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Posted: 5/30/2007 10:14:39 PM EDT
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Fellas, I've been cleaning centerfire rifles for over 20 years, but just finished my first AR build and tried to clean it for the first time today. I'm using a JP bore guide, a Bore-Tech one piece cleaning rod wirh a .22 caliber brass jag and 1 1/8" square patches from Sinclair International. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the patched jag to push into the bore. The rod with just the jag and no patch went in and passed through just as you'd expect. I finally dug around and found an old steel one-piece rod I had with a slotted end and was able to use it with 1 3/8" square patches. I double checked my jag to make sure I'd grabbed the right one. What the hell am I doing wrong. Anyone ever run into this. This same exact set-up has cleaned every other .22 centerfire rifle I own, but I couldn't make it work on this one. I can't get any smaller patches without going to a .17 caliber. If it makes any difference, it's a Sabre Defense 18" stainless barrel. Thanks for any suggestions! |
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Frequently when I have this problem, it isn't the SIZE of the cleaning jag but the LENGTH of the patch. The patch pinches between the bore and the cleaning rod. So make sure the patch is just large enough to cover the end of the cleaning jag. I like to clean using a patch wrapped around a brass or bronze cleaning brush. This way I can use a large patch, giving the benefits of larger surface area, more solvent on the patch, AND I'm brushing the bore at the same time I'm applying the solvent. BTW Dave, there are no stupid questions. Only stupid mistakes! |
| A jag will always give a tighter fit then a slotted tip due to the fact that it has more surface area. As stated earlier, it's probably a patch size problem. All patches by there very makeup will almost always vary in size from lot to lot, espically the thicker ones. If I have a problem, I just grab a few patches, stack them on top of one another, and trim them with a pair of scissors, or I also have an assortment of jags, and if I have a problem with the way a patch fits down the bore, I just go to the next size smaller or larger jag and sometimes this works. Right now for cleaning my 30 cal rifles, I use a 30 cal. jag and a 7mm Southern Bloomer patch. This combination fits perfectly. |
| Not familiar with your particular jag, but the one I have has a spike on the end. I pierce the corner of a patch with that spike, then pull the opposite corner down against the jag, and wrap the other corners (sort of wings) around the jag. If I just pierce the center of the patch and try to push it thru, it won't go. Wrapping it tightly around the jag seems to take up less space. Good Luck! |
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You guys have given me a couple of ideas. More than anything else now, I suspect that the problem may lie more in the thickness of the patches I was using than in the area. The Sinclair patches are really nice, and I've used them for years on both rifles, and handguns, but for this appication I may need to use a patch that isn't quite so thick. I may try trimming the corners off to round them out and see what effect that has. The jag I was using was just a simple brass jag that I bought from Midway years ago. I've never had a problem before. I was just piercing the patch in the middle (like I always have) and then pulling the patch down around the jag. I'll try a couple of different ways of putting the patch on the jag next time. Thanks for kick-starting the brain a little bit. Dave |
exactly what I do. |
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