How Clean is Clean?

Discussions of powders, bullets and loading information.

Moderators: Kirk, Lucinda

Castaway
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 6:54 pm
Location: Dade City, Fl

How Clean is Clean?

Post by Castaway »

No matter how many patches I run through my barrel, I still get tinges of grey on the patch. Using a 1:10 water and Ballistol solution until further patches seem to do no more good, then two dry patches then I follow with a last patch of undiluted Ballistol. There’s not much color and up to now have been reasonably convinced I’ve been thorough enough to protect the barrel. Is it a reasonable expectation to get the barrel squeaky clean? I’m sure this has been covered before but I couldn’t find anything using the search feature.
bryany
Posts: 1252
Joined: Fri May 02, 2003 7:47 am
Location: Casper, Wyoming

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by bryany »

You need to clean out the carbon and the lead. Ballistol will not do that very well. Use something like MPro 7 cleaner or Butches Black Powder Bore shine to address the carbon and Kroil or turpentine on a tight patch to catch lead. My cleaning method starts with a general solvent for water soluble fouling, then something to address carbon and I finish with looking for lead. When done, I oil the bore with a good gun oil.

Bryan
“I wonder if God created man because He was disappointed with the monkey.” Mark Twain
SchuetzenDave
Posts: 864
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:07 am
Location: St. Albert, Alberta

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by SchuetzenDave »

To obtain a super clean barrel I first clean out the fouling with my Moose Milk (90% winter windshield washer fluid & 10% water soluble cutting oil).
Then I use Shiloh Bore Solvent or Hoppe's No. 9 or Shooter's Choice Lead Remover or Kleenbore Copper No. 10 to ensure all lead is fully removed.

And on a monthly basis I remove all carbon buildup using JBs Bore Paste.
After dry patching I will wipe the bore with Kroil oil to pick up any residues that may be trapped in the grooves.

And then she will be cleaner than a new barrel blank.
gunlaker
Posts: 2764
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:16 pm

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by gunlaker »

I do the same as Bryan, but partially because I've been copying him :-).

Chris.
Castaway
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 6:54 pm
Location: Dade City, Fl

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by Castaway »

Let me clarify my original question. I was more interested in an acceptable cleaning standard after a range session. The responses received were welcome; but to those responding, do you do that after each session or, if not, at what point do you decide to remove all traces of firing?
gunlaker
Posts: 2764
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:16 pm

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by gunlaker »

I clean the rifle each time I come back from the range. I also take it out of the safe the next day and run a couple of dry patches through to make sure I haven't missed anything. On my Sharps rifles I'll generally remove the breech block each time too as it only takes a minute or two to remove it and wipe it down.

I also remove the firing pin and clean out the firing pin channel, but this is not done every time. Certainly it gets done before a rifle gets taken to a match though.

Chris.
SchuetzenDave
Posts: 864
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:07 am
Location: St. Albert, Alberta

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by SchuetzenDave »

As a minimum:

I clean the fouling out of the barrel after shooting every 10 silhouettes using Moose Milk.
I clean the lead out of the barrel at the end of a day shooting using a bore solvent.
I clean the carbon fouling out once a month using JBs Bore Paste and further wiped out with Kroil Oil..
I remove the block and wipe it dry after the daily cleaning.
I only clean out the firing pin channel once a year using brake cleaner.
User avatar
bpcr shooter
Posts: 800
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:30 pm
Location: Madison, Wi

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by bpcr shooter »

water/oil, water/oil, dry, birchwood caseys lead remover cloth (about 20 passes), hoppes #9(to remove polishing rouge) dry, oil...done

cant say Ive ever had to do more than this even when I shot them grease bullets. If your getting lots of lead there may be more of a problem or its just never be all fully removed.......matt
NMLRA Member
Winnequah Gun Club Member (Lodi, Wi)
WIFORCE Member
SCI Member
beltfed
Posts: 1962
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:07 am
Location: Central Wi

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by beltfed »

The right PP bullets===no lead left in the barrel.
beltfed/arnie
Castaway
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 6:54 pm
Location: Dade City, Fl

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by Castaway »

I’m not trying to flame the responses received, they are informative and are filed away for different techniques to clean my Sharps. Leading not a problem. The question isn’t about how to clean but about what constitutes an everyday standard for cleaning, not long term storage. Maybe everyone but me cleans their rifle squeaky clean after each range session but I doubt it. To clarify, I clean the barrel with a Ballistol/water 1:10 ratio until I reach a point of dismissing returns, followed by two dry patches and an oiled patch. I have cleaned squeakiness before, but is it necessary each time?
gunlaker
Posts: 2764
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:16 pm

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by gunlaker »

I use what was described above to clean the bore as perfectly as I can, each and every time I use the rifle.

