Cleaning Kits? Buy or Assemble?

[TurboPachyderm]

I need to get a cleaning rod, bore guide, and various other necessities for my new 300 win mag. Is the Dewey 30 cal kit sufficient or are there any other full kits available? Should I consider assembling a kit myself? What all do I need for proper maintenance and cleaning?

 

[FearNoWind]

IMO, the kit you descirbe is not adequate in and of itself and the brass cleaning rod is not something I would use. As a minimum you will need a good quality cleaning rod (I like the Dewey one piece nylon covered rods) the appropriate jag(s) and brushes, cleaning patches, solvent, a support to hold your rifle while cleaning (I use the Tipton Best Gun Vise) and a good quality bore guide. From there, in my experience, every shooter builds his own cleaning kit and usually ends up with a lot of stuff he uses once and never uses again. But that's another story. i have designed and built some specialized cleaning tools for my rifles, including special brushes and "reaching" tools that get into the tight spaces along with a bore scope and bore scope guide. I also made a butt to action stock cover that prevents solvent from running into the trigger housing. Once you get started you'll discover what works best for you.

 

[Dosh]

Turbo, get a Mke Lucas bore guide. Send him an e-mail, give him make, model and caliber. He will reply which Dewey rod to buy and make a guide for your specific rifle. Your barrel will thank you. There are as many solvents and ways to use you will go nuts trying to pick yours. Plenty of suggestions to come. Good luck

 

[TurboPachyderm]

Edited: see below

 

[TurboPachyderm]

Will a cheaper Tipton guide work until a Lucas can be ordered and shipped?

What type of brushes, brass/nylon?

Here's the list so far for 300 Win Mag:

Coated one piece rod
Bore Guide
.30 Jag (no eye)
.30 Brush
.30 Bore Mop
Patches
Solvent

What am I missing?

 

[RT2506]

Less expensive and JUST AS EFFECTIVE. You DON'T need brushes with the proper solvents these days. Take a piece of ROUND not the angled cutting edge weedeater line a foot or so longer than your barrel and action length. Sharpen one end and with a flame melt the other end and press it against something like a coffee cup to form a button on that end. You can trim or sand the edges of the button to fit your bore. With the sharp end poke it through a cleaning patch and slide it down to the button end. Dip the patch in your solvent. Stick the sharpened end into the chamber end and push it out the muzzle end. Grab that end and pull the patch through. Do this two times. Now go away and let the solvent work for at least 15 minutes. Repeat the procedure with a clean patch and use solvent again if not clean. You don't need a bore guide and you have not done any damage to your bore and you have a lot more money in your pocket. People do more harm to their bore by cleaning it too much and using brushes etc. than they do shooting bullets through it.

 

[FearNoWind]

OK, there ya go Turbo. You're already beginning to assemble the cleaning kit and some of the items in your kit will include information about methods (both proven and unproven) for cleaning your rifle. You'll get advise on brushes (steel brushes, bronze brushes, nylon brushes and no brushes at all). You'll get advice on jags (slotted jags, pointed jags, brass jags, nylon jags) and then there's the advice on solvents and how long to let them ferment in the bore. Competition shooters are likely to provide you with advice that is different from the varmint hunter or the large game hunter. I'd suggest you read it all, sort out the extremes and focus on what makes sense to you. Your experience will, over time, help you find the center line.
Regarding your question, the Tipton bore guide will work just fine. It is, in fact, the one I use the most for my larger caliber rifles. I use both nylon and bronze brushes. My first cleaning passes use involve solvent wetted patches followed wth the nylon brush for the lose material and my final passes use the bronze brushes to dislodge some of the stubborn material. I try to remember to rinse the brushes between passes through the bore because, (IMO) as they pick up pieces of carbon, the carbon laden brush might be hard enough to cause excessive barrel ware. I also discard brushes that are worn to the point that they move easily through the bore. A brush that offers little or no resistance is of little value IMO, I can't back any of that up with scientific data but it makes sense to me. I also use a shotgun bore brush large enough to fit snuggly in the chamber and rotate it to clear the free bore of accumulaltions of soot and carbon.
I've tried to describe what I do, not necessarily what you should do. My methods are no more proven to be "best" than anyone elses. In the end, it's your decision.
Good shooting .