Firearm Cleaning - Process?

dcloco

Rules to post on this thread - don't debate right, wrong, or indifferent of the other posters. Just state what YOU do, why, and the results.

I am having a bear of a time getting a 204 barrel clean.

perry shooter

Hello you did not state if this is a fairly new rifle .But just my take .The smaller the bore and the higher the velocity the more need for frequent cleaning this plus the fact that many new bores are not as finished as they could be . I would use only brass brushes no Stainless Steel a good copper solvent leave the bore wet barrel down so as not to have solvent running into the action and stock let stand over night and then use a patch I would do this until the patch does not come out green .Then I would get some JB bore cleaner and take a tight fitting patch and make at least 10 full strokes in each direction . If you feel ant roughness in one area and not in another you will IMHO need to make more passes with the JB this is to just smooth out any machineing marks left in the bore. I have also had good luck with BLUE WONDER bore cleaner .

juddroy

First off a quality bore guide(so many people dont use them).I use only a jag never a brush.I first soak the patch with a solvent to clean out the top layer of carbon,pushing straight through.Once that is done,I soak my patch with sweets and short stroke it.I let it sit for 5 minutes and the start running soaked patches full stroke as many times as needed till the patch isn't colored anymore(jag will leave some color).I then run my solvent through again to remove all the sweets and patch it out dry.Next I short stroke J-B through the bore 2 times, and then run dry patches through.Finishing off with the solvent to clean the bore and dry patch it.I do run a light coat of oil through if it is a non-stainless barrel, or I don't shoot that gun all the time,otherwise it is just patched dry.

JustC

wipe-out for 24hr soak then patch out.

montana extreme 50BMG for a few hrs of soak and patching out every hour or so, then reapply.

lapp barrel with ring lapping compound when NEW factory barrel to smooth out some marks and speed up break-in

soak in some kroil, then patch out and store


If it isn't copper fouling, it is most likely carbon fouling in front of the throat. Try brushing with bore abrasive or try GM TEC and a nylon brush. If it is copper fouling,..then wipe-out and 50BMG or sweets. Then don't shoot as much between cleanings until copper fouling drops off.

gotstolefrom

Perry Shooter mentioned a valuable process and a good product.
You should lap your bore with a fine abrasive to remove tooling marks in the barrel. Unless you have a custom made tube, this is a good idea. Get the bore smoother and (at the least) it will be easier to clean up (improved performance is debated). A pro will use a lead slug made from the bore, but you can use a worn or sub-size bore brush wrapped with a patch that is impregnated with the polishing compound. Just follow the instructions.

The lapping compounds are also great for cleaning out that sewer bore 'cosmoline surprize' you got from surplus. A heavily crudded bore, after some serious brushing out, will clean up fairly quickly using a 'bore paste'.

WHATEVER you do, don't let any of the abrasive paste get into the action. If by accident some gets in, do a full strip detailed cleaning. If left anywhere, this stuff will do what it was made to do.....remove material.
ENJOY !

rong

Hi guys, different times
I've heard you speak of J-B
to "lap" or smooth out the
rough spots in a bore.
Question is:wouldn't this
"round over" the lands?

HandgunHTR52

I have just started using the foaming bore cleaner and I have to say I am really impressed. It is a little more expensive, but it cuts the elbow grease time down considerably.

I would also agree with the guys that suggested lapping the bore. If you reload, get the Tubbs Final Finish Kit and then you can "fire-lap" your bore. I have done it with 3 of my rifles now and on every one the amount of copper buildup that they developed was significantly reduced after lapping.

JustC

the lands will be smoothed out by bullets over time,..all the lapping is doing is removing some small tooling marks, which will strip copper and deposit it as a vapor down the bore as it follows the bullet under pressure with the expanding gasses. It would take days to remove enough material by hand with a proper grit lapping compound, to show a measurable difference.

goldeneagle76

Went from factory ammo to reloaded Rainiers...helped alot. Now for cleaning, I put Blue Wonder on a bronze brush and run that through a few times. Next I let it sit for about 5 minutes or so. Then I run clean patches through it until it is clean. I like the Blue Wonder alot better than the Hoppes & Remington bore cleaners I used to use. My bores are cleaner than they've ever been.

rong

Sounds reasonable
thanks
rong