525 cleaning question

[dbob]

I cleaned my new 525 today for the first time, but looking down inside the barrels there is an area about an inch long at the chamber end that isn't shiny. I can't be sure if this is how they are meant to be or is it a build up of grime. It's only been used once so it's not like it's weeks and weeks of built up muck. I suppose what I'm asking is should the entire inners of the barrels from chamber to tip be shiny chrome? Sorry if it's a silly question but this is my first gun so all a bit new to me.

[Will Poon]

Don't worry about it, it's just some plastic residue from your plastic wad cartridges. I have the same marks on my gun.

[fenboy]

Yes as Will poon says it will be plastic fouling which can be a right pain in the **** to remove , Funnily enough I have a 325 and do not get a problem with it but my Versamax suffers badly .

[dbob]

Don't worry about it, it's just some plastic residue from your plastic wad cartridges. I have the same marks on my gun.

. Okay, is it possible to clean it off? I scrubbed a few times with a bronze brush but no joy.

[fenboy]

. Okay, is it possible to clean it off? I scrubbed a few times with a bronze brush but no joy.

You can buy a pacific plastic solvent bore cleaner, or fill the barrels with boiling water to heat it up and then scrub

[Will Poon]

Everyone has there own way of keeping there barrels clean with various different types of barrel cleaners, different types of bronze brushes even electric power drill attached to the cleaning rod .

I use to be obsessed with my barrels being shiny inside so I used very fine wire wool attached to the rod but I found that small pieces were being lodged around the ejector area of the gun.

I just give my barrels a good clean with the bronze brush that's it, even if there are small marks left I'll leave it

[fenboy]

Everyone has there own way of keeping there barrels clean with various different types of barrel cleaners, different types of bronze brushes even electric power drill attached to the cleaning rod .

I use to be obsessed with my barrels being shiny inside so I used very fine wire wool attached to the rod but I found that small pieces were being lodged around the ejector area of the gun.

I just give my barrels a good clean with the bronze brush that's it, even if there are small marks left I'll leave it

Which is exactly what I do , it never seems to build up any worse over time.

[figgy]

Same here it becomes self cleaning at a certain point. I just rod out the barrels with a soaked patch brush then clean patches and mop with a light oil on. Wipe down barrels and action with oily rag job done. Gun is still as good as new.

 

Figgy

[Albert 888]

Does the 525 have a stepped chamber or is it a taper like the 725.

[figgy]

Think they all taper but look stepped when you peer down the tubes.

 

Try pushing the handle of your cleaning rod down the chamber to see if its stepped.

 

 

Figgy

[dbob]

Thanks for the feedback all. The gun was actually cleaned once before at the gunshop as they offered to do the first clean to demonstrate. The guy used a drill with rod attached wrapped with some wire wool so maybe that made a better job of removing the plastic fouling as I'm pretty sure it was spotless afterwards. I love my new gun but am a bit paranoid about the whole cleaning thing.

[ehb102]

My gunsmith told me I had a lot of lead build up in my 425. I'd cleaned the barrels until they looked shiny to me, using Napier Gun Cleaner aerosol. I went and got a new kind of cleaner, one with a solvent, and I use that every X hundred cartridges and if I can avoid being overcome by the smell of pear drops it seems to do a very good job. At least, there is lots more black coming off onto the cleaning kit! I guess you could apply the same logic to plastic fouling and give it an occasional clean with something that targets that especially.

[Albert 888]

Think they all taper but look stepped when you peer down the tubes.

 

Try pushing the handle of your cleaning rod down the chamber to see if its stepped.

 

 

Figgy

I have a 425 and it has an obvious steep at the he end of the chamber,my brother has the 725 witch is machined different as its tapered and not a straight maching line at the end of the chamber. Just wondered what the chamber is machined like in the 525.

[det1928]

Hi I think the 525 may have 'backbored' chambers which do seem to collect residue from wads and lead and take more cleaning than the barrel sleeves, nothing to worry about just some extra elbow grease.

cheers

[kingo15]

It's meant to be like that. If its the 2014 model

[postie]

I have a 525 that's the same

I just clean as normal and every every thousand or so carts I rap some cleaning

Cloth around a bronze brush put some Napier bore solvent on it and give the bores

A good scrub leave the solvent 15-20 mins then give the bores a good scrub with

Just the bronze brush and the plastic comes off

You can see it looks like dandraff coming out

Then give a final clean with legia spray on some clean kitchen roll or mop

Works for me

be careful with bore solvent can be nasty stuff read institutions carefully all ways were gloves,glasses

[dbob]

It's meant to be like that. If its the 2014 model

yes it is the 2014 model.

[kingo15]

Ill try and get a pic of mine tomorrow. If I read your description right I think I no the bit your on about. Mind you as normal I could be completely wrong lol

[The Mighty Prawn]

My 525 has a non shiny forcing cone which is at the end of the breech - it is like that by design, something to do with the back bore i expect but it's normal and fine

[kingo15]

My 525 has a non shiny forcing cone which is at the end of the breech - it is like that by design, something to do with the back bore i expect but it's normal and fine

That was the technical answer I was thinking of but couldn't write it so was going to post a pic.

[wymberley]

My 525 has a non shiny forcing cone which is at the end of the breech - it is like that by design, something to do with the back bore i expect but it's normal and fine

+1

Depending how you look down a barrel, the forcing cone can look dull. Any residue in that area will normally carry on a little way into the barrel itself and is easily spotted.

 

Wire wool + shotgun barrel = rust. Small particles will break off, get trapped anywhere it damned well pleases and quite happily corrode itself and the barrel.

[dbob]

so it sounds like it's part of the design and not plastic fouling?

[B725-chris]

Try the Philips bore cleaner. I had an Opti-bored 682 that used to be a right PITA to clean, especially around the forcing cones. The Philips cleaner soon got rid of the plastic streak build up.

 

I rod a small piece of tissue through first to clean out loose particles, seat the bronze brush in the chamber as though it was a cartridge, spray the brush and clean the forcing cones, moving on to the barrels.

 

A few more bits of tissue rodded through to clean, then a lightly oiled mop to finish it off.

[JohnfromUK]

Wire wool + shotgun barrel = rust. Small particles will break off, get trapped anywhere it damned well pleases and quite happily corrode itself and the barrel.

 

This is so true. In my view it has no place near a gun. The exception is for use on the stock alone when refinishing the wood - when it can be cleaned off thoroughly, but all those little bits of broken off wire are the very last thing you want around the locks, action and ejectors.

[Chemical Al]

Here is my B525 2014 showing the dull forcing cone (and some lead fouling a bit further down).