Couple days ago my BGC finally cleared and I was able to pick up my Rem 700 from Bowers, needless to say I was very happy. Only thing I am missing to complete the rifle is my karsten cheek riser, but first things first I needed to clean the rifle.
Using CLP for the initial cleaning and following up with Weapon Shield has become my norm for first time cleanings. I usually liberally apply CLP to a cotton cloth and go to town with the exterior surfaces. I went through three towels before I stopped getting huge swaths of black off the rifle. First thing that went through my head was I was stripping finish of the rifle, not at all...it was just damned filthy. Went through five before it finally was wiping clean.
Then I started on the barrel. My AR's are cleaner after 500 rounds than this barrel. Oddly, shining a light through the barrel it didn't look all that bad... I ran 30 patches through the barrel, 1 wet/5 dry took 6 times before this thing came clean. I expect to see some residue and get the normal preservative come off, but this was the dirtiest new in box rifle I had ever encountered.
Does Remington normally ship out new guns this scuzzy?