Cleaned and cleaned but 91/30 bore still looks grimy?

[Zet70]

Picked up my first 91/30 an promtly started cleaning the cosmoline from her. With some patence and elbow grease I cleaned her up really good. However, after dozens of patches and a combo of denatured etoh and hoppes the bore still looks dull and grimy.

Would shooting a box through her and then swabbing make a difference? Another cleaner?

Thanks guys!

[Steve in PA]

I have a German k98 Mauser that cam with a "dark" bore. From reading, the rough and dark bore came from the corrosive ammo that used to be shot through the rifle and improper cleaning of said corrosive ammo. The rifle is from 1942!!

I just cleaned the rifle like any other rifle. The bore still doesn't look like the bore of my Winchester .30/06, but it does shoot quite well. More than accurate enough for deer hunting!

[ROCK-IT3]

Shoot it and clean it, repeat as often as your shoulder can handle it.

You may never get a shiny bore, but as long as it shoots OK, what does it matter? I have a 1943 Izhevsk 91/30, the bore is kinda dark, but decent rifling, and it shoots like a dream. I run boiling soapy water through it after shooting, and run a patch to scrub it a bit. Then I run a very wet patch of Hoppes #9 through it and let it work for about an hour or more, then a dry patch and once in a while a brush (sometimes brass, more often nylon), then more Hoppes and let it work, then a few dry patches. The patches never come out completely clean, and I don't worry about it. Like I said, it shoots great, that's all that matters. I also coat the bore lightly with oil before putting it away.

[Zet70]

I figured, I'm not too concerned as the rifiling is very good. I did run a copper brush down the barrel a few times. Is there any advantage to nylon over copper? If only I could find a nice k98 in my price range

[GreenBlood10]

I have a '43 Ishv. the bore is dark and it shoots very well. Take her to the range, I think you'll be surprised. Enjoy!

GB

[ROCK-IT3]

I figured, I'm not too concerned as the rifiling is very good. I did run a copper brush down the barrel a few times. Is there any advantage to nylon over copper? If only I could find a nice k98 in my price range

This is my opinion only, but I don't like to use brass (I meant brass in my earlier post) brushes too much, on account of wearing down the rifling.

[Hawk]

I have a WW2 surplus rifle that always shot very well, but it had a very dull and dark bore. I cleaned it many times and different ways as best I could and it still was dull and dark. Someone mentioned that I should try a foaming bore cleaner. I bought some Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber. After two applications in a row I couldn't believe the junk that came out. Now my bore is very shinny and just a tad on the dark side.

Link:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...sting-_-217624



Friends tell me this stuff works great too and I plan on trying it next time:

http://www.eabco.com/WipeOut.htm

[Zet70]

Thanks for the pointers.

The local shop told me to use a foaming engine degreaser. Does that sound accurate at all. I feel like that might do more damage than good.

I cant wait to shoot it! I've been trying to toughen up my shoulder with a remington 35 for the last few weeks in preparation.

[Coop204]

I have used Goo Gone, it is the the product used for getting the sticky labels off with. It worked well at getting the last crud from my new CZ barrel's out. I am careful not to get it on the stock or anything else. I have heard of many using automotive brake cleaner or WD-40 also, but I have never tried this myself yet. I have always used bronze or brass brushes to clean really dirty gun bores, and I think they work better than nylon for me. Good luck and good shooting, Coop204.

[TJB63]

This is my opinion only, but I don't like to use brass (I meant brass in my earlier post) brushes too much, on account of wearing down the rifling.

FYI - Brass is softer than the Steel used in the barrel, therefore wear is essentially non-exisitant - Stainless Steel Brushes is where you can get into trobule, But can come in handy for extremely stubbourn dirty bores, just don't make a habit of it.

With that said, There's nothing wrong with using Nylon brushes and wear is a non-issue except for the brush itself.

TJB