How to clean a barrel with a bore mop

What you need

• A cleaning rod with an 8-32 thread (a coated one-piece rod is easiest on the bore)
• A bore guide (Rifles that accept one)
• A Barrel Shark mop in your caliber, plus a spare for oil
• Bore solvent suited to your Rifle, and a light gun oil
• Clean cotton patches and a jag

Cleaning a Rifle

1. Set up. Unload, remove the bolt if you can, and insert the bore guide so the rod stays centered.
2. Wet the mop, not the barrel. Apply solvent to the mop until it's damp but not dripping.
3. Mop the bore. Push the mop from chamber to muzzle in one smooth stroke. Don't reverse direction inside the bore; unscrew at the muzzle or pull straight back out.
4. Let it work. Give the solvent the dwell time on its label.
5. Patch it out. Run dry patches until they come out clean.
6. Protect it. If you store with oil, make one pass with a lightly oiled second mop. Run a dry patch before your next range day.

Cleaning a PCP Airgun

PCP barrels usually need much less cleaning than firearms; many shooters only clean when accuracy drops. Lead and pellet lube are the main fouling, not carbon.

1. Check the manual. Follow your maker's cleaning method, and note any warnings about solvents near seals and o-rings.
2. Go gentle. Use a coated rod from breech to muzzle where your Airgun allows, with a lightly dampened mop and a guide or muzzle guard to protect the crown.
3. Keep liquids out of the action. Apply cleaner to the mop sparingly so nothing runs back toward the valve or transfer port.
4. Dry it. Follow with clean, dry patches or a dry mop so no oil is left to affect your next shots.
5. Re-test your zero. Fire a few fouling shots and confirm point of impact after cleaning.

Caring for your mops

• Keep a solvent mop and an oil mop and don't mix them up. A marker dot on the shank helps.
• Replace a mop once it's matted, stained through, or loose on the shank.
• Store used mops in a zip bag so they don't pick up grit.