How To Clean a Bolt-Action Rifle
A Comprehensive Guide to Cleaning Your Bolt Action Rifle Using Otis Technology Products.
Why is Gun Cleaning Important?
Cleaning your firearms is important because it helps prevent malfunctions and jams, ensuring they are reliable when you need them most. Cleaning also protects them from rust and corrosion, extending their lifetime and usability.
What Direction Should You Clean?
When cleaning your firearms, it's important to always clean from the breech towards the muzzle to avoid pushing any fouling and debris back into the action. Cleaning your firearms in the direction the bullet travels pushes everything away from the action, out to your muzzle. Keeping your action free of fouling, carbon, and other obstructions is critical to the function of your firearm and cleaning from Breech-to-Muzzle® also reduces the time spent cleaning by not reintroducing dirty patches and used solvent or CLP back into your bore and by keeping these contaminants far away from your action.
What Are My Options for Gun Cleaning?
Here at Otis, we offer three primary ways to clean Breech-to-Muzzle®: Ripcord®, Solid Rods, and pull-through Memory-Flex® Cable Gun Cleaning Systems (which we are best known for).
1.Ripcord®. Ripcord® is unique for many reasons, perhaps most notably in that you can use it at the range while the barrel is still hot. Heat resistant up to 700°F, you can give your rifle bore a quick effective clean with a single pass hot off the range without worry. Ripcord® also packs easily into your range bag, giving you a quick, portable cleaning option wherever you use your firearms.
2.Solid Rods. If you prefer a more traditional method of cleaning, Otis has what you need. Typically used at home on a work bench, counter or table, Otis offers an assortment of sturdy solid rods. If you do clean indoors, be sure the area is well-ventilated and not on a surface used for eating or food prep and not near food or open drinks.
3.Memory-Flex® Cables. A pull-through Memory-Flex® cable gun cleaning system developed to go where you go, this is the cleaning system that Otis is known for and follows a simply 3-Step process. Otis cleaning kits come in compact, ultra-portable cases, complete with patches, brushes, and CLP for cleaning at home, at the range, or on a hunt – this is the method we will be using today.
The Otis 3-Step Cleaning Process.
Safety first.Before you get started make sure there is no ammunition in the area and that your firearm is clear. To make sure the firearm is unloaded: visually and manually inspect the chamber and magazine for ammunition.
To work on the bolt-action rifle, we’ll need to remove the bolt before starting the cleaning process. Refer to your owner's manual for instructions on how to properly remove and care for your bolt as disassembly and bolt removal procedures may vary.
Otis recommends a 3-step cleaning process, which can easily be summed up with six simple words:
- Wet Patch
- Bore Brush
- Dry Patch
Now let’s get a better look at what this 3-step process entails:
1.Before you get started,
select the correct size slotted tip from your Otis Rifle Cleaning Kit; as well
as the correct patch size. We will be using an Otis 100% cotton 3" patch.
Refer to the Otis Gun Cleaning Kit instructions for the appropriate pinch
position and how to properly tie an Otis gun cleaning patch, or refer to this video on how to tie an Otis patch.
Apply the Solvent or CLP of your choice to the base of the patch and then pull
it through the bore from the breech to the muzzle. Let the barrel sit a few
minutes, while the bore cleaning solvent or CLP breaks down the carbon and
fouling in your Barrel. (Otis All Caliber 3" Cotton Patches
can be used up to 6 times. Refer to your cleaning kit instructions on how
to get the maximum life out of your Otis Gun Cleaning Patches.)
2.After pulling the wet cleaning patch through, select the appropriate size bronze bore brush. Thread the brush onto the Memory-Flex® Cable and pull it through the bore from breech to muzzle. The bristles on the bronze brush will further loosen any debris carbon and falling in the barrel.
3.For the final step we're
going to reattach our slotted tip and then we're going to use a dry patch to
run through the barrel. Repeat these 3 steps: Wet Patch, Bronze Brush,
Dry Patch; until a clean patch is produced.
Finish with a lightly oiled patch to preserve your barrel, protecting it from
rust and corrosion. If you used a bore cleaning solvent; you must finish with a
final wet patch to stop the chemical cleaning action of the bore solvent.
Aggressive bore solvents can cause rust and pitting of the metal bore if not
removed with a gun oil or CLP.
With the bore clean, let’s continue with some additional things we can do to keep this rifle in tip-top shape:
- 1.Now that the bore is clean; use an AP brush to gently scrub the crevices of your receiver, chamber area, mag well and bolt. The AP Brush has a larger side for the larger surface areas and a smaller side to really get into those tight, detail necessary areas. When using the AP brush on the bolt, add a couple drops of CLP. Clean any moving parts and crevices that are on the bolt; as well as the bolt face and extractor.
- 2.Finally, wipe down the bolt with an 085 CLP Firearm Wipe and reinstall and finish by wiping any fingerprints, excess gun oil or CLP off the exterior of the rifle using a clean microfiber cloth.
Now your firearm is ready for safe storage until the next time you use it.
Products mentioned being used to clean the Winchester Model 70 .270 Caliber:
Otis Professional Rifle Cleaning Kit
Sectional Rod Rifle Cleaning Kit
Otis 100% Cotton 3" All Caliber Gun Cleaning Patches
If you have any questions please contact customer support:: https://otistec.com/customer-support/