Didn't want to write this up in the Listening To thread so I posted here.
WRT cleaning: There is a lot of anecdotal info/data from 40+ years of cleaning sniper rifles within the military (I am excluding civilian shooting, competitions, etc. anything "non-standard" or wazoo) that has boiled down to a kind of standard set of procedures that we learned and I still clean the same way. It kind of matches up with what he's saying in the video. Each school/proponent will have a different procedure but they are all very similar. Same with break-in. I cannot talk about civilian shooting, competitions, 5-O, or other non-standardized procedures because I don't participate in those shenanigans or activities.
Given proper cleaning tools, the procedure I learned goes something like this:
1 Swab the bore with 2-3 solvent patches (remove patch on exit of barrel)
Bronze brush back and forth
Dry patch
2 Swab the bore with 2-3 solvent patches (remove patch on exit of barrel)
Bronze brush back and forth
Dry patch
3 Swab bore until patch is relatively clean
Dry patch
4 Sweet's or other CR on patch, back and forth through bore ~10 times
Let sit for 5ish minutes, no more than 15
Dry patch
5 Swab 2-3 times with solvent to remove the CR
Dry patch
6 If carbon is still more than a trace, repeat 1&2
7 JB bore paste (we used to use it once a week or every 200ish rounds) back and forth through bore around 20+ times; muzzle to throat. - WHY JB? For the same reasons in the vidja. It polishes the bbl and "equalizes" it.
Dry patch
8 Swab 2-3 times with solvent to remove the JB
Dry patch
9 One pass with light solvent in bore to coat it (punch bore before shooting)
Usually do this if shooting every day or every few days
10 If not shooting every day, can substitute clp or some other oil for storage or leave alone (just remember to punch bore with solvent and dry patch)
I always end with step 9. Some people scream about solvent corrosion, but I've never seen such an animal. Most bore solvents are not caustic to steel, BUT all CRs are pretty bad to leave in place.
Equipment I use for above:
Absolutely nothing with steel in it. Only brass or bronze or coated. Aluminum is meh
Dewey or similar coated rod
Parker Hale type jag - caliber appropriate. Good second choice are Dewey pointy jags
Brush adapter
Multiple bronze bore brushes - caliber appropriate
Bore guide - rifle appropriate My favorite were the machined Delrin ones with an o-ring. Delrin is almost indestructible.
Appropriate patches - see below opinion on patches
Shooter's Choice solvent - MC7...the original. Hoppes is a good second choice
Sweet's 7.62 copper solvent. Barnes CR10 or Shooter's Choice CR are good second choices
JB Bore paste. I don't use any other bore polish than this, so you're on your own if you want something else
Shooter's Choice red grease or Bosch grease
Cotton non-linty rags
Patches:
I try to use only military patches for 30 cal and 223 cal as much as possible. You can buy these online if you want and they are the best IMO. I wrap the jags clockwise so they stay on the jag. I don't use non-wrap jags with the spike on it unless that's all I have. If I use the t-shirt material patches that are the most common, I still wrap them but I may have to position differently or double up or something.
The way I punch a bore is the way I was taught and have done for 20+years. It usually freaks civilians and competitor types out unless they have been to a Mil school.
The patch going through the bore should be so tight that I have to tap (like a man bitch slap with the palm) the rod handle until patch pops out the muzzle. Sometimes I'll use a deadblow to get it going. People think you'll fuck up your bore doing this but steel is way more durable than the rag you're shoving through there with it's brass jag. Eyelet jags are for the field and are basically for a quick swab of the bore to clear out excess bullshit. They should be brass too. They work best by pulling them through the bore vs pushing and are a good choice if you don't have a bore guide.
Maybe I'll post pics after my prescribed nappy nap. lol