How to clean a bore brush?

[AWD]

Since bore cleaner can eat away at a bronze brush, what should I use to clean it off after I use it? Alcohol, perhaps brake cleaner?

Thanks
AWD

 

[Gary G23]

I use GunScrubber.

 

[wild willy]

I've used brake cleaner for years works fine

 

[AWD]

thanks!

 

[Hans Esker]

What about plain soap and water? Wouldn't the "contaminants" be suspended in the oils of the solvent or something?
From what I have read brake cleaner is nasty stuff.
I am somewhat chemical sensitive.

 

[rcmodel]

I keep a pint can of alcohol paint solvent on the bench.

Just unscrew the lid, swish the brush around in it, and shake dry after every use.

rcmodel

 

[Hans Esker]

Would Neutral Grain Spirits (Everclear) work?

 

[P5 Guy]

I rinse bore brushes and bore mops in mineral spirirs. Seems to do the job for me.

 

[Clark]

I use an ultra sonic cleaner with water or soapy water.

It works really well, but just running the hot water over the brush works well enough, so I would not buy an ultra sonic cleaner just for brushes.

 

[log man]

LOL I don't use bore brushes as they scratch the bore and accelerate barrel wear. Brush the outside of your barrel with one and you will see fine scratches, and the reason you need to clean your bore as it now has teeth to hold fouling.

Start with a new barrel and never use a brush and the bore will get more and more polished and will have a longer more accurate life.

LOG

 

[rcmodel]

I don't use bore brushes as they scratch the bore and accelerate barrel wear.

LOL
IMO: That simply isn't true.

Bronze bore brushes are much softer then barrel steel, and if kept reasonably clean, cannot scratch them, period.

rcmodel

 

[log man]

Well please, rc scrub the outside of your barrel with one and you will be as surprised as I was when I was first challenged to do so, and found that the very fine scratches where indeed obvious. I have 7- 1911's with new barrels that are shot frequently and have never had a brush through them. And with the pass of one cotton patch, which pushes out the last fired cartridge's debris are as clean as new, except shinier. Anyone who tries this with a new barrel will be amazed. Kart, Bar-Sto and Schuemann. Nothing goes down the barrel but bullets.

LOG

 

[chubbmann]

Amen rcmodel, I too was thinking of Moh's hardness scale myself:



Mohs Mineral Brinell
10 Diamond
9 Corundum 667
8 Topaz 304
7 Quartz 178
6 Feldspar 147
5 Apatite 137
4 Fluorspar 64
3 Calcite 53
2 Gypsum 12
1 Talc 3



I always use my brass brush and follow up with cloth. My barrels are smooth with a mirror like surface. No problems here...

 

[gregj]

I lightly spray mine with CLR then use an air gun (connected to air compressor) to blast it completely clean.

 

[log man]

I am well aware of metal hardness and the ability of softer substances to scratch harder ones, it does sacrifice the softer one. Get away from the periodic table and scrub the outside of your barrel with one. The reason that using it inside the barrel does not show the scratches is they are going inline with the bore and are not discernible. But they collect fouling like crazy and give good reason to repeat the process and shorten barrel life.

LOG

 

[Ergosphere]

Get away from the periodic table and scrub the outside of your barrel with one.

I've done that, and haven't seen any scratches as a result. As to the OP's question, I usually don't bother cleaning the brushes.

 

[MutinousDoug]

I rarely brush the barrel of my long guns unless I'm shooting cast bullets. When I do it's with a dry bronze brush.
Wet patch until the patch comes out grey, at least. I wet the patch with a dropper to avoid contaminating my solvent.
Dry patch until it comes out dry.
Bronze brush as desired.
Repeat wet patch/dry patch to desired effect.

 

[1911Gunslinger]

I frequently clean my brushes with and old tooth brush and dish washing liquid dissolved in hot water, gets off solvent that could eat brush and cleans it well, they are then dried with hair dryer.

