Bps discussion about bore brushes...

Status
Not open for further replies.
AJC1

AJC1

Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
12,264
Location
St Marys Georgia
I was spending a little quality time in the isles of bps looking for a picanny rail for my marlin 1894, and I was in the cleaning section checking out brushes and jags. This old timer said you want nylon not brass brushes... after 25 minutes and a discussion about Rockwell hardness he agreed that misinformation was stupid and we shook hands and parted ways.... I love debates with reasonable and logical people only second to reloading.
 
Nylon brushes are better than nothing but not by very much, especially if you have metal fouling. I’ve been told stainless brushes can harm your bore but I’m suspicious of that advice. Gun barrels go thru some degree of hardening/tempering and one assumes bore brushes are annealed.

I don’t ever get leading anymore but back when I did I used steel wool on the advice of Ross Seyfreid. Never ruined a bore with it.
 
I think the only thing nylon brushes are good for is is soaking with copper remover and swabbing the bore. Stainless steel brushes are probably okay on a stainless steel barrel; I think they might damage a blued barrel.
 
All of the stainless brushes I have seen have rounded coils instead of spiky bristles like brass brushes. I don't believe they are harder than the steel in the gun's barrel but I question how well they can actually clean the rifling. The spiky brass brushes might be better for that. If you intend on using a copper solvent, I don't advise using brass brushes with it as they will be affected too.
 
I would never use a stainless brush for the same reason. A copper or brass chore boy is the preferred lead removal tool.
 
JTHunter said:
All of the stainless brushes I have seen have rounded coils instead of spiky bristles like brass brushes. I don't believe they are harder than the steel in the gun's barrel but I question how well they can actually clean the rifling. The spiky brass brushes might be better for that. If you intend on using a copper solvent, I do
Click to expand...

I do have a couple bristle type stainless brushes 1 9mm and 1 45 I've used them sparingly for heavy fouling.usually chucked up in a drill.
 
I was 8 years old when a friend of my uncle gave me my first rifle, a Remington 510P, it came with a Hoppes cleaning kit with a brass brush. That was 1958 and while that first cleaning kit is long gone I still have the rifle and maybe a few more. Everything I have sees brass brushes and everything does just fine. When something works I just stay with it. When using a brass brush with copper fouling (ammonia) cleaners I just trash the brushes or hit them with brake cleaner when done.

Ron
 
Last edited:
Reloadron said:
I was 8 years old when a friend of my uncle gave me my first rifle, a Remington 510P, it came with a Hopped cleaning kit with a brass brush. That was 1958 and while that first cleaning kit is long gone I still have the rifle and maybe a few more. Everything I have sees brass brushes and everything does just fine. When something works I just stay with it. When using a brass brush with copper fouling (ammonia) cleaners I just trash the brushes or hit them with brake cleaner when done.

Ron
Click to expand...
When I use copper removing chemicals I use a nickle coated jag and patches.
 
I use brass brushes with copper solvent. I give them a squirt of brake cleaner before putting them away. I don't think nylon will do what I want and I don't want a stainless brush in any of my barrels. I also never run a dry brush through anything.

Thats just me and I may be completely off base!
 
Reloadron said:
I should give that a shot, thanks for the mention of doing it. All my jags are brass and I never gave nickel coated a thought.

Ron
Click to expand...
I use stainless steel brushes if the Sweets onion juice comes out of hiding. The hardness of the stainless steel wire on the brushes is so low compared to the chrome-moly steel of a barrel it's almost like using a stiff boar-bristle brush. Which is also an option.
I've used bronze brushes before but they tend to corrode even if cleaned afterwards with acetone after ammonia. But, in the end, brushes are so cheap it's not like I'm trying to make them last a lifetime. :)
 
AJC1 said:
I was spending a little quality time in the isles of bps looking for a picanny rail for my marlin 1894, and I was in the cleaning section checking out brushes and jags. This old timer said you want nylon not brass brushes... after 25 minutes and a discussion about Rockwell hardness he agreed that misinformation was stupid and we shook hands and parted ways.... I love debates with reasonable and logical people only second to reloading.
Click to expand...

I stopped after I read "picanny rail for my marlin 1894" - WHY?
 
AJC1 said:
No you didn't stop, you then made a useless reply.
Click to expand...

My sincere apologies AJC1... No malice intended. I am a Marlin lever lover with a nice 1894 in .45(long colt). It is such a beautiful cowboy looking rifle that I can't bring myself to put anything but a peep sight on it in place of the traditional semi buckhorn. When I read your post about your addition I stopped to visualize in my mind what it would look like. RE: your - OP I favor brass brushes but am always wondering what, if any, residue may be left from them after cleaning. I note that the bore snakes I use for quick cleaning all use brass..
 
Hokkmike said:
My sincere apologies AJC1... No malice intended. I am a Marlin lever lover with a nice 1894 in .45(long colt). It is such a beautiful cowboy looking rifle that I can't bring myself to put anything but a peep sight on it in place of the traditional semi buckhorn. When I read your post about your addition I stopped to visualize in my mind what it would look like. RE: your - OP I favor brass brushes but am always wondering what, if any, residue may be left from them after cleaning. I note that the bore snakes I use for quick cleaning all use brass..
Click to expand...
Some people's eyes don't work as well with iron sights as others. I ran a real on my Rossi until I got done with load development. As a kid I shot just as well with irons as a scope. Not anymore.
 
Elkins45 said:
Nylon brushes are better than nothing but not by very much, especially if you have metal fouling. I’ve been told stainless brushes can harm your bore but I’m suspicious of that advice. Gun barrels go thru some degree of hardening/tempering and one assumes bore brushes are annealed.

I don’t ever get leading anymore but back when I did I used steel wool on the advice of Ross Seyfreid. Never ruined a bore with it.
Click to expand...
Would you like to share Seyfreid advice.
 
0ne3 said:
Would you like to share Seyfreid advice.
Click to expand...
Not much to share. Seyfried said he used 0000 steel wool to remove leading from his cast bullet rifles. He wadded up a piece and pushed it through the bore with a jag. His reasoning was that steel wool is annealed and is much softer than the rifle barrel.

I’ve used it more than once after shooting commercial cast bullets in handguns and I know it does work.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
(WV) Sheriff buys truck, badges with gun fees
Replies
13
Views
1K
c_yeager
C
rozziboy18
  • Locked
You might be a gun nut if
Replies
3
Views
447
unspellable
U
H&Hhunter
  • Locked
Just back from hunting buffalo in the Zambezi valley.
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
JShirley
JShirley
Gatofeo
  • Locked
So you want a cap and ball revolver?
2 3
Replies
65
Views
32K
madcratebuilder
M
R
  • Locked
My Friend's (rounda)bout with NICS
2
Replies
36
Views
4K
Soybomb
S
Back
Top