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First Cleaning?

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ChefDuane
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First Cleaning?

Post by ChefDuane » Sun May 27, 2018 11:26 pm

Anyone got a suggestion for a first cleaning procedure? Anything that I should be careful about or look out for? Or is it enough to just take the receiver cover off and clean/lube the internals and the bolt? I assume a bore cleaning is needed also before first firing?
Thanks for any feedback!
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Henry88
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by Henry88 » Sun May 27, 2018 11:51 pm

Yeah Duane, definitely clean the barrel. With the receiver cover off you can get a straight shot at the breach with a cleaning rod (if you use one) and not have to enter from the muzzle. good luck.................
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PT7
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by PT7 » Sun May 27, 2018 11:59 pm

I just cleaned my new H012MR for the first time this week. Did that before I tested it at the range. I did nothing special for the bore clean other than being very careful when moving my cleaning rod passed the muzzle crown. I also made sure I didn't push any bore residue into the receiver area.

I just checked out the Henry H001 Instruction Manual on their web site: https://assets5.henryusa.com/uploads/20 ... Manual.pdf This is what they wrote under "Cleaning" on page 10. I put the underline under one sentence, and also notice the IMPORTANT statement they wrote all in caps.

Trust this is helpful info. PT7
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HENRY LEVER RIFLE Make certain to clean your rifle after firing. We suggest that you purchase a current, name brand, top quality rifle cleaning kit. Make sure that the rifle is unloaded, and open the action. Using a cleaning rod with a lightly oiled patch, run the rod from the muzzle end of the barrel down toward the breech area, cleaning the chamber. Use a cleaning swab to remove all debris from the chamber as well as the face of the bolt and breach. It is important to make certain that there is no debris in the chamber or on the face of the bolt and breach. Alternatively you can purchase Otis Cleaning Kit, Dewey Cleaning Kit, or Hoppes Boresnake and clean from the chamber end to the muzzle. The balance of the bolt assembly and action are maintenance free. IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO TAKE YOUR HENRY LEVER ACTION APART TO KEEP IT CLEAN.
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by GFK » Mon May 28, 2018 12:52 am

I suggest reading the procedures in the owner's manual as previously mentioned. Also, below is a link to Henry's site of videos about cleaning. As a note, I typically run an oiled down the barrel after cleaning. It seems the procedures in some manuals assume that from what is noted in the previous post.

https://www.henryusa.com/henry-instruct ... eo-series/

Happy shooting!
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ChefDuane
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by ChefDuane » Mon May 28, 2018 1:16 am

Thanks all for responding. I pretty much understand what to do and I was just wondering if you all had any particular do's & don'ts. While I do have a number of firearms I've never owned a lever action before, and I prefer to get experienced advice before I proceed with something.
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Steve51
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by Steve51 » Mon May 28, 2018 11:07 am

This post is just for your information - I am not advocating that this is proper maintenance.

I purchased my H001 in 1999 and my Golden Boy in 2001. They both have had lots of shooting time. With 4 grandkids, we have spent hours shooting them over the years.

I have never removed the received covers. I have never removed the bolts or the levers. After every shooting session, I have always used a boresnake first to removed loose material. Then I run a solvent soaked patch down the bore from the muzzle, let it set a few minutes and run the boresnake through a couple more times (I put a few drops of oil on the tail end of the boresnake). I clean the chamber and bolt face with a shaving brush and oil the exterior. I like Ballistol for entire exterior, wood also. Then I am done.

These rifles have always performed flawlessly.
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by Henry88 » Mon May 28, 2018 12:20 pm

Steve51 wrote:This post is just for your information - I am not advocating that this is proper maintenance.

I purchased my H001 in 1999 and my Golden Boy in 2001. They both have had lots of shooting time. With 4 grandkids, we have spent hours shooting them over the years?

I have never removed the received covers. I have never removed the bolts or the levers. After every shooting session, I have always used a boresnake first to removed loose material. Then I run a solvent soaked patch down the bore from the muzzle, let it set a few minutes and run the boresnake through a couple more times (I put a few drops of oil on the tail end of the boresnake). I clean the chamber and bolt face with a shaving brush and oil the exterior. I like Ballistol for entire exterior, wood also. Then I am done.

These rifles have always performed flawlessly.
Steve, what about the other crap that builds up under the receiver cover? Even if you use REALLY CLEAN ammo, there has to be some after > 15yrs.

Do you use a Q-tip or something through the ejection port to try to tidy that up a bit?
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Steve51
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by Steve51 » Mon May 28, 2018 1:55 pm

Henry88

I open the bolt and clean the ejector port with the shaving brush. The bolt cycles just as smoothly as it did when they were new, so I have never removed the receiver cover. Not saying you should not remove the cover - just saying, I never have.
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Bugs
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by Bugs » Wed May 30, 2018 12:44 pm

I like to completely tear them down and check the workings for proper fit and function. But I work on guns quite a bit.
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Re: First Cleaning?

Post by clovishound » Wed May 30, 2018 7:14 pm

The tear down on both the BB and the rimfire Henrys are not too bad IMO. I like to tear mine down every thousand rounds or so. I do clean what I can reach with a cotton swab through the ejection port after every range tip. I use a little CLP on the swab.
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