Cleaning that barrel

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  • Last Post 25 November 2011
CB posted this 06 November 2007

Jeff, this WILL give you the willies!

I've noticed that after running a pint of water through my barrel, that the “drying” patch comes out black.

This led me to wonder if I could clean my barrel with hot soapy water. After getting home from Saturday's non-hurricane visit to the range, I tried it out.

Hot soapy water does a great job cleaning my CB shot rifle barrel.

I used a lot of paper patches-I'm using paper-towel patches now for almost everything.

This complicates my long-term Ed's red vs Marvel Mystery Oil test that's been running for about a year and a half.

Anyhow, hot soapy water cleans CB barrels just fine.

Jeff-did it give you the willies?

joe b.

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onondaga posted this 25 November 2011

tturner53:

The Boresnake is easy to clean. I soak it with 409 or Mean Green liquid cleaner for about 1/2 hour then rinse thoroughly and hang to dry over-nite. Boresnakes don't need to be cleaned often, perhaps after 100-200 pull throughs. I have one for every caliber I shoot and really like them.

The one I have for my .500 S&W rifle is for 50 -54 caliber and I have to say that particular one is hard to pull through  but the others are easier in .22, .30, .45 caliber. I do make it easy for the Boresnakes to work well with my cast bullet rifles as none of them lead up because my bullets are .002-.003” oversize from groove to groove bore diameter and my bullets are gas checked and lubed with 45:45:10 Recluse tumble lube once before sizing/checking and twice after.

 I do shoot some plain base bullets from my .458 Win Mag but have just switched to the Ranchdog .460-350 FNGC that shoots very clean at 1700 fps. The plain base bullets shot  clean as well but at 1610 fps for an accuracy sweet spot. All my .458 WM  loads are reduced loads with H4895 and BPI Original filler for 104% capacity lightly compressed loads. The .500 uses WC820 and BPI for 1885 fps with a 250 gr Lee R.E.A.L. bullet sized .502"and the same lube.

Occasionally the Boresnakes go on sale at MidwayUSA but the regular prices aren't horrible especially considering how very durable the item is.

http://www.midwayusa.com/Find?userSearchQuery=hoppe%27s+boresnake>http://www.midwayusa.com/Find?userSearchQuery=hoppe%27s+boresnake

They are on sale at reduced price right now. I recommend getting the original and not the new “improved” Viper Boresnake. Read the reviews on the Viper models and you will see why the originals are better.

Gary

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tturner53 posted this 25 November 2011

How do you clean your BoreSnake? I'm considering trying one.

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tturner53 posted this 25 November 2011

How do you clean your BoreSnake? I'm considering trying one.

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onondaga posted this 25 November 2011

I pull a Hoppe's Bore Snake through every 5 shots and a few extra pulls at the end of a shooting session for all of my cast bullet rifles and that does it for me.

Rare occasions like getting a rifle out of storage, I will actually clean a bore, then I use Hoppe's Elete Gel or spray and it does a marvelous job just following instructions. The big plus is that  there is NO SMELL and I will never go back to the stinky solvent cleaners again.

Gary

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PETE posted this 27 August 2011

I've read that back in the day of corrosive primers that HOT water was the preferred cleaning agent. It,s why you will very rarely see a military Colt SAA with matching numbers. At the end of a shooting session the revolvers were stripped and thrown into a tub of hot water for cleaning. This lack of matching numbers is one of the ways collectors tell if one is a fake or not.

Pete

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Chargar posted this 26 August 2011

I do not use hot water on rifle barrels because of the possibility of getting it in the wrong place, but it should work just fine.

For many years I have pulled the barrels on 1911 pistols, placed the on a pan on the stove, squirted in a little diswasher soap and boiled the barrels for a little while.

I then take the barrels out with kitchen tongs (they are hot) and hold them under the hot water tap and flush out the soapy water. I then blow through them to dry and run a tight patch or brush through and EVERYHING comes out.

I let the barrels cool and run a lightly oiled patch down them and I am good to go.

