[jeezumcrow]

Frustrated. I can't seam to get the bore of my rifle clean and would like some input please. I don't shoot junk ammo first off. I had used a bronze cleaning brush with some hoppes number 9. After wiping the bore down with some cleaner I would then run the brush down the barrel. I never used to use a brush. Just patches and a good jag. Anyway, after the brush I would run a solvent soaked patch down the bore and OMG! Dirty. The next patch was clean. So, I changed to a nylon brush thinking maybe the solvent was reacting to the bronze in the brush. No dice, same thing. A solvent soaked patch, a brush then another solvent soaked patch and HOLY CRAP! Wicked dirty. What am I doing wrong or is my bore that dirty? Looks good and shinny when I'm done. What the heck! Help please.

 

[Gil Martin]

It depends what you prefer

I use Shooters Choice, brushes, Remington Bore Cleaner, J B Bore Cleaner and gun oil to clean rifle bores. Hoppes Number 9 is OK and I use it. There are other products to get the bore really clean. All the best...
Gil

 

[broom_jm]

Removing built-up copper deposits with Hoppe's #9 can take hours. It's a solvent, and good for general cleaning, but there are much better products out there for getting the copper out of your rifling. I use the same basic process described here:

http://www.eabco.com/Reports/CopperRemov.htm

 

[Chief RID]

Brushes hold a lot of junk. Think about that. You have decide what is going to be your determining factor for if the bore is clean. Most of us do not have a bore scope so we have to use something else, weather it is a solvent soaked patch, a dry patch, a visual look with a light. If I am removing lead I use a light and visual for a bright shinny bore. If it is jacket fouling I am looking for, I run a patch with Sweats on it thru the bore and let it sit a minute and then see if I get the blue green indicator of copper on a dry patch.

I struggled with your brush thing for a while before I realized I was probably introducing stuff back in on the brush.

 

[jeezumcrow]

Thanks guys. I just found some Shooters Choice in my cabinet of "miracle" cleaners. I'll give it a go. Looks like an order to Midway is due. Thanks again.

 

[jeezumcrow]

Thanks chief, makes sense. Didn't really think of it like that.

 

[Pawpaw Tony]

is this affecting accurracy..after using a brush an bore cleaner through..i run a patch through to remove residue.. of course i don t sling money at paper ,just for fun anymore..
its way to costly for me ,these days....good luck.

 

[arkypete]

When I go shooting I usely take two or more rifles with me. When I arrive and set up, the first thing I do, is clean my barrels with Montana Extreme. While the barrels are marinading I walk around up and down the line catching up with all the pards and seeing what new goodies they have.
After 15-20 minutes I swamp out the barrels, wipe wipe down the actions etc, load mags. When I have finished shooting one of the rifles, I wet the barrel with Montana and shoot another rifle and repeat until all of the rifles are marinading.
Swamp out the barrels and go home.
For me there's not much to the cleaning ritual aside from keeping up with it and not letting it get a head of me.

Jim

 

[jeezumcrow]

I'm a neat freek when it comes to cleaning my firearms. Thats why it bothers me so much. Been dealing with it for a while now. Just decided to post something about it. I don't usually use a brush. Just patches. If I use just patches, the third one is clean. Just thought I'd scrub a little one day and now this. Should have left well enough alone I guess. I'm not sure if the accuracy is being affected by the (seamingly) crud in the bore or not. Been fighting with the rifle in terms of accuracy for a while now too. It's a Browning A-bolt chambered in .223. I can't find a factory load it likes. The best I've come up with is a hand load using Winchester brass and primer with 21gr of H-335 topped with a 60gr Hornady V-max. Oh ya, thats to the lands. It shoots 1.25 inches at 100yds, solid rest. I would have expected better.

 

[CowboyGunNut]

For what it's worth, I've been cleaning guns for over 25 years and have always used basically the same technique that you're using. The patches always seem to come out very dirty after running the brush through. I just finish up with 3 or 4 patches - run a dry one through followed by one with oil. I've never had a rusty bore and accuracy never seemed to suffer so it's good enough for me.

 

[jeezumcrow]

Thanks Cowboy. Think I've got it nailed. Guess I'm a little anal about it. Took my Montana Extreme nylon brush and washed it with hot water and some Dawn dish soap. Dried it off, coated it with some clean bore cleaner, scrubbed the **** out of the bore then chased it with a patch. Nice, grey instead of black. The second patch showed no sign of fouling. Now, either all that scrubbing did something or my brush was contaminated. Could have been a combination of the two also. Now that the bore is **** and span it probably won't shoot worth a sht. Thank you guys for all of your input and advice. I'd be lost if it weren't for this forum.

 

[hailstone]

Check your twist rate as 60 grainers may be at extreme upper end of range if its a 1-12/14. I have one that shots the Nosler 60 grainers okay but another will not. Both shoot 55 grain and below just fine.

 

[Rocky Raab]

A bit late, but allow me to muse a bit.

Patches on a jag do a great job of cleaning the lands, and the center of the grooves - but seldom get right down into the corners of the grooves. A brush (if unworn) can get deeper into the corners, but probably still can't reach everything. So no barrel is ever completely clean.

Now, also consider that the bullets themselves don't get into the very corners of the grooves, either. So some fouling deep in the corners may even be beneficial if it provides a better gas seal.

Except for an annual winter scrub-fest, I'm a patch and jag guy. I'm more interested in getting the bore reasonably clean and providing some rust protection than I am in getting every molecule of fouling out. Once a year, I'll use new brushes, copper remover, powder solvent and even polishing compounds like JB Paste or Flitz. The rest of the time, it's a jag with wet patch, a couple dry ones, a slightly oily one and I'm done.

 

[Marshal Kane]

Since I shoot all cast bullets through my rifles, I am happy when the clean patch comes out a very light gray color after the usual 3-4 solvent patches. I never expect a patch to come out as clean as when it went in so I'm never disappointed. Last patch is the oil patch. Cleaning this way doesn't seem to affect accuracy for me but then I'm not a world class rifle shooter either.

 

[arkypete]

Marshall

For my cast bullet rifles, 45-70, 375 Whelen, 405 Winchester, 30-06 and one lonely 45 Colt model 92, I'll use what ever solvent I have on hand. A patch wrapped around an old bore brush, then a couple of dry patches wrapped around the same old brush. Every once in a while I smear some JB on a wet patch on the same old bore brush and give it a go, then several clean patches.
Seems to do the job nicely.

Jim

 

[Marshal Kane]

Marshall

For my cast bullet rifles, 45-70, 375 Whelen, 405 Winchester, 30-06 and one lonely 45 Colt model 92, I'll use what ever solvent I have on hand. . . Jim

I hear you, especially about that 45 Colt model '92 which I also have as well as one in 44 WCF. I think you do a better job than I do since I haven't gotten around to using JB bore cleaner yet. Thanks for the tip.