Swabbing between shots

What do you guys use for swabbing between shots? Retail stuff or some concation? Do you run a dry patch after a cleaning patch?

When its hot and humid, I use a flannel cotton cleaning patch, dampened a bit with spit, to clean the goo out of the barrel. I then use another similar patch, DRY, to dry the barrel thoroughly before I put in the next charge.

In the Fall and Winter, when the air temp is colder, and the relative humidity much dryer, I use just a damp patch to remove the residue, which tends to cake if you don't get it out quickly( the reason for the spit, or other lube). When its below freezing, i switch to useing alcohol on the patch to remove the residue. It evaporates quickly, and I don't need a second drying patch.

Because temperature and humidity can change over the course of a day, I have NO RULE OF THUMB regarding drying and cleaning the barrel. I examine every patch when I take it out of the gun, and off the jag. The amount and sliminess of the goo( or lack thereof) tells me what I need to do to keep the gun firing. It took a long time for me to learn this lesson, because, like you, and every other shooter I have met, I wanted ONE RULE to memorize and use all the time.

If you live is some parts of this country where its dry all the time, you can possibly have ONE WAY of cleaning your gun that works all year round. It would have to be at an elevation of at least 5,000 feet, and probably in the arid Western Plateau of the American West, West of the Rockies, and East of the Sierras.

Spit patch-dry patch seems to do the job. I see a number of others that use windshield washer fluid. You can go through a lot of patches swabbing between every shot so I only swab when the barrel gets a little "sticky".

Mk I Saliva. Available everywhere fine tongues are stored.

As necessary - hopefully not very shot - maybe every 5th to 10th.

I generally use Ballistol or Hoppe's #9 lube as patch lube, so I really don't need to swab all that often. About the only time I do it regularly is when I'm shooting for serious groups. When I do swab, I use Ballistol mixed with water because it's what I have on hand, followed by a dry patch.

Normal range shooting for fun I wet patch dry patch about every change in targets or 5 to 10 shots. For serious target work I use teflon patches and damp patch, dry patch every shot. The dry patch is used as a damp patch on the next shot. Saves some patches and works just as well. For just a day at the range I may only swab the bore when I notice resistanse when loading the ball. This could be anywhere between 8 to 30 shots depending on the weather.
Fox :thumbsup:

I keep a tow worm handy. When it starts getting a little hard to load I run it down the barrel a time or 2 and then follow with a patch.

Formula 409 OR 97% rubbing Alcohol. No "dry patch" at the range.

bapfreak said:

What do you guys use for swabbing between shots?

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If/When I swab between shots, I use T/C #13 or Hoppes No9 PLUS BP solvent, and wipe / clean the bore between every shot for consistency

Retail stuff or some concation?

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T/C #13 and Hoppes are commercial products

Do you run a dry patch after a cleaning patch?

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I don't dry patch after Hoppes, but run a NL1000 lubed patch down & back up;

I do dry patch after T/C #13, then run a NL1000 lubed patch down & back up;

"Nothin' like a greasy bore to contaminate the next powder charge" ah always say. :grin:

Damp flannel patch - doubled so two patches on the jag at one time - one pass every shot. Just lay the patch on my tongue to moisten. No dry patches. Use both sides of both patches - that's 4 shots and 2 patches. Bought a couple of yards of flannel and used old school paper cutter to get 2" patches.

If hunting and need to reload, no cleaning, just load her up.
TC

Spit patch, then a dry patch.

Zonie said:

"Nothin' like a greasy bore to contaminate the next powder charge" ah always say. :grin:

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You're using the wrong kind of lube if you're contaminating your powder with a greasy lube...suggest you either change your lube or consider using an overpowder wad, etc

In the arid western states the greasy lubes like Bore Butter Etc, are a poor choice. Some thing like Hoppe's 9 Plus is much better.
With the round bottom barrels wiping between shots is not needed. I use Alcohol the year around if a wipe of the barrel is needed. :thumbsup:

Use CRISCO and you won't have to swab or clean between shots.

I follow each patched round ball down the barrel with a moist cleaning patch on top of my jag to seat the bullet. I use 7:1 Balistol:Water. So I guess you'd say I swab between every shot. I do it that way so as not to leave the powder chamber wet. Generally leaving one cleaning patch on the jag lasts for over 25 shots. It's not perfectly clean but gets the big pieces out of the rifling. Also I'm doing the same thing every shot. That's good for consistancy.

Summer I use good old spit, Winter I use alcohol soaked patches.

Yup, a light spray of Ballistol with no dry patch.
Works for me.
Rangertrace

During a regular Match I'll only shoot a box of 20 Maxi's. A sighter at 50 yards off-hand, then 5 for score. The bore is just settling-in at this point, so no wipe is required. Then a sighter or two at 100 yards. After 10-12 Maxi's, I'll use a spit patch to remove SOME of the fouling, not ALL of it! Then 2-3 caps to blow any crud out of the flash channel. Then load 'er up and hit the black again at 100 yards

Conicals tend to like a fouling shot, then settle-down to yield superior accuracy. A perfectly clean barrel for every shot is NOT what works best, at least in my rifle.

At the NRA BP Rifle Qualification Matches that I attend, I have to shoot 52 Maxi's in a single range session. That's 13 shots at 4 different targets, 2 at 50 yards and 2 at 100 yards. A single spit patch every 10 shots seems to do the trick and keep me in the black.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dave

I dry patch between shots useing a piece of flannel for patch on my jag. the patch I use on RB's is a denser, thicker material and does not do well for dry patch wipe.
after I've shot around 15-18 shots I use w/w fluid on patches to wipe down good and clean the flash channel.