Gun Cleaning: How Clean is Clean Enough?

[baxtersmith]

I've been cleaning guns since I was 12 years old and was taught that the barrel is clean when wet or dry patches run through it come out clean. At times this is easier said than done. Today I cleaned my 29-3 which I recently bought NIB. I've put a total of 350 rounds through it, 200 since the last time I cleaned it (150 copper jacketed followed by 50 lead). Today I started with Break-Free foam, waited 15 minutes, ran a brush through 8 times followed by patches. Then I used M-Pro 7 Bore Cleaning Solvent, ran a brush through another 8 times and followed with a number of patches alternating dry and solvent soaked until it was mostly clean. Then I used M-Pro 7 Copper Remover followed again by a brush and a series of patches which took quite a few before coming up nearly clean. Then I ran a patch through with M-Pro 7 CLP and it came out with dark black lines. After another 10 or 12 times through alternating wet with dry the patches were coming out a lot cleaner but not clean. Between the barrel and the cylinder I spent about 2 hours which is why I'm asking how necessary is all of this? I shoot all of my guns and don't see them as investments, but I want to keep them well enough maintained to last for the rest of my shooting life. Any thoughts on how much cleaning is really necessary to keep a gun in good working order?
Thanks.

 

[woodsltc]

Personally, I think people ruin more barrels by over cleaning than by shooting them out. I used to try to keep cleaning till the patches came out clean..........now I just run a brass brush through a few times followed by a couple of solvent soaked patches and then a couple of dry patches. If the barrel looks bright with no visible signs of lead or brass I'll run a patch through with "light" oil and then I'm done. JMO.

Don

 

[kscardsfan]

Depends if you ask a marine or just a regular shooter I usually run a brush through the bore and knock the loose stuff out, then I put a solvent soaked patch through the bore. I personally let the solvent soak for at least 15 minutes, or longer before I start scrubbing hard on it. That seems to have improved my cleaning efforts substantially. I can usually get a clean patch pretty fast using this method.

 

[XTrooper]

Personally, I think people ruin more barrels by over cleaning than by shooting them out.
Don

Here, here! I agree 100%!

kscardsfan: FYI, it is a tradition among we Marines, past and present, to always use an upper case "M" in typing the word, irrespective of grammatical rules to the contrary.

 

[Miss Fire]

I'm a bad one to ask that question. Friday night was fun shoot night, got in around 9:30 and started cleaning the Model 29 and the Model 36, finished up about 12:45, but they are cleaner now than the day they were purchased.
I thought I heard my husband grumble something about the house being as clean as my guns are.

 

[murphydog]

Personally, I use a Hoppe's Bore Snake with Break Free, making sure there is a light coating in the bore and chambers afterward, and I am done. For really dirty looking bores/chambers I use a foamy cleaner to loosen up the crud, then clean as usual. You can wash the Bore Snake after using it on a really dirty gun.

I wouldn't worry so much about the solvents and patches more than the multiple passes with the brass brush in terms of inducing scratches and wear.

 

[fyimo]

I have owned and shot guns since 1970 when I got out of the Army and I believe you guys are working to hard at the gun cleaning. I clean my rifles and handguns after every range visit or hunting trip.

On S&W I take the cylinder out of the revolver and then I run a bore snake down the barrel with Hoppes #9 on it 3 or 4 times and it shines like new and then I do the same through the cylinders. I have a bore light and inspect the results of the cleaning and unless there is build up in the bore I'm done with the bore and cylinders. If there is build up then I run a bore brush on a rod and clean it until the build up is gone. I then clean the exterior of the gun down with Hoppes and clean all the powder residue off and after wiping dry I coat the crane with gun oil and reassemble the revolver. Then I usually apply a coat of Renaissance Wax after every 2 or 3 visits and the gun is good to go. This usually takes 15 to 20 minutes about revolver.

I've never had a problem with rust or a revolver not functioning or shooting as it was designed to.

 

[Dan Cash]

How clean is clean enough? Depends. A bore scope will amaze you by exposing to view all the remaining fouling, both carbon an metal, after most cleaning sessions. With smokeless powdeer and modern jacketed bullets, cleaning for bore preservation is relatively simple and most bore solvents seem to remove sufficient carbon and metal fouling to keep the gun shooting well and prevent rust.

When one ventures into the world of corrosive primers as found in much surplus ammunition, a lick with a boresnake won't get it. The bore must be washed out with water to remove the corrosive salts, then metal fouling removed with a good solvent. Break Free will not protect against or remove corrosive primer residue; I learned the hard way.

What ever you are shooting, if the gun is plated, go easy on the finish. I bought a beautiful 25-5 nickel plated revolver that was immaculate to include the face of the cylinder. It had been so over cleaned that the plating on the face of the cylinder started coming off after firing a couple hundred rounds.

