I have a reconditioned SKS made in 1952 at the Tula Armory in Russia. I think it has a chrome lined barrel but I'm not sure. It was slightly used and not very clean when I bought it. I shoot Russian 7.62x39, which I suspect is very dirty ammo. I have never been able to get the barrel clean. I usually use Shooter's Choice, patches, and a .30 cal brush. I've tried Hoppes No.9, Casey Bore Scrubber, and MPro7. I always lube with Break Free CLP when I get done. The only thing I let soak in the barrel for extended periods is MPro7 because I don't want to damage the chrome lining(if it's there). When I clean it I run a very wet patch down the bore followed by six or eight passes with a brass .30 cal brush. Then I push a clean patch through the bore and a puddle of black ooze plops out. EVERY TIME. I do this till my arm gets sore. Then I lube it and put it away. Any helpful tips that don't involve an immersion tank would be much appreciated.
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Rifle Cleaning Problem
- Thread starter AR-10
- Start date
I bought a CAI Garand, (please don't go into that), with a 4-47 bbl that was pretty well fouled. I used J&B bore paste on it after going through a similar period.
While the bore never got bright, shiney clean, the patches used in subsequent cleanings finally came out w/o fouling marks on them.
JME
Regards,
S.
While the bore never got bright, shiney clean, the patches used in subsequent cleanings finally came out w/o fouling marks on them.
JME
Regards,
S.
Ditto on the JB. I use it a bunch to get the hard stuff out, and it does a pretty good job while not damaging the bore.
Do you suspect the fouling is powder or copper? I suggest a good copper solvent, Butch's or Sweets, but don't leave it in there for long. Maybe a change of ammo? Surplus stuff is great, but its cost reveals is cleanliness.
Is your brush in good shape? Maybe another factor. I have run across old brushes that get some stuff, but miss some and leave my patching the bore to death.
You may want to try this for brushing. For every round fired, do one pass with the brush, then patch it until it is pretty clean, if needed repeat again.
Or the metalurgy is such that the barrel will always be that way, anyone have ideas?
Do you suspect the fouling is powder or copper? I suggest a good copper solvent, Butch's or Sweets, but don't leave it in there for long. Maybe a change of ammo? Surplus stuff is great, but its cost reveals is cleanliness.
Is your brush in good shape? Maybe another factor. I have run across old brushes that get some stuff, but miss some and leave my patching the bore to death.
You may want to try this for brushing. For every round fired, do one pass with the brush, then patch it until it is pretty clean, if needed repeat again.
Or the metalurgy is such that the barrel will always be that way, anyone have ideas?
fed168-I suspect the fouling is powder AND copper. I have worn out several brushes in the last nine months. I have probably shot it ten times(a total of four or five hundred rounds} and cleaned it maybe fifteen times,after every outing and various times in between. I believe the ammo I shoot is nasty, but if I can get the gun reasonably clean just once I think subsequent cleanings will be easier.I've got a thousand rounds of Wolf and a couple hundred rounds of other Russian ammo. It's all steel core-copper jacketed with hard primers, which the SKS is designed to shoot. I think the steel core ammo has "ironed" the excess fouling into the barrel. I've never tried J&B bore paste. I'll give it a try. Thanks, guys, for the imput.
swifter...
New member
AR-10,
No guarantees, but try a product called RB-17, or try Shooter's Choice Black Powder Cleaning Gel. Both are gels, and will adhere to the bore. The SC is formulated to eat carbon, and I often apply it to a bore wet with regular Shooter's Choice. The RB-17 has removed rust that I couldn't see from a used bore, let it soak for a few hours.
Sinclair International sells these, and a lot of other stuff.
No guarantees, but try a product called RB-17, or try Shooter's Choice Black Powder Cleaning Gel. Both are gels, and will adhere to the bore. The SC is formulated to eat carbon, and I often apply it to a bore wet with regular Shooter's Choice. The RB-17 has removed rust that I couldn't see from a used bore, let it soak for a few hours.
Sinclair International sells these, and a lot of other stuff.