Would gasoline help??

[dispatch55126]

I know this ins't a new topic, cleaning MN barrels, but this is rediculous. I bought mine last fall and scrubbed it until it looked fine. A week later I cleaned it again just because and the patches were again black. Thus began a 6 month affair of weekend cleanings. I've tried carb cleaner, Hoppes, various degreasers, soaking the barrel for days at a time and it still isn't clean. I've been using WD-40, soaking it for 12 hours at a time, scrubbing, patching until clean, soaking again and repeat. :banghead:

 

[wayne in boca]

If you are using bronze brushes,it's quite possible your solvent is dissolving the copper in the bronze as you go and creating more black crud.I always clean my brass/bronze brushes with brake cleaner after use.WD40 is not recommended for firearms cleaning or lubrication,as it leaves a varnish after evaporating.

 

[Sistema1927]

DO NOT use Gasoline as a cleaner!!!!!

While I was at Ft. Knox an NCO that I knew died when the small bottle of gasoline (about the size of a Testors Model Airplane paint bottle) that he was using to strip his combat boots ignited from the pilot light on his kitchen stove.

 

[dispatch55126]

The gasoline title is a joke. I've been a firefighter for alomst 10 years and an inspector for 2 years. On a side note, gas is a great solvent.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

The most aggressive cleaner I've ever used was Tipton's Truly Remarkable. Amazing stuff.


If that doesn't clean your bore - consider abrasives.

 

[the naked prophet]

I know exactly what's happening. It happened to my MN.

The bore is pitted and/or very rough. The rough surface of the bore is actually scraping off the ends of your .30 bronze brush. I'll bet you've noticed that your brushes seem to pass through the bore much easier than they used to, don't they?

Sell the gun. It's all you can do. Sorry. I sold mine for $60, same as I paid for it.

 

[Davo]

Your overcleaning an old barrel, thats good enough and it should not rust.

 

[tbtrout]

We used to clean our M16's in jet fuel. It was great stuff, so why not try gas. There are so many good products on the market today that cleaning should not be an issue. Hot soapy water works very well as long as you dry and oil it thoroughly.

 

[Limeyfellow]

Hot soapy water down the barrel works rather fine of taking out excessive gunk, the hotter the better as it will evaporate the water really quickly off the metal parts. What was the state of the barrel when you got it and what ammo you been shooting through it?

 

[Sistema1927]

JP4/Jet-B was a 50/50 mix of gasoline and kerosene. JP8/Jet-A is much safer as it is mainly kerosene.

Either are safer to use as a solvent than straight gasoline even though JP4 had its dangers.

 

[Plink]

I'm a self admitted solvent and lube junkie. I've tried most everything on the market, and have made dozens of my own solutions. I still haven't found the holy grail when it comes to cleaning heavily fouled bores, but I've had good luck using Wipe-Out bore foam in surplus guns. Use the activator solution to make it more aggressive and it doesn't take much work to get most of the crud out. I say most because the more aggressive solutions seem to work hard at breaking up crud, but they aren't very thorough.

On the other hand, Mpro-7 isn't very aggressive, but it's extremely thorough if you put in the work. It'll break up the carbon that's gluing the fouling to your bore. I've cleaned bores with other solvents until the patches came out white, then followed up with Mpro-7 and got out tons more fouling that the other more aggressive solvents left behind. It's too much work for routine cleaning and isn't necessary anyway. It's good for getting a bore spotless before applying metal treatment though, or for getting all the old crud out of a surplus gun so future cleanings will be easier.

 

[30Cal]

I can almost guarantee that it'll shoot much worse if you every get it really clean.

Ty

 

[MythBuster]

You are correct. The best thing to do is forget about it and start shooting.

 

[dispatch55126]

Its a good shooter. I took a head shot on a deer last year at 100yds and sent it head over heels. I guess I'm OC when it comes to cleaning my guns.

 

[TimboKhan]

I will admit that I have used gas to get rid of cosmoline. It works pretty good. It is pretty dangerous, but if you choose to do it, for gods sake DO IT OUTSIDE!!! Aside from the obvious safety concerns of pilot lights, who wants the house to smell like gas? I haven't done it in awhile, and I have no immediate plans to do it again because there are better and safer alternatives, but if I do it will be with respirator and rubber gloves, outside, and with a very small amount.

 

[30Cal]

Its a good shooter. I took a head shot on a deer last year at 100yds and sent it head over heels. I guess I'm OC when it comes to cleaning my guns.

I hear you. I like to keep things clean, but I've found time and time again that if you clean a high mileage or pitted barrel down to bare steel, it'll take a good 10-20 rounds for it to start shooting right. The worse condition of the barrel, the more pronounced this will be. I've got several that will group say 3" when dirty but won't hold inside a pie plate when clean.

So on those worn bores, I do an abbreviated cleaning--wet patch it, brush 10-20 times, 2-3 more patches, then a dry one and then I call it quits.

 

[yodar]

cleaning

I been cleaning milsurps since you could buy a case of SVT-40's for 89.00 each and their ammo was $32 a thousand. White gas (Napotha) or its Wllyworld equivalent, Coleman fuel in a bucket (1 quart ) and a paint brush follwed by greased lightning or simple green

THAT's if you dont have low pressure steam

Bore cleaning to remove carbon: An overnight swabbing of Kroil followed from then on with Ed's Red or Ballsitol

DONT expect the patch EVER to come out brighter than grey. There's a lotta pits and dreck Ed's or Ballistol will continue to loosen and clean out throughout the guns life.

And if you are O.C., there is a ceramic polymer bore treatment that for $50.00 will fill in the pits, polymerize and harden with the heat of firing to smooth out the bore. (Uh HUH, and theres a bridge in brooklyn for sale)

MPro 7 or its rebadged from Hoppe's ELite to remove copper is excellent but follow the label.

Then reload your ammo so you dont worry 'bout corrosion

If you Insist on using corrrosive, schpritz out the barrel at the range with soapy water (it doesnt HAVE to be windex, OR ammonia) then go home and clean with Ed's red or Moose Milk before final treatment with Eds, or Ballistol or MPro7.

The Brits would sacrifice a bit of their tea water then clean normally. Dont get me on my "neutralize salts rant"

yodar