Bronze barrel brushes

B

bluechip

Guest
I've heard that it's not a good idea to use any metal brushes in a rifle barrel. Some say nylon only. Well, I tried cleaning my 6PPC with only Butch's Bore Cleaner and a cotton swab. I honestly must have put a few drops of cleaner on a patch and swabbed twenty times and I was still getting black patches(somewhat). I then used a bronze brush and the next swab was really black. I suppose if one were to use only solvents and swabs, you would eventually get a clean barrel, but c'mon please tell me that it is alright to use a bronze brush because it is waaaay faster. I've also been told if brushing, not to quite run the brush out the muzzle, then withdraw it. P.S. I use a bore guide.
 
bluechip

You're hanging out with a bunch of Internet shooters. Go to a Benchrest match and watch the big kids cleaning their rifles. You'll see bronze brushes and solvents being pumped through the bores faster than two dogs doing it in your front yard. And not just once in a while, but after every 25 shots or so.:cool:

JMHO

Ray
 
Cleaning

Cheechako said:
bluechip

You're hanging out with a bunch of Internet shooters. Go to a Benchrest match and watch the big kids cleaning their rifles. You'll see bronze brushes and solvents being pumped through the bores faster than two dogs doing it in your front yard. And not just once in a while, but after every 25 shots or so.:cool:

JMHO

Ray
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Well, that's really what I hoped for in an answer and I liked the way you worded it. So, with that, I'll be on my bronze brush like a pit bull on a poodle. Thanks!
 
I have used bronze brushes for many, many years. Never had a problem.

-Chip-
 
Bronze brushes

I've also heard that if one uses a brush of any kind, that it should never be drawn back through the muzzle because it could damage the crown by the chance of some type of abrasive being pulled back in. Is it overkill to push the brush thru from the reciever, unscrew it, draw the cleaning rod back and repeat?
 
Never use a stainless steel brush...

Do not use bronze/brass brushes with a copper solvent... it eats the brush.

Hoppes #9 on a quality bronze brush and a good bore guide and quality rod are often used after every group shot...

Copper solvents or JB Bore Cleaning Paste is used to remove copper fouling if builds up...

You don't want to extend the brush out past the muzzle as the rod drops and drags on the bore... go slow and stop gently... if you simply slam the rod out as far as you can and pull it back every stroke you will be damaging your barrel.
 
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Bluechip

Reversing the brush while still in the bore probably will not hurt the bore, but it tears brushes all to heck. That unscrewing the brush each time is, well, ridiculous.

Besides using a quality bore guide and suitable cleaning rod, the single most important thing in cleaning is to stop that rod the instant the brush or patch clears the muzzle. Remember, the rod has no support once the brush or patch clears, and having it lay on the bottom of the bore of the barrel while running that rod out another 6 inches WILL destroy a crown, and possibly as much as 3/8 inch of the barrel.. I know this because I have personally seen it.

Just be carefull and concentrate on stopping the rod as quickly as possible once it clears.........jackie
 
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Dennis Sorensen said:
. . .Do not use bronze/brass brushes with a copper solvent... it eats the brush.. . .
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Dennis

Most everyone I know uses a bronze brush with copper solvent. The answer is to clean the brush after each use. But, even if you clean a brush, it should still be tossed at the end of the day. They are an expendable.

Ray
 
Cheechako said:
Dennis

Most everyone I know uses a bronze brush with copper solvent. The answer is to clean the brush after each use. But, even if you clean a brush, it should still be tossed at the end of the day. They are an expendable.

Ray
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Nylon brushes disperse the copper solvent fine, can have a patch wrapped on them as well, and can be used for years...

but I forgot many benchrest shooters seem to have an endless supply of money... ;)​

But if you are relying on the lack of blue color on the cleaning patch to indicate there is no copper fouling left, you will always get a positive indication if you are using a bronze brush...

.
 
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I would agree that the internal core of a brush could possibly harm a barrel if it contacts the bore, but the brush hairs prevent this from occurring. So, please explain the physics of this phenomenon to me.

Whether the barrel composition is chrome moly or stainless, it seems incredible to think that a softer material (i.e. the brush) could cause such damage. Baloney!!
 
:eek:They are refering to the fact the cleaning rod sort of "falls" onto the edge of the crown,and then slides a further few inches forward AND back.

Also the base of the brush is sometimes going to impact the same area,sometimes this is directly into a land edge.

Also when diagnosing accuracy problems it is amazing just how small some of this crown damage appears,yet the effect on the groups is quite drastic.
You will often need a loupe of some kind to clearly see it,yet recrown the
muzzle and voila the rifle shoots well again.I am mainly refering to hunting and varmint rifles here,not competition arms.

When you realise a group that opens up 50 thousands is a disaster,then this kind of anal attention to the barrel will be understood
 
Kevin Barrett said:
:eek:They are refering to the fact the cleaning rod sort of "falls" onto the edge of the crown,and then slides a further few inches forward AND back.

Also the base of the brush is sometimes going to impact the same area,sometimes this is directly into a land edge.

Also when diagnosing accuracy problems it is amazing just how small some of this crown damage appears,yet the effect on the groups is quite drastic.
You will often need a loupe of some kind to clearly see it,yet recrown the
muzzle and voila the rifle shoots well again.I am mainly refering to hunting and varmint rifles here,not competition arms.

When you realise a group that opens up 50 thousands is a disaster,then this kind of anal attention to the barrel will be understood
Click to expand...

I haven't heard of this one -"anal attention to the barrel", You guys sexin your guns before you shoot? Damn do you turn to the next table and ask for ass-istance? Does the scores go up enough to suffer the embarrassment or is this pretty common? I haven't ever shot in a match, my first thought was damn i ain't going but hey it is startin to sound like fun!:D Jack C
 
Buy the good brushes sold by Bruno -Sinclair or other Benchrest suppliers.
All brushes are NOT the same.

A small juice jar with 99 % isopropyl alchol works well to clean brass bore brushes.
It's interesting the stuff you find in the bottle after .

Lucas Cleaning-Rod Bore Guide
http://www.6mmbr.com/catalog/item/1433308/954882.htm


Glenn:D
 
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