CLEANING ROD DAMAGE

[Vettepilot]

So, often times someone will ask, "How can an aluminum cleaning rod, being MUCH softer than steel, damage a rifle bore?"

To this I try to explain that when iron/steel combines with oxygen, we call it "rust'. When aluminum combines with oxygen, we call it "aluminum oxide". Aluminum oxide is so hard it is often used as sand blasting media, and is sometimes used in making sandpaper as well. So yeah, it can definitely hurt a steel rifle bore. I sometimes get the feeling that they don't always believe it, and I wonder how many barrels are trashed as a result.

Then not too long ago, I finally got my long desired bore scope, and like a kid with a new toy, I've been bore scoping everything within reach! Yesterday, I got around to my long suffering old Marlin .22 that I bought used many years ago. It never shot worth a dam, but I didn't care because it isn't used to shoot groups nor to hunt, it is only used for kids to knock over cans at maybe 50 feet. But when I bored scoped it.... WOW! I found out why it won't shoot accurately for sure, and it is a "Picture Perfect" (literally), example of what improper cleaning rod use can do to a crown. So I thought I would post some pics here for us to refer newbies or doubters to, and have a clear example. The crown is severely damaged on two sides, and you can just imagine someone pushing and pulling a cleaning rod in and out of that muzzle with great abandon!! Pretty dramatic!

Vettepilot

 

[MagnumManiac]

Recrown it.

Cheers.

 

[Dosh]

Midway Larry has a video on recrowning a barrel. He recrowned a old rifle. Only took a short time. Others on YouTube as well. I did a old beat up 30-06 with the brass screw and lapping compound method for a friend. The crown looked like he used the rifle as a walking stick barrel down. Came out clean after lapping and he said it helped the accuracy quite a bit.

 

[25WSM]

That crown looks better than most TC's I've worked on.
Shep

 

[243winxb]

I never let the patch exit the muzzle. I pull it back the way it came. A bronze brush has to exit, use sparingly.

This works for 223 & 243/6mm.

Avoid ones with the slot. I had one patch come out of the slot & jam between the steel cleaning rod and barrel last week. Had to hammer it towards muzzle, thinking patch was still in slot. It was not. Had to hammer rod back out towards chamber.

 

[Vettepilot]

Ouch! That's a bummer.

To those that questioned, yeah, I will chuck mine in the lathe and re-crown it, then lap the crown as well.

Vettepilot

 

[Vettepilot]

That crown looks better than most TC's I've worked on.
Shep

I've heard there's a problem with the TC muzzle loader, black powder rifle crowns. Is that what you are referring to? I think it was something to do with their "Easy Start" crown, (or whatever it was they called it.) Does re-crowning sort those out?

(Edit) Looked it up, "QLA", "QUICK LOAD ACCURIZER" is what T/C calls their "special" muzzle crown for black powder rifles.

Vettepilot

 

[ntsqd]

Let me mention the steel brake tube that a rubber hose wore a hole in with only a tiny mark of the abrasion on the hose. Soft materials mean that grit can embed in it and turn it into an abrasive tool.

Out the muzzle is the correct direction of travel AFAIC. If I could push the cleaning rod all of the way down thru and not have to pull it back I would.

 

[kpacker]

I'm curious about the TC crowns on the muzzys too

 

[25WSM]

I cut the ez load part off of all of them and they shoot much better. If you look at the crown with a loop you can actually see how crooked they are with just your eyes. I've not had one that didn't shoot better with the new crown. And on the encore you need to bed the base and add 2 screws to the front of it. Why the heck did they put all 4 screws on only half the base. I work on a bunch of them because they shoot like crap and guys are disappointed. Every one I do needs a new pin, locking lug spring, recrown and the base fixed. Once you do these mods they shoot under moa. Tc could do all of this for basically nothing and have a fantastic gun but they keep putting them out like dog doo. I have a whole kit I keep just for encores.
Shep

 

[kpacker]

I like it. I've done several of Bellm's parts for accuracy. My 300wm barrel shoots awesome but muzzleloader, not so much.
Sorry to derail thread. I'll pm ya

 

[Spoonbill]

Can you (anyone) recommend an affordable, good quality bore scope??

 

[arch408]

I read an article many years ago that grit could get imbedded in aluminum cleaning rods which would make abrasive. Supposedly, carbon fiber rods, like steel rods will not do it either.

 

[25WSM]

Biggest problem with aluminum rods is they bend to easy. This flex let's it touch the bore. You need really stiff rods and good fitting bore guides to safely clean with. One common thing you will notice at BR matches is rifles being cleaned constantly. They all use good bore guides that help the rod stay centered. There are guys doing hundreds of strokes during a match and they don't harm the barrel. Use the proper tools and your barrel will be safe. And I haven't seen one of them unscrew a brush so it wouldn't come back across the crown. They push it through and pull it back through. Now they don't slam the brush back into the crown. But they do pull it through. If you must clean from the muzzle use a crown saver on it to prevent what the op barrel looks like.
Shep