BRX and cleaning problem?

[Josh11]

I have shot 80 rounds of fireforming loads out of my Bartline 6brx with 1-8" twist.
It is shooting great with fireforming loads out to 600 yards. My problem is when I clean it, I can not get all the black off my patches. I use Hoppies foam as well as solvent. I cleaned it with about 30 patches and still had a small amount of black. I do not use a bronze brush but I do use a plastic brush. I am going to switch to HBN after fireforming my brass. Should I just change solvents and use a bronze brush? I shoot around 20 rounds before cleaning if that helps.

 

[DennisH]

Use a bronze brush.

I never use over 6 patches in my BRX or any of my 6mm's.

I also flush the barrel after brushing making sure all residue is gone from the chamber. You will save a lot of patches if you flush the barrel first! I rarely get any blue on my patches! When I brush, blue foam will come out of the barrel!

I use pre-WipeOut, WipeOut Foam, brush with a bronze brush-at least 5 full strokes, flush barrel, then wet a patch with Bore-Tech cleaner-I do this with 2 patches. Run about 3 dry patches to make sure the barrel is clean. Works for me!

I clean my barrels about every 150 rounds.

Use a barrel flush solvent or auto spray brake cleaner after brushing before running your patches through.

 

[Bob3700]

Josh,

I have the same combination as you. Bartline in BRX with an 8 t.

Shooting moly bullets, you will not get patches to come out white. There is always some of the moly in the bore. Don't worry about that.

After a match, push a wet patch with Kroil down the tube. The dry patch that out. It will remove some of the loose powder fouling. Now, I use Slip 2000 carbon cutter. Pick whatever carbon cutter that works for you and use it. Wet patch with it and then use a bronze brush. Now let that sit as the carbon cutter needs time to get under the carbon and loosen it up.

Dry patch that out.

Now I will wrap a patch around a worn out 6mm brush and apply Rem Clean. This is to remove the copper and smooth the bore out. It does a really nice job and won't hurt your bbl. It will take several dry patches to clean this out of the bore.

Now, apply some Bore-Tech Eliminator (copper remover). This will tell you if any copper is still in the bore. Patch will have some blue on them if you still have copper in the bore.

Once you do this, your bore should be pretty clean. At least mine is and I look at em with a Hawkeye borescope.

There are many different ways to clean your bbl, and this is mine.

HTHs

Bob

 

[Josh11]

I think the key is the brush. I am using naked bullets now. I will try some wipeout as well as kroil and flush it out. I was just surprised that I couldnt get a clean patch.

 

[DennisH]

Josh, as I stated, when I started using foam and saw what comes out of the barrel with the first brush stroke suprised me! The foam was blue and black!

I used so many patches in my prior processes to get the balance out, I decided to start flushing the barrel with brake cleaner after brushing. The fluid was coming out of the barrel off color-blue and black. After a good flush, and brake cleaner flashes off pretty quick, I would start running my patches through the barrel! The first two had a little black on them and usually all of my third patches were completely clean! Since spray brake cleaner takes all the lube from the barrel, I would run a patch or mop with Rem Oil on it down the tube! Then follow with a few clean patches. Especially when I knew I wasn't going to shoot the gun for awhile!

On my first few cleanings as per the above, just to make sure, I would run a mop with Bore-Tech down the tube and let sit for five minutes. Another words, I started as if I were cleaning the barrel from the start. To my suprise after five minutes, my patches came out clean, even on the first one. All I had was clear Bore-Tech on the patch. So I knew my above process was working! Brake Cleaner is cheap and quick, or if you choose, use a gun barrel cleaning solvent!

Many don't like Wipe-Out, but if you use the pre-cleaner then the foam as directed, I find it works great. Bore-Tech works good for me as well.

I find you can get a little "junk" in the chamber when cleaning, the spray solvent will flush it out. Very important step in the process!

Everybody has their own process! I watched a Bench Rest shooter during a match who constantly clean his PPC. His process worked, I asked him about the products he was using, he is a two time champion. I figured he knew what was best!

 

[dkhunt14]

When the gun is clean and right before you start shooting. Put 2 to 3 drops of Marvel Mystery oil on a patch and push through barrel. It helps with the cleaning and first shot is usually a lot closer to impact of dirty barrel. Use your bore guide so you don't get any in the chamber. Matt

 

[BoydAllen]

Here is how I clean. I patch with Butch's short stroking about four patches (.22 cal. Sinclair jag, with 1 3/8 sq patch in 6mm bore), with particular attention to the throat, about 20 short strokes there on the first patch. If the barrel is very dirty I just pass the first patch through without short stroking. After the patching, I wet a brush (bronze) with Butch's and do about 20 cycles, being careful to stop on the in stroke, when the brush just clears the muzzle. Then I run another couple of wet patches through to clean out the brush residue, and wait 20 minutes to let the solvent work. After that I run another wet patch and look for color. If there is only a very light tint, I don't worry. I dry the bore, and then the chamber, wipe off the muzzle, lube the locking lugs, and cocking cam with with bolt grease, and I am good to go. Brushes should have some resistance. I buy them from a benchrest supplier by the dozen, and change as needed. They are a "cost of doing business". For neglected barrels, that do not come clean after doing this procedure twice, I wet the bore, and rub JB into a patch, used on a 6mm jag, and short stroke it through, spending more time at the back, and being careful at the muzzle. Sometimes I do this twice, and then clean it all out. If I am cleaning at home, and have the time, I use Wipeout for two hours, and then over night, dry, and then brush with Butch's. This is easier on the barrel, and takes less work. Wash any Wipeout off your hands with soap and hot water, every time you put it in a barrel, or patch it out. You won't feel it on your hands, but if you wipe your face, the edges of your eyelids will start to feel it, even though you have thoroughly wiped your hands.

Added later: Perhaps I should point out that I use a state of the art bore guide, that does a lot more than just keep the solvent out of my action, and that I wipe off my rods every time they come out of the bore. Another thing, I pay a lot of attention to keeping the as coaxial with the bore as I can, and slow my stroke, and have made changes my stance to help accomplish this. Putting a lot of rod strokes in a bore can be dangerous to its well being, if it is done with the wrong equipment and poor technique ( which, unfortunately, is almost universal). In my view this is very important, and I am constantly amazed at how shooters will spend so much on other things, but go cheap and sloppy on cleaning.

 

[ar15topgun]

If you decide to use HBN you should coat the bore in a alcohol/HBN mixture after you get the bore clean and dry. Once you fire treat your bore coated in HBN you will be surprised at how quickly it will clean up and your 1st shot will be very close to "on the money".

 

[Josh11]

I take it to coat the barrel, I just mix a small amount of hbn and alcohol? How would I go about applying it to the barrel? Do I use a patch as I'm using out or solvent?

 

[ar15topgun]

I use a cotton mop dedicated just for this purpose only. I keep it in the mixture at all times. Always use a bore guide and remove the mop when you exit the muzzle. Make sure the chamber/neck area is cleaned of the mixture also.