How clean is clean???
 

I clean my 54.cal with very hot soapy water.I change the water 3 times.I suck the water up and down about 30 times.Then I use a bristle brush.Then I use TC #13 bore cleaner on some cleaning patches.Then more brushing,then more TC 13 bore cleaner with patches.The patches start out black then slowly get brown with less and less dirt but I could run 100 patches down and still would get some dirt.Am I doing something wrong or should I not be so fussy??

RE: How clean is clean???
 

Well I brush the barrel with solvent first. Then I give it a hot water bath. After the first bath, I change the water and give it a boiling water bath to heat the barrel. After that I run some solvent patches down it. Finally a thin film of Rem Oil for storage. What I am wondering is, are you really seeing dirt on the patches or are you seeing solvent traces? I wouldn't guess you are bring rust out, it sounds like you are doing too good a job. A lot of times my patches will look a little less then bright white, but that is to the solvents I am using and not so much what is coming out of the barrel. In fact I checked all the Bp guns today with a bore light and they are still as clean as the day I got them. I actually am rather proud of that fact seeing some of them are 20 years old. I am sure your guns are clean... sounds like you are doing a great job, but that is my opinion only... take care and good shooting

RE: How clean is clean???
 

I just start out with boiling water and dish soap. When the patches are white I coat the bore with TC bore butter and put it away. I never use any solvent when I use hot soapy water. Every couple months I run another pacth with bore butter through it. On my Inline I just clean it with TC bore cleaner. With the breech plug out you can see if its clean.

RE: How clean is clean???
 

i clean mine with just hot water from the tap....run a patch up and down untill i feel the barrel get hot at the muzzle end....after about 15-20 times up and down with the patch on my jag, the water coming out of my touch hole is clear....dry off the barrel with a paper towel....i then hold my barrel over the trash can and spray some lub oil in the touch hole untill it drips out of the muzzle end....then clamp it with one of those $1.00 clamps from home depot for wood working....and let it drip out....the next day i look in the barrel to see if everything is ok....oil down the outside of the barrel and assemble the gun for storage...........................bob

RE: How clean is clean???
 

My Renegade is the same way, and I'm using 777. I was given this gun a few years ago by somebody who was less than diligent about cleaning it immediately after shooting. The price was right and it shoots good enough, so I'm not really concerned about it. But like you, I could run patch after patch and still have some marks on them. After the 2nd or 3rd patch it is very light, but I went through 8 dry patches on my last cleaning before I just called it quits. It shot perfect yesterday at the range, so I'm satisfied dirt or no dirt. If anyone has any pointers to rid the problem, I'm all eyes. Perhaps plugging the nipple, filling the barrel with something, and letting it soak for a while could help. Anybody done that before for a dirty barrel?

RE: How clean is clean???
 

Slee and I are in the same boat.My patches WILL NOT come out completely clean after countless runs thru the bore.I think at some point rust got in it and now I can't get it completely out.Do I start OILING the bore?Any suggestions?

RE: How clean is clean???
 

Roadapple ,
you may be getting residual dirt from the brush . I wire brush thoroughly one time , then patch until clean with TC #13 followed by dry patches .

RE: How clean is clean???
 

Thanks for your help guys!Being the rocket scientitst I am I think the problem is rust more than BP residue.My gunsmith said I will never get all the rust out.What are your opinions??How do I get that rust out?

RE: How clean is clean???
 

This is a drastic method that I use to get bores clean on old military surplus rifles that often look like sewer pipes before I start:

Get some "CLR" (Calcium, Lime, Rust), a liquid you can get at any hardware or department store in the cleaning section. Clean your bore with soapy water. I use Dawn. Nothing else cuts out old oil or grease like Dawn. Wet a patch with CLR and swab the bore.

IMPORTANT NOTE: CLR will remove blueing in about 5 seconds. So the patch should be damp, not so wet that it will run down the outside of the gun. On a military rifle I smear grease all over the outside of the action before doing this operation. I have also had good luck with an eye dropper. Push the swab into the chamber then put 10 or 15 drops of CLR on the back of the patch and let it soak into the patch. Then push through slowly.

After each swab, let sit for about a minute, pass the brush through once or twice, then a clean patch. Repeat. I have had to do this 15 or 20 times to get it to clean all of the rust out of a bore before. But, once the rust is out of there, I make sure it is never coming back. It is a lot of work, but should only have to be done once.

Chubber

RE: How clean is clean???
 

Never thought of CLR in a barrel before. I guess if it works in pipes, it'll probably work in the barrel. I have no doubt it is rust causing the residue on my dry patches. I can look down the barrel and see it between the lands as well as some minor pits near the bore. No matter how much I scrub with a brush, it's still there. I've never had it inspected by a gunsmith, so I don't know the extent of the rust or pitting down in the barrel. I figure worse case scenario I'll have to start shooting patched round balls. It hasn't come to that yet, and I keep it well lubed in storage now. My season is over next weekend, so I'll try it after that. Thanks.