 

[dagger dog]

I use alcohol as does rcmodel I buy the denatured type in quart cans used for thinning of laquer, you can find it in the paint department of any Mart. It is quite a bit stronger than rubbing alcohol which is usually 70%. I keep a tupperware container with a airtight top and place my brushes, jags and mops in ther after using them. Works very well and evaporates quickly.

 

[257WbyMag]

+1 for Gun Scrubber

 

[CRITGIT]

Brake cleaner and air gun blast via the compressor!

CRITGIT

 

[photolurp2]

log man, you are right and wrong

I scratched the outside of my Glock barrel (the square receiver section) with a bronze bore brush, because who cares, it's just a handgun, and not the most accurate one in the world. Having said that, I love my model 23, and it is my first line of defense usually in everyday life.

I did scratch the outside of the barrel, and yes, there were fine COPPER scratches. I wet a patch with Hoppe's Bench Rest 9 copper solvent, and rubbed it in circles with my finger for about 15 seconds, and dried it with a cloth. The scratches were GONE.

So in summary, yes copper bore brushes do put deposits of copper in or on your barrel, but it is only copper, and copper cleaner removes it. Sorry, but I was not able to get any lasting scratches.

Why does the Marine Corps Sniper guide suggest brushing with a copper bore brush at least 10 times per cleaning? So that the accuracy drops and the sniper misses his target? Nope. Is it so they have to replace barrels more often, often working under considerable budget constraints? I seriously doubt it. The Military wants to win, kill the bad guys, use as few bullets as possible, as few barrels (or say M-24 or M-40 rifles), and keep the soldiers alive.

There is an Army Marksmanship Unit, and beyond competitive shooting, they test and manufacture rifles. They do tests on everything. You might say that they just want to keep m-4s clean at all costs and quickly, but they are not going to recommend bronze brushes if they damage expensive sniper rifles. They do tons of tests.

I was re-zeroing my AR the other day, getting it as accurate as possible at 55 yards (the closest range I was shooting at the time - if you start your zero closer, you will use less ammo, and have to do less walking. After I got it dialed in, I wanted to compare ammo. I very rarely do field cleaning when only firing a few mags, but I did want to so I could compare ammo. PMC X-TAC 5.56 XP193 (by the way, why is it XP193 instead of XM193?)

It is 5.56, called X-TAC (and cost the same as the plain boxed PMC but it has a picture of what appears to be an elite unit with three men with weapons and lights) - I got the distinct impression by the name and picture that they were trying to sell this as premium tactical ammo. The Federal is made in the good old USA, while the PMC is made in RO (south) Korea. Better than a communist manufacturer, but what if DPRK is supplying ROK with the components. North Korea hates the US just about as much as China, Russia, or any of our favorite non-NATO countries. The lunatic in charge of DPRK wants to destroy us, so why not start by supplying us with ammo that will help them defeat us. I am going to do some more rigid testing. While I do prefer more powerful ammunition likely to fragment better and cause traumatic injury, I do tend to favor accuracy over raw speed.

I don't know why the PM instead of XM unless it is for practice, but after using the butt-stock cleaning kit in my AR, this shot 4 holes as a ragged cloverleaf and one about a half inch away, I realize that is not spectacular at 55 yards, but it was more accurate than than the Federal XM193, although the Federal had significantly more muzzle flash, bang, and shot about 1.5 inches higher, so it is obviously loaded much hotter. I did shoot 10 rounds of the PMC before switching to the Federal, so that theoretically could have caused the drop in accuracy, but at 10 rounds? The first 5 shot group after the field cleaning was the best group of the day, so I am going to have to re-think some things. Anyone who knows anything about this feel free to write back or PM me (although I sometimes go a while between logging on).

I realize this post is old, but I was searching on how to clean bronze brushes during cleaning, so that it does not re-introduce fouling into my seemingly un-cleanable Glock barrel. I can't get it clean to save my life. Never ever been able to get patches to come out completely clean, especially after brushing, but I have a brand new brush, and have cleaned it three times since the last time I shot just one magazine (13+1). It looks as shiny as a mirror inside. No apparent powder or copper fouling at all. So shiny, but never perfectly clean according to patches. For once, I want to clean it so that no matter what, every patch comes out clean. I didn't mean to get off topic here, sorry.

