Unspeakable Filth!

[DocRock]

I picked this interwar era sporter made on an early Gewehr 98 receiver last Spring in a Rock Island auction. Sent it off to NECG for claw mount rings and a scope friendly safety. Very, very pleased with how it turned out.

Since it decided to be Winter all April, haven’t had a chance to do any load development today. Loaded up some Hornady 170 grs RN and IMR 4064 starting with a very modest 47.2 grs. Couldn’t understand why I was getting heavy heavy bolt lifts. Stopped after five of those.

I did a chamber cast when I got this and slugged the barrel. It miked as a tight .323” But I thought I should give it another clean and confirm. I thought I had given it a proper clean before sending it off to NECG.

Apparently not.

I have never, ever seen a rifle barrel this filthy. I don’t know if it’s ever been cleaned. I struggled to get an 8mm brush down the bore. Been at it for 1.5hrs. Removing layers with copper fouling in between. The patch in the foreground is the most recent!

I think I’ve found the source of the abnormal high pressure...

 

[mokin]

That is a very pretty rifle! I hope the performance improves after some good lovin'.

Keep us posted please.

 

[tark]

People that neglect a rifle to that extent don't deserve to own one.

 

[troy fairweather]

Looks like cupro nickel, it can be a pain to get out. some of the black/grey maybe just from powder that has graphite in it. The 318 barrel I put on my 1891 Argentine was full of cupro nickel, same with my pre ww1 German sporter.

 

[someguy2800]

Try a foaming bore cleaner like gunslick. Set it in a corner facing muzzle down on a cloth. Fill it up, let it sit for 30 minutes, repeat till clean. I have had much better success with this than trying to scrub it out with patches.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Try a foaming bore cleaner like gunslick. Set it in a corner facing muzzle down on a cloth. Fill it up, let it sit for 30 minutes, repeat till clean. I have had much better success with this than trying to scrub it out with patches.

Ive used Hoppes foaming cleaner with some success, but the next one I do, Id like to try automotive evaporator core cleaner. Ive used this stuff for all manner of cleaning jobs aside from its designed purpose, and it works extremely well on oils, grease, and carbon buildups.

Nice Mauser, Doc!

 

[earlthegoat2]

Ive used Hoppes foaming cleaner with some success, but the next one I do, Id like to try automotive evaporator core cleaner. Ive used this stuff for all manner of cleaning jobs aside from its designed purpose, and it works extremely well on oils, grease, and carbon buildups.

Nice Mauser, Doc!

Is that the same stuff marketed as air conditioner coil cleaner? I would bet it is. Only reason I ask is that you can get AC coil cleaner at the BORG.

 

[dcloco]

Ever tried the electrical cleaning of a bore? Copper/copper clad rod thru a rubber stopper at the muzzle (a touch of silicone to seal things).

Suspend rifle from buttstock screw, remove bolt, warm up some water, an ounce of Hoppe's #9, and touch of ammonia, connect the NEGATIVE of a 6 volt battery to the rod, make sure the rod does not touch metal of the bore/receiver, and connect the POSITIVE of the battery to the receiver.

Leave overnight, pull the rod over a catch pan (wear gloves for you too!!)........NOW you can start cleaning.

 

[Milt1]

Nice rifle and looks like a nice piece on wood on it as well!

 

[jmorris]

I guess it’s now down to shooting it and seeing if the previous owner learned something another the rifle before you got it.

 

[tmd16556]

That’s about what the patches from my Mosin-Nagant look like. I’m still getting bits of the Great Patriotic War out of that bore. No high pressure issues, but it’s still frustrating.

 

[DocRock]

Well, I kept at it the old fashioned way and finally got to clean patches. So, we shall work on loads again next week.

Stay tuned.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Is that the same stuff marketed as air conditioner coil cleaner? I would bet it is. Only reason I ask is that you can get AC coil cleaner at the BORG.

Probably. I use the automotive stuff in my home air handler coils and it works great.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Sounds just like my 1940 Mauser production K98K Russian Capture. The bore looked like a spiral sewer pipe when I got it, but several hours of solvents, bore brushes on cordless drills, a full pack of patches, and I removed the dried cosmoline, yak urine and carbon fouling. Now it's shiny with just a hint of frost in the grooves. Not bad for a Eastern Front veteran.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Good grief.
I'm not a stickler for cleaning, but even I give my deer rifle a thorough cleaning after the season is over.
That's crazy.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Wipeout Foaming bore cleaner is my go to. Apply, let it sit for 24 hours, wipe out then neutralize with a thin coat of oil. Works great.

And I agree, that’s a cool old Mauser!

 

[Sniper66]

KG 12 is phenomenal stuff.

 

[sparkyv]

Eeek!

 

[whughett]

This has served well for many years.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Looks like you have *a man's work* ahead of you still.

Probably rolling your sleeves up, taking it out of the stock and making this a multi-day, multi-phase operation is in order.

One thing you have going for you - it's unlikely the throat or muzzle are hogged out from being badly over-cleaned in its past.

So.... there's that.

Todd.

 

[Armorer 101]

Clean your gun every time you shoot it. Otherwise it is like sharpening your knife only when it stops cutting.

 

[d2wing]

I also use Wipe out. It works really well. I generally clean even new rifles. Just got a NEW AR kit and the barrel was terrible. It even had copper fouling. They say they test fire but this one might have been a return or something. But even new barrels can be very dirty anyway. I have come to expect barrels to range from need cleaning to horribly fouled when I buy any. I have brought some old guns back to life that had little care or cleaning.
Glad you found the problem. Years ago I bought an old Mauser that showed pressure signs when I shot it so I was able to return it. If I knew then what i know now I probably could have cleaned it.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

DocRock your patch pile looks like what im going through with my Milsurps. The mosin finally stopped showing copper. My mauser still is. Been at it 2 days now. Started with Ed's red. Then moved on to hoppes 9. Tomorrow i have Barns CR 10 coming.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I picked up a Sears model 53 that left a pile of used rags that looked pretty much like that.
It looked like it had never been cleaned.

 

[Captcurt]

While selling consignments online I see this all of the time. The majority of the guns that come in are nasty. I have had some that I was really ashamed to be associated with. I even had to start charging a cleaning fee.