You .17 caliber shooters may already know this.
I used to hate cleaning my .17 HMR rifles but I really like shooting them. Yes, they are expensive per round and, yes, the teeny bullets do blow around in the wind, but they are so zippy and shoot so flat. Unlike .22 LR that go subsonic at about 75 yards, the hummers are still supersonic at 200 yards. However, the rounds are dirty and the long barrels and tiny bores of my CZ 453 Varmint and American barrels conspired to make cleaning a dreaded chore.
The answer, Q-tip Precision swabs. Not the regular ones; the skinnier pointy ones. I use a Tipton one-piece carbon fiber rod for .17 to .20 calibers with 5-40 threads. Cut the swap in half and you can thread it into the rod end. It holds plenty tight. The swab will fit the bore snugly but not so tight that you will fear of getting stuck. If you prefer to pull patches rearward, the swab stays attached. The rod twists as is run through the bore so it is engaging the rifling.
Here are some pictures. The rifle is my CZ 455 Ultra Lux with a CZ American barrel. I do use a bore guide - the white tube in the breech end.
A tip for cleaning .17 HMR barrels
1
Last edited by Bucolic on Sat Apr 06, 2019 11:56 am, edited 5 times in total.