Done with Nylon brushes...

[hogpatrol]

Better break out the popcorn. This one's going to last a while.

 

[Charwell]

Also different powders have different properties. I typically shoot Varget, RL16, H4350.[/QUOTE]
Boss, how many rounds of rl16 can you go before cleaning?

 

[Rsadams]

Sorry , I have always figured that if pushing a brush through a hard steel tube at the speed of smell is destroying it , then something is wrong , very wrong... I have pistols and rifles , some over 100 years old and of course they don't get shot like some of you guys are shooting but they have been cleaned over the years exactly how we say now not to... Long before any fancy cleaners etc , you used some solvent a brush and then some patches... Then probably hosed down with wd-40 , wiped down and put back in a gun cabinet...

They still shoot as good as new because the barrels haven't been shot out.... Barrels enemies are heat and bullets...
As a guy who's family owned a motor machine shop for 30+ years i can tell you some hard carbon wouldn't even be removed running it in an acid shower at 200+ degrees for hours... Harsh treatments that nobody would do to gun... The only way to remove it was with a brush and elbow grease....

Now all this is just my opinion so nobody but me cares , with the hard carbon the only thing that would soften it was soaking it in oil over time , but mainly very harsh stuff you shouldn't even get on yourself and /or a brush on an air tool with a steel brush...... Please don't use air tools or steel brushes on a barrel...lol... 4140/4150 steel is very hard alot harder than bronze...

Even with the theory that rifling gets carbonized and hard brittle over time and the brushing destroys or removes it , the bullet is going to do way more damage in my opinion than the brush...once metal is removed it's gone....

 

[Forum Boss]

Again, I advocate being conservative. Try using foam (when barrel is warm), try brushing less, try staying away from abrasives... you might be surprised.

I saw with my own eyes with a 6PPC in a tunnel, the effect on one barrel of aggressive cleaning with abrasives. That particular barrel took over 18 rounds to get the accuracy back. The owner of the gun (and the tunnel) was shocked. And he subsequently changed his cleaning methods to be more conservative.

Obviously, different bullet types, different powders, different strings of fire, can all make a difference in the best methods. Likewise factory barrel vs. a hand-lapped custom.

Answering the question. In a custom barrel I can go 60-70 rounds with RL16 between cleanings. That's the most I shoot in a day at a match.

As soon as I'm finished shooting, wet patches go down the bore to get the black stuff and powder fouling out. Then bore is flooded with Wipe-Out.

There are barrels that can benefit from brushing I'm sure.

 

[WayneShaw]

Who knows what to believe.

Here's a video that will turn this thread on its head. Lou kinda knows his stuff too.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=638423259992938

I can't get the video to play.

 

[Rsadams]

Again, I advocate being conservative. Try using foam (when barrel is warm), try brushing less, try staying away from abrasives... you might be surprised.

I saw with my own eyes with a 6PPC in a tunnel, the effect on one barrel of aggressive cleaning with abrasives. That particular barrel took over 18 rounds to get the accuracy back. The owner of the gun (and the tunnel) was shocked. And he subsequently changed his cleaning methods to be more conservative.

Obviously, different bullet types, different powders, different strings of fire, can all make a difference in the best methods. Likewise factory barrel vs. a hand-lapped custom.

I agree boss and I love my foaming bore cleaner , I do also use Butch's... I think alot of this is personal preference because some people say neither of those cleaners work but brand X does... It may be just me but just a few weeks ago I cleaned a .22 very very well because it had been awhile since it got a good scrubbing.... It took about one shot per inch of barrel before it started shooting right again... There is definitely something going on here...

 

[garandman]

N

next in line

IM'd OP. No response yet.

 

[338 Mollett]

As for myself only,I can guarantee I rub the rifle properly with the correct chickens foot !

 

[moondog]

CLR in the throat for 15 minutes and a bronze brush next sise up takes the carbon ring out faster than anything I've tried. Confirmed with Hawkeye. Also on the Crown with a patch soaked in CLR for 15 minutes, no Borescope for that. Try it on the crown, you'll be amazed.

 

[Charwell]

Thanks boss , im going to try it next match.

 

[338 Mollett]

And by the way you guys interrupted my path to " Warped sense of humor "

 

[Tommie]

I disagree whole-heartedly. I see lots of people mess up their crowns dragging dirty bronze brushes back across their crowns. There is definitely a place for bronze brushes, but many very, very good shooters (World and National champions) are doing a LOT less brushing.

