Brass bore brush pass = how many rounds?

C

Cliff

New member
Apologies for the convoluted wording in the subject - here's what I'm trying to ask...

Does anyone know (roughly) how many passes of a brass bore brush through the barrel will equal the wear to the bore of one round fired? Both of the aforementioned cause wear, the former much less than the latter because of the heat, friction and gas displacement involved.

I was just curious if there is a 'rule of thumb', say, 50 passes with the brush = 1 round of wear.

I realize it's kind of a silly question... one of those things that popped into my head while raking leaves.

Cliff
 
Hi, Cliff,

Since both the bullet lead and the bronze are softer than the barrel steel, neither can wear the barrel at all. The only wear might come from primer residue or dirt picked up by the brush.

Stop raking leaves. Tell your wife I said it's too hard on the brain. :-)

Jim
 
Thinking that a softer material can't wear a harder one is incorrect, otherwise the Grand Canyon wouldn't exist. :)
 
You could probably come up with a ratio (and I wouldn't argue) but the prime event that wears your barrel is the powder burn. I *think* Gale McMillen was the fellow that came up with the 1.5 second barrel example. If you envision each cartridge as a (very) brief application of a blowtorch in your barrel, he figured that each barrel lasted about 1.5 seconds in the heat. Seems reasonable to me.

Case in support - most .22 RFs seem to last forever - not much flame/heat/pressure there...

Giz
 
Hi, Johnwill,

I don't think water erosion of rock and soil is quite the same thing, but the Grand Canyon took millions of years to form. I don't plan to spend quite that long cleaning a rifle barrel.

:-)

Jim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Keenan:

Stop raking leaves. Tell your wife I said it's too hard on the brain. :-)
[/quote]

Jim - :D In my case, less hard on the brain than it is on the back.

I had thought that Gale McMillan once made a comment to the effect that folks who perform extensive break in on their new rifles (shoot once, clean, repeat for 5 rounds, fire 5 rounds, etc.) helped keep barrel manufacturers in business. So I started wondering why.

Sadly, Gale in no longer among us and unable to deny or confirm.

johnwill - I wield the rod as swiftly as I do the rake. ;)

Cliff
 
I don't know how many rounds one pass of the brush equals. I do know that flame erosion eats the throat of the barrel and the cleaning rod eats the crown.

I really don't think the brush itself does much harm as long as you don't get carried away.
BTW,the brush is just loosening powder fouling in a rifle that you're shooting jacketed bullets in, use SC, sweets on the copper fouling and save the brush strokes. Use a bore guide, coated rod (kept clean!!!)and watch the crown.
Moderation ;)
 
According to the latest data from the White Lab, one stroke of the brass brush sized 0.152" greater than size of bore and pushed at rate of 10 inches per second through the barrel from the chamber to muzzle for 500 strokes is equvalent to wear from 1 rounds of 30-06 ammo ;)
 
Well, all I know is that I clean my 6PPC with one stroke for every two rounds fired, every 15-20 rounds, and I have a few thou taken off the crown every 800 or so rounds...

It shoots far better than I can.
 
Cliff, contrary to popular belief, more barrels are ruined by improper cleaning than anything else.
One should never allow a jag or brush to fully exit the bore.
Pro Shot jags are the best, as they wrap around the entire jag, leaving no brass exposed.(they are round), also, have a sharp point to hold the patch.
Had a world class BR shooter tell me, that if you are using any rod, guide that has over a 1/16" clearance , side to side, you may just as well not use one at all........
As you run it back and forth, you have a bend or tension at the jag end, and also at the chamber end.
This causes wear at different points, both on the crown end, and chamber......
 
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