Bore Brushes

[dlmac]

Please educate me on the issue between metal and non metal bore brushes? What damage or harm to the bore is done and why...if any?

 

[deewayne2003]

I can best describe this issue as the ".270 vs 30-06" equivalent of gun cleaning.

As for metal brushes damaging bores; I fail to see how that is possible when barrel steel is harder than bronze and Ed Shilen himself said that the plastic brushes were not abrasive enough and he specifically recommended using quality bronze brushes.

Although I'm sure someone will be along shortly to argue otherwise......

 

[mdwest]

I can best describe this issue as the ".270 vs 30-06" equivalent of gun cleaning.

As for metal brushes damaging bores; I fail to see how that is possible when barrel steel is harder than bronze and Ed Shilen himself said that the plastic brushes were not abrasive enough and he specifically recommended using quality bronze brushes.

Although I'm sure someone will be along shortly to argue otherwise......

Ive used bronze brushes my entire life.. havent damaged a barrel yet.. to include the barrels of some very nice "precision" guns..

I use Dewey one piece rods, jags, brushes, etc.. they are (IMO) among the best cleaning tools you can buy.. I know MANY long range shooters, snipers, etc.. guys that really pay attention to how they treat the chambers and the bores of their guns.. that swear by Dewey..

Dewey brushes are bronze and all of their rod accessories like patch loops, jags, etc are brass...

If thats good enough for the proverbial boat load of snipers, F1 shooters, PRS shooters, etc.. thats good enough for me..

 

[Ontario Hunter]

A few years ago I had quite a spirited debate on this subject with a well known gun editor on another forum. He maintained that one must use synthetic brushes + fancy collars on the muzzle to avoid damage from cleaning rods. So I can ram copper and lead bullets down the bore at extreme pressures without damaging it but somehow sliding a bronze brush and aluminum cleaning rod down the bore can be harmful. Really? His answer: it is so because he says so and I was stupid for thinking otherwise.

Synthetic brushes are something someone dreamed up to sell synthetic brushes.

I often use bore snake to clean my gun barrels simply because it packs up into convenient small package for transport.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Synthetic brushes are good for rubbing solvents onto the bore to spread them to allow them to work before cleaning with a bronze brush before patching out
Gumpy

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

My advice pertains specifically to titanium cylinders used in certain revolvers. Only use nylon brushes and non-abrasive cleaners on titanium cylinders to keep from damaging the clear coating that protects the titanium from erosion.

 

[Daryl S]

Like Gumpy's post: "Synthetic brushes are good for rubbing solvents onto the bore to spread them to allow them to work before cleaning with a bronze brush before patching out
Gumpy "
Unlike Gumpy, I use no bronze brushes any more. Not needed and, well, I'll explain why.
I use synthetic brushes for introducing solvents into the bore of ALL my rifles, from .17 cal. to my 12 bores. I do not use bronze brushes now at all. About 50 years ago, I found a good solvent does the cleaning for me, scrubbing back and forth with a bronze brush just wore out the brushes over time.
I found a steel cored, nylon brush introduced good solvents into the bore, without the solvents dissolving the screw that captured their bristles, unlike the twisted brass or bronze screw that holds the bronze bristles. Scrubbing bores with a bronze bristled brush did nothing to clean help them is seemed, but did introduce more copper/bronze into the bore in the form of non-fouling liquid, staining the patches blue that said solvents dissolved from the brushes as well as from the bore, EVEN WHEN there was no guilding metal fouling left in the bore. I'd read about that in Precision Shooting mags. and tested it with a perfectly clean barrel. A bronze bristle brush run back and forth in a perfectly clean PacNor barrel left blue on the wiping patch even though there was no copper or guilding metal fouling in the bore. It had no fouling at all, however, from the patch, it appeared there was still metal fouling in the bore. NOPE!
Well, it's a mostly free country, use whatever you want. I'll continue to use nylon brushes to introduce a good solvent into the bore. I've found I really like Butches Bore Shine as well as the foaming Wipe Out. It is used with an overnight soak and 1 patch in the morning takes out ALL of the guilding metal or copper fouling.

 

[deewayne2003]

Ive used bronze brushes my entire life.. havent damaged a barrel yet.. to include the barrels of some very nice "precision" guns..

I use Dewey one piece rods, jags, brushes, etc.. they are (IMO) among the best cleaning tools you can buy.. I know MANY long range shooters, snipers, etc.. guys that really pay attention to how they treat the chambers and the bores of their guns.. that swear by Dewey..

