Is it clean enough?

[MI2600]

I've been cleaning my guns for over 60 years, but this one has me stumped. It's an old Remington 25 pump in 32-20, circa 1923, that I've had for years but I don't remember the last time I fired it, or if I ever have.
I've used two different products, JB bore cleaner, Shooters Choice lead remover, plus chore boy, and something called Big 45 metal cleaner.
I can run patches all day, but they still come out with just a touch of grey.
The bore looks good with just a touch of "frosting" in the grooves Am I missing? Or, should I just Rig the barrel and call it a day?

 

[earlthegoat2]

I use a foaming bore cleaner for tough jobs like that. Wipe Out.

If that doesn’t get it perfect after a few go-rounds I call it a day as long as the gun still shoots well.

You could always rig up an electrolysis cleaning setup. That would probably be a little much though.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Ive had good results plugging the bore and letting Hoppes Foaming cleaner work overnight with the muzzle down.

Next time I need to do a thorough bore cleaning, Id like to try AC coil/ evaporator foaming cleaner. Ive used it on all sorts of household cleaning projects and Im wondering how it will do on lead and powder residue.

 

[film495]

I've tried cleaning a few barrels with light pitting/frosting after shooting them, and very light grey is what I go for. I tried once for maybe a few (say 4) hours, to see if I could get clean patches, and they looked that same 4 hours later as they did after the first 20 minutes, so - I just no longer worry about it.

 

[Slamfire]

I've tried cleaning a few barrels with light pitting/frosting after shooting them, and very light grey is what I go for. I tried once for maybe a few (say 4) hours, to see if I could get clean patches, and they looked that same 4 hours later as they did after the first 20 minutes, so - I just no longer worry about it.

On an old barrel, such as you have, I don't recommend going for a deep clean. That barrel was made of plain carbon steels, was dead soft so it could be drilled, and the steels of the era were not very good. So I am not going to recommend JB Bore paste. Might rub out some rifling. Chemical cleaners will not remove everything, neither will bristle brushes, and at some level of fouling, you have to use an abrasive. I have a RIA 1911 that copper fouls, to remove the copper fouling from the chromed barrel I have to use JB.

But your barrel is not chromed, it is old, And I suspect you even after all the cleaning you have done, you won't like the walking your group will do, as the barrel fouls in. I have deep cleaned a number of high mileage barrels, and the groups walks till the tube is fouled enough, and then the group is more or less stable.

 

[film495]

The other thing as I was learning, and still am, is if you put the brass brush through again, unless you stop to clean the brush and the rod completely, you're introducing fouling again, that will show up on the patch. I also kind of think that the clean last patch, is a dry patch, and you're really just finishing up making sure all the solvent is out of the barrel before oiling.

 

[Armorer 101]

If you cast, you might try fire lapping to polish that old barrel. I have straightened out many a dash cartridge (usually indicates a BP cartridge) old gun barrel that way. They like mirror polished barrels. The BP guns were all originally designed for lead bullets and lead bullets all like polished barrels. You can not polish a barrel chemically. If you have cleaned the barrel and it will not come bright, polish it, easiest and fastest way is to fire lap it, then size your bullets to actual groove diameter and your 32-20 should be easier to clean, shoot better and foul less.​

 

[Scooter22]

All good advise. But more barrels have been ruined by over cleaning than worn out from shooting. You have a barrel almost 100 years old. If its not rusty, pitted or full of lead just clean like you have been. If the accuracy is ok just clean it like you have been. No need to scrub it. Many old, dark bores that shot fine will shot like crap if you try to make them new. It,s not a target gun. Good luck.

 

[Dibbs]

Sometimes when it gets to a certain point, I just lube the barrel with Mobil1. It lubricates the barrel while also soft cleaning out old dirt.
Scooter22 is right, excessive scrubbing and overuse of harsh chemicals can have diminishing returns.

 

[JohnKSa]

Does it shoot ok? If it does then it's clean enough.

 

[GBExpat]

... I can run patches all day, but they still come out with just a touch of grey. ...

I have a lot of old milsurps in my collection/accumulation.

Enjoying them has taught me many things.

One of the important lessons was that if I have done a proper cleaning procedure on a tired-bore milsurp and the patches are still a bit gray, that is Clean Enough.

 

[CMB]

Sometimes when it gets to a certain point, I just lube the barrel with Mobil1. It lubricates the barrel while also soft cleaning out old dirt.
Scooter22 is right, excessive scrubbing and overuse of harsh chemicals can have diminishing returns.

 

[JTQ]

Does it shoot ok? If it does then it's clean enough.

This is my usual standard.

This Schuemann barrel cleaning FAQ page is always interesting reading

https://szbarrels.com/Portals/0/Doc...rel_Cleaning.pdf?ver=HsveiaoPD4Wz6fMSqzGVYw==