How to Clean a Rifle With Hoppes Products

Properly cleaning your rifle is an important part of being a gun owner. Metal and powder fouling build up after every shot, and moisture condensation can cause your rifle barrel to rust. A clean rifle will operate more smoothly, fire more accurately and have a longer life span. Hoppe's products can be very useful in cleaning and maintaining your rifle. Hoppe's solvents dissolve and break up fouling buildup, ensuring that your rifle will work properly. Cleaning your rifle takes only a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

  • Hoppe's No. 9 solvent
  • Hoppe's No. 9 lubricating oil
  • Cleaning rod
  • Bore brush of the proper caliber for your rifle
  • Cloth patches
  • Slotted end
  • Cleaning cloth
  • Gun vice
  • Hoppe's universal bore guide
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove all ammunition from the rifle and ensure that no ammunition is in the vicinity of the cleaning area.

    • 2

      Secure the rifle in the vice. Remove the bolt from the rifle and insert the bore guide into the breech.

    • 3

      Attach the bore brush to your cleaning rod. Dip the brush into the Hoppe's No. 9 solvent.

    • 4

      Insert the rod into the breech end of the barrel. Carefully push the rod through the barrel to the muzzle end in one smooth motion, and then draw the rod back. Repeat this step three to five times more, depending on how long the rifle has gone since its last cleaning.

    • 5

      Remove the bore brush from the cleaning rod. Attach the slotted end to the rod, and slip a cleaning patch into the slotted end.

    • 6

      Insert the rod into the breech. Push the rod all the way through the barrel and draw the rod back. Do this in one smooth, continuous motion.

    • 7

      Remove the dirty patch from the slotted end and slip a clean patch into it. Run this patch through the barrel in the same manner.

    • 8

      Continue to run clean patches through the barrel four to eight times, or until a patch comes out clean.

    • 9

      Place a clean patch into the slotted end and moisten it with the lubricating oil. Insert the rod into the breech, push it through the barrel, and draw it back in a smooth, continuous motion.

    • 10

      Moisten your cleaning cloth with the lubricating oil. Using the cloth, apply a light coat of oil to any exposed metal surfaces on your rifle.