In conclusion, I will continue to use bronze brushes, but will always follow up with patches with copper solvent, and in doing so, remove the fine "scratches".

 

[photolurp2]

By the way, both the Federal and PMC had annealed necks, and the PMC rounds did have sealed primers.

 

[45_auto]

Start with a new barrel and never use a brush and the bore will get more and more polished and will have a longer more accurate life.

log man or David Tubb, Dan Lilja, and Dwight Scott.

Take your choice. There's an old saying in competitions: When the green flag drops, the BS stops. I don't know who log man really is, how many national championships does he claim?

David Tubb, 11-Time NRA (Camp Perry) National Champion

"I shoot moly-coated bullets. I usually shoot 400-450 rounds with the 6XC and DTAC 115s. Then I clean the barrel thoroughly with Sweet's 7.62 and brass brush."

I shoot moly in most every caliber if possible. I thoroughly clean or not at all. I'll use a one-caliber oversize brass brush and Sweet's 7.62. I'll brush for about 20 strokes each way, keeping the brush wet with solvent."

Dan Lilja, Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels

"I think frequent cleaning with bronze brushes is OK. In my experience you'll get more barrel life cleaning frequently than if you go long intervals between cleanings."

I know some people avoid using bronze brushes. In my view it is OK to use a bronze brush, and to run it past the muzzle. I also don't see a problem with reversing the bronze brush and running it back through the bore. However, you should never reverse a tight-fitting brush while it is in the barrel. I don't recommend nylon brushes. I don't think they work any better than a patch. However, when using bronze brushes, you should make sure they are not bent off-center--a bent brush running over the crown at an angle can definitely cause damage. When you put a new brush on your rod, rotate the rod to ensure the brush is straight. When brushing, you shouldn't use a lot of force, and try to keep the rod as straight as posssible. Keep the brush damp with a good solvent. I like Butch's Bore Shine.

Dwight Scott, Benchrest Smith and Hall of Famer

"Yes, I've seen some barrels harmed by over-cleaning. But usually that's a technique problem. You can minimize the chance of harming your barrel by using a tight-fitting bore guide that prevents the cleaning rod from bowing. Also most barrels don't wear out--they burn out."

While I clean my rifles very thoroughly, I do believe too many guns are over-cleaned. I know one guy who wiped out his throat in less than 80 rounds. I also don't believe in barrel break-in routines. I just don't do it since I don't know what you're trying to achieve with the one shot, one clean ritual. That said, I do brush my rifles, usually every 20 rounds or so. And when I brush, I do a thorough job. First, I run a couple wet patches to get rid of the bulk of the crud. Then I give it about 1.5 complete strokes per shot fired. That means, after 20 shots fired, I'll do 30 up and back cycles with a wet brush, adding more solvent (Butch's Bore Shine) after every ten complete cycles.

I guess you could call that a heavy brushing regimen. Am I cleaning too much? I don't think so, if we really examine what's happening to the barrel.

Here are some tips on brushing. First, it's fine if the brush exits the muzzle. At the end of my out-stroke, I have the entire brush exposed. If you have a proper, tight-fitting brush, you can't reverse it in the barrel, so you need to exit the muzzle to brush both ways. If you look at the absolute top shooters, including Tony Boyer, they all stroke the brush both ways. Yes, I know some people advise removing the brush at the end of the out-stroke, but as far as I'm concerned, life is too short to be bothered with that. Next tip--don't scrimp on brushes. I never use a brush more than a day, which is about 5-7 cleanings. That's because I want a very tight-fitting brush. These brushes aren't all that expensive. Toss a brush if it isn't tight-fitting. Also, you should always straighten out a brush before you use it. Bent brushes can drag unevenly on the muzzle.