30br cleaning regimen questions

[AlNyhus]

All my 30BR's have been cleaned the same way for years....at the end of each yardage. That's about 60 rounds for me at 100 with the warm up target. At 200, it's about 80 rounds including the warm up.

Lucas bore guide, Dewey coated rod, two wet patches of Butch's, 10 slow passes with a looped end bronze brush with Butch's, patch that out, then one more wet patch of Butch's and let it soak. Patch that out and dry the chamber before the next yardage. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

At the end of the day, I repeat and after patching out the last wet Butch's patch, I put a wet patch of Hoppe's #9 down for protection. The Hoppe's slow working action also works on any small amount of copper that might still be present. If the gun is going in the safe muzzle up when I get home, I plug the chamber with patches so the Hoppe's doesn't migrate down and creep past the front action screw threads.

Im a strong believer in having a sharp 60 degree cut on the leading edges of the lands to help guide the brush back in the muzzle. The crowns last a long, long time done this way and offers protection if the rod is pushed too far out the muzzle...which should really be avoided.

Also, smoothing the junction of the jag or brush adapter to the ferrule on the end of the rod so there's no sharp edge helps. Most don't look at but can it act as a saw edge....just run your fingernail over the junction to check it.

I don't leave the range without cleaning except occasionally from my local range. Then I'll put some Wipe Out in from the chamber end at home and let it soak at home before patching it out and repeating. Keeps the smell down in my sod hut.

Good shootin' -Al

PS: When testing different powders, I clean before moving to a different powder. I've proven to myself several times that not doing this can influence the results.

 

[AlNyhus]

My apologies. I don’t write clearly. They say the damage comes when the brush leaves the muzzle, and the cleaning rod drops on the muzzle. Or when the brush goes backwards and it’s not straight And the rod hits it. in the article they also mentioned that the brass brush won’t hurt It coming backwards, but things that are on the brush from the bore could. That’s how I read it anyway.

Edit. That’s why a few guys clean the barrel with the muzzle against a wall I guess. So it doesn’t drop out.

Kevin, there's some truth to that. When my brush gets close to coming out the muzzle, I twist the rod tight on the brush and slowly come out the muzzle just enough for the brush to clear. If it's really nasty looking (black), I'll spray it off with some alcohol from a pump spray bottle and then re-wet it with Butch's before s-l-o-w-l-y pulling it back into the muzzle.

I'm always surprised to see shooters sawing back and forth with their cleaning rod like it was an ex-girlfriend. The point of brushing is to let the brush do the work...smooth and easy both directions. This season I was loading next to a guy that had just got done brushing his barrel. He wiped off the rod, put a jag on it and pushed a clean patch down the barrel. "Jeezus...look at how dirty this thing gets." he said to me. I had just finished brushing mine and told him to watch something. I pulled the rod guide out and pushed a clean patch down it....just like I always do after brushing. The patch had all sorts of just nasty black crap on it....dirty solvent from inside the rod guide. I asked him why in the world would he want to push the nasty stuff in the rod guide down a barrel he had just 'cleaned' with a brush????

 

[AlNyhus]

I should add that some seriously good shooters never brush. Randy Robinett, for example, hasn't used a brush in any of his barrels since the last time Jesus was in Omaha. He uses Wipe Out with Accelerator exclusively.

At our last NBRSA tournament at Webster City, he only won the Hunter 100, 200, the Hunter Grand Agg. and the Hunter/VFS Two Gun Grand Agg.

 

[Kevin1990]

@AlNyhus Wealth of knowledge here as always! Much appreciated. Also, great idea with the 60 degree cut. So it sounds like you or Randy never use JB, Iosso, or the like in your barrels? This is my first 30br, many of my other firearms get fouled and carbon rings real quick. Thats why I was kind of putting feelers out for what the 30br is like. thanks!

 

[Greg@wfcustom]

Someone hold my hand through this. LOL. jk.
Really good info everyone! Its much appreciated!

