Bore cleaning blues...

[cjsimoh]

OK I'm stuck in a cycle of Hoppe's #9 with a bronze brush and black patches. Did it around 10 times and patches are still coming out black. Do I need to switch to another method, or will it come clean eventually? I've read about corking the barrel and filling it with solvent and letting it soak overnight. Or do I have to resort to some electrolysis gizmo?

[Junk Yard Dog]

They will never come out clean, eventually you will be coloring the patches with steel. A new from the box refurb could take 50 or more patches, get a can of WD40 or other cheap, and otherwise useless on a firearm spray oil. scrub the bore with a brush, and flush it out with the oil, then patch it.

[cjsimoh]

That elusive bore pic.... It's shinier than the pics show. Rifling looks pretty good.

[Junk Yard Dog]

[stubbicatt]

I hesitated. Almost I didn't post. But then....

I purchased a milsurp in February that looked pretty rough, bore condition wise. I used up a bore brush with Mpro7 bore gel and that baby is shiny. Something there is in that bore gel which really cuts thru the crud.

You might try it.

[cjsimoh]

Thanks Stubbi! Junk Yard Dog, did you mean clean with brush and solvent, then WD40 then patch?

[WeldonHunter]

Is this the first cleaning before shooting it or have you shot it and are trying to clean it now?

[cjsimoh]

First cleaning.

[Ironnewt]

Is there any preservative in the bore? A hot water flush followed by a protective oil swab might not hurt

[Junk Yard Dog]

Thanks Stubbi! Junk Yard Dog, did you mean clean with brush and solvent, then WD40 then patch?

Wet patch ( dripping) first, then bore brush, then flush with crap spray oil, wet patch again, brush again, flush, patch with dry, then wet, then dry and see if it's still coming out dirty, and if it is then repeat. Do not overclean the bore, as long as you flushed out the salts with boiling water to start with then a little regular fouling will not hurt anything. You will never get a patch that's 100% clean because they will turn a little gray just from contact with the steel of the barrel. You will wear a bore out from cleaning far faster than from just shooting it.

[Ironnewt]

Thanks Stubbi! Junk Yard Dog, did you mean clean with brush and solvent, then WD40 then patch?

Wet patch ( dripping) first, then bore brush, then flush with crap spray oil, wet patch again, brush again, flush, patch with dry, then wet, then dry and see if it's still coming out dirty, and if it is then repeat. Do not overclean the bore, as long as you flushed out the salts with boiling water to start with then a little regular fouling will not hurt anything. You will never get a patch that's 100% clean because they will turn a little gray just from contact with the steel of the barrel. You will wear a bore out from cleaning far faster than from just shooting it.

What he said.More 22lr's are worn out by improper cleaning than by shooting.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I heard that some .22 competition shooters will not clean a bore at all.

[Junk Yard Dog]

This of course is not recommended for .30 rifles and other regular firearms.

[no4shot]

I heard that some .22 competition shooters will not clean a bore at all.

Mine just get cleaned in the chamber and action.

[SA1911a1]

I have been through the OPs dilemma. I am a bit of a stickler on clean guns and it drove me nuts that I could not get them to shine like my modern guns. I have, however, found that after a good normal Hoppes cleaning, then firing a few rounds, it blows out crap, that I couldn't clean out. Patches still do not come out clean, still grey, but they were much better.

My coffee pot cleaning system has worked out very well for me. When the thing gets near the end of the cycle it is blowing steam down the bore, intersperse steam with a bronze bore brush and you can get a deep cleaning, without damage to the bore.

[cjsimoh]

OK. I did the "Wet patch ( dripping) first, then bore brush, then flush with crap spray oil, wet patch again, brush again, flush, patch with dry, then wet, then dry and see if it's still coming out dirty". Here's a pic of three of the last patches. From the top, 1 - after WD40 Flush, 2 - wet patch with Hoppe's #9, 3 - dry patch.

Do these still look dirty or just gray and I should quit?

[cjsimoh]

PS this is the initial cleaning, I have not fired the gun.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The last one does not look that bad, dry the bore, and go fire the rifle ( if you have checked the headspace) Have some fun with it, this will knock loose some more crap, and clean it again.

[tjtM38]

Your patches look fairly clean; can't see that you are doing anything wrong. It will never come out white patch. I wouldn't overdue the brush, just patches will work for the most part. About every third cleaning I get in there with the brush. Today I shot the Mosin Nagant quite a lot (60 rounds surplus), so after my water-based cleaning, I used a Pro-Shot Copper Solvent (very mild copper solvent; not agressive like Sweet's 7.62) and the brush. Followed up with light coat of Kroil Oil to penetrate and preserve. Everybody has there own techniques, but as a general rule, I would not get too agressive with strong solvents and brushes. You will probably just start getting into removing metal; these bores are very old.

[cjsimoh]

Thanks JYD. I had sprayed the bore with CLP and let it soak overnight last night too. I may give it one more round of cleaning and then run an oiled patch through. The Mosin is still unassembled while I try to figure out how much I want to do in regards to leaching the cosmoline out of the stock. It's still too cold here I think (37 degrees this morning) to do the newspapers/black plastic bag. I may have to wait until the weather gets a bit warmer to finish cleaning the stock and then I can reassemble. The metal parts are degreased and cleaned and have a light coat of gun grease while they wait for reassembly.
Meanwhile, I need to order a headspace gauge and find a range that I can use. I'm not sure if my local indoor range will let me shoot it there. Their website says "ALL 5.56 and 7.62 rifle ammunition brought into the range is highly scrutinized." I don't know what that means. Anyway, do you think that if the bore and receiver look OK and it passes the headspace test I am good to go, or should I have a gunsmith check it out first?