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Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

itshooter
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Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by itshooter » Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:28 am

To properly clean the bore of my new SGC I would like to disassemble the rifle enough to be able to clean it from breech to muzzle using a rod, which means removing the receiver cover and bolt. Can anyone offer any insights into whether removing and reinstalling the receiver cover with a receiver-mounted Skinner peep sight can be done without affecting the position of the rear sight? Does the cover reinstall in precisely the same position, or is there enough variance that I will I have to re-zero it every time I do that?
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PT7
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by PT7 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:51 am

I cannot answer your question re. the possible position change of the rear sight if the receiver cover is removed. Possibly Henry service techs can answer. Yes, there may also be someone on the Forum that knows also.

What I don't understand is what your comment entails: "To properly clean the bore of my new SGC..." Can you explain this? I have been carefully cleaning both my SGC and BBS .357 as recommended in the Henry Instruction Manual, and have not experienced any problems by doing the clean this way. I may remove the receiver cover after many more rounds down the road, but don't see the need to go further than the manual instructions:
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. SHOULD YOU WISH TO TAKE IT APART, YOU MUST UNSCREW THE RECEIVER COVER TANG SCREW (PART #50) AND REMOVE THE BUTTSTOCK FIRST. THEN UNSCREW THE FOUR RECEIVER COVER SCREWS (PART #42) AND LIFT OFF THE RECEIVER COVER WHICH WILL EXPOSE THE INTERNAL PARTS.
Appreciate hearing/learning what is the "proper cleaning" needed. I'm not at all critical of your approach, itshooter; rather, I've always wondered about this whenever the conversation comes up on cleaning a rifle. I tend to usually follow the instructions by the manufacturer, trusting they know best for the firearms they have built. Thanks much.
PT7
itshooter wrote:To properly clean the bore of my new SGC I would like to disassemble the rifle enough to be able to clean it from breech to muzzle using a rod, which means removing the receiver cover and bolt. Can anyone offer any insights into whether removing and reinstalling the receiver cover with a receiver-mounted Skinner peep sight can be done without affecting the position of the rear sight? Does the cover reinstall in precisely the same position, or is there enough variance that I will I have to re-zero it every time I do that?
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Mistered
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Mistered » Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:04 am

What I don't understand is what your comment entails: "To properly clean the bore of my new SGC..."
I don't understand either. Do you think you are missing something by cleaning from the muzzle? If so no worries - you are not.
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itshooter
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by itshooter » Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:10 am

Two primary reasons for not cleaning from the muzzle end that I have read in various places:
1) To avoid pushing debris into the chamber and receiver
2) The risk of damaging the barrel crown is higher when cleaning from the muzzle.

Notice also that the Henry instructional videos at https://www.henryusa.com/henry-instruct ... h001-22lr/ show cleaning in the way I described. (Actually, they show an even more extensive disassembly than what I'm wanting to do.)
Last edited by itshooter on Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Redthies
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Redthies » Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:41 am

I’ve had my receiver cover off a couple of times on my SGC. I don’t see any way your zero would be affected if you leave the Skinner mounted. There is so little variance on where the cover sits that if it were different after removal, it would be in the .001s of an inch difference.
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SGC .22 LR Stripped and oiled up
BBSC .357 w Skinner Express & Patridge
BBSC .44 Magnum with Skinners
Marlin 1895GS .45-70 w RPP Cloverleaf
Marlin 336BL .30-30 w Skinner LoPro 2 and Sig 2-7x
1912 Winchester 1894 .30 WCF

Ratchet
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Ratchet » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:25 pm

I think the best way for you to know if your sight will need to be re-zeroed is to remove and replace the cover on your rifle and see. If nothing else, it will be an excuse to go shoot again. As far as cleaning from the muzzle, I think that is one of the topics that has gotten completely blown out of proportion on the Internet. Use a good quality coated cleaning rod, maybe a muzzle guide if you feel the need, and a little care, you should be just fine.
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Redthies
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Redthies » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:36 pm

Ratchet wrote:As far as cleaning from the muzzle, I think that is one of the topics that has gotten completely blown out of proportion on the Internet. Use a good quality coated cleaning rod.

I agree 100%. I’ve been cleaning my rifles the same way (from the muzzle with a <Gasp!> uncoated rod) for 30+ years. So far none of the herd have suffered a premature death due to a light touch from some aluminum! The new age paranoia is directly proportional to the availability of said coated rods and bore snakes. You have to wonder if it isn’t all a marketing ploy from the makers of coated rods and snakes!
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SGC .22 LR Stripped and oiled up
BBSC .357 w Skinner Express & Patridge
BBSC .44 Magnum with Skinners
Marlin 1895GS .45-70 w RPP Cloverleaf
Marlin 336BL .30-30 w Skinner LoPro 2 and Sig 2-7x
1912 Winchester 1894 .30 WCF

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Mistered
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Mistered » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:42 pm

1) To avoid pushing debris into the chamber and receiver
2) The risk of damaging the barrel crown is higher when cleaning from the muzzle.
I can appreciate this however a couple things.
Pushing debris into the can happen but a brush and subsequent patches will pick most debris up - which should be nothing more than burnt powder residue and dust.
You will not damage the crown if you are using an aluminum or brass cleaning rod (or possibly one of the new non-abrasive composite ones). This was a problem when older steel rods were used and yo don't see them any more.
Many rifles can NOT be cleaned from the breech (easily, and not with out some disassembly) and this includes most lever action rifles.
I'll clean my bolt action & SS rifles from the breech but I have been cleaning others from the muzzle for a long time and have never damaged a crown.
With regard to the chamber a flexible chamber brush is useful followed by blowing out with compressed air.
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Mags
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by Mags » Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:42 pm

itshooter wrote:To properly clean the bore of my new SGC I would like to disassemble the rifle enough to be able to clean it from breech to muzzle using a rod...
For no disassembly, instead of using a rod, why not use a cable? Cleaning from the receiver and out the muzzle, see this Henry cleaning video
https://www.henryusa.com/henry-instruct ... 22-magnum/

This Henry kit contains a cable for cleaning .22s.
https://henrypride.com/collections/clea ... 1738198284
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itshooter
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Re: Receiver mounted sight and cleaning

Post by itshooter » Mon Sep 03, 2018 4:09 pm

I have an Otis cable kit that I purchased for less than 1/3 of the cost of the one on the Henry site. But once the brush or jag is attached to the cable they are too long to slip into the chamber through the ejection port. The kit on the Henry site appears to have shorter brushes to overcome that. Do you know if those shorter brushes can be purchased separately somewhere?
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