Solvent and scrubbing a barrel too much

[Holo]

I go to the range every weekend and like a responsible gun owner, I clean all the guns I shot when I return home from the range. My 1911 and my 22a come with me every time I go. Am I in any danger of over scrubbing these barrels and wearing them out from cleaning them too often?

My routine is to fill the barrels with Break-free CLP and let them sit for a few minutes then scrub them with the appropriate cal wire brush. After that I will re soak the barrel with break-free CLP and then push through cotton patches until they come out clean.

Is over scrubbing the barrel with a wire brush bad for it AND is there any change I could make to my cleaning regimen that would A. Clean them better and B. preserve my barrels???

Thanks in advance.

 

[545days]

Proper cleaning will not damage a gun. Improper cleaning can do it in fairly short order.

Cleaning will damage your gun only if you allow the cleaning rod to rub against the crown of the barrel, eventually allowing the high pressure gasses propelling bullets to exit assymetrically and causing the bullet to wobble as it leaves the barrel.

A perfect 90 degree crown is critical to accuracy, and you don't want to screw it up. Either clean from the breech or use a bore guide, and use a quality one piece cleaning rod made of carbon fiber or stainless. Jointed aluminum rods are soft enough to become impregnated with grit, which can then rub against the crown like an abrasive.

You have virtually no chance of wearing out the rifling in a steel barrel with a bronze brush or cotton patches. The copper (or sometimes mild steel) bullet jackets go down the bore at a speed and pressure that you cannot even come close to matching with a cleaning rod.

 

[Holo]

By crown you mean the 90 degree portion where the breech turns into the barrel? I usually clean from the muzzle end with my cleaning rod. And it is an aluminum 1 piece rod with bronze brush.

 

[frogamic]

No the crown is the finish on the muzzle end of the barrel

 

[animator]

Like said, crown is the end the bullet comes out. You want to clean in the same direction the bullet travels--from breech to muzzle.


You don't want the cleaning rod rubbing on the crown at all.

 

[GLOOB]

I clean my guns nearly every time I shoot them, too. But I dunno what all this business is about filling the barrels full of oil. That sounds like a waste of good oil, to me.

My usual routine is to dip a brush in Hoppes 9, run it through 2-3 times (chamber end to muzzle, pull out the entire brush/rod through the muzzle while holding it centered), wipe the crown, them follow with a patch with a few drops of CLP near the tip. Wipe the crown, again. One more patch. Done. If I clean them regularly, this is all it takes to have a sparkly clean bore.

It takes 2 minutes to get a barrel 98% clean, and 2 hours to get it 99% clean. If you clean it every time you shoot it, you should be happy with 98%.

Now my .22 is a different story. I rarely put a bore brush through it. I clean the action and breech face and sometimes spin a bore brush in the chamber. But unless there's visible fouling, the most I'll do to the bore is run a couple patches through it with some fishing line. 22's don't get fouled up very often, and it's too easy to scratch the crown with the rod. I've heard that some match shooters never clean their .22 bores, once they have been sighted in.

 

[Bovice]

Doing what you've described won't damage the barrels in the slightest. It will waste a bunch of CLP though. Here's what I'd recommend doing.

1. Using a rag or a patch with some solvent on it, wipe down the outside surfaces of the barrel, and use a clean portion of the rag or a clean patch to get all the black residue off.

2. Using a patch soaked in solvent, push it through the barrel from the breech all the way out through the muzzle.

3. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Clean up other parts of your gun while you're waiting.

4. Take a bore brush of proper caliber, dip it in a separate container of solvent so you don't contaminate the bottle, and push it through the barrel from breech to muzzle. A little twisting action is good. When you get to the muzzle end, pull it back through the barrel the opposite way. Do this a few times, depending on how dirty the barrel is. Be careful not to let your cleaning rod hit any part of the barrel.

