What is the recommended way to clean a Volquartsen barrel?

This is a question that comes up over and over in emails, forums and over the phone. We will try and clear things up on how we recommend cleaning our barrels.

There are all sorts of methods that we have tested and experimented with over the years. Some have worked better than others. Our goal is to find the most effective way with minimal effort. Let's face it, nobody wants to spend time cleaning their firearms when that time can be spent on the range.

We recommend cleaning our barrels from breech to muzzle to avoid damaging the crown. This can be done one of two ways: either a pull through cleaning kit or drilling a hole at the rear of the receiver.

Our recommended way is a pull through type cleaning kit. Remember, we are trying to keep this simple! The hole at the rear of the receiver requires several steps. The barreled action needs to be removed from the stock and then the bolt removed from the receiver.

There are several pull through kits available and we have tried them all. Our current favorite is the Ripcord from Otis Technologies. We apply a cleaner such as Copper Cutter and pull through the bore one time. All that's left is to lubricate the bore with the lubricant of your choice and you are ready to go. [Extreme Weapons Lubricant] (https://www.volquartsen.com/products/1188-extreme-weapons-lubricant-4-oz) is what we have been using.

Another common question we receive is "how often should I clean my barrel?" This is dependent on many factors such as ammo type, bullet type, caliber and many more. All of our barrels go through a machine honing process during manufacturing which among many other things makes cleaning easier. These recommendation apply to Volquartsen barrels only. Our general rule of thumb would be:

17 HMR, 17 WSM and 22 WMR: Every 150-200 rounds
22 LR: Every 750-1000 rounds

Please keep in mind these are general numbers. Also, if you are out on the range or in the field it is not necessary to go through each step above. Nobody wants to ruin a hunting day by cleaning. All that would be needed is to pull a patch through and continue shooting. How easy is that?

Need to stock up on cleaning supplies? Now is the perfect time as Otis is offering a buy one Ripcord, get a second one free mail-in rebate offer now through December 31, 2015.