How clean should it be?

[-Mongrel-]

Cleaning the shottie this morning and decided that I'd give it a real thorough barrel scrub until my kitchen towel patches came out as white as they went in.

 

I've been unable to achieve this. My usual procedure is to squirt Napier gun cleaner into both barrels, go an make a cuppa and then come back and 'wire' brush them through, followed up by two or three patches, then a mop with a few drops of gun oil run through.

 

I must have repeated this, albeit without the wire brush everytime, about a dozen times this morning but still the patches come out a little grey. Is it possible to get the barrels so clean as to get a patch pulled through clean?

[mr williamson]

your usual procedure is fine mate all i do wid mine is bore snake pulled through each barrel twice,maybe a touch of oil if leaving it a while and there always sparkling! but yeah u will get em clean as you want but to be honest its not realy neaded! happy shooting

[Spara Dritto]

I like to keep my barrels spotless. I Leave Napier Gun Cleaner in for 15 mins. I then use a drill with the rod and Payne Galloway chamber brush on and go up and down each barrel for a few mins and a moderate RPM (making sure I get all plastic residue out of the forcing cones). I Then put patches through each barrel a few times that have a spray of gun cleaner on them. Then put one dry patch through and check the barrels for fouling... Repeat if there is, mop the barrel with a film of gun oil if not. Then move on to cleaning any dirt of the receiver & for end and then use an oily rag on both where there is metal. Then remove chokes and clean both the barrel threads and choke threads and go over with an oily rag again. Lastly on to the ejectors... Remove all parts of the ejectors, clean, oil and put grease where metal meets metal. Then go over the exterior of the barrels and any bits I may have missed, then put the gun together without the for end and release the firing pins onto snap caps, take them out and put the gun away barrels down (with out the for end attached).

 

Job done!

For me, part of the satisfaction is cleaning the gun and seeing it go away spotless. Before I shoot I run a dry patch through the barrels to remove any oil, and go have fun!

[-Mongrel-]

I like to keep my barrels spotless. I Leave Napier Gun Cleaner in for 15 mins. I then use a drill with the rod ... ... go have fun!

 

That is a SERIOUS cleaning regime you have there Mr OCD!

 

 

Thing is, to view the barrels they are mirror finished and with no sign of anything but polished metal, but a paper patch pulled through still comes out with a graphite grey smudging to it, it's not dirty to the point where you can't see the colour of the paper, it looks basically as though it's had pencil lead smeared on to it. I was just wondering if you CAN get them so clean as to leave no residue whatsoever?

[TJ91]

I like to keep my barrels spotless. I Leave Napier Gun Cleaner in for 15 mins. I then use a drill with the rod and Payne Galloway chamber brush on and go up and down each barrel for a few mins and a moderate RPM (making sure I get all plastic residue out of the forcing cones). I Then put patches through each barrel a few times that have a spray of gun cleaner on them. Then put one dry patch through and check the barrels for fouling... Repeat if there is, mop the barrel with a film of gun oil if not. Then move on to cleaning any dirt of the receiver & for end and then use an oily rag on both where there is metal. Then remove chokes and clean both the barrel threads and choke threads and go over with an oily rag again. Lastly on to the ejectors... Remove all parts of the ejectors, clean, oil and put grease where metal meets metal. Then go over the exterior of the barrels and any bits I may have missed, then put the gun together without the for end and release the firing pins onto snap caps, take them out and put the gun away barrels down (with out the for end attached).

 

Job done!

For me, part of the satisfaction is cleaning the gun and seeing it go away spotless. Before I shoot I run a dry patch through the barrels to remove any oil, and go have fun!

 

may i ask why??

[al4x]

bit OTT mine gets a quick spray of whatever cleaner I have and a bore snake through it. Wipe down and thats it job done.

[Spara Dritto]

Cus I have major OCD! LoL. I don't know, when I do a job I like to do it well I guess and be proud of what I do. I think that If I had brought a cheaper gun I wouldn't be so over the top with it but It was fairly expensive for what it is (for me).

[Spara Dritto]

double post.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Beretta Italy

[Spara Dritto]

Thing is, to view the barrels they are mirror finished and with no sign of anything but polished metal, but a paper patch pulled through still comes out with a graphite grey smudging to it, it's not dirty to the point where you can't see the colour of the paper, it looks basically as though it's had pencil lead smeared on to it. I was just wondering if you CAN get them so clean as to leave no residue whatsoever?

 

Yes you can, If you scrub them and be persistent with wet/dry patches it doesn't take long. I think personally (correct me if I'm wrong) if you don't scrub the fouling out properly you will never get the barrels clean with just patches (unless you use hundreds of patches maybe? I've never tried).. Every time you put one through it will just pick a little of the fouling up off the barrels that you missed with the rod.. That’s why I use the drill, it makes a 30 min job a 3 min one.

I was originally a bit sceptical of using a drill so I asked around but I've heard people even using wire wool in their barrels with a drill so bronze brushes can't do any damage...

But who knows, I just do it that way as it works for me personally, It may not be someone else’s cuppa!

Edited September 14, 2011 by Beretta Italy

[-Mongrel-]

may i ask why??

 

If it's fired then it can't be recocked without the forend attached, I suppose it's a little additional security measure. As to why he removes the snaps I'm not sure on that one myself

[Spara Dritto]

I fire my last round at the course and break the gun (re-cocks the hammers) walk back to the car and put it away in it's case. I don't re attach the for end at all even in the cabinet as gun oil may run down the barrels and onto the fore end. I'm sure this wouldn't happen but like you already know, I must have ocd lol!

