Be a gun cleaning hipster

[Alpha Sierra]

I clean guns..........sometimes

[mtnbkr]

(I don't believe boresnakes do much of anything worthwhile for barrel cleaning. I've used them in every caliber, and though they're perhaps better than nothing, it's not by much, as even the most superficial cleaning with patches and brush demonstrates.)

They don't replace proper cleaning with solvent, patches, and brushes, but are useful in keeping carbon fouling to a minimum. They do work well on smoothbore shotguns and the chambers of revolvers (I have a couple tight-chambered revolvers that need a couple passes every few dozen rounds to be able to fully seat loaded cartridges). I usually use one size larger than the caliber I'm cleaning (40cal for 357/9mm, 45cal for 44, 223 or 25 for 22lr, etc).

Chris

[Alpha Sierra]

I have a couple tight-chambered revolvers that need a couple passes every few dozen rounds to be able to fully seat loaded cartridges

I had a pair like that until I used a Flex Hone ball hone (sized for 38 cal chambers) on them. Now ammo will drop right in even after 100 - 120 rounds fired. They might go farther but I haven't shot more than that through each in one sitting.

[SAWBONES]

They don't replace proper cleaning with solvent, patches, and brushes, but are useful in keeping carbon fouling to a minimum. They do work well on smoothbore shotguns and the chambers of revolvers (I have a couple tight-chambered revolvers that need a couple passes every few dozen rounds to be able to fully seat loaded cartridges). I usually use one size larger than the caliber I'm cleaning (40cal for 357/9mm, 45cal for 44, 223 or 25 for 22lr, etc).

Chris

I agree mtnbkr, but then almost anything works well enough for cleaning smoothbore shotgun barrels, including an oily rag.

Also, I do think boresnakes work OK for .22lr barrels, but again, .22lr barrels probably don't even hardly ever need much cleaning IME...

(I was only remarking about boresnakes at all because there seem to be a lot of people who think they're the best thing since sliced bread, when in reality they accomplish very little actual fouling removal.)

[Caballoflaco]

@SAWBONES, the beauty of the boresnake, if using it with jacketed ammo is that it knocks out a bit of the crud, without leaving you with the “I’d like to fire a fouling shot feeling”.

Note: I don’t shoot precision rifle, so my opinion doesn’t apply to that.


Edited to change jacks out a bit of the crud to knocks out a bit of the curb. I gotta stop eating burritos while I type.

[SiriusBlunder]

I’m a weirdo; I split the difference. With revolvers, I clean them thoroughly as soon as I get back from the range. But with SAs, eg. Glocks, I just can’t do it. Call it superstition, but when I get back from a 1911 or Gxx outing, in that moment, I’ve never been more sure of those guns; those magazines; that ammo. As soon as I strip ‘em down... well, I’m just not 100 percent anymore. I mean, I’m 99.x percent sure, but... I’ve had just enough failures on the first round out over the years to always have the doubt in the back of my mind.

Like I say, probably just superstition, especially with the plastic. Maybe I should just Fudd up, and stick to the round guns. I dunno.

Have you tried the pencil test after re-assembly?

I'm not sure it's necessary, but I do with my carry guns the couple of time a year they get field strip for a little warm and fuzzy feeling.

I mostly shot my training ones and don't worry about it with them.

[Totem Polar]

Have you tried the pencil test after re-assembly?

Oh, of course. It’s the whole thing, IMHO: mags, springs, lube... I think the deal with me is just how long I’ve been shooting: over 40 years. I can tell you that random FTFs and FTEs were a fact of life when I was cutting my teeth under my dad’s watchful eye. Honestly, I think that folks who cut their teeth later on M9s and 9mm Glocks don’t have that baggage.

I’ve pulled squeaky-clean carry guns from the holster at the range only to have them barf after the first shot. This includes guns that were well-known LE issue weapons that rhyme with "pig plower" and "cock."



Anyhoo, I took both a revolver and a service auto to the range today. The revolver went back into the safe in like-new condition, smelling of hoppes 9, and the SA Got a dry bore snake and a freshly loaded mag from the range bag. [/shrug]

[jtcarm]

This, I get.


This, I don't.

Function fire before putting away.

This is a non-issue for carry, but a gun that has not been fired since having its bore wet (completely dry or not) will not shoot to exactly the same POI as it did before cleaning.

Precision shooters, rifle or pistol, generally do not want a squeaky-clean bore.

I’ve never seen a BE or silhouette competitor I’ve shot with run anything but a dry brush during a match, and that’s only to keep the gun running and the bore in a similar condition for each string.

When preparing for hunting, I clean my rifle thoroughly, fire a few rounds to double-check zero, and leave it.

[beenalongtime]

This is a revolver forum, correct?

On my PX4 that I have had the barrel, Nickel Boron coated, my last range trip, I put some oil on the barrel, and the soot just came off (still warm).

Now I am awaiting my revolver to come back from the gunsmith (barrel swap, bob the hammer and polish the trigger bits), but I am wondering if just putting a couple drops of oil, on the front of the cylinder, might stop some of the build up, so when I get home, it cleans easier?

[Joe in PNG]

I clean, but it's something I like doing. It's an excuse for me to take the gun apart, and I love it.