Rinse with water??? Nylon brush on cleaning rod?
Carbon or something else?
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Got that and thank you
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Shane Lindsey
Well-Known Member
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The JB red is finer. You probably want the gray one...
Punch it with your solvent and then run a few with JB in there. It may not be as bad as the photos make it look. What ever did we do to diagnose before the borescope. Unless your friend put a few hundred rounds through it before ever cleaning it, I think you will be ok...
I personnaly would punch a dry patch and then shoot it. Fresh and warm will clean up easier than old and crusty...
Punch it with your solvent and then run a few with JB in there. It may not be as bad as the photos make it look. What ever did we do to diagnose before the borescope. Unless your friend put a few hundred rounds through it before ever cleaning it, I think you will be ok...
I personnaly would punch a dry patch and then shoot it. Fresh and warm will clean up easier than old and crusty...
Yeah I know but he don't know diddly about cleaning.Tell your friend to clean his own barrel and bring it clean to you ,
That j. b. Is bore paste correct?
I've used both nylon and bronze brushes with the drill.....if you use a caliber size bronze it won't be caliber size afterwards....but..that's the price of a clean barrel......I've many..just use them for smaller calibers...then toss'em...
Roger that
crkckr
Well-Known Member
That barrel needs some serious TLC but I would suggest that at least at the start, you forgo any abrasive cleaners and drill motors!
First clean it with something like Hoppes #9. This will remove most of the loose powder bits and get things started. Then I would take another look with the scope, especially the leade (throat) area to make sure there's no checking or cracking (which if bad enough, calls for a new barrel!). If it seems ok, then I would use something along the lines of Wipe Out, Montana Extreme Copper Cutter, or Barnes CR-10, or even Sweets 7.62. Hoppes Elite also works but is slow compared to the others. *Do Not* let any of them sit in barrel for more than 20 minutes or so! The only one you can leave in the barrel for any extended length of time is the Wipe Out! I have left Wipe Out in barrels over night but that much time doesn't clean things any faster. The chemicals have to be fresh to work well.
You will have to keep at it until the barrel comes out looking really clean, although you may still have a carbon build up (dark streaks or patches in the bore). BoreTech Carbon Remover to the rescue! It's good stuff and works fairly quickly as well. But like the others, it may take numerous applications to get the barrel really clean. In other words, time! In this day and age there is absolutely *no* need to ever do any "scrubbing" of the barrel, although you might use JB Bore cleaner if there is stubborn copper or carbon left (the JB Bore polish is the red stuff... you want to use the brown stuff first. Either way, it ALL has to be cleaned completely from the bore and anything else you smeared it over!). If I have copper that defies the chemicals, then I resort to the JB. I often use the polish after everything seems as clean as it can get. The polish makes this a sure bet but don't be too surprised if you get some dark patches pretty quickly! I generally use 25 full strokes with a tight fitting cloth patch with the either JB... the only time I *ever* pull patches back and forth in the barrel!
Use nylon brushes and plan on using a whole batch of patches! And please, please use a bore guide! Don't get in a hurry and bend a rod inside the barrel, possibly damaging the lands if you get crazy! Plastic coated rods only, of course! And don't forget, on a good rifle, patches only go one (1) direction... from chamber to muzzle. This is especially important when you first start out and the patches have a bunch of crud on them (crud is a technical term for sh... uh, ca-ca!). Ok, it won't make any difference on a factory barrel or your SKS. However, if you have a custom, semi-custom or just a rifle that shoots really well and you want it to keep shooting well, then go the distance and do it right!
This can be a very long process, maybe days if that barrel is as bad as it looks! You will eventually get down to bare metal, after which you must be cautious of corrosion, so a generous use of oil is recommended (do *not` use Break Free or any oil with teflon, in your bore! It's great everywhere else, but not in the bore.) . Run a dry patch down the barrel before shooting. If this process takes days, oil the barrel well before you quit for the day and clean it out with a patch damp with alcohol before you start again.
This is TLC for your good barrel. It's a pain but the best groups it can shoot will be the result, although it may take some fouling shots before does it's best. Each rifle is unique in that respect and the only way to tell is to try it! If the first shot out of a clean, cold barrel is in the group, count yourself as being very, very lucky!
