couple of questions about cleaning guns

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SkinnyJoe

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The cleaning kit I got advises me to avoid contact between the aluminum rod and the rifling at the muzzle. Well, this is hard to do, considering the cleaning part (plastic) is pretty short. So, I bump the crown once in a while.

Can a casual bump like this damage the rifling? It doesn't seem very intuitive since aluminum is softer, unless tremendous force is applied. Anybody damaged their rifling this way? Why not make the entire rod out of plastic?
Is soft wood an acceptable substitute, i.e. used to push patches through? How about string with a patch or a piece of cloth tied in the middle?

How long does it take for solvent to work? Why do toothbrushes seem useless in cleaning powder residue, yet people recommend them?
Will WD40 remove residue safely? Will it attack plastic and rubber?

Thanks.
 
Plastic can pick up crud that can scratch the bore...so can aluminum. If possible you should always clean from the chamber end with a rod rather than the muzzle. There are cloth cleaning "rods", they are called bore snakes and do a great jobs.

Not sure what you mean by powder residue...a soft brush will remove it easily. Carbon build up can be tougher. It is very hard to make the front of a stainless revolver cylinder look new without aggressive cleaning for example.

I don't like WD-40 for firearms, the carrier used to carry the lubricant evaporates fairly quickly leaving things gummy. I prefer a good gun oil like Rem-Oil instead.
 
I wouldn't stress about a segmented aluminum rod occasionally kissing the muzzle. If you are shooting a precision rifle, you wouldn't be using that type of cleaning kit so I'll skip the rest about bore guides, coated rods, etc.

A string with a piece of cloth soaked in a good cleaner always served me well with my 22LR's.

I don't really like WD-40 as a gun cleaner or lubricant. Gun Scrubber works well but, it can be hard on wood finishes.

If you can, use a solid (single piece) rod (wood will work) and push the patch through from the chamber towards the muzzle. If you have one of those cheap multi-segmented aluminum rods, spend a few dollars and get a nice stiff brass (preferably single piece and coated) cleaning rod. The ones with the ball bearings in the handle so it rotates going down the bore with a tight patch or brush are best.
 
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Good catch on the grit sticking to cheap cleaning rods. You can wipe it off if you are diligent about it.
 
Well, it's a smallish double action revolver, so it's kinda hard to work toward the muzzle.

I noticed that the little thread-in phsophor bronze bore brush takes off fouling from the front of the cylinder rather easily. However, it's hard to hold on to. Picked up some brass brushes at Wal Mart (size of a large toohtbrush) for this purpose. Good idea in either case?

Also picked up some bamboo skewers, as they are nice, thin, solid, and long. Should be a good choice for pushing patches through.

Bore-snake, does it come in pistol calibers?

Thanks.
 
I use an Otis cleaning kit for my guns and it works great.

It consists of a flexible plastic coated cable to which you attach a special cleaning patch which you run from the chamber to the muzzle.

Otis sells a real basic kit for about 9 bucks I think. Give it a try, then if you like it you can get the more comprehensive kit.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
So it's a bad idea to go back and forth?
Click to expand...

If you change direction with the bore brush still in the bore, YES!

Especially, I've read, if the bore brush is stainless steel, as it can actually damage the rifling.

Once the brush is completely out, tho, I can't fathom how that would create a problem.

.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
Well, it's a smallish double action revolver, so it's kinda hard to work toward the muzzle.

I noticed that the little thread-in phsophor bronze bore brush takes off fouling from the front of the cylinder rather easily. However, it's hard to hold on to. Picked up some brass brushes at Wal Mart (size of a large toohtbrush) for this purpose. Good idea in either case?

Also picked up some bamboo skewers, as they are nice, thin, solid, and long. Should be a good choice for pushing patches through.

Bore-snake, does it come in pistol calibers?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, bore-snakes do come in pistol calibers. They work quite well. Most can be fed into the barrel from the chamber end, and pulled through in the proper direction. Here is the link to Hoppe's Bore Snakes. The second link is their caliber guide.

http://www.hoppes.com/products/ca_boresnakes.html

http://www.hoppes.com/charts/boresnakes.html
 
David E said:
Once the brush is completely out, tho, I can't fathom how that would create a problem.

.
Click to expand...

Looks like the owner's manual agrees with you, they say clean from the muzzle, so I guess either direction would something like the Bore Snake would be OK.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
I noticed that the little thread-in phsophor bronze bore brush takes off fouling from the front of the cylinder rather easily. However, it's hard to hold on to. Picked up some brass brushes at Wal Mart (size of a large toohtbrush) for this purpose. Good idea in either case?


Thanks.
Click to expand...

If it is stainless and you want the front of the cylinder looking new the scotch-brite pads work great, use the finest grade along with a little Hoppes. Personally on my revolvers I just make sure there isn't a build up on the front of the cylinder and don't worry about the carbon stains, they don't hurt a thing.
 
I noticed brass brushes are a part of some kits.

Are they softer or harder than phosphor bronze brushes?

Also, I imagine they're not friendly to blued guns, correct?

Fine grade steel wool - bad idea?
 
David E said:
If you change direction with the bore brush still in the bore, YES!

Especially, I've read, if the bore brush is stainless steel, as it can actually damage the rifling.

Once the brush is completely out, tho, I can't fathom how that would create a problem.

.
Click to expand...

I read that stainless steel brushes are bad medicine in several sources.

As far as to what I was doing, well, I guess this should make me feel better:

"speaking of brushes, remember that brushes are designed to be run one way only through the barrel. Never reverse the direction while the brush is inside the bore: this will bend the bristles on the brush. This is the equivalent of bending a wire back and forth until it breaks. You will always ruin a brush if you reverse it while in the bore"

I can easily replace a brush, not so with a gun.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
Ooops. I can only hope I didn't do a whole lot of damage with one cleaning.:o:o

Would this rule apply to the cylinder chambers as well?
Click to expand...

it only applies to the chambers of a revolver if you dont want to ruin your brushes. there's no reason not to run them all the way through before reversing.

one cleaning, especially with a brass brush, shouldn't have done any damage. i wouldn't worry.

as far as solvents, i use mineral spirits or kerosene. i soak all the parts in a bucket, then scrub with a toothbrush. be sure its totally dry before lube and reassembly, an air compressor works well for this. the spirits will also draw out any oil in the pores of the metal, so you will likely have to oil twice.

if you need to remove excessive carbon build up from the crown, you can use a spent brass casing to scrape it off.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
I noticed brass brushes are a part of some kits.

Are they softer or harder than phosphor bronze brushes?

Also, I imagine they're not friendly to blued guns, correct?

Fine grade steel wool - bad idea?
Click to expand...

what do you want to use the steel wool on?

any abrasive medium will scratch the bluing, or any finish for that matter.

toothbrush and elbow grease.
 
Those little rings inside the cylinder (inside all 5 chambers), maybe 1 cm behind the face of the cylinder, are those critical to get off? Do they cause corrosion if not removed? They're a real bitch to get out..

Thanks.
 
if there is build up, like in the bbl, the bore brush should remove it sufficiently.

if it is just wear/discoloration, scrubbing the area will just result in removal of additional finish.


pics of the areas of concern would help.
 
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