Black coloration on CZ barrel after some shooting. Is this OK?

B

Bilbo

Inactive
Hi!

I've fired about 100 rounds from my CZ 75 D Compact. I clean it very carefully after each shooting (10-20 rounds), but I now notice that despite this the inside of the barrel has become black, except for the places where obviously the bullet has made tightest contact (they are faint gold - like the bullet jacket color).
The patches came out of the barrel clean and the barrel itself is shining when you look at it (it's really like a mirror on the inside), so I wonder if this black coloration is normal or there is something else in the cleaning procedure that I miss.

I'll be very happy to hear some advice. Thanks!

Bilbo
 
Hi Bilbo,

I'm a big time Tolkien fan by the way.

I'm a little confused by your question. You say the barrel is blackened, yet you also say it's shining? So, it's a highly reflective BLACK surface?

Your barrel, after cleaning, should be shiny stainless steel color, not black, with no traces of the copper from the jacket material. It sounds like you have a very bad case of leading which is resisting whatever solvent you are using.

What kind of rounds are you using? FMJ or lead? What kind of cleaning solvent(s) are you using? Do you soak the barrel for a while before using the patches? Do you use a brass brush on the barrel?
 
It's difficult to judge what color your bore is, save for the breech and muzzle ends where the light can get to it. It may have a dull hue inside due to the way it was rifled, or the heat treatment. The black is probably carbon from the powder gases that clings to the inside. The gold, or copper color that you see on the lands is jacket fouling. As the other poster said, you must use solvent and a brush to remove this, not just patches. Any of the commercial gun solvents usually will do a good job on pistol fouling. I like MPro7 because it is odorless, and non-toxic.

If you are not carrying the gun for defense, you don't 'have' to clean it after so few rounds. Indeed, many of us shoot hundreds of rounds in a day, and not clean it until later.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Yes, the barrel inside looks like a higly reflective *black* surface. It *used* to have the ordinal steel color and it remained such after the first 2-3 cleanings. But after the last one, I was surprised to see that black color, instead of the steel metal-grey. The "black" color itself looks like a *very* thin layer of powder residue. But as I said if you look through the bore it is like a mirror amd the patches come out clean. This all looks like the steel has been colored, although as far as I know this is not possible.
I am using "Sellier & Bellot" FMJ rounds (that day specifically I used a few Hungarian FMJ rounds, I think they were "MFG" or something of that sort). For cleaning I use "olio Beretta" and before using the patches I leave it for about 10 minutes in the barrel. But I don't use a brush (I have one in the kit that comes with the pistol, but it doesn't look like brass, but more like plastic, although it seems to be quite hard).

Thanks again!

Bilbo

P.S. I am sorry if you find my questions and explanations stupid, but I own my pistol for little more than a month, and that's my first contact with the guns.

P.P.S. BTW a man at the range told me, showing his Sig Sauer, that my pistol was cheap and therefore its barrel is not chromed, unlike Sig's, and that is the reason for the blackening. However I don't much believe this.
 
The brush that came with the gun is hard nylon. You need a brass brush. The man at the range is an idiot. CZ's are great guns. While not as expensive as Sigs there are not cheap guns either. I am pretty sure Sig doesnot Chrome line their barrels either. In fact I do not think many handguns have chrome lined barrels.
 
Bilbo, I see the same type of thing occasionally in my HK USP barrels. It's just some stubborn carbon fouling that should come off with some solvent soaking and a good bore brush.

When done cleaning, be sure there are no traces of solvent left in the barrel as the next time you shoot any residual solvent could cause corrosion. These solvents can do nasty things to mtal when they got hot.

Clean the bore with solvent, brush, bore patches, then lube barrel with oiled patch (I like Tetra Lubricant) and push one more dry patch through to remove the excess lubricant.

You'll enjoy that CZ.

CMOS
 
I agree, the man was(is) an idiot..

I have owned one or more examples of virtually all of the 'current' service size guns. Beretta, Sig, Glock, Smith, HK, you name it. The CZs are up there with the best of them!
When buying a bore brush, be sure to get a copper or brass one. The ones made from stainless can wreak havoc on a bore.
 
Your questions are by no means stupid. We all began as beginners. (How's that for a deep statement <grin>?) I, in fact, only started shooting handguns about 6 months ago. My other shooting friends, books, internet sites, and especially this forum (TFL) have been invaluable.

I also shoot the Sellior & Bellot FMJ ammo, and it's great ammo, but it is quite "dirty" in that it puts out a lot of carbon fouling. If I try to get by with using only patches, my patches will come out clean long before all the carbon is gone. I definitely need to use the brass brush on the barrel. Be sure to get one that is the right size for your CZ (9 mm I presume?). I generally brush my barrel 6-10 times with a solvent-wetted brush.

