Cleaning with patches only

[VinceMule]

Darn good video! Your dad was not doing the worst job of cleaning, just about typical of his process. JB on a patch/worn brush will get all of that out, chemicals and patches will be a teaser at best..

You do have a great example to play around with your cleaning technique and document the process.

Barrels of this age normally show some pitting where moisture has got underneath the copper fouling, but it rarely is detrimental to accuracy since we are not talking about a target rifle.

The question is, what kind of barrel is it, and do you know the load your dad has been using over the years? Powder type often matters in the fouling build-up.

 

[ndking1126]

I hoped you cleaned it for him

check the next video, haha. Yes, a shameless plug for my channel!

 

[ndking1126]

Darn good video! Your dad was not doing the worst job of cleaning, just about typical of his process. JB on a patch/worn brush will get all of that out, chemicals and patches will be a teaser at best..

You do have a great example to play around with your cleaning technique and document the process.

Barrels of this age normally show some pitting where moisture has got underneath the copper fouling, but it rarely is detrimental to accuracy since we are not talking about a target rifle.

The question is, what kind of barrel is it, and do you know the load your dad has been using over the years? Powder type often matters in the fouling build-up.

Factory 700 barrel shooting off the shelf 180 grain Remington Corelokt PSP. He was quite a fanatic about cleaning, but still used the same routine he was taught as a kid. And honestly, its not even a high round count. In my life that rifle has probably been shot 400-500 times max. $55 borescopes are a beautiful thing.. decades of endless arguing about cleaning routines and products without the ability to actually validate your argument are a thing of the past. Its too easy to find out what works and what doesn't.

 

[VinceMule]

The machinist manual says that the coefficient of friction is greater with Plastic on steel vs bronze on steel...shocking, eh? In the worst carbon build-up, I use stiff Iosso and Montana Extreme plastic brushes to scrub back and forth in problem carbon spots with JB, Montana Extreme Copper cream, and Iosso cream. Dewey makes a "less than stiff" plastic brush.

Tipton has come out with a bronze bristle brush with 20% more bristles, wound tight. When they get worn a little, wrapping a patch around that brush gives some super scrubbing ability.

Remember, only use the amount of cure that is needed for the job. Not prudent to use the most aggressive method you know of to clean a mildly fouled barrel.

 

[73driver]

I shoot 600 yard F-class (.284 win) and shoot about 2500 rounds a year which is usually 2 barrels. Ruined a barrel last year by over cleaning with nylon brushes and KG bore polish. When I first got into the sport, everyone was cleaning their barrel every 300-400 rounds. Last year everyone switched to cleaning to bare metal after every 50 rounds or so. This year, lots of guys are just using copper solvent after every match, no brushes and letting the carbon cake up. I've shot my best scores this year not using any brushes (with the exception of a brush on a drill to remove the carbon ring in the chamber at the case neck) and have had very little throat erosion (.0015) after 620 rounds down the tube.

watch Go to minute 41 and see what Frank Green of Bartlien barrels has to say about using abrasives and brushes together.

 

[xsn10s]

watch Go to minute 41 and see what Frank Green of Bartlien barrels has to say about using abrasives and brushes together.

I saw his posts on a thread before knowing who he is. I use Ken Waters' technique with a jag and tight fitting patch which he seemed to approve of. I forget where that thread was.

 

[VinceMule]

If you overdo it, you can actually open up the bore dia. but it is not real easy to do unless you are using Rem Clean or JB Bore Brite, which you have to use sparingly because these two cleaners are the most aggressive, containing a larger dia of Al Oxide.

Frank Green has to deal with every level of brainless fools, so He has to keep the phone from bringing so he can get some work done. I have known guys to use McGuire car polish to clean guns with, and it worked very well for a couple of cleanings before the barrels had been ruined from the heavy grit Al Oxide in the Polish.

I have been in benchrest matches where all shooters on the line were cleaning with bronze bristle brushes in between the 5-12 shots they had fired during the match(5 shots for record, then sighters or foulers).

Here is an interesting thread over on Accurateshooter.com on a guy asking some basic questions on what to look for in his new bore scope, with a couple of interesting pictures

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[VinceMule]

Here is an excellent video using a bore scope to clean a barrel with a relatively new product called Thuro Clean. I purchased two units of Thurro Clean, and it is one of the few products that works as advertised, and I limit the use of Thurro Clean on tough cooked-on carbon when lesser methods fail.

 

[crkckr]

It can take a lot of time but even carbon built up with the lands can be removed without scrubbing. Boretech Carbon Remover and Slip 2000 Carbon Killer both work well but it can take numerous soakings to loosen the carbon but again, it takes time and patience. I use one of those two to remove the carbon build up on my AR parts and if used regularly, before the build up gets bad, it removes it easily.

The scratches in my barrel were certainly not something you would be able to see on a factory barrel. They were only visible on the hand lapped Hart barrel (which hadn't even been fired). They were not visible after shooting and the first cleaning I did with Wipe Out.

Again, most of my rifle bullets are moly coated and the moly itself can be a pain to remove if you want to take the barrel down to bare metal, which I did while checking for scratches. I don't generally take the moly layer off and have never had any trouble with build up. However, if the moly layer ever starts looking uneven, then I will take it all out, down to bare metal. No idea why it does that but it's happened a couple of times. I may switch to the Tubb coating and give that a try.
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[BigRed22]

I encourage you to go watch this YouTube video.

Good video!

Greg is a very good resource when it comes to anything related to rifles! Check out his YouTube. Like and subscribe to stay current on his content. There is so much to learn that I had no clue about before I started becoming a student of the discipline. I have much yet to learn but am eager to learn it!