Cheers,
crkckr
First clean it with something like Hoppes #9. This will remove most of the loose powder bits and get things started. Then I would take another look with the scope, especially the leade (throat) area to make sure there's no checking or cracking (which if bad enough, calls for a new barrel!). If it seems ok, then I would use something along the lines of Wipe Out, Montana Extreme Copper Cutter, or Barnes CR-10, or even Sweets 7.62. Hoppes Elite also works but is slow compared to the others. *Do Not* let any of them sit in barrel for more than 20 minutes or so! The only one you can leave in the barrel for any extended length of time is the Wipe Out! I have left Wipe Out in barrels over night but that much time doesn't clean things any faster. The chemicals have to be fresh to work well.
You will have to keep at it until the barrel comes out looking really clean, although you may still have a carbon build up (dark streaks or patches in the bore). BoreTech Carbon Remover to the rescue! It's good stuff and works fairly quickly as well. But like the others, it may take numerous applications to get the barrel really clean. In other words, time! In this day and age there is absolutely *no* need to ever do any "scrubbing" of the barrel, although you might use JB Bore cleaner if there is stubborn copper or carbon left (the JB Bore polish is the red stuff... you want to use the brown stuff first. Either way, it ALL has to be cleaned completely from the bore and anything else you smeared it over!). If I have copper that defies the chemicals, then I resort to the JB. I often use the polish after everything seems as clean as it can get. The polish makes this a sure bet but don't be too surprised if you get some dark patches pretty quickly! I generally use 25 full strokes with a tight fitting cloth patch with the either JB... the only time I *ever* pull patches back and forth in the barrel!
Use nylon brushes and plan on using a whole batch of patches! And please, please use a bore guide! Don't get in a hurry and bend a rod inside the barrel, possibly damaging the lands if you get crazy! Plastic coated rods only, of course! And don't forget, on a good rifle, patches only go one (1) direction... from chamber to muzzle. This is especially important when you first start out and the patches have a bunch of crud on them (crud is a technical term for sh... uh, ca-ca!). Ok, it won't make any difference on a factory barrel or your SKS. However, if you have a custom, semi-custom or just a rifle that shoots really well and you want it to keep shooting well, then go the distance and do it right!
This can be a very long process, maybe days if that barrel is as bad as it looks! You will eventually get down to bare metal, after which you must be cautious of corrosion, so a generous use of oil is recommended (do *not` use Break Free or any oil with teflon, in your bore! It's great everywhere else, but not in the bore.) . Run a dry patch down the barrel before shooting. If this process takes days, oil the barrel well before you quit for the day and clean it out with a patch damp with alcohol before you start again.
This is TLC for your good barrel. It's a pain but the best groups it can shoot will be the result, although it may take some fouling shots before does it's best. Each rifle is unique in that respect and the only way to tell is to try it! If the first shot out of a clean, cold barrel is in the group, count yourself as being very, very lucky!
Cheers,
crkckr
The Oregonian
Well-Known Member
OP you are getting a lot of good advice. I think it boils down to this…
Don't start out hardcore with it. Maybe it isn't as bad as it looks. Some of that could be abrasive, so keep that in mind. That's why I like wipeout for this…it should make a good dent without any scrubbing and risk. Run a few patches with brake cleaner / KG3 / whatever you use. Then borescope. See how much of a dent it made, and start with something like a few patches with your normal cleaning routine to see what it feels like, how dirty the patches are, and what color the dirty ones are. Then a nylon brush, and get more aggressive as needed with chemicals and/or abrasives. Be patient and let progress tell you when to start to get medieval with that bitch, if at all. Bore scope often.
You can skip wipeout if you want to start with your normal cleaners and patches.
Don't start out hardcore with it. Maybe it isn't as bad as it looks. Some of that could be abrasive, so keep that in mind. That's why I like wipeout for this…it should make a good dent without any scrubbing and risk. Run a few patches with brake cleaner / KG3 / whatever you use. Then borescope. See how much of a dent it made, and start with something like a few patches with your normal cleaning routine to see what it feels like, how dirty the patches are, and what color the dirty ones are. Then a nylon brush, and get more aggressive as needed with chemicals and/or abrasives. Be patient and let progress tell you when to start to get medieval with that bitch, if at all. Bore scope often.
