Nylon Cleaning Brushes
- Thread starter Safety First
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Howdy! I shot HP XTC for 25 years or so, hold high master classification and usually get around 7500 rounds out of a good 30-06 match grade barrel.
Haven't put a copper brush through any of my match rifles in at least 15 years or more.
600 yd. target reduced for 100 yd. practice. Guess which shot leaked out into 9 ring? (Shoulda quit on 19.)
600 yd iron sights, no artificial rest.
15th shot hit spindle holding spotter in14th shot hole.
W/proper solvent, nylon keeps 'em in the black for me.
Regards,
hps
JDinFbg
Member
Not to hijack this thread or get off subject, but has anyone written a history of gun bore cleaning solvents? I have been shooting for 50+ years, and Hoppe's #9 has always been the go-to bore cleaning solvent, but I've become a convert for products like Bore Tech Eliminator and Bore Tech CU+2. Recent acquisition of a borescope revealed that Hoppe's was really not getting my gun bores clean (that borescope has created a lot of work for me). So, it leaves me wondering when some of the current-day cleaners came along, and how long have I been cleaning without being aware of these? I read an article that indicated that Ed Harris came up with his Ed's Red formula around 1991. So, if anyone has a history of gun bore cleaners, I think it would be an interesting read.
Now, getting back to the title of this post, I switched to using nylon bore brushes when I switched to using the Bore Tech products. That's what they recommend, and from experience I found that the Bore Tech products (especially CU+2) will plum eat up a bronze bore brush. Any cleaner targeted to removing copper would do the same. That should be no surprise as copper is the main ingredient in bronze, and copper removal is more of a chemical dissolving process than brute force and awkwardness process. In a cleaning project I'm currently doing on a 6mm Remington rifle that had seen nothing by Hoppe's for its entire life and may have 2,000 rounds through it, I discovered a lot of copper (which CU+2 readily removed) and some hard, baked-on carbon in the area a few inches ahead of the chamber that Bore Tech Eliminator would not touch. After doing some online research, I found reference to folks using Sea Foam, an automotive motor treatment product, so I decided to try. It really, really gets to that hard, baked-on carbon, but it's still a slow process for a rifle that has 50+ years of carbon build-up in it. For the Seam Foam and hard carbon removal process I use a bronze bore brush.
Now, getting back to the title of this post, I switched to using nylon bore brushes when I switched to using the Bore Tech products. That's what they recommend, and from experience I found that the Bore Tech products (especially CU+2) will plum eat up a bronze bore brush. Any cleaner targeted to removing copper would do the same. That should be no surprise as copper is the main ingredient in bronze, and copper removal is more of a chemical dissolving process than brute force and awkwardness process. In a cleaning project I'm currently doing on a 6mm Remington rifle that had seen nothing by Hoppe's for its entire life and may have 2,000 rounds through it, I discovered a lot of copper (which CU+2 readily removed) and some hard, baked-on carbon in the area a few inches ahead of the chamber that Bore Tech Eliminator would not touch. After doing some online research, I found reference to folks using Sea Foam, an automotive motor treatment product, so I decided to try. It really, really gets to that hard, baked-on carbon, but it's still a slow process for a rifle that has 50+ years of carbon build-up in it. For the Seam Foam and hard carbon removal process I use a bronze bore brush.
JCooperfan1911
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I use Don Schitz Dandy solvent dissolved with equal parts mineral spirits and essence of dihyrophiphonol on composite bore brushes. Works better than anything else I’ve tried.
I think that for most of us, of a certain vintage, were hooked on Hoppe's
. Only with the advent of the borescope did we realize it was not 100% up to the task. While I continued to use Hoppe's for years, I slowly migrated to some more aggressive bore cleaners when I took up HP rifle competition, such as Hoppe's Bench Rest, Sweet's, Gold Medallion, JB, etc., but it was obvious to me, even w/o a bore scope, that some solvents were effective on copper, some on carbon, but never found a single solvent equally effective on both, until the advent of the borescope.I'm a bit leery of solvents made for other purposes, such as outboard or other internal combustion engines, so have no experience with, and cannot vouch for those. But that's just me, others report good results with some of these products.
With the help of the bore scope, I began the search in earnest for a solvent to tackle both copper and carbon. Tried a number of highly touted solvents, and am completely satisfied with Tactical Advantage as a truly, multi-purpose cleaner, equally effective on copper and (fresh) carbon. (Have not tested it on hard baked carbon, as I no longer shoot competition and clean after every outing, whether one shot hunting, or a range session, now usually 50 rounds or less.)
