For those of you that shoot precision and sniper rifles, one of the most important elements of responsible ownership is keeping the rifle clean.

This short post will cover some of what you need to know.

Areas of Special Focus

One of the most important elements of keeping a sniper rifle clean is attention to the bore.

With each shot, your rifle’s bore will accumulate powder fouling, and as a result of the high bore pressures of many of these cartridges, copper fouling as well.

Mechanical cleaning, done with a brush or a patch, removes the bulk of powder fouling, which can improve shooting; however, in the absence of a chemical cleaner, it won’t do much to remove copper fouling.

Copper fouling has the greatest impact on sniper rifle accuracy as far as fouling is concerned. To remove it, you will need a special chemical cleaner that is effective at dissolving copper fouling so that it can be mechanically removed.

To remove the bulk of powder and copper fouling, get a cleaning rod and a brush appropriate for the bore diameter; soak the patch or brush in the solvent, and pass that from the chamber towards the muzzle. After soaking the bore with solvent, pass clean patches through, also from chamber to muzzle, until the patches come out clean.

One thing that’s very important here is that you never attempt to clean the rifle from the muzzle end. Doing so can cause the rod or jag to come into contact with the muzzle’s crowning, and can damage it. Damage to the crowning will completely skew the accuracy of the rifle; therefore the gun should only ever be cleaned from breech to muzzle.

Once the bore has been cleaned, take a bore light to it for a closer look. It should be very reflective, almost like a mirror. If you see any shadows or dark areas that look sprayed on there, that’s fouling that still needs to be removed.

With the bolt removed from the sniper rifle, clean the bolt face and the area around the extractor. These areas can also become heavily fouled with powder residue that should be removed as it can interfere with the operation of the extractor. The channel that the firing pin rides in should also be periodically cleared to remove fouling that can result in light primer strikes.

Although you may not choose to do it for routine cleaning, you might also want to drop your trigger group and clean that off to make sure there is no fouling on it. Many trigger groups can be given a cursory cleaning without fully disassembling them.

All in all, from a high level, these are the main items you need to observe when it comes to cleaning a sniper rifle.

On the Importance of Keeping a Sniper Rifle Clean

A clean sniper rifle with little to no powder or copper fouling in the bore will shoot more accurately, especially at extreme ranges.

Also, fouling, specifically copper fouling, is a magnet for moisture that can accelerate corrosion and pitting of the bore, so removing it is in your best interest for that reason as well.

A heavily fouled trigger group will be grittier and experience hastened wear, and a fouling bolt will not feed, fire or extract as smoothly.

All in all, a spotless sniper rifle that has been fastidiously maintained will not only shoot more accurately, it will be less prone to other faults like feed issues or failures to extract.

Interested in Sniper Rifles and Other ELR Platforms?

Want to learn more about some of the best sniper rifle platforms on the market? Check out the ELR and precision rifles available online at B&B Firearms. They carry a wide range of some of the best in the industry and they even offer an interest-free payment plan on many of them.

For more information about CheyTac Intervention M200 and Long Range Rifles Please visit: B&B Firearms LLC.