RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I agree I don't think a brush can damage a barrel before the barrel is simply wore out from shooting.

Tom

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

IF you can push the brush all the way out the muzzle, it will not hurt anything to pull it back, as the bristles lose contact with the bore when the brush exits the muzzle. They then reverse contact direction when you pull the brush back to the breech. If you try to reverse the brush before it comes out the muzzle, it can damage the brush, or make it difficult/impossible to pull it back, depending on how tight the brush fits.

A phosphor-bronze bristle brush made to clean gun bores is pretty stiff, and does a good job of cleaning. BUT, it is softer than barrel steel and will NOT DAMAGE or wear the barrel steel. However, there are some stainless steel bore brushes out there, and I won't use one-I don't know if they will actually wear the bore or not, but I am not going to find out the hard way!

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

It's been said here many times before, but let me say it once more...don't EVER use a steel brush in a rifle bore!!

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Best thing you can do is get a cleaning rod guide that goes in the action to keep the cleaning rod centered so it doesn't scrape the bore. I use a one piece cleaning rod made of mirror polished stainless steel and a rod guide. The one piece design keeps the rod from flexing or unscrewing and scraping a hard edge on the bore, and the polished stainless won't pick up crud that can cause abrasion (the reason I don't use coated rods). I run my brushes both ways, baing careful to align it with the muzzle before I pull it back through. For wet patches I use an eye, dry patched I use a jag, and patched only go one way, breech to muzzle. This has always worked very well for me and I have or have had several true sub-MOA rifles that have been religiously cleaned this way and continue to shoot great. Just be careful, and don't get too carried away with cleaning. I only clean when accuracy starts to decline, and then only clean enough to get it back to where it ought to be. Some guns will shoot better when moderately dirty than when very clean. Then for storage I just run a patch with a couple drops of CLP down the bore before storing in a "cool, dry place". Never had a problem with rust ever.

Mike

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Watch the crown, be sparing with steel brushesthere is a place for them(not for regular cleaning), but remember you are basicly pushing a bullet thats diameter is greater that that of the barrel, with 50000psi of force, at speeds around a half mile a second, that is air cooled, all built by the lowest bidder. Barrels can be damaged but are not glass, I would guess more barrels are severly damaged by not being cleaned well enough, than are by being cleaned too much or improperly.

Just my thoughts.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Bigcountry - This person was asking a question about cleaning his rifle. I was trying to explain the difference between pointed jags and slotted jags to this gentlemen. No need to get sarcastic.