You can skip wipeout if you want to start with your normal cleaners and patches.
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I had a great load worked up for my .270win. Then my buddy bought this borescope. When I saw what was in the barrel, (copper) I freaked out. It was a used rifle. I got it cleaned up really well, butches worked for me. Now my perfect load shoots 6moa off at 4o'clock. Had to fiddle with powder charge and distance off the rifling. Got back to a good load again. Follow the advice on this thread. Scrub until it is as clean as possible. I learned that for my final scrubs I had to use a nylon brush. I was going for a patch with no green (copper) on it and the brass brush has copper in it so it would have been a never ending story. I agree that you should get your friend involved with the cleaning just so they see how regular maintenance can save a whole lot of work later on. The picture of the white residue in the rifling looks crystalized. A salt of some kind maybe?Need some help here . I am not familiar with carbon rings at all . This is in my friends rifle I was starting load development for hammer Hunter bullets and found this!!! Picture on the left is a photo of the display on the bore scope as all of the pictures are! Is the white fuzz y stuff reflection or spider webbs? (I don't know how to attach it to my android phone) I tried to show the throat area and what I thoughtwas the carbon ring with copper from the dummy round I made up! Yes it stuck in the barrel and tapped out easily! You can see the rough ring around the dummy bullet in the right picture.I believe the bullet may have pulled out of the case a bit when I ejected the round. The third picture is a close up of ( copper ? ) in the throat. Thanks for all your thoughts,comments and or advice .
The Redding die box in the background is for a 26 Nosler. Those rifles are kind of new. How does a barrel get into that kind of condition so quickly. Do you know what make barrel it is?Need some help here . I am not familiar with carbon rings at all . This is in my friends rifle I was starting load development for hammer Hunter bullets and found this!!! Picture on the left is a photo of the display on the bore scope as all of the pictures are! Is the white fuzz y stuff reflection or spider webbs? (I don't know how to attach it to my android phone) I tried to show the throat area and what I thought
Also be warned, to do this right you will need a bunch of brushes both nylon and brass/bronze. I also used a bore snake and pulled through from action to muzzle and from muzzle to action.
RAGGED EDGE
Well-Known Member
There are 3-4 different colors of Scotch-Brite pads. Burgundy/red is middle of the road, I think. It was what I have always had on hand. Always worked good for for me.
crkckr
Well-Known Member
I am not a fan of bronze brushes at all. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to take pictures with my good scope (it's a rigid, 17" Olympus I found at a swap meet for cheap because there was no light source... I cobbled together a Mini-Mag light and it works just fine). I have a cheapo scope but it's not as clear, but i made one pass down a relatively clean custom barrel w/bronze brush and could see fine scratches in the mostly mirror finish of the bore. I still use them in pistols that shoot lead bullets but they never see my rifles, even my AK & SKS just get nylon now.
I am also not a fan of bore snakes as they get totally filthy after the first couple of passes and now you're pulling a crud infested item thru your barrel. Generally powder residue isn't too bad but the stuff from primers and bits of carbon can be very bad for a good bore. At best you can wash them in a washing machine (do NOT let your wife or SO see this happen) after each use. Like patches, tgey should only go one way thru the bore.
I suppose that in most factory barrels you'll never notice a thing but I have some customs with hand lapped barrels and I'm not doing anything to jeopardise their finishes. The same goes for any type of scrubber pad (Scotch-Brite). I wouldn't even use the white ones, which have the finest grit of any of them! The airline I worked at used to use them (with a polish) to put a super brite finish on bare aluminum. I will admit to being a bit anal with my barrels but I have some that are great shooters and I don't want to do anything that might affect them adversely in any way!
Again, with todays available chemicals there is seldom, if ever, a need to "scrub" a barrel! Probably the worst thing I've ever seen for barrels was a stainless steel brush! Yikes! I don't believe anyone even makes them any more... which is a good thing!
