HFT 500 barrel clean

[Andytx200]

Hi,
I've just brought a hft500 and would like to do its first barrel clean with a Napier pull through. Do I have to remove the air stripper before I carry out this procedure?

[gdavison]

Stick a drinking straw down the barrel end which will guide the napier past all the baffels etc

[Pete2]

Can't remember the make of my pull through but it is a bit stiff, still flexible though.
I have pulled through the barrel of my 500 a few times without removing the stripper.
Most of the time I only fire 3 felts through if the accuracy goes.

[Roger5]

Stick a drinking straw down the barrel end which will guide the napier past all the baffels etc

Don't think there are any baffles, take it off or leave it on, or just shoot some VFGs through it

[tonyc]

I've never been impressed with any of the fire-through wads - concerned pieces might break off and contaminate moderators and strippers - so I always pull through... sometimes I'll take moderators off but usually with a straw.

[Archer50]

I've never been impressed with any of the fire-through wads - concerned pieces might break off and contaminate moderators and strippers - so I always pull through... sometimes I'll take moderators off but usually with a straw.

I now only use felts. As soon as I suspect a loss of precision I shoot three dry VFG felts and that fixes it. That can be every 250 or so shots for my S400 and HFT500 or every time out for my Steyrs, but I always let the gun tell me when it needs cleaning.

I have been using this regime for about a year now, and I've just used a pull-through on all my guns, out of interest. In every case it came out practically spotless. If you don't muck about with oils or grease and don't ignore your barrel until it's clogged with grunge, I can't see any need for a pull through except on a new gun to get rid of whatever cr*p the manufacturer has put in it - these aren't powder burners.

Alan

[Andytx200]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will try the drinking straw method to guide my pull through into the barrel.

[tonyc]

I now only use felts. As soon as I suspect a loss of precision I shoot three dry VFG felts and that fixes it. That can be every 250 or so shots for my S400 and HFT500 or every time out for my Steyrs, but I always let the gun tell me when it needs cleaning.

I have been using this regime for about a year now, and I've just used a pull-through on all my guns, out of interest. In every case it came out practically spotless. If you don't muck about with oils or grease and don't ignore your barrel until it's clogged with grunge, I can't see any need for a pull through except on a new gun to get rid of whatever cr*p the manufacturer has put in it - these aren't powder burners.

Alan

Interesting!
I used a pull through for the initial clean then used Remington wads. They are cheap which may be the problem. I wasn't happy with the result on a HW barrel so used a pull through and was horrified at the muck that came out. My LW barrels don't seem to need much cleaning. I pull through once with a Napier VP90 dampened patch then fire a pellet and all is back to normal - doesn't seem to need re-leading. The HW is very different... needs a good clean and a good few pellets to be sure it's consistent. I wonder if the rifling makes a difference, bearing in mind LW are button rifled and HW are hammer forged? For sure, the HW rifling is more aggressive... leaving deeper marks on the pellet and knocking the ballistic coefficient.

[Roger5]

Hi Tony, yes I've seen the Remington ones, cheap as you say, More like fag filters, VFGs are way better. Rog