Have not seen any articles on the "history" of bore cleaners, but there was an interesting thread here on THR recently on the subject, unfortunately, I could not locate it. Here are a couple of threads I found , however, in which many different products have proven effective to a number of "hard core" shooters.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bore-cleaner.870686/
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3042931&page=1
As for nylon bore brushes, they are not created equally, nor is all carbon equal (fresh or baked on, for instance). I suspect that those who report poor results with nylon, simply have given up on them too soon. Years ago, I would have agreed, but have had excellent results with IOSSO bore brushes which are very stiff, and, in concert with TA for copper and carbon fouling, but cannot vouch for their efficacy in lead removal or hard baked carbon.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/nylon-cleaning-brushes.853585/page-3#post-11183435
I had several match rifles re-barreled over the years by Mark Chanlynn of Rocky Mountain Rifle Works, who makes his own barrels. Talked with him about cleaning a bit when ordering my first barrel from him in the 80's, and his advice stuck with me. He said, "If you feel that you must use a brush in one of my barrels, make it nylon.", or something to that effect. Managed to squeeze an average 7500 30-06 rounds out of every one of his barrels and never put a bronze brush in one.
Here is an interesting video on Mark Chanlynn's barrels:
<iframe width="884" height="497" src="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Regards,
hps
I think that for most of us, of a certain vintage, were hooked on Hoppe's
No truer words were ever spoken.
I was a Hoppes fan forever. For copper I'd get out the Butches or Shooter Choice MC7. I thought I was getting things clean, knowing full well they were probably not perfect. Now, with a borescope in hand I wish I had never seen a borescope. I've had to get all new Iosso brushes, Bore Tech Eliminator, etc. I still have baked on carbon, but I can see myself making some headway. I'm not convinced on what works better right now. It could be technique vs which chemical. -Jeff
No truer words were ever spoken.
-Jeff
In my opinion, spotless bores are not necessary. I boresnake mine most of the time. I'll use a rod and some JB bore paste if I see something that worries me, which is rarely. EVERYTHING is MAGNIFIED in a borescope. Itty bitty problems in the barrel become great big worries in a borescope. Borescopes can be really useful if you have a problem, but for ordinary curiosity, nope.
D.B. Cooper
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In the immortal words of Bill Murray's character from Stripes, "That's the fact, Jack!"
D.B. Cooper
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I've been cleaning guns for fifty years. My father cleaned guns for almost 70 years. His father for almost 70 years. None of them ever used anything other than a bronze brush and probably Hoppes. I have a couple of those guns, and their bores are all spotless and bright.
The only thing I've found nylon brushes good for is saturating the bore with the Barnes brand copper remover solvent. Now that I've switched to copper monolithic projectiles, I had to change up my technique. But for every other gun I've ever owned, bronze is it. Keep it simple.
Last generation’s hunters didn’t waste ammo playing, so if they cleaned regularly there is no reason a bronze brush and old Hoppes wouldn’t get them clean.
I shot more rounds through my PRS gun in one day recently than a lot of hunters will shoot in 10 years.
Now that lays down some hard to clean carbon.
I shot more rounds through my PRS gun in one day recently than a lot of hunters will shoot in 10 years.
Now that lays down some hard to clean carbon.
wiscoaster
Member
This old fart, who is well-qualified and experienced to know a whole heck of a lot more about the topic than most of us, has some surprising recommendations about cleaning guns (and pretty much any other gun topic):
https://www.youtube.com/user/GunBlue490/videos
BTW we're close in age so "old fart" means no disrespect and I think at my age I can say that about another old fart.
https://www.youtube.com/user/GunBlue490/videos
BTW we're close in age so "old fart" means no disrespect and I think at my age I can say that about another old fart.
JTQ
Member
Since this thread has turned a bit, this article on barrel cleaning from Schuemann Barrels is a worthwhile data point in these types of discussions
https://szbarrels.com/Portals/0/Doc...rel_Cleaning.pdf?ver=HsveiaoPD4Wz6fMSqzGVYw==
The last paragraph in the article
https://szbarrels.com/Portals/0/Doc...rel_Cleaning.pdf?ver=HsveiaoPD4Wz6fMSqzGVYw==
The last paragraph in the article
Dudedog
Contributing Member
Mine did to.
Orwell was right
“Ignorance is bliss.”
To put it another way
"To see is to know, not to see is to guess:
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