Chris.
opencountry
Posts: 3236
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: WA State

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by opencountry »

I highly agree with TIGHT-patching a carbon-fouled bore with JB bore paste or Remclean (2-3 applications) at least once a month IF shooting often, followed with 2 patches of Kroil, followed by 2 dry patches, and oiling for storage. They're both deadly on carbon residue.

Some still may have thoughts on JB Bore Paste, or Remclean 'removing' or 'polishing' sharp metal edges (like in barrel rifling). There was some strong criticism on this subject many years back in the benchrest shooters circles around the US. Some may remember Merrill Martin (of Precision Shooting magazine) conducting some extensive HIGH-pressure testing of his own with both of these carbon/copper-removing products between two stainless steel rotating surfaces to look for any adverse abrasion to the metal surfaces; he found none. The effective 'abrasive' characteristic in both of these products is celetom. Celetom is a simple name for diatoms, which are the shells of small dead marine life like plankton which line the ocean floors. It's just tough enough to remove carbon and copper fouling without hurting the HIGHER-carbon composition in the barrel. I've used it for many many years in my carbon, and stainless steel-barreled hunting and bench guns without any adverse effects at all. I swear by it. Gunsmiths have used it as well for decades to bring back accuracy in fouled rifle and pistol barrels.

Robert
Beware of the man that owns one rifle.
bruce m
Posts: 3350
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:25 am
Location: australia

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by bruce m »

here is a problem with carbon fouling.
if left too long, or too many shots, heat and pressure turns it into ceramic, which is harder than barrel steel, resisting abrasives to a greater degree.
far better to use abrasives sparingly when there is little carbon there and it has yet to go fully ceramic.
the alternative is to need much abrasive scrubbing which in places will remove steel before carbon.
once this happens the barrel will be prone to leading far more.
prior to ceramic forming, there are products that will remove carbon fouling chemically, rather than physically as with abrasive.
hoppes no 9 is one of these.
my own experience with jb, kg abrasive, etc is that it can take the sharp corners off rifling, but this might just be cleaning patch material being also an abrasive.
wool is more abrasive than cotton.
of course, to complicate things, all lead must be removed to access carbon, and there will be layers of carbon and lead one on top of the other.
bruce.
ventum est amicus meus
Yellowhouse
Posts: 517
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:27 pm

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by Yellowhouse »

opencountry wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 2:24 pm I highly agree with TIGHT-patching a carbon-fouled bore with JB bore paste or Remclean (2-3 applications) at least once a month IF shooting often, followed with 2 patches of Kroil, followed by 2 dry patches, and oiling for storage. They're both deadly on carbon residue.

Some still may have thoughts on JB Bore Paste, or Remclean 'removing' or 'polishing' sharp metal edges (like in barrel rifling). There was some strong criticism on this subject many years back in the benchrest shooters circles around the US. Some may remember Merrill Martin (of Precision Shooting magazine) conducting some extensive HIGH-pressure testing of his own with both of these carbon/copper-removing products between two stainless steel rotating surfaces to look for any adverse abrasion to the metal surfaces; he found none. The effective 'abrasive' characteristic in both of these products is celetom. Celetom is a simple name for diatoms, which are the shells of small dead marine life like plankton which line the ocean floors. It's just tough enough to remove carbon and copper fouling without hurting the HIGHER-carbon composition in the barrel. I've used it for many many years in my carbon, and stainless steel-barreled hunting and bench guns without any adverse effects at all. I swear by it. Gunsmiths have used it as well for decades to bring back accuracy in fouled rifle and pistol barrels.

Robert
Do you just apply the diatomaceous earth powder to an oiled patch?
Sam
opencountry
Posts: 3236
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: WA State

Re: How Clean is Clean?

Post by opencountry »

That would make perfect sense, Sam, yes. I used to work at a plant where celatom powder was stored in a tower. Mixed with an oil carrier I felt it just as good as anything along the line of JB or Remclean.

Robert
Beware of the man that owns one rifle.
Post Reply