The CZ 75 and 85 line is a great line of handguns. I almost bought a CZ when I was looking for a 9mm, but then put my hand onto a Browning High Power. It was love at first touch.
 
CZ's are great and very accurate guns plus extremely reliable. The guy with the sig was just jealous of you much better looking gun that cost less (at least here in the US they cost much less). Remember that you are exploding powder and burning something in the barell everytime you shoot. The colored residue is just blackening from the flame just like when you put a flame from a match on a piece of metal. It's not corrosive nor will it hurt the gun. You could polish it off each time but there is no need to do so and it will waste a lot of time.

You know you can get a very nice .22 conversion for your pistol and ammo for .22 is very very cheap.

shiro in AK
 
Bilbo,

I noticed in your profile that you are in Bulgaria. Do you see many people using Makarov pistols there? Was also curious what type of firearms laws there are in your country. Are you mainly using the gun for target shooting or can you also carry it with you for personal protection?

Nice to see people from outside the US on the Firing Line. Makes it much more interesting.
 
I have a CZ75 and shoot the same ammo (S&B). I had on occasion seen what you are describing thought only on a few spots. The brush that comes with your pistol is not as bad as other may have indicated. I have found that what works for me is a pass with the nylon brush soaked in some bore cleaner followed by about 5 min letting the cleaner do its job, and then a few patches to get the barrel to sparkling clean. I do clean my CZ after each range trip, which is in general once a week with 100-200 rounds every time. In fact I have developed my own little cleaning routine: take down, wipe obivous grime from everywhere, soak barrel, clean slide and frame, clean barrel with patches, oil, reassemble. Using that order everything works just fine :).

I think the nylon brush is just fine if you make sure that you use it every time you shoot and dont let grime build up. The metal brushes might be more important if you shot lead ammo but the FMJ S&B doesnt have that problem.

Just my opinion. Oh yeah .. and the idiot with the SIG was was just envious. It is surprising how many people have no idea what excelent firearms the CZ's are. Once every couple of weeks I get some moron like that at the range a frequent and I almost always end up handing the "expert" my CZ and a handfull of rounds just so I can see the look on their face after shooting it. One of these "experts", a big Glock fan, was in the shop when I left asking the owner where he can buy a CZ75. It made my day.

Lochaber
 
Shiro wrote...

"The colored residue is just blackening from the flame just like when you put a flame from a match on a piece of metal. It's not corrosive nor will it hurt the gun. You could polish it off each time but there is no need to do so and it will waste a lot of time."

I agree that the black discoloration isn't particularly harmful nor corrosive, but I think it should be removed. Otherwise, it builds up and will eventually effect accuracy (maybe not enough so as I would ever notice, however) by filling in the rifling in the barrel. No only that, I would think that it would get harder to get rid of over time. Then, if you ever decided to sell the gun, the prospective buyer might be put off by the discoloration? I know I would be.

I'm relatively new to shooting handguns, however, so feel free to correct any misunderstandings I may have. Thanks.
 
Brass brush and nitro solvent.

The nylon brush as othes have said doesn't do much good. It's too soft to remove all the residue. Get a brass brush an some quality nitro solvent. If you can't find a brass brush in Bulgaria email me and I'll send you one. ;)

CZ are great pistols. Don't listen to the guy with the SIG Sauer. If he needs to feel better by putting down your CZ he's got problems. Just like the guys that put down Glocks at the local range. Who cares what someone else thinks as long as you're happy with your choice.
 
"Who cares what someone else thinks as long as you're happy with your choice."

Well said, Tecolote. You nailed the crux of the issue squarely.

Bilbo, you'll hear the same kind of crap from others if you are ever lucky enough to own a Makarov. Whenever I hear what I know to be unfounded criticism of the Makarov, I automatically dismiss whatever else the person speaking has to say. BTW, I plan on getting a CZ75 myself next month. They seem to be darn fine guns, and not overpriced like some hunks of metal.
DAL
 
Hi again, guys!

Sorry for being so late with my reply, but I have not been at the office for the holidays (I use i-net only there).

Anyway, I'd like to wish to all of you a very happy and prosperous New Year. May all of you be healthy, cheerful and lucky and may all your wishes come true!

I was very happy myself to read so many replies, so thank you very much again! I have some additional questions and I also will be glad to answer makarov's questions, but unfortunately I don't have much time now. I hope tomorrow I'll be able to post them. Please excuse me again for these delays.

See you soon!

Bilbo
 
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