cayugad

Any time you suspect that a solvent might hurt the finish on the barrel, pick a spot on the barrel that can not be seen and test the solvent there. I like to remove the barrel and do it on the underside where the stock covers anything. I have found very few solvents that seem to hurt a good quality blueing on a barrel.

When I purchase a solvent I look for one that is made for black powder rifles. Although I do use bore scrubber which can be used on anything, and is a great solvent.

Some some solvents can cause flash rust. One solvent, MAP a homemade solvent (murphy's oil soap, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide) will cause flash rust.

sproulman

i never had flash rust until i started using HOT SOAPY WATER.when i used warm water, i never got it..

cayugad

I use Very Hot soap and water to clean the barrel, and boiling water to flush the barrel and have never had flash rust. Of couse, I have leather gloves one, and once the barrel is flushed, I dry patch it and then run sheath through it. I've checked them later but never found even a hint of rust.Once the rifle is cool then I put the rifle back together and everythingstays just fine until the next time I shoot.

bigcountry

I have had rust while cleaning. It was a long cleaning session as I was getting out alot of burnt over borebutter, and took forever.

sproulman

i was not to happy after using warm soapy water for 36 years in same t/chawkins andthen using HOT SOAPY WATER,i got rust,you could see it and it came out on patch when i dried it a few minutes later..

for 36 years, never had flash rust and used bore butter until now to store..no doubt in my mine that hot water causes this rust..

cayugad

sproulman - the very hot water could very well indeed attribute to the flash rust that you noted. In my case though it was just the opposite. I actually put a tea kettle on, clean the barrel in very hot water, and when I hear it whistle, I take the barrel outside, lean it against the railing, put on my gloves and rinse the barrel with the whole kettle.

After that I take the barrel in and normally the second clean patch is dry for me. The barrel on the other hand is scalding hot and would actually burn me. Once I know the barrel is dry, a simple patch with Sheath and the barrel is then allowed to cool.

Do you think that the hot barrel draws that Sheath into the pores? When I get ready to shoot the next time, I dry patch the barrel and never get rust or even Sheath for that matter.

sproulman

i poured the very hot water into my toilet,then dish soap, i cleaned it in there,then i flushed it,then use cool water in toilet to rinse it,then i went to basement ,and grabed my clean patchs..before i pushed it in i noticed rust near muzzle..my patchs came out brown..

maybe as you said secret is to get barrel dry before it flash rusts..i dont know i was hurrying as fast as i could to dry it..

short_start

My approach is almost identical to yours, Dave. A teakettle full of boiling rinse water, a little funnel in the muzzle, a glove and a towel gives me a scalding hot, rinsedbarrel. The patches and rod are right at hand, and I stuff adry patch down the bore as fast as I can afterward. First couple of patches show a lot of flash rust, sometimes almost black with the stuff. Goes away by the third or fourth dry patch, which come out almost pure white.

Then I coat the bore with either Bore Butter (patch comes out brown) or (lately) Sheath. Don't know whether the BB is picking up more flash rust, causing flash rust, or just turning brown from the heat.

On a stainless barrel, I don't see any brown after the rinse. Maybe a hint, if that, of gray. So I'm pretty sure, the boiling water rinse is causing flash rust.

Can't account for why you don't see it. Maybe something in the water here. Plenty of calcium, I know that.

I've been tempted to use only warm water, like Sproul, but, in all other respects, my cleaning techniques have worked well. That flash rust has got to be coming from somewhere and, over time, will probably take its toll.
Bob

skeeter 7MM

IME BBS isn't better then numerous solvents available, it does the job for fouling other then copper. For copper you need something dedicated be it sweets, foams, JB's, etc. Some solvents such as: SC MC#7 willremove trace deposits of copper but run a patch of sweets behind and you'll find out how little it really does. Though in a ML copper isn't usually a concern on the account of sabots being used with most copper jacketed bullets.

As far as the water/soap cleaning, its works for me.I dry swab immediately, coat liberally with sheath and store on a rag muzzle down in my gun cabinet. No problems to report in doing this for many years.

cayugad

I just got done cleaning two rifles. A White Ultra Mag and a Renegade. I did the same as always and again... no flash rust. It sure was cold shooting today. 6 degrees but a strong nasty north wind.