So... Always use a bore guide (I've even made some for pistol barrels), use quality products, use lot's of patches going 1 way thru your barrel (I cut up paper towels for patches... the only thing that requires a cloth patch is JB pastes) and give your barrels the best possible chance of shooting their very best for you for as long as possible!
Cheers,
crkckr
PS. Go here for the Scotch-Brite color code:
I am also not a fan of bore snakes as they get totally filthy after the first couple of passes and now you're pulling a crud infested item thru your barrel. Generally powder residue isn't too bad but the stuff from primers and bits of carbon can be very bad for a good bore. At best you can wash them in a washing machine (do NOT let your wife or SO see this happen) after each use. Like patches, tgey should only go one way thru the bore.
I suppose that in most factory barrels you'll never notice a thing but I have some customs with hand lapped barrels and I'm not doing anything to jeopardise their finishes. The same goes for any type of scrubber pad (Scotch-Brite). I wouldn't even use the white ones, which have the finest grit of any of them! The airline I worked at used to use them (with a polish) to put a super brite finish on bare aluminum. I will admit to being a bit anal with my barrels but I have some that are great shooters and I don't want to do anything that might affect them adversely in any way!
Again, with todays available chemicals there is seldom, if ever, a need to "scrub" a barrel! Probably the worst thing I've ever seen for barrels was a stainless steel brush! Yikes! I don't believe anyone even makes them any more... which is a good thing!
So... Always use a bore guide (I've even made some for pistol barrels), use quality products, use lot's of patches going 1 way thru your barrel (I cut up paper towels for patches... the only thing that requires a cloth patch is JB pastes) and give your barrels the best possible chance of shooting their very best for you for as long as possible!
Cheers,
crkckr
PS. Go here for the Scotch-Brite color code:
HMG Paints Ltd
www.hmgpaint.com
Respectfully disagree. Most Benchrest shooters scrub their barrels between each relay (5-7shots). They shoot some of the finest barrels available and shoot incredible groups that agg in the high 0.1's to low 0.2's for 25 shots!I am not a fan of bronze brushes at all. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to take pictures with my good scope (it's a rigid, 17" Olympus I found at a swap meet for cheap because there was no light source... I cobbled together a Mini-Mag light and it works just fine). I have a cheapo scope but it's not as clear, but i made one pass down a relatively clean custom barrel w/bronze brush and could see fine scratches in the mostly mirror finish of the bore. I still use them in pistols that shoot lead bullets but they never see my rifles, even my AK & SKS just get nylon now.
I am also not a fan of bore snakes as they get totally filthy after the first couple of passes and now you're pulling a crud infested item thru your barrel. Generally powder residue isn't too bad but the stuff from primers and bits of carbon can be very bad for a good bore. At best you can wash them in a washing machine (do NOT let your wife or SO see this happen) after each use. Like patches, tgey should only go one way thru the bore.
I suppose that in most factory barrels you'll never notice a thing but I have some customs with hand lapped barrels and I'm not doing anything to jeopardise their finishes. The same goes for any type of scrubber pad (Scotch-Brite). I wouldn't even use the white ones, which have the finest grit of any of them! The airline I worked at used to use them (with a polish) to put a super brite finish on bare aluminum. I will admit to being a bit anal with my barrels but I have some that are great shooters and I don't want to do anything that might affect them adversely in any way!
Again, with todays available chemicals there is seldom, if ever, a need to "scrub" a barrel! Probably the worst thing I've ever seen for barrels was a stainless steel brush! Yikes! I don't believe anyone even makes them any more... which is a good thing!
So... Always use a bore guide (I've even made some for pistol barrels), use quality products, use lot's of patches going 1 way thru your barrel (I cut up paper towels for patches... the only thing that requires a cloth patch is JB pastes) and give your barrels the best possible chance of shooting their very best for you for as long as possible!
Cheers,
crkckr
PS. Go here for the Scotch-Brite color code:
HMG Paints Ltd
www.hmgpaint.com
Agree with the bore guide, quality rods, bronze core brushes and sparing use of soft abraisives (JB).
Jm2cw.
