clean these areas out; the Hoppes should neutralise later with light oil.

The action should be removed from the bedding every few months, the bedding cleaned and dried with a dry cotton cloth. (Oil or water in the bedding area can be disastrous to accuracy! If the rifle has been subjected to rainy weather this step must be done as soon as shooting is finished!)

The trigger is often the most neglected and yet one of the most important parts. Cleaning residue (even bullet lubricant) plus dust and debris from the range, cleaning bench or gun bag seems to have a knack of finding its way into the trigger mechanism. Inspect the trigger in situ and remove any visible debris or pieces of grass. If the trigger gets too dirty to the extent that its correct operation is affected, then it may be necessary to strip and clean the trigger. Unless familiar with this operation, it is recommended to have an experienced person carry out this task.

Another area of neglect is the cocking pin/cam area of the bolt. This should be kept clean and dry being lubricated only with a small amount of Molybdenum Disulphide grease/paste.

© HPS-TR Ltd 2008