Cleaning Question

Maxx424

I seem to be frustrated with cleaning my rifles. No matter how much I swab and patch they never seem to come totaly clean. Tried Hoppes, Blue Wonder and Outers Foaming. Couple of questions.

Is it OK to swab the barrel with Hoppes and leave it over night?

What do you recomend for cleaning?

Maxx424

i got a winchester 94 30/30 from my dad today. there are a couple of places i wanna hunt with it on our lease because of how thick the brush is. this gun hasnt been shot in probably 10 yrs. i put a little oil on the outside but i would really like to clean it thoroughly before i shoot it. i havent ever cleaned a rifle really good. my dad did it with my last rifle. so what would yall recommend as the best way/process to do so? or is there a book or website the would help? thanks

cpermd

Is it lead or copper?

CP

1KYDSTR

I religiously use CLP, either foaming or regular. I brush and clean with the CLP and then follow that with a good scubbing using USP bore paste. Normally after the CLP I have a clean looking bore. Use the USP and it somes out BLACK and looks as though you never cleaned it at all! Go at it pretty heavily with the USP on a patch around a slightly undersized, crappy old bore brush. Clean again with CLP. lightly oil and you are done! You would be surprised what this mechanical versus strictly chemical process will accomplish.

charliemeyer007

I grew up with Hoppies but I use Shooter's Choice now. JB's Bore Bright works good. I also use bronze and/or stainless steel brushes. Break Free CLP is a great product and so are the RIG greases.

linthicum

Yes it is ok to leave it in over night. That is what I normally do with copper fouling. JB's is good also.

Maxx424

Man this is a great forum!

Some answers. As to the fouling it is both. On a 30-40 Krag with a less than perfect barrel we get a lot of copper. On the 1884 Trap Door it is lead and on the M1 carbine it is once again copper. I guess my real question is that as long as I don't mix cleaners without a good wipe down with alcohol I really can't hurt the bore if I use recognized solvents like Hoppes?

Yes - I do wipe the cleaning rod after each pass.

If the JB bore scrub is abrasive will it tend to damage the bore?

jedwil

I have recently tried M Pro 7 which I think is the same as Hopes Elite. I have had good luck using this product. I clean per the bottle instructions, swab with alcohol and use a copper solvent per its instructions. Swab again with alcohol and follow with M Pro 7 and then apply a thin coat of oil. My wife is fond of M Pro because there is no odor.

HandgunHTR52

quote:Originally posted by Maxx424
Man this is a great forum!

Some answers. As to the fouling it is both. On a 30-40 Krag with a less than perfect barrel we get a lot of copper. On the 1884 Trap Door it is lead and on the M1 carbine it is once again copper. I guess my real question is that as long as I don't mix cleaners without a good wipe down with alcohol I really can't hurt the bore if I use recognized solvents like Hoppes?

Yes - I do wipe the cleaning rod after each pass.

If the JB bore scrub is abrasive will it tend to damage the bore?


As long as you don't mix the solvents (which you won't if you do a good wipe down in between) you shouldn't hurt your barrel at all. As far as using Hoppes (No.9) I don't think that it reacts with any of the other major brand solvents out there anyway.
I recommend using the Gunslick foaming bore Cleaner for getting rid of the copper fouling and the BreakFree foam for the lead. Both work really well.
As for your question regarding JB Bore Scrub, it is abrasive, but it is also extremely fine. You would have to use it very heavily to ever notice any damage to the bore of firearm. In fact, you may want to do it on all three guns as it will be like hand-lapping the barrel, therefore removing some of the minor imperfections that are contributing to your fouling woes. The other thing that you can do if you handload is get a Tubb's Final Finish kit for each caliber and fire-lap the bores. I have done this on 3 of my guns and have seen a significant decrease in copper/lead buildup in all three.
Cheers!

Edit: I deleted my other reply so as not to post twice in the same thread and keep it open a little while longer.

Maxx424

I'll have to do some research on the Tubbs. Sounds like the JB bore might be a good thing to do with the 30-40 as it has a frosty look and really fouls up. The trapdoor is bright and shiney and the M1 has a new barrel.

drobs

I'm no expert in cleaning guns but for my day to day cleaning I like Hoppe's 9. Usually once every 3 or 4 months, I'll break out the Sweets 7.62 and really give the bores a work out.

Cornflk1

After using some or all of the above recomendations ( I personally use both Hoppes #9 or Blue Wonder--depends on the gun), you might try some Militec (www.militec-1.com) synthetic metal conditioner as your final swab. It will bond to the metal and makes cleanup easier for me anyway. My 2 cents worth--good luck.

gotstolefrom

You don't enjoy cleaning guns ?

Everybody's different, but common sense experience, elbow grease and generous amounts of time are still the basic elements. If you are in a hurry, or looking for a shortcut in a bottle, you usually won't get the best out of it.

Lapping compounds have their place in cleaning really cruddy bores... keeping them clean is easier.

Most of the products I've seen that you wouldn't want to leave overnight, based on their chemistry, have a warning to that effect on the label. You can't believe everything a label says, but that's a part I would follow.

ENJOY !!