How do you clean the barrels on your Lever Guns?

[280Ackley]

Share your experience

I have couple of lever rifles that I love to shoot, but hate to clean. It always bugs me to have to clean a rifle from the muzzle. I don't like disassembling my Marlin to clean it from the breach and I haven't ever had my Browning apart. I like the Bore Snakes for a quick run though but I don't think I'm getting down to steel all the time. Just curious about how the rest of the world does it.:coffeecom

[EOD3]

I use Bore Snakes on most of my rifles and pistols and all of my revolvers. :idea:

[Marlinreloader]

If you take the Breech Bolt out, which is fast and easy you can now clean from the breech and not the crown. You can also get a cheap crown protector.

Either way is fast an easy with great protection.

Marlinreloader

[August]

I clean my '73s from the muzzle with a carbon fiber rod and brass pig.

I clean my Marlins from the breech.

[pietro]

[take the Breech Bolt out]

BTW - The Marlin is almost as EZ as a boltgun, to clean from the chamber end, via removing the bolt.

After double-checking that it's EMPTY, open the lever/bolt half way and remove the lever pivot screw.

Remove the lever down, and withdraw bolt out rearward with the fingers - being sure to keep track of the ejector, which usually pops out of it's slot inside the left receiver wall when the bolt is removed.

Don't fear - it can only be re-installed one way (the right way), just as the bolt is later re-inserted after cleaning the bore.

.

[StarMetal]

Think about how you clean a bolt action. You remove the bolt and clean from the breech end. Take the bronze brush for instance. We're told not to reverse the direction of until it clears the end of the barrel. So this brings me to my question to all of you. What's the difference if you run a brush from the breech end and out the muzzle and then back through the barrel again, then if you started it at the muzzle end while using a muzzle protector? I think there is none. How many times can you take that lever screw out to remove the lever and bolt for cleaning on those Marlins before that screw is ruined or the threads become loose? If I remember correctly some of the lever screws originally had Blue Loctite on them.

Joe

[EMC45]

Crown protector

[Marvin S]

+1 on the crown protector. I ain't going to take em apart each time.

[S.R.Custom]

From the muzzle, with a tight fitting empty case in the chamber to catch the trash.

[Sprue]

I use Bore Snakes on most of my rifles and pistols and all of my revolvers. :idea:

Yup! +1 on that

[cajun shooter]

I just sold last year a Marlin 357 rifle that I owned for over 25 yrs and it's lever screw was not worn out or trashed from removal. I think it has to do with if you use a Craftsman screwdriver and ballpeen hammer or the proper guntools. If you did wear out the screw so what buy another. The Marlin is made to clean from the breech. The 92's that I own and shoot BP in CAS matches are turned upside with the lever open and pointing up. The BBL is sprayed full of moosemilk as are the entire inside of the actions. After a few passes with the patches and rod I change to the boresnake for a few more. A 90 degree pick is used with patches to clean bolt and locking bolts. She is given a coat of eezox inside and out and put up till next week.Later David

[Four Fingers of Death]

Rarely,

But when I do, it is generally upside down so the goop runs out (I stick a bit of flannellette in just to be sure). I use Kleen-Bore rods with tapered guides. About the only advantage I see in cleaning from the rear as against cleaning from the muzzle with a good quality guide is the fact that you can use long brushes if cleaning from the rear. Often there is not enough room for the brush to fully emerge from the chamber/barrel inside the action, forcing you to use pistol brushes. If the brush is twice as long, it's gotta be doing twice the work. The other advantage now that I think of it is with the Kleenbore system, the patches pop off the end when cleaned from the rear.

Either way, I wouldn't sweat it if you use a bore guide and are careful. That's one of the main reasons I like lever guns and moderate loads using cast, no clean up (well an occasional one).

[MT Gianni]

I use a brass crown guard. Cajun Shooter, Starmetal Joe's point is that it isn't necesarily the screw that wears, it is as probable that the receiver threads wear.

[Uncle R.]

Yep - me too. From the muzzle with a tapered brass rod guide. I don't pull the lever or bolt out for routine cleaning.

[joecool911]

92's are not easy to remove the bolt on. Bore snakes work well unless hard scrubbing is necessary. Then cleaning from the muzzle and occasional tear down for cleaning from the breech..

[imashooter2]

I use a boresnake 90% of the time and only remove the bolt occasionally.

[Glen]

I don't (BIG SMILE HERE).

[NickSS]

I use an OTIS pull through cleaning kit for all my rifles that must be cleaned from the muzzle. Once you learn to use it it is almost as fast as a rod but you do not have to worry about your crown on the rifling. I tried every kind of muzzle protector then tried the OTIS and it works for me.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I use an OTIS pull through cleaning kit for all my rifles that must be cleaned from the muzzle. Once you learn to use it it is almost as fast as a rod but you do not have to worry about your crown on the rifling. I tried every kind of muzzle protector then tried the OTIS and it works for me.

