[ShooterMcGavin]

I haven't cleaned my gun yet, with 700 rounds through it. I am pretty picky about maintenance stuff, so this is unlike me. BTW, I am new to guns.



At one shop, one of the guys (who was probably not too bright) told me not to use a harsh brush on the barrel, advising using a bore snake. A friend suggests using a brass brush; that seems about as harsh as gun-cleaning things get. My friend said that he doesn't like bore snakes because they eventually get dirty and then you have to deal with that.



What do you use to clean your bore? Is the brass brush the safest/best to use?? Will it scratch the barrel?



Thanks.

 

[ClosetCaseNerd]

Okay, I am by no means an expert but this is how I see it... Those bullets are a lot harsher going down the tube then the occasional bore brush. This is what I do, I run a few wet patches down the tube and then two strokes of the bore brush. Let it sit for a while and let the solvents do its thing. Then after I'm done cleaning the slide I run the wet patch down the bore again, then the bore brush two more times, then dry patches until they come out clean. Then a wet patch of CLP to protect the bore, and a dry to remove the excess.



That's just me... everyone has their own methods. I reason the bore brush breaks up any stubborn carbon, before and after the solvent has softened things up.

 

[Joe Long]

I use a brass brush. If you use it correctly, it will not harm the bore. Whatever you do, do not try to reverse the brush while it is in the bore. I'll start with Butch's Bore Shine on the bush and make eight to ten strokes through the bore. Always start at the breech end and push towards the muzzle (just like a bullet travels through the bore). Be careful not to let the cleaning rod contact the crown and try to keep it centered while running the rod through the chamber. Then I'll let that soak while I work on cleaning the carbon out of the slide and frame. Next, I'll soak a patch with Butch's and push through the bore. Follow this up with a couple of dry patches. You can repeat the brushing cycle if you need/want to. I'll perform a brush cycle once or twice and then call it good, unless I've been shooting cast lead. If that's the case, I'll keep scrubbing until I get the lead out. When you're done brushing and patching, give the bore a blast of gunscrubber to make sure the solvent is removed. Finish up with one patch soaked with oil and two or three dry patches to get the excess out. YMMV, but this has been working for me for quite a while.



Joe

 

[tstrenuous10]

Check out this thread

http://mp-pistol.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1974





Check out this thread

 

[G56]

Most of those brushes are bronze, they are softer than the steel of the barrel and won't really harm your barrel.



BE CAREFUL! There are some bore brushes that are stainless steel, they can harm your barrel!

 

[ClosetCaseNerd]

Most of those brushes are bronze, they are softer than the steel of the barrel and won't really harm your barrel.



BE CAREFUL! There are some bore brushes that are stainless steel, they can harm your barrel!

Great point G56!

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Great! Thanks everyone!

 

[FieroCDSP]

The tornado style stainless come to mind. I haven't used mine since I started to suspect it was damaging the grooves on my Sigma. It hasn't touched my M&P. Rinse your phosphor bronze brush in warm water and it'll last a lot longer.

 

[IAShooter]

A bronze brush wrapped in a chore boy (scrubbing pad).



My thoughts are that if I'm blasting lead and copper jacketed

bullets violently down the barrel.

I doubt I can do any damage with a brass brush and cleaning rod.

 

[yerasimos]

Brownells sells some nylon brushes that should be more gentle than anything I have seen mentioned so far.



What I like to do:



1. Use brass brush and patches with Hoppe's on the chamber only (avoid powder buildup).

2. Run some loose patches with Hoppe's down the barrel with a brass jag and nylon-coated rod, let soak to dissolve copper fouling and loosen powder fouling.

3. Clean slide and frame/stocks with Hoppe's patches, old toothbrush and Gunscrubber, then apply preservative (Sheath or Barricade).

4. Clear away Hoppe's with dry patches.

5. Run patch wet with Kroil down barrel.

6. Use JB bore paste with tight patch and nylon brush through barrel.

7. Spray Gunscrubber to clean away paste, then a Kroil patch followed by a dry patch (barrel is usually very clean by now).

8. Re-lubricate wear points and mechanisms, single loose Kroil patch down barrel, reassemble and wipe down.





I worry about my frequent use of JB bore paste, a mild abrasive paste intended to remove powder fouling in barrels. It gets the bore very clean, but I wonder whether it may impart undue wear. Anybody else have experience with this or have suggestions?

 

[Mousekiller]

Personally

I've used JB on occasion and that's about it. I would think that being a mild abrasive at some point probably a long time off it could wear your rifling and chamber some.. but.. can't say for sure.



I'd say stick with your steps 1-5 & 8 and skip 6&7.. If you clean it regularly it won't be as much of a hassle then if you wait for the 1000 round mark or something like that.. My father taught me that you didn't go do something else or go to bed till the guns are cleaned,, hmm maybe a carry over from his Marine corp days

Come to think on it, i've taught my kids that also, not to mention i think it's not a bad idea all around.



Jeff.

 

[G56]

A bronze brush wrapped in a chore boy (scrubbing pad)

A bronze brush wrapped with a patch cut from a copper Chore Boy is the best there is for removing leading caused by lead bullets.



If you want to try this method, first of all make sure you get the COPPER Chore Boy, they are also available in stainless, don't use the stainless version. The copper Chore Boy is soft metal and easily cut with an old pair of scissors.



I found out about this method from a video on 1911 cleaning and maintenance put out by Wilson Custom, it works FAR BETTER than the Lewis Lead Remover.

 

[mity2]

I haven't cleaned my gun yet, with 700 rounds through it.

!!! 700rds and no cleaning? How do u sleep at night?!





I go shootin', and i don't care if I shoot 5rds, or 100rds through it, it gets cleaned!





With that said, i use bronz brush. bronz is much softer then copper, and think about pressure those copper jacket ob projectile is gonna produce to inner barrel?

 

[rowe_s]

I use a chamber brush too make sure all the crud is out of the chamber after shooting, and make sure all other areas related with the piece going to battery are clean. Bore gets it when I got time to kill, or somwhere around a thousand rounds through it. The grease on the rails gets changed when it turns black, usually 500+ rounds.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

!!! 700rds and no cleaning? How do u sleep at night?!

LOL. I wanted to put at least 500 rounds through it when new, without cleaning, to have confidence that failures will not become a problem with a little dirt. I haven't had a single failure, so it's time to clean. I will make sure to be better in the future