Dewey brushes are bronze and all of their rod accessories like patch loops, jags, etc are brass...

If thats good enough for the proverbial boat load of snipers, F1 shooters, PRS shooters, etc.. thats good enough for me..

Agreed, my rod is Tipton carbon fiber because 20 years ago the local shop was out of Dewey rods.

I thought “When this one wears out I’ll get a Dewey.” ……that was 20 years ago.

 

[CJW]

Like Gumpy's post: "Synthetic brushes are good for rubbing solvents onto the bore to spread them to allow them to work before cleaning with a bronze brush before patching out
Gumpy "
Unlike Gumpy, I use no bronze brushes any more. Not needed and, well, I'll explain why.
I use synthetic brushes for introducing solvents into the bore of ALL my rifles, from .17 cal. to my 12 bores. I do not use bronze brushes now at all. About 50 years ago, I found a good solvent does the cleaning for me, scrubbing back and forth with a bronze brush just wore out the brushes over time.
I found a steel cored, nylon brush introduced good solvents into the bore, without the solvents dissolving the screw that captured their bristles, unlike the twisted brass or bronze screw that holds the bronze bristles. Scrubbing bores with a bronze bristled brush did nothing to clean help them is seemed, but did introduce more copper/bronze into the bore in the form of non-fouling liquid, staining the patches blue that said solvents dissolved from the brushes as well as from the bore, EVEN WHEN there was no guilding metal fouling left in the bore. I'd read about that in Precision Shooting mags. and tested it with a perfectly clean barrel. A bronze bristle brush run back and forth in a perfectly clean PacNor barrel left blue on the wiping patch even though there was no copper or guilding metal fouling in the bore. It had no fouling at all, however, from the patch, it appeared there was still metal fouling in the bore. NOPE!
Well, it's a mostly free country, use whatever you want. I'll continue to use nylon brushes to introduce a good solvent into the bore. I've found I really like Butches Bore Shine as well as the foaming Wipe Out. It is used with an overnight soak and 1 patch in the morning takes out ALL of the guilding metal or copper fouling.

Does that foaming Wipe Out stay foamy for a while or does it just get foamy for even distribution and then go away quickly? Need to leave the gun standing vertically or anything?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I apply solvent to the bore with a soaked up tight fitting patch ... very tight fitting. I thought that's what the eye attachment for cleaning rod was used for.

 

[Daryl S]

Apply the foam to a horizonal gun, slightly low muzzle. The foam dissipates to an dven wet bore. Leave it overnight. Patch it out in the morning. Thdn I put a patch with Ed's Red through the bore. I do that no matter what solvent I use.

 

[roklok]

I rarely use brushes of any material in my bores. I use the foaming copper solvent, followed by Kroil on a tight fitting patch. The Kroiled patch is either pushed through with a one piece rod and jag or pulled through with weedwacker cord. I really think brushes are unnecessary for the vast majority of cleaning, only needed in certain cases where there is heavy fouling or rough bores and mechanical action is needed. I am happy with my JES rebored .35 Whelen, but it does seem to have a rougher finish, I do run a brush through it. Maybe as I continue to shoot it the need will lessen.

 

[Daryl S]

I've been using tipton rods from .17 to .45 size for, maybe 12 or 13 years., maybe even 15 years. The Dewey .17 cal. rods are useless. The will.not bend at all without taking a set bend. They feel like mild steel, and being small in diameter, useless in .17's.
The Tipton and Kleenbore are fine in that size.

 

[Ridge Runner]

"metallic", bronze, etc bristle brush or "soft", nylon, etc bristle brush?.....it current times it really depends on the solvent or solvents one is using to clean their firearm with.

Some metallic, mainly bronze, steel spring looking type, etc brushes react negatively with certain solvents. Some nylon, other synthetic type, etc brushes may also react negatively with some solvents.This is why solvent manufacturers recommend which type of brushes to use when using their products.

Does one type work better or worse than another type? Yes and No. Not only does it depend on the type solvent, it also depends on the barrel steel and how vigorously one scrubs the barrel when cleaning the bore.

As for damaging the bore.... regardless of the type brushes used, none wear a barrel rifling down as quick or as bad as the type ammunition used. Mil spec steel AP ammo wears a rifling faster than softer mono metal, ie copper, brass, ammunition, than semi jacketed, and finally lead ammunition. Velocity and number of rounds fired before allowing the barrel to cool.

Matching solvents and brushes is a no brainer and the least of my worries. I focus on limiting my number of rounds fired and I don't reload max amount of powder to get a few stupid extra unneeded feet per second.