The only thing that has stopped me using one off those is the fact that I felt that you were less likely to be able to protect you muzzle than with a rod and guide. Been meaning to try a bore snake though.

[O.S.O.K.]

I clean my Marlins from the breach - I use a proper screw head that fits the screws and you can barely tell they've been touched. The procedure is quick and easy and allows for me to give the bolt a quick clean and lube too.

The others get cleaned from the muzzle and I too use the brass conical protector which works slick.

The bore snakes are great too for a quick clean between more thorough cleanings.

Now, I will say too that when I shot CAS, I only gave the rifle a whipe-down with a lightly oiled cloth between matches and cleaned the bore and innerds only every 4 th time or so. Was shooting only lead bullets...

[.45Cole]

I have a marlin and a browning and use a wendy's straw at the muzzle to keep the rod from rubbing the rifling or hitting the muzzle. As a side note, the straw is ideal as a drop tube for compressed loads in my 7mm/08.
I do not believe that it makes a difference which brand of fast food straw you use.

[Lead Fred]

My brand new Marlin Lever gets a bore snake pulled from the chamber and out the barrel.

The same way the bullet goes

[BABore]

Think about how you clean a bolt action. You remove the bolt and clean from the breech end. Take the bronze brush for instance. We're told not to reverse the direction of until it clears the end of the barrel. So this brings me to my question to all of you. What's the difference if you run a brush from the breech end and out the muzzle and then back through the barrel again, then if you started it at the muzzle end while using a muzzle protector? I think there is none. Cause by doing it from the breech you keep the bulk of the crud out of the action. How many times can you take that lever screw out to remove the lever and bolt for cleaning on those Marlins before that screw is ruined or the threads become loose? Countless iff'in you use the correct screwdriver. I've fired over 6k rounds out of my 450 Marlin and am still on my original, unbuggered screw. If your such a cub bear around screws, they're $2 at Brownells. If I remember correctly some of the lever screws originally had Blue Loctite on them.

Joe

Your just grumpy cause you can't take apart your Winny 94 for breech cleaning in 30 seconds.:bigsmyl2:

[405]

I have a pile of them so, over time, have settled on the best technique for me. I use a modified gun vise so the muzzle is lower than the action. I turn the gun upside down and clean from the muzzle. With the gun upside down the junk falls out of the top of the breech instead of down into the action. I use a Dewey rod with muzzle guide (guard). Since I shoot mostly cast not much of a problem cleaning. I use a spear tip jag of the right size and snug flannel patches. Normally about three or four patches scrubbed back and forth vigorously and thru using Hoppes. Then dry patch, then oil patch. Done.

For lead or copper fouling a more brisk cleaning is needed. For the lead I use a light oil like Kroil and a tight fitting bronze wool patch to mechanically remove the lead. For copper I use one of the copper solvents in combo with a bronze brush. I never leave the strong copper solvent in the bore for more than about 20 minutes then make sure it's all out by using another patch or two with acetone or Hoppes. I always end up, no matter the type of bore cleaning, by running a patch with oil thru. For long term storage I use Break Free. For normal storage I use WD-40 or LPS #1.

When I first get old used guns, I take them apart and clean with a small brush and solvent, blow them out wth high pressure air, then coat with light oil. For well maintained guns just a drop or two of oil on the moving/contact parts every now and then.

[muleequestrian]

I use an OTIS pull through cleaning kit for all my rifles that must be cleaned from the muzzle. Once you learn to use it it is almost as fast as a rod but you do not have to worry about your crown on the rifling. I tried every kind of muzzle protector then tried the OTIS and it works for me.

Same here, I use an Otis.

[Shooter6br]

I use Ed's Red for most cleaning. Since i use all cast (low velocity I dont have any lead or copper tobe worried about. I use CLP, Barricade etc for every day storage. Vasoline is messy but I tested it on bare metal outside and beats all hands down and cheap

[badgeredd]

Normally from the muzzle end with a crown protecter. Every few months I take out the bolt on my Marlins and do a super cleaning from the breech. I use Super Mag's empty case when doing it from the muzzle. On a Winny, I've always cleaned from the muzzle with the action opened and a crown protecter. I have no idea why I haven't used a empty case in the Winnys![smilie=1: Guess I was taught by Gramps to do it the way I do. :)

Edd

[Tycer]

I don't on a cast bullet gun unless I've dragged it through the rain snow and mud. Then it's an OTIS and Ed's Red.

I like what Junior calls black bore.