Heat Gun for Wad Fouling

Personally I'd avoid that as the rib, if it has one, or the barrels, if it has two, may be solder joined. I get rid of wad fouling with Kroil/sShooters Choice on a Scotch Brite patch on a worn bore brush spun by an electric drill. Doing it for years. Bore is so slick now after a couple hundred thousand rounds and regular polishing that fouling is about non existent.

I usually spray CLP in the barrel, lay it aside, and leave it for a short time. I clean the rest of the gun and come back to it. Then the plastic has turned loose and curled up inside the barrel. Run a patch or bore snake through it, and it comes out clean. Whole process maybe lasts 30 minutes. My chrome lined barrels are the fastest to turn loose the plastic. Good Luck!

Milkmaster said:

I usually spray CLP in the barrel, lay it aside, and leave it for a short time. I clean the rest of the gun and come back to it. Then the plastic has turned loose and curled up inside the barrel. Run a patch or bore snake through it, and it comes out clean. Whole process maybe lasts 30 minutes. My chrome-lined barrels are the fastest to turn loose the plastic. Good Luck!

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What specific CLP do you use as this is the first I've heard of CLP reacting to plastic? TIA

When I was shooting a lot of Trap, I would occasionally spray my barrels with WD 40, scrub a few passes with a brush, and push through a wad of paper towel in lieu of a patch. The WD 40 with a burden of wad plastic oozed out of the barrel like warm syrup.

I use CLP but I have used others too. I use Ballistol for just a wipe down.

The 0000 steel wool or Scotchbrite pad and drill method has been a valid smoothbore barrel cleaning method for 100 years or more.
This not only cleans a stubborn barrel, it's also used to polish rougher barrel as was found on the Remington 870 Express guns in later production.
NEVER do this in a rifled barrel.

Heating the barrel to melt or loosen the plastic would require WAY too much heat and you'd run a high risk of barrel damage.
Some shotgun ribs are bonded on with an adhesive which is not intended to withstand that level of heat.

Among the dedicated bore solvents that work well on plastic fouling........

https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...ts/shotgun-wad-solvent-prod1166.aspx?psize=96

https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...strength-bore-cleaner-prod55156.aspx?psize=96

https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...vents/shotgun-cleaner-prod33757.aspx?psize=96

And the Tornado brush......

https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...es/bore-brushes/tornado-brushes-prod9791.aspx

I'd recommend buying one of the above solvents, probably the first one by Brownell's, and a Tornado brush.
A good soak and brush should solve the problem.
If not, the 0000 steel wool or fine Scotchbrite pad and a drill method.

I use
Hoppe's Bench Rest Copper cleaner-

• Removes copper fouling
• Removes plastic and carbon residue*
• Always neutralize with oil after bore cleaner

Blunderbuss623 said:

Good day all. I have a particularly stubborn barrel. The wad fouling is just so hard to get out. I was thinking about getting a heat gun to heat the inside of the barrel in hopes of loosening the fouling. I know some people clean there gun immediately after shooting, while the barrel is hot. That's not supper practical though, especially at most ranges. So I figured a heat gun would do the job. Thoughts??

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There are better methods;
1. Section of cleaning rod with a bore brush wrapped in 0000 steel wool chucked on a drill.
2. Slip 2000 Choke Tube Cleaner. Takes plastic out of the rest of the barrel too, when thickly swabbed down the bore and left for 15 minutes as directed.
3. Use Downrange wads. I get no wad build up in my break-action singles or my 870, and much less in my 1100 since I switched to Downrange wads. They make versions of just about every wad out there, some in differing heights to achieve correct stack height with varying loads.

It’s plastic. So any decent petroleum based solvent is going to soften it up. It’s more the brush that you want to look at. Lots of gimmicks about, but you just want some good bronze brushes. Can always be bulked out with a bit of bronze wool. Apply barrel cleaning solvent of choice liberally, give it a few minutes and then go at it hard. No substitute for elbow grease.

Copper Chore Boy.

Use all copper not copper coated steel Chore Boy. It also removes lead, cooties and bric-a-brac from barrels.

The copper Chore Boy works well. Attach the cleaning rod to a cordless drill with some Hoppes and it will remove wad fouling quick.
I've used just a copper brush without the Chore Boy many times in the past with Hoppes and a cordless drill with great results.

Haven't needed the chore boy yet. Drill + brush seems to work fine...

Blunderbuss623 said:

Good day all. I have a particularly stubborn barrel. The wad fouling is just so hard to get out. I was thinking about getting a heat gun to heat the inside of the barrel in hopes of loosening the fouling. I know some people clean there gun immediately after shooting, while the barrel is hot. That's not supper practical though, especially at most ranges. So I figured a heat gun would do the job. Thoughts??

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It just occurred to me that this is probably why some of the fellers on my squad bring a nice quality cleaning rod and brush with them at the trap range. To get the plastic out while the gun is warm....possibly. Could also be because the are high $$$ break actions and cleaning it quickly on the range is one less thing to worry about later...

This past Saturday one of the guys whose been very helpful and encouraging with tips and instructions for trap shooting mentioned that he takes a cleaning rod with brush and attaches it to a cordless power drill and runs it up and down vigorously and then the patch comes out with lots of wad fouling. Any reason to avoid this practice? He didn't mention if he used a nylon or copper wire brush, I'd guess copper wire....

Edit to add: I just read the suggestions, seems a few people already put out the Brush+Drill method. I plan to try it out at the end of the week, I've shot about 1000 rounds of 12ga out of my 870 since it's last cleaning....

I've shot muzzle loading shotguns since around 1970 and have never had any plastic stick in the barrel. Guess that's because I use fiber wads, NOT PLASTIC wads. The national range doesn't allow plastic wads. If nothing else, that should tell you something. Why would anyone want to use plastic wads in a muzzle loading, BP burning gun ? Fiber wads worked just fine for what, a hundred plus years ?
On another note, you can't heat a barrel [ barrels ] hot enough with a heat gun to melt the solder joints. I've shot a round of 5-stand with the barrels so hot I couldn't touch them without a welders glove.
Just getting off the BP forum I was in the mind set you're shooting BP. If not, I'm sorry, my reply wouldn't apply to you.

Yeah, Paul, I'm pretty sure you don't use fiber wads for your ATA loads.....

Pre-lube the barrel with you favorite cleaning gun solvent. After shooting attach the bronze brush to an electric drill and go up and down the choke in each direction, then change to the other entrance and go at it again. Continue moving the brush while drilling works good. I tried soaking them with GFS and that helped a lot but took a long time. Don't think GFS is around anymore. They did change the name again too.