Removing every last bit of fouling?

[S&WForty]

I have read and been told a few times that over-cleaning a pistol can be worse than not cleaning it. On both of my barrels, it seems that I can run the brass(?) brush through it and follow with a cleaning strip, and it will keep removing fouling everytime. I can quit using the brush and just keep using the strips and they'll start coming out clean, but one more pass with the brush, and more is broken loose.

With "over-cleaning," what part of that is bad? The wire brush, the chemicals, or both? If it's only or mainly due to the wire brush, is there a cleaner that the barrel can soak in to better loosen up the fouling? Right now I use one of the Hoppe's kits.

The first few times I shot my pistols, the inside of the barrels came perfectly clean when I cleaned them with the same kit. There are now a few places where fouling between the lands and grooves won't budge. I don't know what to do that is best for the barrels. Any advice is appreciated!

(they are a SW99QA and SW990L)

[leroy]

is there a cleaner that the barrel can soak in to better loosen up the fouling? Right now I use one of the Hoppe's kits.

Try some Butch's BoreShine (Butch's is a solvent like hoppes) or; just let the Hoppes sit in the barrel longer. Soak a patch in the boreshine (or Hoppes), swab it in the barrel, and let it sit a couple of hours. Then use a clean swab to wipe the barrel down. Then oil the barrel with any good synthetic, moisture displacing oil (CLP Breakfree, Birchwood Casey Sheath, others im sure will work.)

It has been my experience that most any good solvent cleaner (Hoppes is one) will clean your barrel very well. The key is to let the barrel sit with the cleaner on it for a little while (more than 15 minutes, longer if real dirty). When we used to target shoot with rifles (lots of shooting --- 222, 223 target bolt guns), we would clean with a solvent like hoppes then use a product called JB Boreshine (I know this is confusing because of the same name -- The JB Boreshine comes in a little white, wide, round jar about 1 inch high and 1 1/2 inch in diameter; its a white paste -- Midway will have it too; any old time rifle supply vendors should have it). Just read and follow the instructions on the jar. JB Boreshine is an extra fine polish that gently polishes the barrel. A few applications of boreshine always did wonders for most barrels; as it would polish the little micromachining marks out of the barrel-- the slicker the barrel -- less places for the fouling to stick to -- the easier to clean.

For what it's worth, I like the Breakfree CLP. It's cheap (we buy it in big bottles from Midway -- watch for it to go on sale) and it works great. We shoot mostly big bore revolvers; so I oil everything down with it after we clean them up. The Breakfree will clean up the powder residue and make the barrel shine in our old revolvers; but we shoot hard cast lead bullets all the time. All we do is run a boresnake with a little squirt of Breakfree squirted on it thru the barrel a couple of times and clean the cylinder with one pull of the boresnake, then run a clean patch or wool swab thru the barrel and cylinders with a little bit of Breakfree on it.

I'm sure some of other guys have more updated thoughts and techniques for cleaning; but this old one works very well.

Hope this helps,

LEROY

[Guest HexHead]

Best bore cleaner I've found is Blue Magic gun cleaner. Put some on the bristle brush and swab the barrel 6-7 times and let it sit for 5 minutes or so while you clean up the rest of the gun. Then wad up a piece of paper towel and push it through the bore. All the black gunk from the barrel will come out on the front of the wad and you'll have an amazingly clean bore. Clean with patches as normal.

[xd shooter]

Lead or copper?

[S&WForty]

Thanks Leroy and Hex!

Lead or copper?

Nearly all shots have been with WWB FMJ or similar (FMJ). I assume the "jacket" is copper. Right?

[S&WForty]

I've got a few more questions. I got a large bottle of Hoppe's #9 last night along with a small bottle of the BreakFree CLP and a can of Shooter's Choice Polymer Safe Quick Scrub Action Cleaner.

I don't totally understand the directions for the CLP. I know it cleans. Do you clean with it, then after moving the parts reapply it for the lubrication? It didn't outright say re-apply. If it's just one application cleans and lubricates, I rather pre-clean with something to get most of the gunk out. (that's why I got the Shooter's Choice Quick Scrub)

On a lot of the barrel cleaning products, I saw the warning "do not cork the barrel." Is that a warning to prevent someone from reassembling a pistol with the bore blocked, or is there another reason for not corking the barrel? I bought a small salt-shaker at WalMart (that old-timey kind), and I am going to fill it partially full with the Hoppe's then let the barrel soak in it. I had considered finding an old sponge or wad up part of a paper towel to hold the Hoppe's in the barrel. But that's corking it up... Any additional tips would be appreciated.

[Mike]

By corking the barrel and letting it sit it opens up the possibility of forgetting about it and leaving it in there a few days or longer. When you return and empty it. It will have removed every bit of lead, copper, and powder fouling... along with quite a bit of the rifling.

[S&WForty]

By corking the barrel and letting it sit it opens up the possibility of forgetting about it and leaving it in there a few days or longer. When you return and empty it. It will have removed every bit of lead, copper, and powder fouling... along with quite a bit of the rifling.

Thank you!

[Guest louderthebetter]

I never scrub the inside of the barrel using a push pull motion.I know its tempting but its not good on the lands and grooves or so I've been told.I insert rod thru barrel and attach brush and pull it thru from breach end to muzzle.That way,brush angle doesn't change inside bore and you stand less chance of harming the crown like you might by

forcing rod in from muzzle.