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CB posted this 01 March 2008

” maybe it used to be a George Leonard Herter product (g)"

Probably a European model, micro precision, wasp-waist sonic, professional guide model gun oil. How I miss that catalog - the Harbor Freight of gun stuff.

John

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 27 February 2008

Hi... re Ballistol ...   one nice thing about this stuff is that it doesnt seem to hurt stock finishes ..... I have some nice walnut stocks that I wiped down about 3 years ago, no problems so far .....   wow, this stuff might even approach it's advertising magnificance .... maybe it used to be a George Leonard Herter product (g) ...

regards, ken over west

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CB posted this 27 February 2008

Ouch! Oh my that hurt. I'd have guessed that a new rifle of that quality would have had a clear hard coat over the case hardening color, since it isn't very durable at all.

I don't use the stuff anyway. I thought I'd give Joe something to ponder. I learned early on that most of the factory BP cleaners have an oil base to them, or a neutralizer to stop the sulfuric acid residue left by BP combustion. Just last week I tried the Slip 2000 detergent cleaner for BP. It worked great, but has no oil. I shot smokeless after shooting the black and had no problems. I'm going to try the Balistol oil for a cleaner like it is mentioned on this forum in another post................Dan

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Molly posted this 27 February 2008

Opps!  That's about what I would have expected from that solution.  Darn shame about the nice rifle though.  That's why I take very little advertising claims as accurate.  Been down that road, & hit most every pothole in it!

God Bless,

Molly

 

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RicinYakima posted this 26 February 2008

Molly, here's a horror story!

A friend of mine bought one of the custom Spencer 56/50 reproductions to the tune of $4500. Having read on the Internet about how great Windex with vinegar was for cleaning black powder, he tried it.

Results were: 1. attacked and dissolved the color case hardening from the action, 2. rusted the insides of the action parts that were not detail stripped, 3. pitted the bore, 4 speckled the rust blue job that was beautiful.

He swears that he made it according to Internet directions, sprayed it on, wiped it all off good, and covered it with oil.

If you want to put acids or bases on your firearm, flush with at least 10 times the quantity of hot or boiling water, make sure it is dry (!), then oil it!

Ric

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Molly posted this 26 February 2008

Dan Willems wrote: Joe,

Got this formula from a couple a die-hard BPCR shooters. They said it is the best for cleaning and the cheapest! Maybe you'll wanta try it?

Windex Window cleaner with Vinegar     22oz.

Pour entire 22oz. Into an empty gallon jug, fill with water.

Scientific comment:  Water is still the most universal solvent in the 21st century. It also allows oxidation (rust). Ed's Red doesn't.

A little more scientific comment:  Glass cleaners are not by nature designed for steel, and vinegar actually PROMOTES rusting.  I'd suggest considerable caution regarding this formula.  It MAY be that the NH4OH in most window cleaners will neutralize the acetic acid, but I can't promise it.  Quick test:  Clean a small piece of mild steel with sandpaper, and dry it off promptly.  Then put a small puddle of cleaner on the cleaned steel, and let it dry overnight.  That'll make it easy to decide whether to try this in your favorite bore.

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CB posted this 19 November 2007

Joe,

Got this formula from a couple a die-hard BPCR shooters. They said it is the best for cleaning and the cheapest! Maybe you'll wanta try it?

Windex Window cleaner with Vinegar     22oz.

Pour entire 22oz. Into an empty gallon jug, fill with water.

Scientific comment:  Water is still the most universal solvent in the 21st century. It also allows oxidation (rust). Ed's Red doesn't.

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RicinYakima posted this 06 November 2007

And, it works for black powder, corrosive primers and everything else. I have been yelled at, ridiculed and damned on chat rooms and bulletin boards for years for suggesting boiling water cleaning. But it works and it is effective, especially with military guns that have been in long term storage. However, I finish with a patch of Ed's Red (or Hoppe's #9 if I have used jacketed bullets). Ric 

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