Has anyone tried carb or brake cleaner on a patch to clean their barrels?"
Thank you, "It don't take me long to look at it", I purchased a rifle that appeared to be a smooth bore rifle with no evidence of rifling. I made a few tools for checking the barrel diameter and then found the same tool worked to check for bent barrels if it was long enough. Believe it or not; the tool spun as it went thorough the barrel and stopped on restricted barrels.
Years ago I was reading through reloading forums and discovered they had problems solving problems, when it came to cleaning barrels that wore the muzzle to a taper. The reloader had a number of tools available, there was the string with a fishing weight, there were chains etc. and they had gages that measured throat and muzzle tapper. Anyhow I made a tool, I do not have all of the problems reloaders have. I eliminated the problems, most of the stuff I use came from a dumpster.
Back about 100 years ago cleaning a bore was made more difficult by the material used to make bullets, the first solution was to 'grease your bullets', and then shooter went ape on the grease. If scrubbing with a brush did not remove the bullet material they went to a process that did not require running the cleaning rod with a patch and or brush.
I have used carburetor cleaner, the carburetor cleaner I am talking about is not the stuff that comes in a spray can, I am talking about the 5 gallon bucket of stuff that comes with a basket.
F. Guffey