Spanish Mauser

[gregintenn]

I have an old M93 Spanish Mauser that I've sporterized. It's bore looks like a sewer pipe, and it shoots patterns rather than groups. I've scrubbed, soaked, etc. the bore off and on for years now, and cannot get it clean. Anybody got a trick for getting well over 100 years of crud out of this bore?

[R1100R]

Ive had good luck on my older rifles with Electrolysis. You can Google it and there are some videos on how to make a home setup. Its cheap and effective. I go this route when conventional will not work. Smaller items I use a ultrasonic cleaner. Edited September 5, 2015 by R1100R

[TNWNGR]

Well its toxic as can be so you'll have to use good ventalation, respritory protection and protective clothing but of course none of that ws done years ago. Perhaps by now someone's figured out I'm talking about liquid mercury and yes some folks used to use it as a bore cleaner. Nope I've never used it. But this stuff works pretty good and isn't as bad on you...

http://handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9

[EssOne]

If the "crud" you're looking at is pitting due to corrosive primers, you can't do much with that particular barrel. If it's just dark grooves, then you can often scrub it out as the other guys have said. Also, if it's a 7x57mm, the rate of twist of 1 turn per 8.75" will only stabilize a 175 grain bullet, so if you're shooting lighter bullets than that, your groups will be lousy no matter what the barrel looks like. i.e. your crappy barrel will shoot a 175 better than a new barrel will shoot a lighter bullet. Go from there.

[Caster]

IF the barrel is pitted, you have to ask yourself, how far and how hard am I willing to work to save it?

Only the most horrifically trashed barrels are beyond saving.

 

Paper patching a cast bullet will lap the bore back to a mirror.  Especially if you dry patch.