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    Legacy Member Cantom's Avatar
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    How to clean a really dirty barrel

    I have a couple of Enfields, a No 4 mk II, and an SMLE, with mega dirty barrels(recent purchases and came that way). I've put like 50 plus patches plus fired some rounds through both this weekend, they are still so filthy. Every patch comes out heavily soiled.

    No sign of rust, it just looks like lead and powder fouling.
    I have a brass rifle brush, kind of worn, and what I do is cut squares of an old white cotton shirt I use for a rag, soak them in bore cleaner and push them through the bore from the breech. They wind up tightly wrapped around the brush.
    I have US Vietnam era bore cleaner in the green plastic bottle and CLP.

    Any magical tricks to suggest? My buddy said he once took over 2 months to clean the barrel in a Ross rifle. Alternate cleaning and firing a round, and finally it came clean.
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    You could try plugging the bore at the muzzle, and filling the bore with one of the copper cutting solvents. Let it soak for a bit. Some of these are quite aggressive, don't leave it to soak too long. Scrub with a brush, patch out, inspect, repeat if necessary.
    Another alternative is to use the electronic system. This is described at surplusrifle.com. A really basic rig can be made with a steel welding rod, threaded through a one hole rubber stopper, which plugs the chamber, the other end of the rod stand proud of the muzzle. Put little rubber grommets on the rod so it doesn't touch the bore. Fill the bore with household ammonia. There will be foaming, a funnel pressed over the muzzle is a good idea. Use a couple of flashlight batteries to give 3v. Connect the -ve to the rod, +ve to the barrel. You will see foaming almost instantly. Metal fouling will be plated onto the steel rod, other fouling will be loosened. After 10 or 15 minutes, drain the bore, scrub it thoroughly with a brush, and patch it out. Could be repeated a couple of times. I wouldn't do this if the rifle has a fine bore, but the amount of fouling that is removed is amazing.

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    Have you tried outers foaming bore cleaner yet? I was surprised how well it worked and how much scrubbing it eliminated.

    On tough bores, I alternate between three poructs:

    1) Outer foaming bore cleaner, let sit in bore for 1 hour, wipe out.
    2) hoppes Elite Bore Gel. Let sit overnight then wipe out.
    3) Hoppes No.9 Copper formulation. Let sit 2-3 hours and then wipe out.

    Repeat as necessary.
    Союз нерушимый республик свободных Сплотила навеки Великая Русь. Да здравствует созданный волей народов Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

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    Legacy Member Cantom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Claven2 View Post
    Have you tried outers foaming bore cleaner yet? I was surprised how well it worked and how much scrubbing it eliminated.

    On tough bores, I alternate between three poructs:

    1) Outer foaming bore cleaner, let sit in bore for 1 hour, wipe out.
    2) hoppes Elite Bore Gel. Let sit overnight then wipe out.
    3) Hoppes No.9 Copper formulation. Let sit 2-3 hours and then wipe out.

    Repeat as necessary.
    I've been doing some reading tonight. I need to update my technology. I don't even own a bore guide...
    I think I'll get those items you mentioned as well as some better brushes and a bore guide. Better to let foaming bore cleaner do it's thing than damage the bore with too many brushings that aren't working anyway. Time for a trip to the gun store.

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    Cantom,

    I do not know how bad your bore is but for most gun cleaning I find cleaning like this helps:

    1) Run 2 overly soaked patch of solvent down the bore.
    2) Let soak for 5 minutes.
    3) Run a copper brush 10 times in the bore.
    4) Mop up the mess with 2-4 patches (Depending on how dirty the bore is).

    If it needs more cleaning I'll repeat this (but not needed normally as I clean regularly) and it normally turns out completly clean looks shiny. Then I do a light oiling and I'm done.

    PS. The Hopps Elite stuff is amazing.

    Dimitri

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    Legacy Member Cantom's Avatar
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    I've called around and the local shops don't have bore guides. On the net in the US they are high tech and most people wouldn't clean a rifle without them.
    Can anyone recommend one that will work well with my No 1 and No 4 Enfields?
    One of the issues is some of them are model specific and there isn't a model made for rear locking Enfields.
    There are some $5 MTM cheapos on ebay that probably fit everything...

    What do you think about the stainless tornado brushes? Do they work well and are they harmful to the Enfield barrel? The copper solvents are known to dissolve the bronze brushes is why I ask...

    What do people use to clean their chambers? The Enfield chamber stick with flanellette patch or something a bit more modern?


    Quote Originally Posted by Dimitri View Post
    Cantom,

    I do not know how bad your bore is but for most gun cleaning I find cleaning like this helps:

    1) Run 2 overly soaked patch of solvent down the bore.
    2) Let soak for 5 minutes.
    3) Run a copper brush 10 times in the bore.
    4) Mop up the mess with 2-4 patches (Depending on how dirty the bore is).

    If it needs more cleaning I'll repeat this (but not needed normally as I clean regularly) and it normally turns out completly clean looks shiny. Then I do a light oiling and I'm done.

    PS. The Hopps Elite stuff is amazing.

    Dimitri

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    NEVER use a stainless bore bbrush - it WILL hurt the internal polish of the barrel, no matter what eny salesman tries to tell you.

    For copper cutting solutions, use a stiff nylon bore brush. SIR mailorder has them.

    As for a bore guide - hogwash. Buy a good quality graphite cleaning rod and remove the bolt & clean from the action end. The graphite won't harm the bore and neither will the brass tip, assuming you clean the fouling grit off the rod every couple of strokes.
    Союз нерушимый республик свободных Сплотила навеки Великая Русь. Да здравствует созданный волей народов Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

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    I avoid Stainless Steel and Nylon Brushes, dont have a personal reason to do it but a person that had much more firearms knowlage then I'll ever have said:

    Quote Originally Posted by Gale McMillan
    Brass brushes are softer than barrel steel and does no harm. S/S brushes are harder than barrel steel is definetly a no no. Nylon may surprise you to know is very abrasive If you doubt this look at the carbide eye on yout fishing rod where nylon line has worn groves into it.
    After reading that for the first time I thought about it and it makes sense to me so I decided to avoid Stainless Steel and Nylon Brushes.

    Dimitri

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    Yes, nylon can be abrasive over a long time with lots of rubbing, but you only use it for one or two strokes to put the solvent into the bore.

    You don't scrub with copper cutter, it just sits in the bore chemically reacting. After a couple of hours you wipe it out with a patched jag

    Believe me, shooting your gun will wear it out WAY before using a nylon brush in this application will
    Союз нерушимый республик свободных Сплотила навеки Великая Русь. Да здравствует созданный волей народов Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

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    Claven,

    Well I do alot of rubbing with the copper brush to cut through the dirt and grim on the bore look up on how I clean my rifle

    Dimitri

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