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I can't say it is a cheap habit and neither
will my wife. To properly maintain any type of rifle - whether a
$59 surplus Romanian M-44 or a $1000 Mauser 98k Sniper Rifle, you
need to invest in some basic supplies.
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You can either clean the SKS from the bore
end or from the receiver end. If from the bore end, you should have
a bore guide so as to protect the crown of the barrel and the rifling
from damage caused by the cleaning rod and attachments.
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| I have found one
of the most important and necessary investments you can make is
a good, solid gun stand. There are many on the market - I happen
to like the one I purchased because of it being manufactured in
plastic. The plastic makes it almost impervious to the solvents
and really easy to clean up when it gets dirty. Another necessity
is a large and continuous supply of rags. I save every T-Shirt,
Dish Rag, Sock, and you name it. They are all washable and a heck
of a lot cheaper than buying rags. You need to try and save where
you can - you will have ample opportunity to spend in this evil
addiction. |
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| In figure
4 I have disassembled a rifle bolt after a heavy day's
shooting and am letting it soak in Hoppes No. 9, while I am cleaning
the rest of the rifle. I also have the recoil spring assembly,
gas piston, gas piston extension, and the gas piston extension spring
soaking in the solvent. For SKS Bolt
Disassembly Instructions Click Here!
For SKS Rifle Disassembly Instructions
Click Here!
In the shopping list to the right I make a
reference to Solvent. My brand is Hoppes No. 9.
I always save a little bottle to pour some
Solvent into and also it fits perfectly into the gun stand. The
stand allows you to have Solvent, Patches, Brushes, Slotted Ends,
etc in easy reach.
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I use pistol cleaning tools to clean the inside
of the gas cylinder and the inside of the gas piston guide below
the rear site.
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It is all right to use solvent inside of the
gas cylinder and gas piston guide, as long as you completely dry
it out after you are done cleaning. Also - do not use brushes
and attachments that will scar the inside of the gas components.
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| Notice I am using
the bore guide to protect the barrel while cleaning the rifle as
shown in figure 7. After running a Solvent
soaked patch through the barrel, I take a good unbent, bronze brush
and run it through the bore 20 times. I run another patch through
the bore to gather any excess solvent and crud.
Next I take a clean patch and dowse it with
Shooter's Choice Copper Remover . I have tried
many different brands of Copper Remover - but Shooter's Choice seems
to work the best and the fastest. Take a look at Figure
10 and you will see what the patch looks like when you
have copper fouling and it is being removed. The patch turns bright
blue.
After running the copper remover soaked patch
through the bore a couple of times (yes, this is the only time
it is all right to pull a patch back through the barrel ),
I start again with the Hoppes No. 9 soaked patches to remove the
copper solvent.
Continue running a solvent soaked patch alternating
with a non soaked, dry patch until the patches come out clean (only
the color of the solvent) This may take quite a while and you may
actually want to span it over several sessions. This is not rocket
science but does require a certain level of tenacity and endurance.
You usually do win out over the rifle. When the
patches finally do come out clean and you have removed any remaining
solvent, take a clean patch and dowse it with Break Free and run
it through the barrel. Then take a clean patch and slowly run it
through the barrel to sop up any excess.
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With the SKS Magazine open, I take a nylon brush with solvent and
clean the inside of the receiver.
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I use a very strong cleaner on the exterior and interior of the
bolt. Break Free Powder Blast is a good cleaner for this. It is
non oil based and really removes crud without having to scrub and
without leaving any residue.
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If you disassemble the bolt spring assembly, a good way to reassemble
it is to push a pistol cleaning rod against the bottom of the recoil
spring rod , through the bottom of the recoil spring tube. This
will push the rod out and allow you to compress the spring and place
the retainer over the top.
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I use pistol cleaning rods and slotted ends to
take clean patches and run them through the inside of the bolt carrier.
This will remove any loose dirt and sop up any solvent.
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After you are finished cleaning the rifle, remove
all of the bolt parts that are soaking in solvent. Give them a good
brush down with the nylon brush. Just pretend they are really dirty
teeth and you just ate two ears of corn. Make sure you dry
them with clean rags entirely. I spend some time here, you are not
supposed to leave any oil inside of a bolt.
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I run a clean patch or rag with a little
break free or a good gun oil over the entire rifle. Then I follow
up with a clean rag sopping up any excess.
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| I coat the exterior of the bolt and
the bolt carrier and then wipe down with a clean rag. |
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I save the solvent I soaked all of the parts
in and reuse it until it is a dark amber color and then I dispose
of it. |
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| Once I am done cleaning the metal
of the rifle, I turn to cleaning the wood. This SKS has an oil based
finish, as some of them do, so I use WATCO Rejuvenating Oil to bring
the luster back to the wood. |
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| Using a clean rag with a little Oil,
I rub down the stock and handguard. Then I wipe it down with a dry
rag.
If your SKS rifle has a lacquer style finish, do not use the
oil. I recommend just using a standard furniture polish to clean
and restore the finish.
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