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What is the correct size patch to use for bore cleaning a 375H&H?
What your cleaning routing?
Tips tricks, favorite cleaning solvents?

I have a bag of 3" square Butch's tripple twill patches that I cut into 4 pieces 1.5" square. I center a 1.5" patch on my spike pointed jag and insert it in into the bore guide I've locked into the breach. Some times I dip the spiked patch into the cleaning solvent (Hoppe's Benchrest) Some times I squirt the solvent onto the patch through the solvent port on the bore guide.
Pushing the cleaning rod (J. Dewey #35C 44") through the boreguide and through the chamber is no problem, but pushing the patch through the bore is real tough to do.
The rod binds up and stops in a couple times on its trip down the bore specially the last 2" at the muzzle. I ususally have to tap the end of the rod handle with a dead blow hammer to get it moving again!

If I cut my patches into 2 pieces one 2"x3" and the other is 1"x3". I can wrap the 2"x3" patch around a J. Dewey Parker Hale style jag and slide that combination down the bore quite easily. Also I can centre the remaining 1"x3" patch onto the spike pointed jag and slide it down the bore easily too.

Due to difficulty I was having getting an 1.5"sq. patch to go down the bore while mount on the pointed spike jag, I am reluctant to try a larger size patch on the spike, it might get stuck permanently.

I fired my new Winchester M70 375H&H for 21 shots (Remington 270gr. round nose factory loads) then went home to clean the rifle.

I've used traditional Hoppe's #9 but its to slow to remove copper fowling.
Hoppe's benchrest is much faster I get a lot more blue staining of removed copper appearing on my used patches.
After about 24 Benchrest soaked patches had been slid down the bore the last 2 came out clean.
I then tried using a different solvent (Butch's Bore Shine) to my supprise the patches came out jet black. I put about a 15 more Bore shine soaked patches down the bore untill the last 2 came out perfectly clean.
Whats this solvent doing that the Hoppe's didn't?

Looks like there might be a rule of thumb here, 3 cleaning patches per shot fired and use two different manufactures cleaning solvents.

I also use a nylon bore brush and brush again with a solvent soaked patch wraped around the nylon bore brush.
I have not yet determined if brushing with the bronze bristle brush does anything other than put more copper in the bore as the next patch comes out the bore brilliant blue.

To finish up the cleaning job I wipe the bolt down with a solvent soaked patch, dry it off with paper towel (Bounty the best), oil the bolt (Hoppe's Elite) inside and out, grease the lugs and cocking cam (Quantum Hot Sauce fishing reel grease), wipe out the action/receiver and magazine with a solvent soaked patch, dry and oil.
As this was the second major cleaning of this new rifle since its first out of the box cleaning, I again removed the barreled action from the stock for inspection and oiling of all the metal work in the trigger, guard and magazine cover and the barrel.
It was during this second cleaning that I discovered some problems.....
Now the rifle in the gunsmith shop for warranty work.
But thats a story for another post.

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