As for "tedious barrel break-in", with fine barrels this may not be necessary at all.

For custom, hand-lapped barrels, I advocate wet patches followed by two applications of WipeOut. This seems to be enough for a 6mm that shoots no more than 80 rounds in a session.

Of course YMMV. I am aware that many hall of famers clean aggressively with Bronze. But I firmly disagree with the view that nylon brushes are useless.

--- Honestly, I think most shooters probably brush incorrectly, too often, and too aggressively.

Regarding a little black streak in the groove -- it may not do any harm at all. I had one 6BR barrel that had never been brushed (honest). At 700 rounds it was showing some carbon in the grooves. I was ready to get the bronze brushes and strong solvent out, but then my shooting buddy asked to shot it "as is". It shot a 0.104" 4-shot group with Scenar 105s. Let your BARREL tell you when it needs aggressive cleaning.

Honestly, I've been working on this site for 15 years now. If I had a "Ten Commandments" to readers, one would be "Start conservatively with cleaning. A large percentage of people clean too aggressively and too often."

You saved me a bunch of typing. Thank you.

 

[mikecr]

which JB? bore bright with red lettering on the box or cleaning compound with blue lettering?

Blue: J-B® NON-EMBEDDING BORE CLEANING COMPOUND
https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...mbedding-bore-cleaning-compound-prod1160.aspx

A friend ruined a great shooting barrel with Bore Bright. I ruined a great shooting bore using Flitz once(just once).
I learned from this that you do not ever want to 'polish' a bore.. Instead, manage the fouling while protecting the surface profile provided by a good lapping.
Don't go obsessive with a bore scope & cleaning for shine (merely for the sake of that).

 

[Tommie]

And after the barrel is scrubbed to a spit-shine it’s time for fouling shots so the gun will shoot right...

 

[mikecr]

An important factor is frequency of cleaning. I was taught to put away guns cleaner than pulled, so I totally clean after every use. I know there are adages out there about over-cleaning, but it can work if done correctly.

I tried Wipeout, but it was messy beyond my motivation to deal with it.
So I've stuck with Speedy's cleaning method, including use of hydrogen peroxide and alcohol.
Nylon, no bronze.
Afterwards, with my bore completely dried (by the alcohol/patches), I dry burnish in a layer of WS2 (tungsten disulfide) for pre-fouling. That's the condition I put the gun away with, and when it's pulled later the first shot can be counted on 100% for best in accuracy potential. Something about this pre-fouling seems universally compatible with all other powders.
I also use good bore guides, good cleaning rods, and mind my actions at the crown.

For all barrels, including best in aftermarket, I break-in with 10 shots of Tubb's FF or TMS fire-lapping. This provides lapping for factory bores, and serves to preserve the excellent lapping in aftermarkets.

 

[338 Mollett]

Joking aside ,I subscribe to the chemical cleaners mostly.I use a very soft brush for application.If I,m going the chemical route , let the chemicals do their job.Only in extreme cases do I wrap a patch around a undersized bronze brush using jb and work on the first 6 inches of a bore.I have never had to use jb past that point.

 

[tom]

Agree, on this with exception of Ammonia based solvents which I leave 5-7 minutes. - And I know that there will be those who advocate that ammonia based copper solvents are obsolete with advent of some of the newer copper cleaners.
- IME, especially on larger bores and shooting bronze and pure copper monolithic projectiles the ammonia based cleaners are the most effective.

- Ron -

Ron,

Right or wrong I've been letting Montana Extreme copper killer soak. I also work it with patches and as limited as possible to get the job done with bronze brushes. I haven't seen any negative to it soaking, probably because it is oil based vs sweets being water based.

Tom

 

[X-Caveman]

Also different powders have different properties. I typically shoot Varget, RL16, H4350.

You must abandon RE16 immediately, especially if in a Dasher. It will destroy your barrel in 10 rounds or less. Hell, it may even gall your action lugs and break your scope. Not to mention putting your young daughter at risk if she were to say... shoot it at a match!!!

 

[Charwell]

Travis , if that rl16 holds up , dino is in trouble lol.

 

[rwj]

Throw them away. Save somebody else the heartache. You can do more damage faster with nylon than bronze- most cant grasp that.

We each provide input based on our experiences. That said, when nylon is in sliding contact with steel, even when hardened to Rockwell C 60, the steel wears faster than nylon! I suspect others have similar experiences and recommend not using nylon brushes in steel barrels as I do. Limited use will likely not be an issue, but I prefer bronze ones...