Get Better Cleaning Results with Side Spiking
An often overlooked fix for tight or stuck patches is the "Side Spiking" technique – spearing the patch off-centre. Simple and effective.
Your new Bore Tech order has just arrived and you are looking forward to cleaning your rifle. You did your research to make sure you bought the right equipment, knowing that everything should work flawlessly. You start pushing the first patch through the barrel and notice it is extremely hard to push – and then it gets stuck! How is that possible?
An enthusiastic shooter wants to place shots precisely in the centre of the target. The closer to the centre, the better – but NOT when it comes to using jags and patches correctly.
An often overlooked fix for frustrating situations with patches that are too tight or get stuck is a technique we call "Side Spiking". Side spiking is very simple, and it works.
As the name suggests, "side spiking" simply means moving the point where you spear the patch from the centre towards a corner of a square patch or towards the edge of a round patch. See Figure 1.
The closer to the edge of the patch you spear the jag, the looser the patch will be in the bore. Important: Be careful not to go all the way to the edge of the patch. Leave enough patch material to cover the first set of rings on the jag. This keeps the jag properly centred in the bore and prevents it from contacting the rifling. See Figure 2.
We recommend side spiking all wet patches. The patch will be looser in the bore, remove the heavy powder fouling and at the same time leave more cleaning solution behind to start working on the remaining fouling.
When you need a tighter patch, simply move the spiking point closer to the centre of the patch. The closer to the centre you go, the tighter the patch will fit in the bore. The goal is a snug patch that still lets you push the cleaning rod smoothly through the bore. Remember, you do not have to end up exactly in the centre of the patch.
Check the correct patch size in the patch size selection chart.
Note: Bore Tech designs its jags to be used with X-Count Cotton Flannel patches. Using patches from a brand other than Bore Tech may affect side spiking results, because they can differ in thickness, size and material.