At what point to stop cleaning?

[Coueswhitetail]

Took my Austin and Hallefk mountain rifle out of the safe for the first time in about a year to check zero and can't recall how I approached the issue I am currently facing. I only put 2 rounds down using pyrodex and after about 50 patches it's still coming out somewhat dirty. I cleaned it with hot, soapy water multiple times but am still getting out somewhat dirty patches. It's becoming pretty frustrating to I have to imagine I'm overdoing something. At what point do you folks usually stop sending patches through? I'm most worried about corrosion. Thanks in advance.

 

[deerstalkert]

i had the same problem, if it is a problem.
i went to a brush and then patches and it helped. down to 12-15 patches before a clean one. this is on 4-5 of my rifles. the others all clean up with 5-6 passes. go figure. i quit when i don't see black. gray is ok and i follow it with a oiled patch.
you will get maybe pages of ways guy's do it.

 

[TreeMan]

You said you cleaned it with soap and water. Are you still using soap and water to get the dirty patches or something else on your patch? Some solvents I’ve found will come out black/grey regardless of how much I clean.

 

[necchi]

The HOT water could be causing "flash rust" that will leave brownish residue/color on a clean patch. Try using just cool water and a little soap followed by a cool water rinse. I like to use denatured alcohol to slosh around in the barrel after washing with water to help remove any remaining water.
After that just wipe it with a storage oil patch each day for the next few days to stop any flash rust turning into something troublesome.

 

[deerstalkert]

You said you cleaned it with soap and water. Are you still using soap and water to get the dirty patches or something else on your patch? Some solvents I’ve found will come out black/grey regardless of how much I clean.

i have often wondered if the cleaning solvents i used reacted with the lead in the barrels themselves to create the smut.

 

[TreeMan]

i have often wondered if the cleaning solvents i used reacted with the lead in the barrels themselves to create the smut.

I’ve noticed that using extremely hot water to clean will give me continual black patches compared to cold water. Some of the bore pastes will always come out black. Hoppes or solutions to remove copper will cause a reaction to Blacken patches too on some barrel steel on an otherwise clean barrel.

 

[Coueswhitetail]

You said you cleaned it with soap and water. Are you still using soap and water to get the dirty patches or something else on your patch? Some solvents I’ve found will come out black/grey regardless of how much I clean.

3 cycles of water/soap followed by dry patch. After that just Hoppe's No.9 on a patch each time. That would make sense though as I've had this problem since I bought it used (new in box and didn't appear to be shot) . In spite of this the accuracy and barrel condition hasn't seemed to change in the last year.

 

[TreeMan]

3 cycles of water/soap followed by dry patch. After that just Hoppe's No.9 on a patch each time.

Skip the hoppes and use some some olive oil, WD 40 or something. I’ve found that hoppes reacts with some barrel steel and causes black patches. Someone will chime in and say never use any kinds of petroleum based lubes. They are also the ones who will spout to season a barrel with bore butter. I use whatever is at hand to lube mine including petroleum products. Make sure to clean it out before shooting. I use alcohol or brake cleaner. Run a few patches of WD40 down it or olive oil or whatever and I bet your dirty looking patches go away unless your bore is a rusty mess from prior neglect.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I use warm to hot water until the water is clear, then dry patches followed by alcohol soaked patches . Usually two or three dry patches after. then oil .

 

[doubleset]

Yeah, you're not sterilizing surgical instruments. I have discovered that swabbing with a little WD-40 can pick up some genuine extra stuff (it IS a penetrant), but usually I don't do that unless I have a specific reason to uber-anal about a particular cleaning session.

 

[Ponderosaman]

I love cleaning my ML because of this very issue you are having. I am putting patches down my unmentionables and they come out gray no matter how many you put through. With my muzzleloader, I’ve got the barrel six inches deep in hot water. I run a wool shotgun swab in and out, water flowing over the muzzle and running down the barrel. Rinse, dry and the drying patches come out as bright and white as the day the were made. So satisfying.

 

[OkieDougie]

I shot twenty, 80 grain charges of holy black today and it took this many patches to clean it out. Upper left is last patch. There will always be a little bit left, Mix of Balistol and water.

 

[Versanaut]

My understanding is the very light grey that tends to be left in the barrel is the graphite from the powder that does not dissolve in the water. If you have ever used graphite powder on the door lock or pinewood derby car (hahaha) They you will know that stuff doesn't come off easily, even with soap and water.

I clean and wipe until I get something like the top center patch in that picture and call it good. Run an oily patch down and put her away. Never had rust, but then again, I shoot every other weekend so it doesn't sit long without being wiped again.

 

[Okie Hog]

Water and patches sometimes leave fouling at the base of the lands. Before leaving the range i swab the bore with a patch wet with Windex with vinegar which dissolves the fouling. At home the rifle is clean with four patches. A few strokes with a brush will also take care of that fouling at the base of the lands.

 

[jdw276]

My hoppes 9 is old. It is also brown and confuses me with flash rust vs clean. So i do not use that anymore. I clean till light grey and call it a day. I do try to use real thick patches to get into the rifling. Lite oil, check the next day with a ballistol soaked patch. Not good, do it again. Next night should be good. My final is never ballistol and water but pure ballistol. I find i get more flash rust overnite with the water remaining. 2nd night i would use a patch with wd40 if i feel not clean enough and pure ballistol. 2nd night is five minutes max.

 

[biliff]

An appropriately sized bore mop also comes in handy for getting the grooves clean. Just like bristle brushes, make sure you don't get the press fit ones or they will eventually come loose. The bore mops can also be washed after use so they stay effective longer. Like most have already said, I don't sweat a little gray on the patch.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Some solvents and oils react with some steels to leave a grayish stain on the patches. A friend and I cleaned his smoothbore repeatedly and kept getting the gray stains. It looked shiny and bright, but stained the patches. I took over and changed the oil he was using for mine and the stains disappeared.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[billraby]

I clean until the patch looks the same as the last one.

 

[sekiar39]

Skip the hoppes and use some some olive oil, WD 40 or something. I’ve found that hoppes reacts with some barrel steel and causes black patches. Someone will chime in and say never use any kinds of petroleum based lubes. They are also the ones who will spout to season a barrel with bore butter. I use whatever is at hand to lube mine including petroleum products. Make sure to clean it out before shooting. I use alcohol or brake cleaner. Run a few patches of WD40 down it or olive oil or whatever and I bet your dirty looking patches go away unless your bore is a rusty mess from prior neglect.

I have used WD40 for over 40 years without a problem.

 

[jdw276]

I clean until the patch looks the same as the last one.

Ha! That could be my first two!