When is this barrel clean?

[tlk]

Cleaning the rifle today, used Sweets and a brush. Ran several patches through until they came out clean. Thought we were good to go until I ran a patch through with naptha on it - wrong! Two patches came out very dirty. Four patches into it with the Naptha and all was good.

Is this barrel finally clean? Why did the Naptha pick up what the patch wouldn't before? Kind of makes me nervous to use any cleaner with ammonia in a non-stainless barrel without running something else behind it to get out all the residual goo.

Thanks for the input.

 

[royinidaho]

Never heard of using naptha on a bore?

What was removed by the naptha? Powder residue or copper?

Is that stuff "safe"? That is, is it hard on the metal?

I only use Sweets if nothing else is available.

I start with an overnight soak with Wipeout, then check things with Warthog. About 4 patches total does the job. I even checked it by doing another overnighter w/Wipeout. It showed no color so it must have been clean.

FWIW

 

[MontanaRifleman]

When do you know when the barrel is clean? When you take a bore scope down the bore and all you see is shiny bare metal. This is what I saw after using Wipeout and getting a clean patch twice.

-MR

 

[Bullet bumper]

Hi I am new to this forum.
The term " Naptha " could mean two or three things Kerosene or Shellite aka White spirit. Possibly Turpentine also depending on where you come from.
All would be quite ok as a bore neutraliser and washing solvent after ammonia bore solvent.
Kroil is mostly Kerosene and Oil . Its a good degreaser.
The solvent gets out a bit more because it washes into the fine cracks and grain structure of the barrel surface.
The barrel is clean when it feels slick to a patch , looks clean with no obvious copper streaks and no more copper color ( blue / green ) comes out of the barrel on subsequent aplications of Sweets .

 

[Seven Oaks]

Was it powder residue or copper that came out when you used the Naptha? Also you need to check on the corrosive qualities of that stuff. I wouldn't let it soak in my Bbl. to long until I found out.

Best,

Dee

 

[tlk]

BulletBumper is correct about the naptha. It is a neutral spirit that evaporates very quickly and leaves no residue - think along the lines of brake cleaner. I have used both to clean stripped shotgun actions at the end of waterfowl season, etc for years with no ill effects.

I am with you guys on the Sweets, but I wanted to make sure all of the ammonia was out. After a couple of pristine patches I thought I was done, and that was my confusion after the naptha. What was on the patches was not green or blue, but was black.

Just wondering whats up. I dont think I will clean it beyond this point - I dont want to get OCD and ruin my barrel.

BulletBumper, welcome to the board!

 

[Bullet bumper]

Thanks "tlk"
I am having difficulty with the site it is treating me as a guest and I am registered . The cookies don't seem to be loading .
Anyway the black staining on your patch that is soaked in naptha solvent is just mainly carbon residue from powder combustion.
Most of the metalic copper / zinc has been dissolved into the ammonia bore cleaner (Sweets).
Ammonia eats copper and zinc alloys so you should keep ammonia away from cartridge cases . It will clean them by dissolving some of the surface but it reacts with the copper zinc alloy to speed up age hardening of the brass.
Adding cleaners like Brasso to case tumblers will cause some extra hardening of the cases.
Weak acids are actually easier on brass as a cleaner because they react more with the tarnish and grime not as much with the copper / zinc alloy .
Don't forget to wash and patch the chamber and the locking lug area also to make sure no bore cleaners or solvents are leaking down the loading ramp area into the bedding or following the barrel threads into the bedding.
Dental pads , you know the circular cotton ones they jamb in your mouth , they are very good for cleaning the locking lug area.
Just drill a hole through the very end of a piece of wooden dowl that just neatly fits the cotton pad in. Cut the lenght of the pad to just fit across the inside of the locking lug recess witha bit of jamb so it scrubs up any rubbish or solvent.