Bore cleaning hw97 / fixed barrel underlevers

[prosportfan]

I know that everyone has their own unique method/style of using JB bore paste. I would like to hear/read how you guys/gals go about it. Thank you

[Bayman]

I know that everyone has their own unique method/style of using JB bore paste. I would like to hear/read how you guys/gals go about it. Thank you

On break barrels I rub the paste into a tight fitting cotton patch and push it through breech to muzzle with a carbon fiber cleaning rod.

On under levers I lightly coat several inches of an old bore snake with jb paste and pull it through from the breech to muzzle. This is messy and will require some Q-tips to clean the excess out of the loading port. If you are going to tune the gun wait until you have it completely apart and use the push though method.

I only do this once, and only on new or recently acquired used guns where there might be rust or rust preventive compounds in the bore.

[Bayman]

If you ever use a bronze bore brush DO NOT change directions with the brush in the barrel. This can damage the barrel. Fully exit the barrel before changing direction. Nylon brushes mitigate this condition. I have little regard for the effectiveness of nylon brushes. A tight fitting patch and jb paste is more effective and if that doesn't work you need a bronze brush. Note, your barrel would have to be terribly rusted to get to that point, but at that point you have nothing to lose.

[nced]

If you ever use a bronze bore brush DO NOT change directions with the brush in the barrel. This can damage the barrel. Fully exit the barrel before changing direction. Nylon brushes mitigate this condition. I have little regard for the effectiveness of nylon brushes. A tight fitting patch and jb paste is more effective and if that doesn't work you need a bronze brush. Note, your barrel would have to be terribly rusted to get to that point, but at that point you have nothing to lose.

Hummm....some of the old pumpers had rifled brass barrels and there would be a definite issue using a bronze grush, however, how would a bronze brush with a Mohs Scale of Hardness of 3 damage a steel bore Mohs Scale of Hardness of 4-4.5, even if reversed since steel is harder than bronze?

I don't know why one would want/need to reverse a bronze brush "mid stroke" because it would seem to me that the "bronze bristles" would get damaged.
   

[Bayman]

If you ever use a bronze bore brush DO NOT change directions with the brush in the barrel. This can damage the barrel. Fully exit the barrel before changing direction. Nylon brushes mitigate this condition. I have little regard for the effectiveness of nylon brushes. A tight fitting patch and jb paste is more effective and if that doesn't work you need a bronze brush. Note, your barrel would have to be terribly rusted to get to that point, but at that point you have nothing to lose.

Hummm....some of the old pumpers had rifled brass barrels and there would be a definite issue using a bronze grush, however, how would a bronze brush with a Mohs Scale of Hardness of 3 damage a steel bore Mohs Scale of Hardness of 4-4.5, even if reversed since steel is harder than bronze?

I don't know why one would want/need to reverse a bronze brush "mid stroke" because it would seem to me that the "bronze bristles" would get damaged.
 

Yes bronze brushes are normally fine in a quality steel barrel. Except changing direction in the barrel. The bristles fold back when pushed forward and flip over when pulled back. The problem is changing direction in the barrel flips the bristles over in the barrel. Usually bronze brushes fit tight to begin with and so there's not enough room to do this without damage. The bristles although softer than steel have to stand on end to make the flip and can stab into and deform the rifling. This goes for all barrels including forged steel powder burners. Try it if you want and you'll see how tight it gets before the brush flips over. Do it on a garbage gun because ask me how I learned about this.
Oh ps:
As to why you would want to. Some people think it's a good idea to scrub their barrels and simply make the mistake of changing direction inside the barrel because they didn't know better.

[DanD]

I use a trimmer line pull through with synthetic patches since the trimmer line will pull right out of cotton patches.  I follow the instructions on the JB jar and pull an oiled patch first, then alternate directions with a tight patch of JB replacing the JB patch as needed, then another oiled patch, then dry patches.

[prosportfan]

Great advice fellas

[SpiralGroove]

I use a trimmer line pull through with synthetic patches since the trimmer line will pull right out of cotton patches.  I follow the instructions on the JB jar and pull an oiled patch first, then alternate directions with a tight patch of JB replacing the JB patch as needed, then another oiled patch, then dry patches.

After cleaning the barrel the first time aggressively: 1) Lapping compound 2) JB Bore Paste on a jag with patches to remove any crud or rust.  I use the Trimmer line pull through method as all the tough stuff should be gone.

[nced]

If you ever use a bronze bore brush DO NOT change directions with the brush in the barrel. This can damage the barrel. Fully exit the barrel before changing direction. Nylon brushes mitigate this condition. I have little regard for the effectiveness of nylon brushes. A tight fitting patch and jb paste is more effective and if that doesn't work you need a bronze brush. Note, your barrel would have to be terribly rusted to get to that point, but at that point you have nothing to lose.

Hummm....some of the old pumpers had rifled brass barrels and there would be a definite issue using a bronze grush, however, how would a bronze brush with a Mohs Scale of Hardness of 3 damage a steel bore Mohs Scale of Hardness of 4-4.5, even if reversed since steel is harder than bronze?

I don't know why one would want/need to reverse a bronze brush "mid stroke" because it would seem to me that the "bronze bristles" would get damaged.
 

Yes bronze brushes are normally fine in a quality steel barrel. Except changing direction in the barrel. The bristles fold back when pushed forward and flip over when pulled back. The problem is changing direction in the barrel flips the bristles over in the barrel. Usually bronze brushes fit tight to begin with and so there's not enough room to do this without damage. The bristles although softer than steel have to stand on end to make the flip and can stab into and deform the rifling. This goes for all barrels including forged steel powder burners. Try it if you want and you'll see how tight it gets before the brush flips over. Do it on a garbage gun because ask me how I learned about this.
Oh ps:
As to why you would want to. Some people think it's a good idea to scrub their barrels and simply make the mistake of changing direction inside the barrel because they didn't know better.

