brush to clean bore?

N

Northof50

Moderator
Just curious, I've always used a bronze brush to clean the bore of my firearms. But recently, I've seen/read of people that simply wipe with patches with solvents and properly fitting jags when shooting jacketed bullets in pistols. Wondering how many people don't use a brush with pistols.

I can remember, getting my first shotgun as a kid and my first Outer's cleaning kit. I remember reading the line, "...run the brush through 10 times for every round fired...." Well, I don't run that many times, but do use a brush.
 
Shooting benchrest 308 call match barrel , I can clean with just a patch , the rifling is very smooth . With a stock barrel they look smooth but may need a brush to remove fouling , copper or lead . I use Ballistol , by spraying Ballistol in the barrel letting the solvent do the work , works best . I run a patch with solvent to remove most of the fouling then spray the solvent in the barrel , let it do it's job , clean the other parts of the gun . Then last I run a patch to remove most of the fouling run a nylon bruch a few times , spray the barrel then patch clean . Bronze is OK it's softer then steel. There is a product called Wipe- Out Patch- Out a brushless solvent , no oder. I use on my benchrest rifle. Hope I Helped.

Chris
 
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Thanks Chris. Just curious really. I've been using my own mixtures of Ed's Red for years; different recipes for different applications.

The brush was just one of those things I've done for so long, I just took it for granted. But, lately, reading about those who don't use them has peaked some curiosity.

Again, thanks.
 
I wrap my patches of carbon solvent around a brass brush.
I wrap my patches of copper solvent around a nylon brush.

I have a bore-scope, and always check to see that the barrel is actually clean when I'm done cleaning. I'm not saying you can't do it with just jags and patches, but it either takes a lot longer or it's going to take a lot more strokes to get the barrel "clean".

I never let anything sit in the barrel for more than 30minutes, but I know lots of people let them soak overnight.

I also run a kroil patch after the final one comes out clean.
 
I'll add that while I want ZERO carbon in my barrel when done cleaning, I don't try to get every streak of copper out . I was taught, and I believe, some of that copper in the grooves is actually a good thing for precision.
 
Ocean - yes, I've tried just the jags with solvent and patches. Letting it soak, I can get a clean patch to come through after running several. But, if I run a brass brush with solvent down the barrel right after that, the next patch comes out black.
 
My experience (for my whole life of shooting and cleaning) as well, and when you bore-scope it you can see what's left with just patches.

I would say if you're worried about hurting your expensive barrel just use nylon brushes, but I read an article by one barrel maker who said that nylon was more abrasive than brass...? I don't believe either will have any impact at all on barrel steel unless you went crazy on the short stroking. With a decent bore guide and fiberglass rod your not going to hurt your rifling IMHO. Just long stroke it and go slow (especially out of the crown).

If you look at the patches when you remove them from the jag you can see that they aren't hitting the whole barrel. When a patch on a brush comes out you can see it is uniformly cleaning the whole thing. I don't know why this is controversial, but it seems to be.

Different people do it differently with good results, so I don't see the point in having a very strong opinion. I will say that if you buy a bore-scope it will probably change the way you do it.

Now, if you want to talk about an occasional couple of strokes with red J&B for a deep cleaning you're going to get a lot of strong opinions. I tend to follow the Mfg.s recommendations, and I have a built rifle where he claims that every thousand rounds a couple of passes isn't going to hurt anything... You don't want to round off your lands, so use sparingly.
 
Nope - don't worry about it at all. If I was worried about a bronze brush hurting my barrel...I wouldn't shoot it. I think barrels [particularly pistols] are far more durable than people believe.

It really is just curiosity. Cleaning agents get a lot of copy, but the actual process - not nearly as much.

Also, how much of your patch is hitting the land/grooves is very dependent on the size of the jag and the thickness/material of your patch.
 
Can't say I have been using brass brushes since brass was invented, but have been using them for longer than I can remember and never had a problem and never wore out a barrel bore. And they do a good job cleaning.
 
I use both, especially if I have been shooting a lot of lead............brake cleaner down the bore, then a cleaner on a brush, followed by a jag with cleaner on a jag......sounds like a lot, takes about 3 minutes tops
 
Yes, I use bronze bristle brushes after every range trip. ( with solvent, then some patches ).../ ...and on my primary guns like a 5" 1911 that i shoot about 10 boxes a week thru...that barrel shows no wear even after 11 yrs of steady use & cleaning like that.

Bronze bristle brushes are way softer than the steel in the barrels.
 
Bronze. When they wear down a little, I find I can stretch a patch over them,
for more uniform dirt pickup from the bore.
 
For a typical handgun session, I'll just use patches. Occasionally, I might use a bronze brush for a little extra cleaning. These are handguns, not precision rifles. Now, if you're shooting soft lead bullets then you may need to be a bit more aggressive if there is any sign of leading.
 
Letting the solvent do the work is the key with any firearm. Just a patch doesn't clean the crud out completely though.
Which solvent doesn't matter either. The CF gave us nothing but motor oil to clean everything from pistols to sniper rifles. Worked, but didn't seem right.
 
T-O'Heir - Yes. I let the solvent work and as written use a variety of Ed'sRed mixtures [which is ATF, Mineral Spirits, Kero as a base. From there, I'll add different things based on use. Like your experience with motor oil - I think ATF is a real sleeper of a product for cleaning.

Again, I was just curious what others do. I appreciate the replies.
 
When I clean the barrel, I use both patches and a brass bore brush and I utilize solvents(Hoppes #9) designed and marketed for the purpose of gun cleaning. I generally wipe down(with CLP) my firearms after each outing, but only clean the barrel about every 200 rounds, give or take. About once a month.
 
That's kind of a "bath" or "shower" question......both will get you clean, which ever way you prefer is the answer.

With a rifle that's had a few hundred shots through it , I usually run a brush down the bore for a few passes and then go to patches on a jag.
Handguns get the patch treatment .

More and more I find myself using bore snakes , apply some CLP and pull them through a few times....does a quick easy job....patch and brush all in one.
Gary
 
Proper size bronze or nylon brush - soaked with solvent - followed by solvent patches - then dry patch - then oiled patch.

Proper fit on the brush is the key.

A proper fitting brush is one that allows just the tips of the brush to contact the grooves in the bore.
An over sized brush - which a lot of """experts""" will recommend does very little since it folds the bristles down and prevents most of them from even getting past the lands and into the grooves.

The bristles are meant to use the ends & only the ends to do the work.

All brushes are made to function that way - from cleaning brushes to paint brushes.

As far as solvents go - I prefer to use Ballistol - only because that's the only thing I use on Nickel plated guns so I usually have a bottle on hand.
If I want or need a commercial bore cleaner, I just pick up a small container of one.

I'm not real big on homemade concoctions - -mostly because of the cost & storing of the stuff that goes into it. I really don't need or want over a gallon of cleaner sitting around for who knows how long. Plus, the acetone flashes off so fast the stuff gets weak real quick & you have to buy more acetone along the way.
I took what I had left of mine - along with all the half filled containers of ATF, Brake fluid, motor oil, chain saw oil, etc, etc. to the HazMat center the city runs for disposal.
I'm not knocking Ed's Red - just saying why I prefer to just buy a small bottle of commercial bore cleaner if and when I need it. YMMV.
 
Hoppes #9, if allowed to soak in a barrel overnight, will remove most, if not all the crud using just patches. Tough stuff requires a brass or bronze brush. Works for me anyhow.
 
For centerfire handguns with jacketed bullets I use a brush too. I've tried the foaming bore cleaners and then just use a jag with patch. Now for 22lr I use a jag/patch.
 
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