After arriving home from my first outing with my dad at the Millbrook Rod & Gun Club in NY, I was told that it was every gun owner's responsibility to properly clean his gun before putting it up.
My dad sat me down and proceeded to impart the instructions he had drilled into him when he was a Marine.
Once I had received his guidance, he watched to assure that I had it down correctly.
This scenario took place a few more times, until dad was confident that I had comitted the proper procedures to memory.
One specific I had trouble with was the proper use of a bore brush.
I had a tendancy to want to run the bore brush back and forth inside the barrel, without first letting it get fully clear of the bore.
A terrible No-No.
Dad had to explain to the then 9 year old that the bore was smaller than the brush, and if the brush were reversed while inside the bore, the brisstles would be partially crushed, rendering the brush dammaged and less useful.
That's why it was a No-No?
It's a lesson many forget to teach as part of gun training!

Bob Nisbet

That was the same way I was taught to do it at firearms school.

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A truely successful life is mostly based on how well you handle PLAN B.

The brush might leave some marks in the bore from the sharp edges too. Its best to push it all the way through. Some people wont even use a metal brush.

Depending on the action, I'll sometimes remove the brush before retracting the rod so as not to pull stuff back into the action.

Put the brush on again and push it out the muzzle. Kinda depends on the firearm though. Can also "pull" a brush out the muzzle on revolver if needed.

Really "good" firearms rarely need a brush. Solvents do the work.

Cheezywan

Bob
As an old Jahead, I agree with what your dad told you. They drilled that into me at PI back when we still had the M-1 Garand. (Guess that dates me)

Jon

That's one of the beauties of a pull through cleaning kit like the Otis. Pull from the breech to the muzzle each time and the brushes will last longer, no damage to the bore, crud goes out the same way and the same direction the bullet did. Do the same thing with patches on a jag - breech to muzzle. Our Daddy's were sho'nuff smart!