Steel bore brushes - WWII surplus?

[ksdaddy]

A few months ago I bought a box of military surplus .45 caliber brass bore brushes. There was a little over 1,000. In addition there was a couple hundred steel brushes. Identical, but in steel. I've been referring to them as stainless but I don't know this to be a fact. They almost look blued. I realize people generally don't want to use a steel brush but my question is, how did these come to be? Was it because brass was hard to get at some point? Or were they issued for a seperate reason?

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[Gil Boyd]

Any part numbers or part of, on the brass shank?

[ksdaddy]

Not a thing.

[browningautorifle]

I think you'll find these are new production. I've been using exactly that pattern as of recent available from a local LEO supply company. Military brushes would be phosphor bronze or pig bristle, the latter being not so successful and the former being the standard for decades.

[Johnny Peppers]

Agree with BAR that they are not WWII. Never heard of GI steel bristle .45 brushes, but I guess it could possibly be from a post Vietnam or later contract.

[Paul S.]

I have one military surplus .45 steel bristle bore brush. I believe it to be of Cold War, late 1970s to 80s manufacture as it was purchased in the mid-1990s from a gun show in an area populated by US defence facilities that sell off bulk lots of surplus equipment. That said, I can only guess that its anticipated use was for long-term storage, or for (armourer use) cleaning corroded .45 barrels.

[ksdaddy]

Thanks for the info!