5. Push dry patches through the barrel until they start coming out clean.

6. Using a new solvent-soaked patch, push it through the barrel.

7. Push dry patches through the barrel until they come out clean. Typically, you'll get some more black crud out here.

8. Put some oil on a patch and run it through the barrel. You're done now.

 

[Holo]

Going from the breech end is slightly more difficult on my 22a. The barrel has a hook on the rear of it as shown:

This hook is just low enough to not allow my cleaning rod to go all the way thru the barrel and out the end. So i have been cleaning it from muzzle to breach and i do notice the threaded area where cleaning rod attaches to brush hitting the crown of the muzzle. I need to figure out something because i would hate to ruin this barrel, the thing is a tack driver.

Do i just need to get a .22 cal bore snake?

EDIT: And is leaving the corrosive bulk ammo residue in my barrel really something acceptable to do?

 

[GLOOB]

Yes, get a bore snake. Just run it through once, and your bore should be fine. For the most part, all you should be cleaning out is a little bit of loose powder residue from the last shot; 22 LR ammo is usually self-cleaning. The lubed bullets clean the crud from the previous shot. So save the bore brush for the chamber, or for when the barrel really gets fouled. And if your barrel fouls, then try some different ammo.

You should clean out corrosive residue, of course. I'm assuming you meant for the .45? Or is there some crazy cheap corrosive .22LR out there?

 

[PT1911]

And this, friends, is why i use the bore snake between shootings... put the weight through the chamber and pull on through... nice mirror shine.. clean the action, wipe down the barrel, and vwala, you are done.

 

[1SOW]

I agree with the others, but

My routine is to fill the barrels with Break-free CLP and let them sit for a few minutes then scrub them with the appropriate cal wire brush

I hope you meant brass brush and not steel wire.

 

[ants]

Technically, cleaning brushes are generally phosphor bronze, which is nearly the same material as a jacketed bullet. It contains tin instead of nickel. Not bad for a bore. If you have an old blued gun, try scratching it with a phosphor bronze bore brush. You can't even scratch the bluing off. It won't harm your bore.

If you get yellow bronze on your gun from the phosphor bronze cleaning brush, use a copper-remover bore solvent to get it off.

They also make stainles steel brushes, including 'tornado' design. I avoid them, you probably should avoid them too. Nylon brush good. Bronze brush good. Steel brush bad.

 

[ants]

Common solvents do not remove copper, whether they say so on the label or not.

If you never used a copper-remover bore solvent like Barnes CR-10, or Montana Extreme, or Sweet's 7.62, you might like to try it some time.

Your own test: Clean your bore 99% with Hoppes or CLP or your choice of bore solvent. Make sure you're happy that it's clean. Take two hours if you wish. Then use one of the copper-remover bore solvents. You'll get 3 or 4 patches with additional powder and carbon fouling, and a whole lotta blue copper fouling. But lotsa guys hate these solvents without ever using them, so be prepared to hear them cry foul (pun intended).

Yes, I know you are satisfied with Hoppe's. So was I. And I still use it to get the loose fouling out, then I use Barnes or Montana for a thorough job. Have the courage to try it once, surprise yourself.

 

[Maj Dad]

GLOOB has it pretty well down. I don't worry too much on my M1s/M14/milsurps & other general use shooters, but for rifles like my Ruger M77 6mm Rem, I take a bit more time on metal fouling. You can use Hoppes over several days, leaving the rifle in a cradle (I use a Tipton Best Vise), or Montana Extreme and have it bare steel in one session. I usually use JB Bore Shine afterwards and then Tetra Lube to finish. It will put 5 rds into 1/2" at 200 yds and though I haven't noticed more fouling than "usual" I do keep that one spit-shined. My 22s get the GLOOB regimen, too. The 10/22 gets cleaned once a year whether it needs it or not. I clean it from the breech by inserting the rod through the bore then screwing the brush and/or patch holder into it. I do clean the bolt face and breech/extractor cut more often to keep the wax and other goo from building up.

One caveat: don't sniff the Montana Extreme to see what it smells like. You'll think some testy chemical Genie jumped up and punched you in the nose (reminded me of when I opened a jar of Muriatic acid as a kid and stuck my nose into it; in a word, don't). It has a warning label on the lid, and they're not kidding.

 

[Owen]

on a .22, don't bother cleaning the bore.