I use snap caps because I was given them as a present when I first got my gun from my girlfriend. Whether they do anything or not is debatable but I have them so may as well use them . And when I remove the snap caps the hammers can't re-cock as there is no for end attached. I can imagine what you are thinking, “all of this isn’t necessary” but it makes me happy lol.

[shot shot]

I fire my last round at the course and break the gun (re-cocks the hammers) walk back to the car and put it away in it's case. I don't re attach the for end at all even in the cabinet as gun oil may run down the barrels and onto the fore end. I'm sure this wouldn't happen but like you already know, I must have ocd lol!

I use snap caps because I was given them as a present when I first got my gun from my girlfriend. Whether they do anything or not is debatable but I have them so may as well use them . And when I remove the snap caps the hammers can't re-cock as there is no for end attached. I can imagine what you are thinking, “all of this isn’t necessary” but it makes me happy lol.

 

Not if gravity has anything to do with it!! :blink:

[-Mongrel-]

Not if gravity has anything to do with it!! :blink:

 

Depends which way up you store your gun. Barrels down it's never going to run onto the wood, but if you store the gun butt down...

[Spara Dritto]

Not if gravity has anything to do with it!! :blink:

I store them barrels down :blink: lol.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Beretta Italy

[-Mongrel-]

OCD it is then!

[chris t]

I've found that after a decent day's pigeon shooting (150-200 shells) with my semi it takes some serious cleaning to get the inside of the barrels to sparkle.

 

I don't mean to sound like a sales person, but after trying many products to get the job done easilyish, the 'blue wonder gun cleaner' seems to be the only product that really gets the cr*p out.

 

All I do is get a full length fury brush rod thing, screw a phosphour bronze brush on the end, run that up and back about 3 times. (this gets rid of the loose rubbish)

 

Then put the brush on a normal rod, add the gel gun cleaner (mentioned above) run the brush up and down about 5 or 6 times.

Leave for about 15 mins or more...

Run the brush up and down again 5 or so times

Then run patches or tissue through.

Then a small amount of oil to protect the barrels for storage.

 

This generally sorts it out, but depending on how dirty the cartridges are it may require a second run through.

 

All the napier, legin, hoppes or general products just don't seem to cut it for me.

I know others find these OK (my father does), but they just don't really do the job for me.

 

I personally don't like to scrub and scrub at the barrels, makes me wonder how much hastle they can take.

Better to use a product that removes the stuff properly in my book.

[Spara Dritto]

OCD it is then!

 

[Spara Dritto]

I personally don't like to scrub and scrub at the barrels, makes me wonder how much hastle they can take.

Better to use a product that removes the stuff properly in my book.

 

What you mean? Confused :blink:

Edited September 12, 2011 by Beretta Italy

[yankeedoodlepigeon]

Very quick wipe with cloth, put then put it away. Oh Beretta Italy would you like to borrow my gun you will love it.

[Spara Dritto]

Very quick wipe with cloth, put then put it away. Oh Beretta Italy would you like to borrow my gun you will love it.

 

I don't enjoy cleaning, I like the finished product though

[shot shot]

Finally gave in and cleaned the maxus. Bronze brush on the end of the power drill with some brunox did the job nicely

 

 

I believe in the Jeremy Clarkson approach, that it's about time we see how easily a goal can be achieved

[Spara Dritto]

Works well doesn't it! Cleanings really not that bad after all ehy!?

Edited September 12, 2011 by Beretta Italy

[poontang]

Works well doesn't it! Cleanings really not that bad after all ehy!?

 

Good God man

 

Quick spray with WD40, leave for 5 minutes, quick scrub with bronze brush on a rod, then scrunch up some bog roll and push through a couple of times.

 

Job done.

[Alycidon]

I assume we are talking shotgun here.

 

Push a strip of rolled up kitchen towel through, then a go with a phosphor bronze brush, maybe half a dozen strokes per barrel, then in with some gun oil on a bristle brush. Don't forget to clean and oil the ejectors. Not had any issues at all with rust for 45 years that I have been cleaning shotguns. Store the gun in such a way that oil in the bores drain toward the muzzle and not the stock.

 

 

More guns are ruined by over enthusiastic cleaning than are ever shot out. Mate of mine only cleans his shotguns if it rains, ever.

 

A

Edited September 12, 2011 by Alycidon

[shoughton]

Interesting post(s).

 

I've found a huge difference in how much cleaning is required with different cartridges - especially between fibre and plastic wad (plastic tends to shoot cleaner) - also gun/cart combination is a factor. My Lanber tooks lots and lots of cleaning after use with lots of fouling just beyond the chamber. My new Beretta SP1 doesn't suffer that whatsoever and cleaning only ever takes 5 or 10 mins with little scrubbing.

 

To the original poster .....

 

I think you'll seriously struggle to achieve a dead clean cleaning patch unless you clean the brush thoroughly too! I can achieve a virtually clean pad - but then if I notice a slight deposit and run the brush through again I can be sure that the next patch will come out filthy! The filth is all in the brush! I clean my now and then in a jar of solvent or even just soapy water - not very often though, maybe twice a year?

 

Like you I like to achieve a spotless gun. I used to worry I was being excessive when I had the Lanber as I was scrubbing for 20mins+ every time. But with the Beretta it only ever takes me 2 or 3 passes with the brush and a couple of patches to achieve a pristine bore with mirror finish throughout.

 

My advice to anybody suffering excessive cleaning regimes would be to try a few different cartridges in the gun and strive to find one that doesn't cause as much fouling. In my Lanber I found (in the end!) that Eley VIP went through very cleanly. Expensive but then so were all the cleaning products if I used anything else!!

 

Steve