Learned about bore cleaning today

[American1776]

I recently got a used pistol. Stainless SIG P232, looks to be in very good condition. No scratches or imperfections on the stainless finish, but I could tell it's been shot by the previous owner(s). I looked down the bore to check its condition, and to my disappointment, I saw darkness in the grooves. Crap. Mild pitting? The bore itself looked fine, and it was shiny. But the grooves had darkness to them. I cleaned with some bore bright and some patches of corrosion X, and I the grooves looked the same. Then I put some elbow grease in there with a copper bore brush and bore brite. NO change. Now I start to think it's really some minor pitting inside the grooves.

I decided to try some lead-away rag, cut into slices, on the end of the bore stick. Lead away works on the cylinder face to wipe away carbon rings on revolvers, and the instructions indicate bore use as well. So for an HOUR STRAIGHT, I use lead away rags to scrub the bore. Finally, those dark spots along the grooves fade. You wouldn't believe the amount of BLACK that kept coming out on the rags. I thought this bore was clean, but I was surely mistaken.

It's strange because the pistol it's doesn't look heavily used. Not much wear on the frame rails, and the breach face was clean. Lesson learned: when I think a bore is clean, it probably is filthy. And, what might look like rust or pitting inside a bore, just might be crap to be cleaned.


Just thought I'd share.

[Bang]

I'm up in years and have been shooting, tinkering and cleaning guns for many decades, and I don't think I have ever succeeded in achieving a last patch coming out white. Ever polish ordinary metal with a metal polish? Black rag. Rapidly oxidizing metal with a polish or robust cleaner will produce the black. I have figured out that slight traces of black is what I will get if I polish a metal bore.

Depending on the alloy of the steel in the barrel bore, various reactions will result from a sending a projectile through it with hot gasses and fire. More pressure is borne by the lands, and less by the grooves, hence a noticeable difference.

I bought a brand new in the box Savage LE model 10 in .308 and cleaned it before firing. Patch 25 was as black as patch 1 when I pinched myself trying to end the nightmare. I phoned Savage and the rep ran it by their techs, came back on the phone and informed, "they said just shoot it"(!) It eventually went to the normal-looking results of cleaning when I cleaned it after each range session...with the last patch having that #$%^& trace of black. (Always Hoppe's #9, BTW).

For that reason, I end with a patch applying CLP to chambers and bores, to neutralize any bad stuff remaining and softening it for the next passage of a patch the next time I shoot it.

[American1776]

I'm up in years and have been shooting, tinkering and cleaning guns for many decades, and I don't think I have ever succeeded in achieving a last patch coming out white. Ever polish ordinary metal with a metal polish? Black rag. Rapidly oxidizing metal with a polish or robust cleaner will produce the black. I have figured out that slight traces of black is what I will get if I polish a metal bore.

Depending on the alloy of the steel in the barrel bore, various reactions will result from a sending a projectile through it with hot gasses and fire. More pressure is borne by the lands, and less by the grooves, hence a noticeable difference.

I bought a brand new in the box Savage LE model 10 in .308 and cleaned it before firing. Patch 25 was as black as patch 1 when I pinched myself trying to end the nightmare. I phoned Savage and the rep ran it by their techs, came back on the phone and informed, "they said just shoot it"(!) It eventually went to the normal-looking results of cleaning when I cleaned it after each range session...with the last patch having that #$%^& trace of black. (Always Hoppe's #9, BTW).

For that reason, I end with a patch applying CLP to chambers and bores, to neutralize any bad stuff remaining and softening it for the next passage of a patch the next time I shoot it.

Thanks for the feedback. I typically run a patch with corrosionX (a clp) through the bore of all my handguns, then run a clean one to sweep out the excess. That should still leave a thin layer for protection and neutralizing corrosive residue left in the grooves. I think I should stop worrying about a perfectly clean bore, and just carry the pistol and train with it.

[LumpyBrass]

Recently a friend showed me another bore cleaning method that works well.
Wet patch with Wipe Out and it's Accelerator , then wet brush, let sit 15 minutes, wet patch again.
Dry the bore. Take 20 passes with Isso on a brush and the on a patch.
Wet patch and dry the bore.
When done with all this I get clean spotless patches on my benchrest rifle.
First time I ever got clean patches cleaning bores.

[BobGun]

I just take the barrel off and put it in my sonic cleaner to get rid of the fouling. I then hook it up to my lead out machine for an hour or two. When I am done I just run a patch thru with Rem oil. All the lead is on the rod of the lead out machine.

[Sgt.K]

In Basic Training we used Break Free - just Break Free - with our brushes and patches. When it came time for final turn-in the rifles went thru a white-glove-level inspection. My M-16 was spotless¹ - not a hint of even any grey on any patch, swab, or pipe cleaner - so it's doable without special solvents, with time and effort.

My 2¢


1. Drill Sergeants are notoriously unable to let trainees get away without finding *some* faults. SGT Matagi broke out the BIG screwdriver and broke the Loctite on the buttstock screws and made me clean inside the stock, probably for the first time since it left the factory, after giving him 40 push-ups for making him work so hard. Good times...

[marinville]

If it dont come out after five wet patches, it can stay. No chance Im scrubbing a bore for hours. Thats gotta be doing more harm than good. Even if its not, nuts to that.