"can stab into and deform the rifling"
Hummm, thought that the softer bronze bristles would simply kink and/or "mushed on the ends" when trying to "stab into" steel "and deform the rifling". LOL....I never "woulda thunk otherwise". I do have a barrel from a cheap Chinese HW95 clone that I'm willing to do a test after buying a .177 cal bronze brush. How would I test to see if the bronze would "stab into" the cheap Chinese scrap steel bore?

[Bayman]

If you ever use a bronze bore brush DO NOT change directions with the brush in the barrel. This can damage the barrel. Fully exit the barrel before changing direction. Nylon brushes mitigate this condition. I have little regard for the effectiveness of nylon brushes. A tight fitting patch and jb paste is more effective and if that doesn't work you need a bronze brush. Note, your barrel would have to be terribly rusted to get to that point, but at that point you have nothing to lose.

Hummm....some of the old pumpers had rifled brass barrels and there would be a definite issue using a bronze grush, however, how would a bronze brush with a Mohs Scale of Hardness of 3 damage a steel bore Mohs Scale of Hardness of 4-4.5, even if reversed since steel is harder than bronze?

I don't know why one would want/need to reverse a bronze brush "mid stroke" because it would seem to me that the "bronze bristles" would get damaged.
 

Yes bronze brushes are normally fine in a quality steel barrel. Except changing direction in the barrel. The bristles fold back when pushed forward and flip over when pulled back. The problem is changing direction in the barrel flips the bristles over in the barrel. Usually bronze brushes fit tight to begin with and so there's not enough room to do this without damage. The bristles although softer than steel have to stand on end to make the flip and can stab into and deform the rifling. This goes for all barrels including forged steel powder burners. Try it if you want and you'll see how tight it gets before the brush flips over. Do it on a garbage gun because ask me how I learned about this.
Oh ps:
As to why you would want to. Some people think it's a good idea to scrub their barrels and simply make the mistake of changing direction inside the barrel because they didn't know better.

"can stab into and deform the rifling"
Hummm, thought that the softer bronze bristles would simply kink and/or "mushed on the ends" when trying to "stab into" steel "and deform the rifling". LOL....I never "woulda thunk otherwise". I do have a barrel from a cheap Chinese HW95 clone that I'm willing to do a test after buying a .177 cal bronze brush. How would I test to see if the bronze would "stab into" the cheap Chinese scrap steel bore?

It depends on the fit of the brush. Worn ones are less likely to do it. I have a Marlin XT22 that I messed up the rifling at the end of the barrel brushing it back and forth. It never shot well again. This was early in my interest in shooting. Another bone head maneuver by yours truly. Normally I'm with you and don't believe that bronze brushes can damage steel barrels. I think the wives tales of bronze brushes damaging air gun barrels comes from the old days where many were brass. Or other bone heads like me reversing a tight fitting brush mid barrel. Either way trust me it's does mess it up. Just because one item is harder than the other doesn't mean strange things can't happen under certain conditions. Ever see a rubber crankshaft seal eat a groove in a forged steel crank? I have many times, even though logic would dictate that impossible.

[nced]

"Ever see a rubber crankshaft seal eat a groove in a forged steel crank?"
Yep...sure have, just like I've seen nylon monofilament fishing line cut grooves in stainless steel fishing rod guides. I personally think the rubber seal or nylon fishing line cutting grooves in steel is the work of air or water borne "harder than steel" contaminates embedded in the soft rubber or nylon doing the "eating". The same thing happens to engine cylinder walls getting eroded by the piston rings, especially if the oil isn't changed often enough to remove oil borne combustion products.
 

[Bayman]

"Ever see a rubber crankshaft seal eat a groove in a forged steel crank?"
Yep...sure have, just like I've seen nylon monofilament fishing line cut grooves in stainless steel fishing rod guides. I personally think the rubber seal or nylon fishing line cutting grooves in steel is the work of air or water borne "harder than steel" contaminates embedded in the soft rubber or nylon doing the "eating". The same thing happens to engine cylinder walls getting eroded by the piston rings, especially if the oil isn't changed often enough to remove oil borne combustion products.

You're probably right about the dirt and rubber crankshaft seal. The fishing line is probably a better example of what I'm talking about because its gotta be pretty dirty water to wet sand a groove in it. Synthetic braided lines sound terribly abrasive going through the rod guides but actually less likely to groove them than monofilament. That's totally counterintuitive. Piston rings on the other hand are generally harder than the cylinder block, so the block wearing out is to be expected especially if its a generic GM low nickel block. I've heard (only heard) of tornadoes sticking straw into telephone poles like needles. Odd dynamics between dissimilar materials are always interesting. Talk to an experienced gunsmith about the bore brushing thing. I can tell you that I definitely ruined that marlin doing that.

[Oldgringo]

I have never cleaned the bore of an air rifle or air pistol in my life.

Fine!

[SpiralGroove]

I have never cleaned the bore of an air rifle or air pistol in my life.

Fine!

[Yogi]

I have never cleaned the bore of an air rifle or air pistol in my life.

Fine!

Bet it keeps gett'n dirtier all the time....

-Y

[fwbsport]

I keep looking for signs of dirt or lead but nothin's there 'cept shiny bore!