That’s about all you really need. As far as the actual process goes for cleaning your gun, the order below varies widely from individual to individual, but generally, the following tasks need to be performed (AFTER first triple checking that the firearm is unloaded) in the order that makes the most sense to you:
- Field strip or disassemble the unloaded firearm as desired. Bolt-action rifles should have their bolts removed at a minimum, to allow easy inspection and cleaning. Wood stocks or grips may be removed at the discretion of the owner to prevent damage by solvents or to allow easier access to the firearm’s parts.
- Swab the bore with a fresh cleaning patch that’s wet with the gun cleaning solvent of your choice. Ideally, you should clean from the breech, rather than from the muzzle (where possible). Some people recommend never withdrawing a dirty patch back through the bore, as they feel it will potentially redeposit the fouling into the barrel.
Some people recommend using bronze bore brushes to scrub the bore, while some use only patches. It’s a personal preference, but a bore brush may be appropriate in heavily fouled bores or when cleaning after shooting uncoated lead projectiles.
Allow the solvent to work for a few minutes, then follow with dry patches until they come out as clean as you desire. Repeat as needed.
- Wipe down the interior surfaces of the action, as well as the bolt and receiver, and any other surfaces that have been fouled, with a rag or patch moistened with cleaning solvent.
- Brush out any sticky/greasy/stubborn fouling with a nylon brush wet with solvent, and wipe out the loosened debris with a soft cloth or patches.
- Hose down any shotgun trigger groups, rifle actions, etc. that the manufacturer advises you not to disassemble, using spray gun cleaner or CLP, blow the excess off with compressed air if available, and/or wipe off with a clean rag.
- Check the area in and around the chamber for hardened or stubborn fouling, and if necessary, brush or scrape it out with brass or bronze brushes or polymer dental picks (see “gun cleaning tools” below).
- After the interior and exterior surfaces of the gun are suitably cleaned with solvent, wipe them dry with clean rags or patches, and then apply the lubricant of your choice to the areas recommended by the manufacturer, and wipe down the exposed metal surfaces of the gun with either an oily rag or the rust-preventative you prefer.
- The bore should be wiped clean of solvents and a light coat of preservative oil applied for storage, which should be removed with clean patches before the next firing.
- Reassemble the gun, perform a function check (unloaded or using inert/dummy rounds), wipe off your fingerprints, and store the firearm securely until its next use. See our proper care and storage of firearms article for more.
Note: if possible, to prevent unnecessary wear to the muzzle and any rifling, you should clean from breech (rear) to muzzle (front) and should use high-quality, coated, one-piece cleaning rods combined with bore/muzzle guides to prevent abrasion to the barrel’s throat, muzzle, or crown (see below for more on that subject).
Store your cleaned and preserved firearms in a humidity-controlled, fire-rated gun safe for maximum peace of mind.
Gun cleaning tools
Firearms may be cleaned using basic cleaning kits, and in some cases without any specialized tools or kits. However, there are several tools and gadgets that make gun cleaning easier, quicker, and potentially safer for your skin, the firearm, and the tabletop or surface you’re cleaning on. Let’s go over some favorites.
Coated, one-piece cleaning rods
Bare aluminum, sectioned cleaning rods, commonly included in cheaper cleaning kits, can become impregnated with metal or carbon shavings and act as sandpaper for your precious rifle or handgun bore and rifling. What’s more, steel, and military cleaning rods have caused a lot of unnecessary wear to rifles’ muzzles and rifling from overenthusiastic or too-frequent cleaning.
Nylon-coated, one-piece cleaning rods have been the gold standard for decades, as the one-piece design is much stronger and less prone to bowing, breakage, or causing damage than sectioned, threaded rods, and the nylon coating has less chance of picking up any abrasive debris.
Some people now are transitioning to carbon-fiber cleaning rods, saying they have less chance of picking up embedded particles than even the nylon-coated rods.
Bore guides and muzzle guides
A bore guide is inserted into the breech area of the firearm and serves two important purposes: first, it centers the cleaning rod in the bore and helps prevent it from contacting the rifling or bore; and second, it helps prevent oil, solvent, debris, and patches from falling into the firearm’s action. Muzzle guides or muzzle guards are available for firearms that can’t be easily cleaned from the breech end.
Chamber brushes for military-type rifles
AR-15s, as well as other military-based rifles like the M1 and M14 platforms, can be trickier to get really clean around the chamber area. The barrel extension on the AR has keyed slots cut into it (for bolt lockup) which can be difficult to reach and clean with standard brushes. On the M1 and M14 rifle, the barrel is screwed very tightly to the receiver using special wrenches and the receiver is closed at the rear, so you can’t use a traditional breech-end cleaning rod setup to access the chamber.
Several companies make specific chamber cleaning brushes for these rifles and others, which can be helpful in getting things suitably sparkly.
Nitrile gloves
This may not seem like a “gun cleaning tool” but a good pair of solvent-resistant nitrile gloves can protect your hands from the chemicals, the dirt, and the smell of gun cleaners and lubricants, and can make the whole process seem like less of a chore.
Plastic “dental” picks
Getting sticky or crusty grunge out of the deep recesses of a firearm’s receiver can be satisfying, but it helps if you have the right tools for this job. Don’t use steel dental picks or scrapers, as they can easily scratch and damage delicate firearm finishes and parts. We like these plastic gun cleaning picks.
Nylon brushes
Lots of people just save up their old toothbrushes, which work OK, but a dedicated, quality dual-ended nylon gun-cleaning brush can be a great way to reach into the smaller crevices inside your gun, and they are often more durable than worn-out, cheap toothbrushes.
Bore snakes or gun cleaning ropes
Hoppe’s popularized the “bore snake” which is a cloth rope-looking thing with a brass weight on one end to help it drop down long rifle or shotgun bores, and the middle section includes a brass bore brush, and the thicker end is looped to add surface area and help wipe out the loosened fouling. You can clean and wipe out your bore with just one or two passes. Some people recommend against these things, and some love them. It’s up to you.
Gun cleaning mats
A good gun-cleaning mat protects both your valuable table surface from chemicals as well as your gun (and the table) from scratches and dings and some mats have recesses that can stop screws or other small parts from rolling around and getting lost. We like the ones from Cerus and Hogue, but there are a lot of other choices. Make sure the one you use will stand up to the solvents you want to employ.
Gun vises or holders for maintenance and cleaning
A gun mat is good for handguns and can be suitable for longer guns, but for rifles and shotguns, we like the security and convenience of resting the gun upright in a gun vise. Tipton makes a few good options, as does Hoppe’s.
Copper/carbon/lead/plastic fouling remover
A good gun solvent will generally do an acceptable job at removing carbon, lead, and powder fouling, and may be sufficient for removing light copper fouling. However, some shooters prefer to use a dedicated copper fouling remover for rifles, or plastic/wad fouling removers for shotguns.
Get the best gun safes at Liberty Safe
After you’ve cleaned, lubricated, and protected your gun from corrosion, be sure to store it in a secure place. Liberty makes the best gun safes in the USA, from US steel, and our fire-testing procedures are above and beyond, so you can know that your Liberty gun safe will perform as you expect for decades to come.