So I already have a 44" 30 cal. dewey rod, and a bore scope. Think i'm going to get the PMA bore guide and no harm brass brush from dewey and a jag.
going to try/use butchs bore shine or bore tech eliminator after every range session (30-40 rounds)
Get some C4 and an oversized brush for carbon ring.
and some jb bore paste to use every few 100 rounds if needed.

Looks good!
Only thing I’d change is Iosso instead of JB.
A little less abrasive.
G

 

[BoydAllen]

My apologies. I don’t write clearly. They say the damage comes when the brush leaves the muzzle, and the cleaning rod drops on the muzzle. Or when the brush goes backwards and it’s not straight And the rod hits it. in the article they also mentioned that the brass brush won’t hurt It coming backwards, but things that are on the brush from the bore could. That’s how I read it anyway.

Edit. That’s why a few guys clean the barrel with the muzzle against a wall I guess. So it doesn’t drop out.

Go to any good sized short range benchrest match (you know the guys that shoot the smallest groups) and watch them clean.....and stop paying so much attention to the remarks of people who use screen names. Of course technique, and equipment matter. That is nothing new.

 

[AlNyhus]

Also, great idea with the 60 degree cut. So it sounds like you or Randy never use JB, Iosso, or the like in your barrels? This is my first 30br, many of my other firearms get fouled and carbon rings real quick. Thats why I was kind of putting feelers out for what the 30br is like. thanks!

Kevin, I can't speak to Randy's use of JB or Iosso. For myself, I use JB on a.338 nylon brush, push it to the end of the neck and give it 10-12 spins to take care of any carbon 'ring' there. Every couple hundred rounds, I take a worn out .30 bronze brush, remove the rod guide and push the brush through it, wrap a patch around the bristles, rub JB into the patch and then insert the brush carefully into the bore, push the rod guide forward so it seats normally and then give the first 5-6 inches of the barrel about 20 good back and forth strokes. Then do the length of the barrel a half dozen times....stopping the brush when it's the leading edge is just coming out the muzzle and reversing it.

Remove the rod guide and clean the beejeezus out of it. Wipe off the rod with solvent and a rag. Then, use a bunch of wet patches to get the JB out of the bore. When the patches come out clean, I go back in with a new bronze brush and Butch's and give it a few good passes to remove any JB that might still be there. Patch it out, dry the chamber, clean the lugs, wipe off the muzzle and it's ready to go.

Honestly, it took me longer to write this than to do it. I'm sure Iosso does just as nice of a job. The JB I use is the original grey JB. There's also a reddish JB that's more of a polish....haven't used that to clean a barrel.

Just my method. I know 30BR shooters that don't do any of this, either.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[Dolomite]

Give this a try, http://www.boreriderbarrelcareproducts.com/p/jags.html?m=1

He makes one for the brush also.

I tried to order a few jags and he said he completely retired.

 

[WillyTP]

I tried to order a few jags and he said he completely retired.

Dang, wish I would’ve known that and ordered some more.

 

[mauser284]

Curious about a few things. I have a 30br coming my way. Read a long article on here with top shooters and gunsmiths, and not one of them cleans the same way. Also, the amount of threads on here is mind boggling. I'm sure none of the responses here will be the same either. I also read in the article that a few guys never let the brush go past the crown, due to not wanting to damage it? Found that interesting.

How often are you cleaning the 30br?
What's your cleaning procedure and what products do you use?

i'm only competing with myself here btw.

You already answered your own question! There is no scientific facts on many things in the firearm shooting world. I doubt they would welcome science or facts. Voodoo and idocracy is far more favored because there is more money to be had if there is no standard based on fact. When you have all these experts with little to no science backing up they opinions they be default all equally wrong or equally right! Their "expert" standing being far more important than anything else!

 

[mauser284]

Just like no one wants to know that the industry from mass production manufactures to custom barrrel and action manufactures are using junk steel that is so grossly outdated 1930's technology to 1950's technology! Since the consumer is not smart enough to know or to care they keep using it and charging you a premium for junk steel! The information is readily available so why are the purchasers from humble hunter to to end competitor so ignorant? Why for the love of insert minor deity here are people still ignorant that 416R is some of the worst steel you could use to make a barrel or action from especially???