cleaning with brush?
 

I have a dumb question.. When cleaning with a rod and brush I know you should push it through from the breech end of the barrel but should you pull it back through or screw the brush tip off while its sticking out of the other end of the barrel then only pull the rod back through. I know you go back and forth with the patches but just not sure if it could damage rifling by pushing the bronze brush though then pulling it back to you? Sorry for the dumb ?

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I pull it both ways. I know you have to protect the crown of the rifle but I have always brushed both ways (brass brush, never steel). I first push a patch soaked (and I mean soaked) with whatever solvent you prefer, I then let the solvent soak in the riflings for 10 minutes (recommended no longer than 10 mins with ammonia based solvents) and then I brush it about 10 strokes and a stroke to me is out and back in = 1 stroke. Then I dry patch it until dry and clean and if I know I am not going to be shooting for a little while I will push a patch through with some break free oil on it.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Actually WV you are a backward on your cleaning. What I do is first run a wet solvent patch through the bore from the chamber using a cleaning rod with a jag (it comes off at the muzzle when you pull the rod back out). Then dip the brush in solvent and run it back and forth through the bore 5 or 6 times. Then dry patch with jag. Again with brush dipped in solvent 5-6 times. Then dry patches, wet patch, dry patches, etc. until patches come out clean. Then a couple drops of oil on patch.
You should not run your patch back and forth through the bore, especially when you first start cleaning. The initial wet patch pushes most of the loose fouling out of the bore and 'pretreats' the bore with solvent. The brush then loosens any fouling adhering to the bore.
Another note, if you have a copper buildup, you may want to run a wet patch of a good copper solvent through the bore and let it sit for about 5 - 10 mins (read the directions on the bottle). Then run a dry patch through. A blue residue on the patch is the oxidized copper coming out. Keep doing this until patches come out clean. Don't forget to oil bore to neutralize the copper solvent.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Its overkill to remove the brush at the muzzle. It would probably be the best thing to do, to protech the edges of the muzzle. But way too tedious for me. I try to limit my brush use. And use brass jags with semi abrasive cleaners like JB bore, and when I get to the end of my stroke,after scrubbing, I remove the jag and pull my rod back thru.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I use the jags with the pointed tips. After bing pushed through the bore, it comes off the jag and falls on a piece of newspaper I have laying under the muzzle. If you use the slotted type you should pull the patch off before pulling the rod back through.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I think it works that way for everyone don't it?

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

In my opinion, I don't think that you have to use brushes at all. If you clean your barrel soon after shooting, some soaked patches w/solvent followed by a few dry ones will do just fine. Too many people damage their barrels and cause excessive/unnecessary wear on thieir barrels by scrubbing the heck out of the rifling. Just my 2cents.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I don't use brushes at all with rifles. They are mostly for loosening powder fouling but there are good solvents that are out there that will do it without the need for a brush. I use a brush on the shotgun occasionally to remove plastic fouling from wads though.

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

Just curious, how does a soft metal like "brass" on a bore brush, wear out a "steel rifle barrel"? If that was the case, the Rifle manufacture's would put a warning right on the gun not to use them!! I've never seen any warnings concerning using a brass cleaning brush?:eek:

RE: cleaning with brush?
 

I just use a bore snake nowdays. If it gets really dirty, I will brush and scrub with patches. But it doesnt get too dirty nowdays since I have the bore snake and it is very easy and efficient to use.

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.