But thats just me.......To each his own.

[Garufa]

I know that the various solvents and cleaners seem to work differently. I can do the full course of Hoppe's #9 until the patches come out clean then run a patch soaked in Rem-Oil down the barrel and guess what? Black stuff.

BTW, is there any documented, scientific proof that brushes or cleaning from the bore (if done carefully withouth steel rods) and/or reversing the the brush back through causes any damage whatsoever? I'm really curious because the theories on cleaning are as common as debates on caliber and XD vs M&P vs Glock!

[Raoul]

Is it just me...my handguns just don't seem to get that dirty when I take them to the range???

[DavidCBaker]

Is it just me...my handguns just don't seem to get that dirty when I take them to the range???

Are you just taking them to the range, or are you shooting them?

[Raoul]

Are you just taking them to the range, or are you shooting them?

LOL. This thread just sounds like the guns are totally gunked up. Mine certainly get dirty after a several boxes of ammo, but they're never that big of a deal to clean. Unless it's Remington UMC.

[leroy]

I've got a few more questions. I got a large bottle of Hoppe's #9 last night along with a small bottle of the BreakFree CLP and a can of Shooter's Choice Polymer Safe Quick Scrub Action Cleaner.

I don't totally understand the directions for the CLP. I know it cleans. Do you clean with it, then after moving the parts reapply it for the lubrication? ANSWER: Yes, use it like you would any gun oil -- LEROY

It didn't outright say re-apply. If it's just one application cleans and lubricates, I rather pre-clean with something to get most of the gunk out. Best way to do it -- LEROY (that's why I got the Shooter's Choice Quick Scrub)

... Any additional tips would be appreciated.

Forty:

I always wipe the firearm down with the CLP; it is used just like you would use any firearms oil. Wipe off the fouling and fingerprints from the outside of the firearm with a little bit of CLP on a rag or patch.

If the barrel is real dirty; I always swab the barrel down with a patch or bore mop soaked in whatever bore cleaner you want to use --- Hoppes is fine. After running the mop or patch thru the bore a few times (2 or 3); i run another wet patch or mop thru the bore and let it sit. It can set from two minutes to several hours. After the bore solvent soakes for whatever time you you want it to sit; wipe the solvent out with clean patches or a clean bore mop. When the patches come clean; then run a patch or mop thru the bore with the CLP. Once you get the barrel good and clear of fouling; you can just use the CLP on a bore snake or mop and it will clean the barrel up.

I have never "corked" a barrel and let bore solvent sit in it over nite -- never needed to; even with shooting the 222's and 223's -- we always wiped the bore down every 10 rounds or so to keep the fouling down. Dont even worry about it with a pistol; just keep shooting until you are done. Generally, the bore solvent will clean up the barrel if it sits a few hours. On rifles, i always always look at the last couple of inches of the barrel near the muzzle; if it's clear of copper fouling everything is ok. I've never had a pistol get that fouled regardless of the amount of shooting if jacketed or hard cast bullets are used.

For what it's worth, the CLP is advertised to build up a self-cleaning film inside the barrel and keep the fouling down. It seems to do just that for me -- i suspect any good quality moisture displacing oil will do the same.

Regarding the shooters choice "quick-scrub" -- It will remove all the oil everywhere it touches -- its basically a de-greaser and it works good. Make sure you oil everything down well after using it.

Once you get your gun barrel cleaned and oiled well; you can generally clean it up by running a bore snake thru the bore a couple with a little CLP on it; then just wipe the outside of the gun with CLP and you should be good to go. That should easily keep your favorite cannon in good condition.

ADDITIONAL STUFF -- Dont worry about "scuffing" the lands and grooves on barrels; just use brass or nylon brushes with brass cores. The barrel steels are very tough -- lots of the 4140s and 4340s plus the stainless is used in power boilers that see 2000+ degrees all the time -- it's good stuff. Brass and aluminum are soft will not hurt them. I've heard stories about the horrors of cleaning for a long time -- especially with rifle barrels -- never seen any damage.

Clean from the breach to the muzzle if you can; or get a bore guide if you go from the muzzle on a rifle. Don't let the rod wear against the crown of the muzzle. Buy a good rod; I like Dewey because they last forever and the old timers always used them. For a pistol, nothing beats a boresnake. One with solvent, another with oil. Just throw them in the washer when they get too nasty.

Hope this helps,

LEROY

ps-- Found this on the Kreiger barrel website. Interesting reading on cleaning: http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_In__Cleaning-c1246-wp2558.htm

Edited July 21, 2009 by leroy
Added website reference on cleaning

[S&WForty]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Thank you for the detailed thoughts Leroy.

[Guest pharmtecher]

I have started using Barrett's Heavy Bore Cleaner. IT is bio-degradable and is safe for your skin and has no smell. It is a clear liquid but turns blue/green with use. You can leave it on for as long as you want. I clean with it and then leave a film on the inside of my rifle and shotgun barrles. Anything else just gets non-chlorinated brake cleaner or just a brush.

[Guest beefcakeb0]

i always worry about the life of my brushes.... and ponder this: using a brush o a really dirty barrel.... then finishing the barrel... next time you reuse the old brush with a possibillity of putting old gunk back in?? maybe long term regunking?