With modern ammo, I am convinced that you can over do the cleaning pretty easily.

 

[Jack Flash]

I always shoot lead first then jacketed second, in the hopes that the jacketed bullets will help remove any lead residue. I note this is the opposite of what was done in the OP. It may be worth a try next time.

I mostly shoot jacketed bullets so I follow the "clean but don't over clean" model.

 

[Yurko]

Personally, I think people ruin more barrels by over cleaning than by shooting them out. I used to try to keep cleaning till the patches came out clean..........now I just run a brass brush through a few times followed by a couple of solvent soaked patches and then a couple of dry patches. If the barrel looks bright with no visible signs of lead or brass I'll run a patch through with "light" oil and then I'm done. JMO.

Don

+1 I agree with Don (and his sig) ;-)

 

[RdrBill]

Marine clean has always been just fine by me.
Bill@Yuma

 

[Bert Man]

I also agree that more guns are damaged by excessive cleaning than by firing. Cotton patches and bronze bore brushes WILL NOT scratch your bore. Be wary of stainless brushes however as they are harder and should only be used on the worst fouling, and sparingly at that. The greatest risk of bore damage during cleaning is when inserting the cleaning rod through the muzzle. If not very careful and if done too much the rod can easily rub against the rifling at the muzzle crown. Too much of that can deform the crown and result in diminished accuracy. My advice is to clean it enough, no more.

 

[jepp2]

Jack Flash mentioned the practice of shooting the lead first and then the jacketed to clean the lead out. I "used" to subscribe to this practice and never had a problem, but....

The current best practice seems to be shoot the jacketed first and then the lead - as the OP stated. If sufficient leading occurs, a dangerous pressure spike can occur from shooting jacketed bullets down the leaded bore. And the jacketed bullets can actually "iron" the lead to the barrel so that it is harder to clean out.

YMMV

 

[srgvaz]

What works for me, I usually field strip, clean, and reassemble the guns at the range while the metal is still warm I run some solvent patches (2-3) I then clean the other parts of the gun after that I use the brush a few times and then follow with a few solvent and oil patches it all takes less than ten minutes per gun. I then leave it overnight so that sweat out can occur. The following day I repeat the process a little better and everything comes clean LIKE NEW but every year or two they all get a detailed inside and out cleaning. Guns are designed to be a little dirty if not they would all jam up from pocket carry or with the dirty powders used in today's commercial ammo. -happy cleaning-

 

[firearmsunlimited]

I don't believe that you will ever get completely clean patches out of a AIME 4140 chrome-moly alloy steel barrel. No matter how much you run patches through it you will probably see some graying on the patches. As others in this thread have correctly stated - many barrels have been ruined by over cleaning. Remember, you are cleaning a pistol barrel not an air gauged match grade bench rest rifle barrel.

 

[45Wheelgun]

FYI, it is a tradition among we Marines, past and present, to always use an upper case "M" in typing the word, irrespective of grammatical rules to the contrary.

Learned something new here. Thank you.

 

[45Wheelgun]

I run both ways. I have a "going to shoot it again soon" clean, similar to many mentioned, brass brush, Ed's Red on a patch, and a couple of dry patch follow ups. I also have the "putting it away for a while/lone term storage" clean, very similar to the a fore mentioned Marine Clean. Clean the snot out of it, and then clean it again until patches stay white and a Q-tip can't find anything in the tiny spots.

 

[XTrooper]

Learned something new here. Thank you.

My pleasure, Dave.

 

[Hunt200]

Wow a lot of "too much cleaning" can wear out a gun in this thread. This has been stated here many times. So I will ask again for the umpteen time.

DOES ANYONE HAVE PROOF OF THIS?

I doubt it, using the proper tools will not wear out a gun by cleaning it correctly. I obsessively clean my guns, have been doing so for over 30 years and never wore out a gun or decrease it's accuracy.

 

[kscardsfan]

Wow a lot of "too much cleaning" can wear out a gun in this thread. This has been stated here many times. So I will ask again for the umpteen time.

DOES ANYONE HAVE PROOF OF THIS?

I doubt it, using the proper tools will not wear out a gun by cleaning it correctly. I obsessively clean my guns, have been doing so for over 30 years and never wore out a gun or decrease it's accuracy.

I have had 2 gunsmiths tell me tales of barrel replacement due to over cleaning problems. And an article in Field & Stream by David E. Petzal about bore life mentions it some too, although I don't remember the exact date of the article. Personally I think it is people getting too aggressive and banging the rod around the chamber and leade/throating of a rifle bore is what most people are referring too. Most handgun barrels, I don't feel, run this risk.