When is a barrel clean?

[Phaethon]

A while ago, after going on a rare ranging trip with my 1943 Tula in which I put 40 rounds of modern production Partizan through it, I sat and began scrubbing the barrel of all it's nastiness. Patch after valiant patch went in, but after two hours of running a nylon brush and cut patches through, they were still coming out dirty (if slightly less than from when I had begun).

I eventually gave up from the sheer boredom of the effort, and decided that it was 'clean enough'. Every time I'd run the solvent-soaked nylon brush through, it seemed to scrub off more and more crud. I admit that the last time I shot it, I did a bad job of cleaning it, but this seems just absurd. I suspect that maybe this thing hasn't actually been cleaned since Berlin in 1945.

So to sum it up, do my patches have to come out "freshly-washed" white? Is it normal to spend so much time cleaning a gun, or a milsurp for that matter?

 

[Flash!]

the patches will come out clean if the gun is clean.... i'm thinking you need a better cleaning solvent...... I have to recommend Wipe Out..... best cleaner I have ever used....

 

[esheato]

Get a bronze brush too...

 

[GCBurner]

It can take a lot of cleaning to get copper and lead out of a bore that's been shot a lot with corrosive ammo.

 

[jerkface11]

Sweets 7.62 can't beat it.

 

[BrocLuno]

Yeah - or plug the muzzle and pour in the Windex - stand it muzzle down for an hour - pull the plug and drain - then start cleaning. One size over bronze brush and get after it with nitro solvent.

Sweets or Wipe Out prolly should not be used with bronze brush. Can you get a stainless test tube brush about the right size? If that don't work, move up to KG Bore cleaner. It won't run you out of the house like Sweets might. But it is very aggressive. You have a ways to go

 

[jerkface11]

You don't use sweets with a brush at all. Just patches.

 

[OC_]

I use Barnes CR-10. Its really stinky since it contains a lot of ammonia, but wow, does it clean well. I use it on my PSL which fires dirty surplus commie ammo. I think in 4 patches, its clean. I then spray a shot of PB Blaster Corrosion stop to seal away the salts left behind from those old corrosive primers. Its not really possible to clean all those salts away.

 

[mc223]

The Windex thing only works with the industrial strength with Ammonia D.

 

[Phaethon]

I'm not seeing any recommendations for Hoppe's No. 9, which is the one I'm using. Is there anything about it that I should know?

 

[M91/30]

I feel your pain, so far the only way i have been able to clean my nagant is to shoot some breakfree clp down the bore and let it run into a cup/trash something. scrub with a brush, patch, repeat 2-3times then use hoppes and fine clean it. I have also been known too take paper towels and wrap em around a jag and swab the bore. Patience is key. But if there is a better method Im all ears to ease my after the range day.

 

[GCBurner]

I'm not seeing any recommendations for Hoppe's No. 9, which is the one I'm using. Is there anything about it that I should know?

Plain Hoppes #9 is a powder solvent, and good for carbon and powder residue. Hoppes makes a stronger solvent particularly for copper fouling.

 

[Silent Sam]

Clean for cleans sake is a waste of time. How does it shoot?

 

[JohnM]

I like Hoppes Benchrest for copper and lead fouling.
A badly fouled bore can take a while to get all the metal fouling out.
Especially copper it seems like.
Could be some stronger solvents around, but I don't know.
A lot of new solvents don't work as good as the old ones, probably too many nasties in them for the Feds.
Might be some good home brew recipes around, but I've never run across one for copper fouling.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I also use Hoppes Benchrest. Follow the directions on the bottle. You can tell it removes copper because the patches come out green.

 

[JohnM]

Got a lot of fouling in there, it's a real puurty green

 

[WARDER]

if you barrel is that bad use tcut or sol autosol crome cleaner on a cloth lapped around a bristle or [smaller than bore bronz brush] ,this will polish the bore and will not do any harm to the barrel, if there is no pitting it will leave you barrel like new , use a rod with a bearing handle so as the tight treated cloth can turn in the bore as it is pulled back and forth