Installed a Blackjack Buffer Lapped the Carrier/Reciever Rails Polished the Chamber with Flitz Installed a Russian SVD

Side Mount with Weaver Rail, and Adjustable Millet 30MM Rings 16X42 30MM SWFA Super Sniper Scope Turned Brake in Lathe to attain the tightest index possible (No Wobble) RSA Trigger (3#) 11 Degree Target Crown (Lathe) Installed Harris Bipod on Front of the Reciever (Not on the Handguard or Barrel)

Rifle maintenance involves three different kinds of liquids: solvents to remove powder and leading and copper; lubricants to allow mating surfaces to slide smoothly; and rust preventatives primarily for external, nonwork-ing surfaces. Several products claim to do all of these tasks, and some shooters swear by them. The only substance, I think, that comes close to that is Break Free, and even it does not remove copper. A few old-timers I respect advise using only one substance for each of these tasks and then ensuring it does it well. For instance, to clean carbon and gunk from your bore, use a really good bore cleaner such as Hoppe's #9. To remove copper and gilding metal residue, there are several ammonia-based cleaners, with Sweet's 7.62 and Shooter's Choice the most common brands. For a lubricant, I personally like one that has bits of Teflon or graphite in liquid, of which there are several brands.

Next, remove the bolt. At least once a year detail-strip the bolt and clean all components, then treat with Smooth-Kote as an effective, dry lubricant. If you've never disassembled your bolt, have an armorer talk you through it. This annual cleaning is important to prevent dirt or gummy lubricant from degrading your bolt's lock time. During ordinary maintenance, wipe the bolt clean and pay special heed to its face, where grit and tiny bits of brass can accumulate. Pay close attention to the extractor and use your toothbrush to get behind it. Before cleaning the chamber and bore, position an epoxy-bedded rifle so solvent will not seep down into the lower receiver. Then use a .45-caliber bore brush dipped in powder solventHoppe's #9 is perfectto clean the chamber. Rotate the brush sideways, not back and forth, a good eight or 10 turns. Be sure to get into the locking lug recesses in the receiver ring. Use patches to remove die solvent. Next, insert the bore guide and begin cleaning the bore with a ,30-caliber copper bore brush on a onepiece plastic, aluminum, or fiberglass rod. Emphasis heredo not damage the throat, where your bullet first encounters the rifling. Always insert the rod from the breech, through the bore guide. And be sure to pour powder solvent on the brush instead of dipping the brush in the bottle to avoid contaminating the solvent. The U.S. Marine Corps recommends 20 strokes to clean carbon from a bore, adding more solvent if necessary. Be sure that the brush completely protrudes from the muzzle before pulling it back during

each stroke. Now you're ready to run patches. Now we get tricky. Run patches only one way, from the chamber to the muzzlethe same direction the bullet travelsand each time the patch exits the muzzle, remove the dirty patch, pul) the empty rod back, attach a new patch, and repeat. Why? To ensure that all the gunk, carbon, and solvent are pushed completely out the bore, with none inadvertently dropped into the receiver. Keep running fresh patches until one comes through clean. Although it seems your bore is clean, it still contains traces of bullet jacket copper. Using a patch soaked with Sweet's 7.62 or another copper solvent, stroke the entire bore several times, then allow 10 minutes for it to dissolve the accumulated copper. Now run patches chamber to muzzle, just like before. On these patches you'll find tiny, almost microscopic bits of copper or vague green stains. Keep running patches until they come through clean. Finish by removing the ammonia with a patch containing Hoppe's #9, then one more patch containing light oil or Break Free. A special note on copper solvents: some competitive shooters, as well as custom rifle builders, recommend cleaning copper after every five or 10 rounds. This involves only a patch with copper solvent and a few strokes, then running clean patches until one comes through clean, and one more patch with Hoppe's #9 to remove the ammonia residue. Follow this regimen and you'll get peak performance from your rifle. End your routine by thoroughly cleaning the receiver interior using patches with powder solvent or Break Free, and wipe until all carbon is removed. Here's where pipe cleaners and that toothbrush will come in handy, especially if the rifle is a semiauto with many nooks and crannies. Sometimes a rifle bore seems to resist coming clean, especially if it's coming out of storage or has gone a long time without proper maintenance. That's when a USMC three-day cleaning regimen suggests cleaning it each day as cited above, then plugging the muzzle with a cork and leaving the chamber soaking in powder solvent overnight. That's as clean as a bore can get.

When last we looked at it, your bore was totally clean but dry. Now, run one last clean patch with oil down it, chamber to muzzle, leaving a thin coat of oil inside. This is for protection against rust. Indeed, to add one final touch of consistencyespecially for police snipers when you depart for the field or arrive on-scene during a call-out, run one more dry patch down the bore, both to remove any accumulated dust and ensure there's uniformity in your cold-bore (first) shot from the rifle. To treat a bore with Smooth-Kote, begin with a clean, dry bore. Further degrease it with rubbing alcohol, running patches until they come clean. Put Smooth-Kote liquid on a patch, thoroughly coat the bore, and then allow it to dry for two hours. The manufacturer says this long-lasting, submicron coating of molybdenum disulfide will fill imperfections, making your bore so "slick" that future cleaning is dramatically easier, with less copper buildup. Though not quantified, usually there's some accuracy improvement as well. I don't think there's enough experience yet for firm guidance on this, but snipers who've served in Iraq tell me Smooth-Kote works great, although a few "old hands" chink the resulting reduction in fouling encourages riflemen not to clean their bores often enough. To lubricate internal working surfaces, always use the minimum because it will attract dust like a magnet. Every mating, sliding surface needs lubrication. For rust protection, wipe a thin layer of oil on all external metal surfaces, so thin that it does not feel wet to the touch. Or you can protect exterior surfaces with a moly-impregnated Tuf-Cloth, which dries

in a few minutes. Follow these procedures and your rifle won't merely operate trouble-free, it will also stay a tack-driver for 10,000 rounds.

Unlike your rifle, your scope is relatively maintenance free. You should never disassemble it, so the cleaning and oiling requirements concern only external surfaces. To fully appreciate the care needed when cleaning lenses, think of it not as a scope but as an expensive camera. Except for field emergencies, use only quality lens paper and camera lens cleaning liquids on lenses. When you use ordinary window cleaner and toilet tissue, you will gently reduce metallic fluoride coatings through abrasive action. I have seen scope lenses wiped free of any coating due to "diligent" cleaning by a proud rifleman. Before wiping the lens with lens paper, carefully blow any grit or sand off it. Its best to use a small rubber squeegee brush to do this> but breathing on it is okay if you wait until any vapor evaporates before wiping. Substitute cleaners could be acetone, pure alcohol, or even clean water. In a pinch you could use good quality facial tissue, but don't make a habit of it. I keep lens paper in a plastic bag in my rifle hardcase and a bottle of lens cleaner in my ditty bag. In combat I would carry both to the field. Even handier is the LensPen. This pen-sized lens cleaning kit contains a soft, retraccable brush on one end and a chamois buffer impregnated with lens cleaning compound on the other. Just brush away any dust or grit, then polish the lens with the buffer. It's compact and works great. The scope's metal outer surfaces can be kept rust free with a thin coat of any firearm-quality oil. Do noi use solvent-type clcaners such as This polarizing filter allows a sniper to see through glaring windows.