[Mendel5]

I have my first pistol and I have a cleaning question. It's really a parts question, I suppose. I know when cleaning the barrel I'm supposed to run the brush in only one direction, toward the muzzle (no back and forth). However, the instructions say I should run the brush back and forth along the full length of the bore. My stupid question ... what's the difference? Where, exactly, is the bore? Does anyone have or know of a diagram? Yes, I'm clueless. :banghead: Thanks, in advance.

P.S. I also mistakenly posted this in the revolver forum. D'oh!

[osteodoc08]

The bore is the hole in the barrel that the bullet travels through.

There are a few things I like to do when cleaning my handguns. I like to strip it down and begin with the frame. I like to use lots of Qtips and cleaning patches to get everything clean.

Then I do the slide. This is the top half of the gun that the barrel sits in when you put it back together. It is also the thing that goes back and forth when you pull the trigger. I also take lots of Qtips and patches to clean it all up.

Next comes the barrel and guide rod and spring. I begin by wiping the exterior of the guide rod, spring, and barrel and lug area down and then I focus on the bore of the barrel. When you use a brush, there are many thoughts on which is best. On my handguns, I take a regular brush, dip it in my solvent of choice and run it through the breech side. This is the side that the cartridge goes into, not the end that the bullet comes out of. This is very important. When the bullet leaves the barrel that last thing it comes into contact with is the crown or end of the barrel. If you aggressively clean from that end you wear the edges and the bullet can be thrown off and it degrades accuracy. This is why some like to take off the brush when it is pushed through from the breech side out the other end. Personally, I don't. I usually pass the brush through a couple of times and let the solvent sit and do its thing for a few minutes. Then I follow up with just patches. Normally that is good to get it nice and clean.

If you do a search on the forum you'll find more than you'll ever want to know about cleaning, solvents, etc. Congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to THR.

[D-Man]

The bore is the inside of the barrel.

I'm not so sure about the idea of only cleaning the barrel in one direction. It sounds good in theory, but why are brushes made (and 2 came with my one gun) that have a handle that cannot be pushed entirely to the end? With those, you have to go in both directions.

[nonquixote]

Brass bore brushes shouldn't be reversed while in the bore, push them all the way through before pulling them back out. And Bore Snakes generally should be pulled through from the breech end and out the muzzle. Other than that I don't know of any hard and fast rules about brushing direction.

[Jenrick]

Changing directions with the brush in the bore can break the bristtles on the brush. Also you can rarely manage to snag the tip of the brush on the inside of the barrel and can stractch etc.

Cleaning from the chamber to the muzzle moves the junk you're trying to get rid of away from the action of the weapon. In an auto were you can pull the barrel out of the weapon it's not as big a deal as with a rifle where you are putting junk directly into the action.

Personally I go light on the brushing, I only brush it out every couple of months. I prefer good tight patches in the barrel to get things out. Then again I shoot jacketed rather then lead.

-Jenrick

[Mendel5]

Thank you to all who replied. :)

[dmallind]

Not wanting to poke my nose in too much but I do have to say well done to all who answered. It's very encouraging that completely new shooters can get answers to questions that are second nature to most posters on here, and it shows the whole board in a good light that no-one made fun of the OP or was condescending at all.

I remember that same thing from my (not so very long ago!) complete newbie days too, so the best advice I can give Mendel now after his question was answered is to bear up, understand that being "clueless" as you put it yourself, is both very temporary and universal to everyone at some time. Many of the posters here probably learned about guns as little ankle-biters and can't remember not knowing these things, but even the best of them had to learn stuff like that once. Since I, and perhaps you too. didn't have that learning experience as little kids we get to go through the learning curve more publicly, but it's a steep one! I'm certainly no expert after a couple of years, but I have the basics down pretty well and am starting toying with some entry level tweaking on 1911s and so on, so hey stick at it and have fun! Welcome.

[Mad Magyar]

Mendel5, good question & some good answers....As an ex-Hoosier, curious to know your pistol model? If you can, how about a pic!:p

[Mendel5]

It's a Springfield XD-40. I don't have any pics, yet, but will post some (or try to) ASAP.

[Doggieman]

I only take one swipe or two down the barrel with a raw brass brush. Otherwise I wrap a patch around the brush to do the majority of the cleaning.

[Teufelhunden]

Also consider what chemicals you're cleaning with. When I first got into shooting, I only cleaned my weapons with CLP. Coming from a Marine Corps background, we only ever used CLP on those weapons, so that's what I knew.

On a whim one day, I picked up a jar of Hoppes #9 and used it to clean my weapons. The first 6 patches that came out of my SKS came out green. Once I saw that, I realized that nothing I had been cleaning with had an agent to cut copper fouling. The CLP was fine for suspending crud so I could wipe it off, but since I've gone to using Hoppes #9, I've noticed that powder fouling is a heck of a lot easier to get off, not to mention my bores are coming out squeaky clean. Once I dry the bore with a couple of patches, I run a patch lightly oiled with CLP down the bore for protection. CLP still has a place in my cleaning regimen, but Hoppes #9 gets the nod for the initial swabs.

-Teuf

[flashman70]

+1 on Teuf.

[SSN Vet]

what's CLP? Is it like Rem Clean?

Is Hoppes #9 the same as "nitro-solvent"?

[nonquixote]

CLP stands for cleans, lubes, and protects. As the name implies it's a lubricant with detergent and protective properties. Break Free is a popular brand. Useful for all purpose gun maintenance.

Hoppe's #9 is a popular gun cleaning solvent with no lubricating or protectant properties.