Gun cleaning questions

Factual Questions
1

  1. A lot of gun-cleaning kits are sold with copper-bristle bore brushes. My understanding was that you only used copper bristles to clean extra-heavy fouling, such as if you’d been shooting soft point bullets or wadcutters. Significantly, the cleaning kit packaged with my handgun has a nylon bore brush as well as a copper one. Should the copper only be used for special cleaning?

  2. Also, a lot of gun-cleaning kits have a bore-sized wiping swab. Should I use one of these rather than the older method of pushing cotton patches through the barrel? How do you clean these, or do you toss them when they’re fouled?

2

  1. I imagine it would depend on whether the barrel was chrome lined, and how precise an instrument it happens to be, as it is possible that running a copper bore brush could affect the zero on a highly tuned piece.

  2. Only ever used swabs myself, so no idea.

3

  1. Use the nylon for regular cleaning, the copper for heavier fouling. They are also usefull for cleaning the breech face and other places that foul heavily.

  2. Toss when fouled. I’ve used both, with little noticable difference.

4

I sometimes use the bore sized swab to oil the bore after all the cleaning is finished. I’ve never used one to apply solvents.

I generally use the phospher bronze brush rather than a nylon bristle brush. Maybe it’s me, but I’ve never had much luck getting anything out of the barrel with a nylon brush. I also only shoot jacketed bullets, other than .22 rimfire.

I’ve recently been using “Blue Armadillo” bore cleaner with some success. It’s got ammonia in it and really removes the copper fouling. Bore Cleaner 12oz Bottle - Blue Wonder Gun Care Products

5

Your cleaning and trying to do it right. That is 99.9999% of it right there. and better than 99% of gun owners do.

YMMV

6

It seems like I’m always cleaning my rifles. (At least that’s what my wife says.) So I have some advice on this topic.

I have used both nylon-bristled and bronze-bristled brushes. A bronze-bristled brush (along with a powder solvent such as Hoppes #9) does an excellent job of removing stubborn, caked-on powder residue from the bore. But it also has some disadvantages, namely:

a) While the bronze-bristled brush does indeed loosen the powder residue in the bore, it also deposits bronze in the bore! So after scrubbing the bore with the bronze-bristled brush & powder solvent, you have to remove the (now loosened) powder residue and bronze from the bore. To do this, I run three or four new patches through the bore with a jag.

b) Chemically speaking, bronze “looks” a lot like copper. Which means that, if you use a *copper * solvent with the bronze-bristled brush, the solvent will end up attacking the brush. So you should never use a bronze-bristled brush with *copper * solvent - only use a bronze-bristled brush with powder solvent.

c) The bristles on a bronze-bristled brush quickly loose their stiffness after a few passes through the barrel, hence rendering the brush almost useless after one or two cleanings. (This is definitely true for rifles. You will get better longevity from the brush when cleaning a handgun.)

So in a nutshell, a bronze-bristled brush does a good job at cleaning your bore. And contrary to what some people claim, a bronze-bristled brush will not hurt your barrel. The only potential risk for damage is if the brush’s steel core makes contact with the bore. If you’re concerned about this, use bronze-bristled brushes with brass cores.

So now you’re probably wondering… what good is the nylon-bristled brush? A nylon-bristled brush is used when you’re scrubbing the bore with a copper solvent. The copper solvent will not attack nylon. Other than that, a nylon-bristled is inferior to a bronze-bristled brush. Note, however, that some argue that a nylon-bristled brush is also superior when using a powder solvent, since it will not deposit any residue in the barrel. (As mentioned above, a bronze-bristled brush deposits bronze in the bore.) But I disagree. A bronze-bristled brush does a much better job of removing powder residue vs. a nylon-bristled brush, and the bronze deposited by the bronze-bristled brush in the bore is very easy to remove.

Oh, and one more thing: never use a steel-bristled brush.

I think what you’re referring to is a “mop.” Personally, I have no use for mops. Some people use them for applying solvent. But I don’t like them, mainly because they’re a pain to clean. For applying solvent, I use a patch and slotted tip.

7

You’re supposed to clean 'em??? :confused:

8

I take mine in the shower with me. It’s just a hell of a lot easier. I used to use the Lever 2000 bar soap, but I found that I can buy the shower gel and it cleans us both very well. I also always condition my hair and the sear springs–keeps them full bodied, and also helps keep the little rubber insert in my bolt well maintained.

Tripler
It also keeps my stock and foregrips smelling April-fresh.