How to Properly Clean Your Lever Action Rifle

How to Properly Clean Your Lever Action Rifle

Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy have partnered up with Otis Technology to go over how to properly clean your lever action rifle. In the accompanying video, Nancy will demonstrate the cleaning, disassembly, and reassembly process of a lever action rifle. Our goal here is to provide you with both a visual and written guide on how to help best accomplish this task. Now without further ado, let’s get into it.

Safety First

When cleaning any firearm, one must make sure that the firearm is unloaded and the cleaning area is free of ammunition. By ensuring that the firearm is clear and empty, you can eliminate the potential of a preventable accident occurring.

Cleaning: The Bore

Cleaning the bore of a lever action rifle can be easily accomplished with either a traditional rod or a pull-through style device. Typically, these devices are modular and can be fitted with different heads which are appropriate for different uses. To begin the bore cleaning process, a slotted tip is attached to facilitate the use of patches. A patch can easily be affixed to the slotted tip by pushing it through the islet and then pushing the entire tip through the rest of the patch. Once the patch is secured, a CLP type solution or solvent can be applied to the patch. At this point in the video, the pull-through device is fed through the barrel with the end without the patch being pushed through first. Once the end without the patch is protruding through the muzzle, one can grab this end and pull the rest of the device and patch through the bore. At this point, one should inspect the patch to determine the level of fouling in the bore. Next, one should swap the slotted tip out for a brush appropriate for the caliber of your particular firearm. Then the brush should be pulled through the bore using the same method as the patch. Once the brush has cleared the bore, the slotted tip should be reaffixed and fitted with a dry patch. The dry patch should then be pulled through the bore and inspected for fouling. If there is still fouling present on the dry patch, the process should then be repeated. Essentially, cleaning the bore is a three-step process which should be repeated as much as needed: wet patch, brush, dry patch. Eventually, the dry patch will come out untarnished, signifying that the barrel is now free of fouling. Purchase Otis Cleaning Kits

Disassembly: Action and Chamber

At this point, the action and chamber can be cleaned, a process which requires some disassembly. First, the lever must be removed from the receiver. As shown in the video, this task is accomplished by utilizing a flathead screwdriver. The video also shows tape being affixed to the flathead screwdriver to reduce the risk of marring. Once the screw is removed, the lever can be removed from the firearm by pulling it downwards. Next, the bolt can be removed from the rear of the receiver by pushing down on the hammer and pulling the bolt rearwards. Finally, the loose extractor can be removed from the receiver by pulling it up and out of the ejection port. At this point, cleaning can commence.

Cleaning: Action and Chamber

Cleaning of the receiver area can be accomplished easily with a nylon brush. Simply scrub the inside of the receiver and focus on the areas where carbon has accumulated. For optimal cleaning, one can run the brush through the ejection port and the opening in the back of the receiver. Next, one should follow up with a wipe treated with a CLP solution. In the video, Otis Technology’s 085 firearm wipes are utilized for this task. Regardless of the wipe used, one should apply the wipe and solution to the same areas that were brushed earlier in this process. After the internal components of the receiver have been cleaned, one can easily address the lever, bolt, and extractor now that they are out of the firearm. The carbon and fouling on these components can be effectively cleaned by utilizing the same kind of wipes as before. As shown in the video, one should also address the screw used to retain the lever to ensure it is free of grit. At this point, reassembly can begin.

Reassembly

Reassembly of the lever action rifle can be accomplished by reversing the process. The extractor first must be placed into its slot in the receiver. Next, the bolt can be reinserted into the action through the hole in the rear of the receiver. This is achieved by pressing down on the hammer and sliding the bolt into the hole. At this point, the lever can be reinstalled on the rifle. One must take care to ensure that the lever indexes with the corresponding slot on the bolt while aligning the lever with the screw hole. Once everything is properly lined up and indexed, simply tighten the screw and reinstall the lever. As with most screws, one should take care to ensure that the threads on the screw and receiver match up prior to tightening. If one haphazardly tightens this screw, they can run the risk of stripping threads. Once this lever is reinstalled, the reassembly process is complete and should be followed by a function check.

Final Treatment

As shown in the video, one can treat the bore and exterior metals of the firearm to protect it against rust and the elements. A wet patch can be run through the barrel to treat the bore with a CLP solution. This will aid in staving off rust and corrosion. When it comes to the exterior of the rifle, one can take a treated wipe or rag and wipe down the metal components such as the barrel and receiver. Purchase Otis Cleaning Kits

Conclusion

After all these steps are complete, our cleaning journey has now come to a close. This written guide and accompanying video should help you properly maintain your favorite lever action rifle. We here at True Shot want to express our gratitude to Otis Technology for this collaboration. The company makes high quality cleaning products which we are happy to offer. In addition to producing cleaning products, the company is also a great resource for information and help regarding cleaning firearms. As always, happy shooting. Need bulk ammo? At True Shot Ammo, we have a wide variety of handgun ammo and rifle ammo available to purchase. Please visit our website trueshotammo.com, call us at (888) 736-6587, or you can email us at sales@trueshotammo.com for more ammo options.