Cleaning a rifle

[Square Wheels]

Please forgive the incorrect terms, I grew up in MA (not a gun-friendly state).  I moved to TN about 3 years ago and love it here.  I think there are more guns in my neighborhood than in all of MA.

I have a couple of 9mm handguns, a 22 handgun, and I just bought a rifle.  All illegal in MA.  All this, and I just started shooting in February. 

The rifle is a Sig M400 DH3 5.56.  I've read that my 22 bore snake should be able to go through it.  Maybe I'm getting whimpy in my old age, but I cannot pull it through.

I looked for a new one, but pretty much all I see say it fits a 223, 556, and 22.

Thoughts?

Thank you

[Square Wheels]

I found an Otis cleaning kit on Amazon.

It comes in 14 different sizes, 4 of which claim to fit the 5.56.

Ugh, so confused.

[RED333]

48 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Maybe I'm getting whimpy in my old age, but I cannot pull it through.

I looked for a new one, but pretty much all I see say it fits a 223, 556, and 22.

The first time I used a boar snake It kind of scared me. Go ahead and pull it. It'll go through no worries.

You are running it from the chamber end up to the muzzle, correct?

 

Edited June 19 by RED333
Because I can

[Square Wheels]

4 minutes ago, RED333 said:

You are running it from the chamber end up to the muzzle, correct?

I wasn't, but I will now. 

Thanks, I'll just pull harder.

It's a new rifle, only 60 shots through it, just wanted to test out the snake to see if I needed a new one.

[Roaneman]

Don't run it through dry either.  Put some Hoppes or similar on the snake before pulling through.  When clean, put some gun oil on it for the last pull through.  This will help preserve the barrel.

The reason for going from the chamber end as Redd33 stated is to protect the crown of the barrel.  This is true of any firearm.

Good luck.

 

[gregintenn]

556=22

Just throw it in the dish washer!

[Square Wheels]

Just now, gregintenn said:

556=22

Just throw it in the dish washer!

The gun or the snake? 

[gregintenn]

3 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

The gun or the snake? 

All of it!

[Square Wheels]

11 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

All of it!

I kinda like it, plus I just got it.

If it turns out I don't like it, I'll send it to you. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HM6uQRXkusUzLzdn8 (I can't post a pic, it's too big)

Edited June 19 by Square Wheels

[RED333]

2 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

I kinda like it, plus I just got it.

If it turns out I don't like it, I'll send it to you. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HM6uQRXkusUzLzdn8 (I can't post a pic, it's too 

Is that plain adulterated, aluminum, or is that some kind of anodized coating on it?

[Square Wheels]

21 minutes ago, RED333 said:

Is that plain adulterated, aluminum, or is that some kind of anodized coating on it?

According to AI 

The SIG Sauer M400 DH3 rifle is not anodized. Instead, it has a Cerakote Elite Titanium finish. 

I suspect it is aluminum as I just tried a magnet against it and it didn't stick.

[BigK]

5 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

I kinda like it, plus I just got it.

If it turns out I don't like it, I'll send it to you. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HM6uQRXkusUzLzdn8 (I can't post a pic, it's too big)

That is way way nicer than my first AR. I had to buy mine in pieces here/there to save money and build it myself. LOL That is a really sweet setup, kudos.

As far a bore snakes go, I have a few long guns that take quite a bit of heft to pull them through. In fact, I was certain I was gonna tear string and weight off the snake first time or two. Man, they are tough as nails, but aside from a dish tub and some Dawn I ain't found an easy way to clean them yet.

[Omega]

7 hours ago, RED333 said:

The first time I used a boar snake It kind of scared me. Go ahead and pull it. It'll go through no worries.

You are running it from the chamber end up to the muzzle, correct?

 

 

6 hours ago, Roaneman said:

Don't run it through dry either.  Put some Hoppes or similar on the snake before pulling through.  When clean, put some gun oil on it for the last pull through.  This will help preserve the barrel.

The reason for going from the chamber end as Redd33 stated is to protect the crown of the barrel.  This is true of any firearm.

Good luck.

 

With a snake it does not matter, the weight is not forced into the bore, and there is nothing that could bang into the crown.  

[btq96r]

On 6/19/2025 at 11:44 AM, Square Wheels said:

I found an Otis cleaning kit on Amazon.

It comes in 14 different sizes, 4 of which claim to fit the 5.56.

Ugh, so confused.

Those Otis cleaning kits are a racket.  Like when you see all the crazy 16-piece knife sets when just a few key ones are all you need. 

Just buy things you'll use to clean, and find something to put them in.  I still have an old ammo can for mine.

• Oil, (I use Break Free and Rem Oil)
• Q-tips
• Pipe cleaners
• Old dental tools
• Boresnake
• Toothbrush
• Shop towels

I can't remember when I've used anything else.  It's not complicated.  Just get as much of the carbon off as you can with the oil and tools, it doesn't have to be pristine, look for any rusting, and a good coat of oil wherever metal touches metal.  For the AR, I had an old Sergeant tell me, "pretend the bolt carrier is your dick, the rest is wherever you're putting it, and lube both up".

Edited June 20 by btq96r

[ken_mays]

Make sure you pull the bore snake wet.  If it’s difficult to pull, stand on the end of the snake and pull the rifle up off it with both hands.  
 

You’ll also want an AR chamber brush because a bore snake won’t do much to scrub the chamber clean, and you need the chamber clean for it to run well.    Get a rod that won’t swivel so you can scrub the chamber with it. 

[TN_Raven]

On 6/20/2025 at 2:28 PM, btq96r said:

Those Otis cleaning kits are a racket.  Like when you see all the crazy 16-piece knife sets when just a few key ones are all you need. 

Just buy things you'll use to clean, and find something to put them in.  I still have an old ammo can for mine.

• Oil, (I use Break Free and Rem Oil)
• Q-tips
• Pipe cleaners
• Old dental tools
• Boresnake
• Toothbrush
• Shop towels

I can't remember when I've used anything else.  It's not complicated.  Just get as much of the carbon off as you can with the oil and tools, it doesn't have to be pristine, look for any rusting, and a good coat of oil wherever metal touches metal.  For the AR, I had an old Sergeant tell me, "pretend the bolt carrier is your dick, the rest is wherever you're putting it, and lube both up".

I like Otis’ stuff, but it is cheaper to buy the individual pieces you need for the bore and barrel cleaning. Instead of a bore snake, I use their cable with screw-on bore brush attached to pull through the barrel. Then switch to the slotted end attachment to pull through patches.

For the rest of it, I use stuff from around the house or that you can get at the grocery or hardware store like @btq96r listed.

 

[Square Wheels]

22 hours ago, ken_mays said:

You’ll also want an AR chamber brush because a bore snake won’t do much to scrub the chamber clean, and you need the chamber clean for it to run well.    Get a rod that won’t swivel so you can scrub the chamber with it. 

The rifle is a Sig M400 DH3 5.56.  Do you have a suggestion?  The more I look around, the more confused I get.

There is a lot to learn for a new shooter. 

[ken_mays]

I have a bunch of these old looped end rods from old cleaning kits.  Apparently they aren’t as easy to find anymore. This one is at Midway.  It needs to be long enough to reach into the chamber through the upper receiver.

 

 

[chances R]

The bottom pic is a chamber brush, do not try and shove it completely through the barrel.... The snake should work just fine.  Drop the weight from the chamber  and then simply stand on it and lift your barrel up and pull the snake through.  Two or three runs through it should work fine  Be generous with lube.  Several good you tube videos can take you through the process.  Lubrication is more important than cleanliness.