Bore guide, is it necessary?

[tangolima]

I bought and used one for cleaning my guns when I first started shooting rifles. At certain point I started tapering off its use. Now I hardly use it at all.

I use nylon brush as solvent applicator. I let the chemicals do their job, instead of going nuts scrubbing the bore. I have healthy percentage of my collection as semi autos, and I can't use the guide even if I want to.

I begin to think; is the bore guide even necessary? So think I, what think you?

-TL

 

[44 AMP]

The idea behind a bore guide is to keep the rod from touching the rifling. Steel on steel is of course not the best, but aluminum and plastic coated rods can pick up grit, which is an excellent abrasive and worse than steel.

Their particular value is keeping the (possibly abrasive) rod away from the rifling at the muzzle, where even a little wear can affect accuracy.

You don't HAVE to use them, but they don't hurt anything, and might just extend the life of your bore.

 

[tangolima]

Forgot to clarify. The bore guide is the tube doohickey that go into the chamber of a bolt gun. I can see it centers the brush before it enters the leade, but I fail to see how it keeps the rod from contacting the muzzle after the brush exits.

It is a non-factor in my case anyway. I use a one-piece carbon fiber rod.

-TL

 

[stubbicatt]

Tango Lima, I use a custom made bore guide for my F classer with Brux barrel. First, it keeps solvent out of the action, and out of the bedding. Soft bedding due to negligent application of solvent is a real shame.

Second, it is a tight fit in the chamber, so any bending on the cleaning rod brought about by using a brush or tight fitting jag and patch should not result in the rod touching the barrel, or throat as it would be wont to do were there no bore guide in the chamber. As I understand it a barrel wears primarily in the throat area, and an eroded or damaged throat is the cause of many accuracy woes.

No the bore guide in the chamber end of this particular rifle does not stop the cleaning rod from touching the bore upon exit at the muzzle. Whether one decides to remove attachments such as bore brushes or jags at that point before withdrawing the rod is his choice.

 

[qrz]

Depends on what you do with your rifle. I like precision distance shooting so I use the bore guide for the rod to prevent the subtle damage to the chamber area and crown.

 

[tangolima]

Solvent coming back out of the chamber and end up in the bedding is possible. A bore guide surely minimizes it.

I still can't see how a bore guide helps reduce wear to the throat and, especially, to the crown. It won't hurt anything, that I agree.

It doesn't do much, but it doesn't hurt to use. It is good if I use one, but no big deal if I don't. Not quite a necessity perhaps?

-TL

 

[stubbicatt]

The crown? Probably does nothing positive but surely nothing negative to the crown. That is unless you are cleaning a Garand or M1A, in which case those are cleaned at the muzzle and there are bore guides available for them which will minimize contact with the crown.

About the chamber. Consider that the bore guide used in the chamber has a "O" ring on it to seal the solvents in the chamber and bore, so they don't get into your bedding material. The inside diameter of the chamber mounted bore guide is the nominal bore diameter of your barrel, which will only allow flexing to a very small degree.

Now, remove the bore guide, put a new bore brush on your rod, and introduce it to the chamber end of the barrel and give it a mighty push into the throat. Nearly every rod I have ever used will bend or flex in any unsupported area when using a tight fitting jag or a new brush, which at this point is that large, cavernous, chamber, sans bore guide. While you are leaning on that cleaning rod handle to get the brush down the bore, the rod has bowed into the cavity presented by the chamber, and is rubbing right over the throat portion of the bore. - Just try it.

The particular offenders are the 24 to 27 calibers where you sort of have to use a 22 cleaning rod which isn't as rigid as a 30 caliber diameter rod.

That's all I've got.

 

[old roper]

tangolima, I don't shoot factory chamber rifles and there is bore guides and there is bore guides like this one.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/lucas-custom-bore-guides/

 

[tobnpr]

I still can't see how a bore guide helps reduce wear to the throat and, especially, to the crown. It won't hurt anything, that I agree.

It keeps the rod from rubbing against the throat as it's inserted into the bore by keeping it aligned/centered as it enters. As 44Amp mentioned, you want to minimize contact of the rod as even the nylon coated rods like the Deweys I use can get grit embedded.

I don't feel there's any difference to the crown one way or the other, as once the jag or brush leaves the crown with the patch, the rod is going to lay against the lands there, no reason I can think of that there would be any contact to the crown itself. That said, if using a brush (I don't), some say to make sure the brush doesn't exit the bore as the bristles (whether nylon or brass) can produce minute scratches on the crown. Personally, I think some of this is minutae for all but the top benchrest shooters.

 

[44 AMP]

Ok, my turn to clarify, the "bore guide" I was thinking of is the "funnel shaped" piece you insert in the muzzle to center & guide the cleaning rod. The thought of a chamber guide simply didn't occur to me.

There are a number of rifles that simply cannot take a rod through the breech end, and must be cleaned from the muzzle, which was what I was thinking of when I posted.

 

[tangolima]

OK let me reiterate how I clean my bolt gun.

I use nylon brush. There is no mighty shove or leaning on handle needed. The solvent is mpro7, which is a little more viscous than the other. There is hardly any "backing up" from the chamber into the bedding. It is possible but not likely. It is the only area an bore guide may help me. I only use the brush to spread the solvent in the bore. No more than 3 to 5 light strokes for the whole proceeding. The rod is a one-piece carbon fiber. Even it touches a delicate area, it probably won't do any damage measurable.

I stopped using jag or spear point to push patches down the bore long ago. I found it to be counter productive. Otis pull-through cable works much better.

I am sure there are premium products of all kinds available for people who find them necessary. I bought mine solely because the books said I needed it. Certainly I have changed the way I clean, and hence I find it less and less needed.

-TL

 

[rickyrick]

I tried one once. I couldn't get any less contact with the muzzle than simply being careful when cleaning... Maybe I tried the wrong one.

 

[stubbicatt]

OK TangoLima! Do what you want brother! It's your rifle, it's your choice, it's you who benefits or suffers from your decisions! If you have thought it through and found no need for a technique that doesn't serve you, then by all means abandon it for that which works for you.

Keep 'em up the middle!

Old Roper that's the Lucas bore guide which I use on my F classer. Top piece of kit, that!

 

[FiveInADime]

OK let me reiterate how I clean my bolt gun.

I use nylon brush. There is no mighty shove or leaning on handle needed. The solvent is mpro7, which is a little more viscous than the other. There is hardly any "backing up" from the chamber into the bedding. It is possible but not likely. It is the only area an bore guide may help me. I only use the brush to spread the solvent in the bore. No more than 3 to 5 light strokes for the whole proceeding. The rod is a one-piece carbon fiber. Even it touches a delicate area, it probably won't do any damage measurable.

I stopped using jag or spear point to push patches down the bore long ago. I found it to be counter productive. Otis pull-through cable works much better.

I am sure there are premium products of all kinds available for people who find them necessary. I bought mine solely because the books said I needed it. Certainly I have changed the way I clean, and hence I find it less and less needed.

-TL

Why does the OTIS work better than a patch/jag. Or a patch wrapped around a Nylon brush?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[tangolima]

Why does the OTIS work better than a patch/jag. Or a patch wrapped around a Nylon brush?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I use patch to pick up solvent in the bore. The fabric should be relaxed. The jag compressed the fabric. The Otis forms a fabric cone with fabric core. It is more relaxed and does a better job picking up / absorbing fluid.

-TL