Ramfelt cleaning felts: what makes them so special?
The Ramfelt brand has set itself the goal of further optimising the cleaning felts without changing the basic shape of the felt. The quality of the felt composition has been significantly improved, which can be seen in several aspects:
1. Dimensional stability: The felts are characterised by their high dimensional stability. They retain their structure even after several passes through the barrel, which ensures consistent cleaning performance throughout the entire process.
2. Sharp impression of grooves and lands: When using the Ramfelt felts, a clear imprint of the grooves and lands on the felt is recognisable. This indicates that the felts press strongly into the structure of the barrel and thus removes more residue.
3. Dust-free: Compared to other manufacturers, Ramfelt cleaning felts stand out because there is hardly any dust or production residue in the packaging. This seems to be an additional indication of the good manufacturing quality.
The comparison test: Ramfelt versus commercially available felts in detail
To test the performance of Ramfelt cleaning felts, we carried out an extensive comparative test under identical conditions and with an identical degree of soiling of the test gun. The aim was to find out whether Ramfelt felts actually offer better cleaning performance than the products currently available on the market. The tension is rising...
1. Test preparation: selection and cleaning of the gun (Rössler Signature in .308)
A brand new gun, a Rössler Signature in .308 Win, was used for this test. To make the test conditions as similar as possible, the barrel of the gun was thoroughly cleaned before the start of the test. This pre-cleaning was necessary to ensure that no residues from the manufacturing process or from the first firing would distort the test results. The Ramfelt cleaning felts were used during this cleaning process in order to gain an initial impression of the felts' properties.
The gun was pre-treated with a classic CLP cleaner (Cleaning, Lubricating, Protecting) to remove all residues, especially anti-corrosion agents and oil residues. This step was crucial to ensure that the barrel was as neutral as possible before the actual test began.
2. Carrying out the first cleaning run with commercially available felts
After preparing the gun, the first test run was carried out. Initially, 10 shots were fired on the shooting range to produce a typical barrel fouling. Subsequent cleaning was then carried out using commercially available cleaning felts.
Cleaning process:
- Cleaning: Firstly, the barrel bore was wetted with a CLP cleaner to remove the coarse dirt and residues. A barrel cleaning solution was then used, which was left to work for around 7 minutes. The barrel cleaner was then neutralised with the CLP cleaner and the barrel was finally cleaned.
- Use of the felts: Each cleaning run was carried out using the commercially available cleaning felts. It was found that the commercially available felts lost their shape relatively quickly and did not penetrate deep enough into the barrel rifling grooves. A total of 14 felts were required to completely clean the barrel.
- Our observations: The felts showed clear signs of wear and were slightly deformed after each pass. Even though the barrel was relatively clean at the end, slight residues were still visible on the edges of grooves and lands.
3. Re-fouling of the gun and second cleaning run with the new Ramfelt felts
After the first test run, the gun was used again on the shooting range to create a comparable level of fouling as in the first run. Again, 10 shots were fired and the fouling was recorded by an endoscope inspection of the barrel and the exact recording of the number of shots.
Cleaning process with Ramfelt felts:
- Cleaning: Here too, the barrel was first pre-treated with the CLP cleaner to loosen the coarse dirt. The exposure time and the amount of cleaner were exactly the same as for the first test run in order to keep the conditions identical.
- Using the Ramfelt felts: The Ramfelt felts were pulled through the barrel and a noticeable difference was already evident on the first pass. The felts remained dimensionally stable and adapted precisely to the grooves and lands: an increased resistance was noticeable. Unlike the commercially available felts, the Ramfelt felts penetrated deeper into the bore structure, resulting in a clearer imprint of the rifling on the felts.
- Our observations: A total of 16 Ramfelt felts were used. Although these were more felts than in the first run, the cleaning result was significantly better. The felts removed even fine particles and residues that the commercially available felts could not reach. The Ramfelt felts cleaned the barrel more thoroughly, especially on the edges of lands and grooves. The dimensional stability of the felts also remained the best, which indicates a high-quality felt composition.
4. Results and conclusions of our test
Visual inspection: After cleaning, the barrels of both test runs were inspected under an endoscope. The inspection revealed that the Ramfelt felts were able to remove more residue from the deep areas of the rifling. The felts came out with significantly sharper impressions on their surface, indicating that they pressed more firmly into the rifling and therefore cleaned more effectively.
Consumption and efficiency: Interestingly, it was found that although the Ramfelt felts required slightly more felts for complete cleaning, they scored points for their superior cleaning performance. Each individual felt performed better, which increased the overall cleaning efficiency. The fact that the felts retained their dimensional stability and strength also speaks in favour of their high quality and suitability for thorough gun care.
Conclusion on the cleaning felts from Ramfelt
Our comparative test has shown that Ramfelt cleaning felts offer very good cleaning performance compared to commercially available felts. They impress with their dimensional stability, their ability to penetrate deep into the rifling grooves and their efficiency in removing dirt and residues. Shooters who attach great importance to thorough and sustainable gun care in particular can benefit from the advantages of Ramfelt felts. Even though more felts were needed in the test, the end result was clearly recognisable in terms of the cleanliness and precision of the cleaned barrel.
This test provide a good insight into the quality and performance of Ramfelt cleaning felts and show that they are a worthwhile investment for any gun owner who relies on first-class cleaning utensils. Further tests and long-term experience will show whether the Ramfelt felts can continue to impress in practice.
Picture gallery of gun cleaning with Ramfelt felts: comparison before/after (especially grooves and lands)
More information about the company and its products can be found on the Ramfelt website.
