You will likely get a lot of responses - as this is a topic of much debate
There are many 'right' ways of going about this - but here's mine.
Things you will need: (you can find most of these at Sinclair www. sinclairintl.com)
1. Cotton patches
2. Dewey 1-piece coated cleaning rod
3. Shooter's Choice MC-17 or Butches Bore Shine Solvent
4. Phosphorous Bronze brushes
5. Patch Jag
6 Bore Guide
For your first cleaning, prior to ever firing your rifle:
1. Put the bore guide in your rifle, and put the jag on your rod.
2. Wipe the rod down before you send it down the bore each time
3. Put a patch on your jag. You may need to trim it a little to fit right. A patch should be snug enough that you feel it pushing through the bore, but not so snug that it causes the rod to bow under pressure.
4. Put a few drops of solvent on the patch and push it down the bore. Do this with a fresh patch and solvent until the patch comes out clean.
5. Put a brush on the rod, and put a few drops of solvent on the brush.
6. Stroke it up and down the bore several times. I prefer that the brush does not exit the bore, as you can damage the crown yanking it back through.
7. Put the jag back on and send a few patches dampened with solvent down the bore until they come out clean.
8. Send one dry patch down the bore.
9. Send one more patch, with maybe 1 drop or two of solvent on it down the bore. The purpose of this last step is to leave an extremely thin layer of solvent in the bore. This helps to put a layer between the bullet/powder and the bore and will help reduce fouling and make cleaning easier.
Break-in:
This is laregly dependent on the type of barrel you have. If you have a hand lapped barrel from one of the good barrel builders such as Shilen or Hart, then your barrel will break in quickly and foul very little. If you have a factory barrel, such as on a WInchester, Savage, or Remington, then this process will take longer.
1. Shoot three rounds then clean. Repeat this step until you have consumed 12-15 rounds.
2. Shoot 5 rounds then clean for 15-20 rounds.
3. From here on out, clean every 15-20 rounds - (adjust this schedule based on how much foulding is in your bore after you shoot)
Always leave a scant amount of solvent in your bore after cleaning by running a slightly damp patch down your bore as the last step. It will aid in the breakup of any remaining fouling. Before shooting the next time, send a damp patch down to remove any dissolved fouling and to put a light film of solvent on the bore. Butches Bore Shine is good for this, but by no means EVER leave a strong copper solvent in your bore!
Always rinse your brushes and jags after cleaning to get the remaining solvent off, and always wipe down your rod after each use.
Hope this helps!
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