Barrel not getting clean , what is going on?

[amcmullen]

I shot and cleaned both of my flinters on two different days last week. Both were cleaned after shooting. One is a T/C Hawken the other a Traditions Hawken. I have used the same cleaning method for years with the Traditions with good results. Boil a pot of water, place barrel in bucket with hot tap water with dish detergent. Put some boiling water in bucket to get the water HOT. Pour some of the boiled water down the barrel, add a touch of dish soap. Scrub the barrel with a brush, siphon water through barrel with a jag and cleaning patch, repeat about 20-30 times until the patches are clean. pour some of the clean hot water. Dry barrel, coat with T17 bore cleaner, store. That's the jist of it, the whole process takes about 30-40 minutes.

So this morning I send a patch through the barrels just to give it a little extra protection and to my horror the T/C patch came out looking like I never cleaned the barrel, what is going on? It must be rust but how? The Traditions bore was clean. Do I have some issue going on with the T/C barrel?
The bottom was the Traditions the top the T/C

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[amcmullen]

I will add that the T/C is relatively new to me. It was my grandfathers. He only shot it once and cleaned and stored it for about 30 yrs. This is only the third or fourth time I shot it but only the first time that I checked it a few days afterwards. I guess my concern is that I have some issues going on with my barrel

 

[coloradoclyde]

Dry barrel, coat with T17 bore cleaner, store.

Eliminate and replace with WD-40 to displace any moisture and some patches to remove...followed by a good rust preventative like G96

 

[coloradoclyde]

I will add that the T/C is relatively new to me. It was my grandfathers. He only shot it once and cleaned and stored it for about 30 yrs. This is only the third or fourth time I shot it but only the first time that I checked it a few days afterwards. I guess my concern is that I have some issues going on with my barrel

Important info.....
Did you clean it prior to firing it?????

 

[amcmullen]

Before firing I ran a wet patch of t17. It was in fact dirty but not as bad like the worst patch.

 

[amcmullen]

Important info.....
Did you clean it prior to firing it?????[/quote]
Do you mean before I shot the gun after it was stored for 30 yrs? I do not recall specifically. I'm sure that I did since it was stored, however I do not remember what the patches looked like when cleaning

 

[Grimord]

I agree. WD-40 to get rid of the moisture, then a good rust preventative like Barricade, Rem Oil or G-96. I also use your method to clean, but I add one more step. Once patches come out clean and before the WD-40 patches, I blow out the barrel with my compressor. This step gets the bulk of the moisture left behind in the areas that the patch doesn't get to, and the WD-40 takes care of the rest.

In 35 years of using this method I have not had a rust problem, even when the rifles have been stored in the safe for 9 months or more.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Do you mean before I shot the gun after it was stored for 30 yrs?

Yes! 30 years of rust, crust, caked on whatever....might just be working its way out of the nooks and crannies.

Try using a Scotch Brite pad to get into the corners of the rifling.....

 

[dwr]

Do you mean before I shot the gun after it was stored for 30 yrs?

Yes! 30 years of rust, crust, caked on whatever....might just be working its way out of the nooks and crannies.

Try using a Scotch Brite pad to get into the corners of the rifling.....

Scotch Brite....now that's a good idea!

I love to buy old neglected front stuffers from garage sales, etc and clean them up for resale. Its just a fun thing to do for me.

The Scotch Brite may just be the ticket for the tougher ones.

 

[amcmullen]

That makes sense! After 30 years there probably is a varnish from any oil used for storage. Seen this on a few rifles. I will give the scotch bright a try.

Is it safe to use a product like Gum Cutter? I know that stuff is pretty wicked at disolving pretty much everything that isn't metal. But am not sure how the blueing will hold up

 

[coloradoclyde]

it Is it safe to use a product like Gum Cutter?

No clue!.....never used it.....but I don't think you need to go to such extremes yet...

 

[amcmullen]

No clue!.....never used it.....but I don't think you need to go to such extremes yet...

Okay, I will try the scotch bright first. I'm assuming you mean the pads? Has anyone done this before? I'm guessing to use the patch puller and cut the pan into a circle that's a little larger than the bore :hmm: I really don't want to start a "HELP!, I have a Scotch Brite Pad stuck in my Bore!" Thread...

 

[coloradoclyde]

Green scotch brite pad...I cut a small piece and use a smaller jag...if it comes off I fish it out with a worm or ball puller.

 

[amcmullen]

I will have to wait to get the scotch brite pad. However, I did run another patch soaked in T-17 and same result as earlier! Dirty Patch! I took the barrel off, took out the touch hole liner and shined a bright flashlight through. At first appearance it looks clean, however, I can see some sort of residue around the groove edges, I am guessing this is the culprit. I used PB Blaster and soaked the barrel then aggressively ran a brass bore brush through. It's soaking now but am going to repeat this

 

[amcmullen]

Oh boy...This thing is going to need some major, maybe even professional quality, cleaning! So after scrubbing the bore with PB Blaster for about 5 minutes I cleaned the barrel as I would as if I just shot it. This time I used Murphy oil. Used boiling water to heat the barrel, jag/patch siphoned, scrubbed, and even scrubbed with a patch/ jag behind it. Total time spent about 20 minutes of scrubbing and pumping. I ran a couple dry patches to soak up the bulk of the water. I found my WD-40 and ran a wet patch through...to my horror...this thing is killing me!
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[Dwight Rutherford]

Since you are using boiling water, could the problem be flash rust? Others may have an opinion.

 

[amcmullen]

Since you are using boiling water, could the problem be flash rust? Others may have an opinion.

I thought about that, this time the residue is black! The last two times it did look rusty, however, I used TC cleaner that it supposed to stop rust :shake: , This is driving me crazy!

 

[coloradoclyde]

Crazy is a short trip for me.....mostly in reverse.... :haha:
Keep cleaning..... :thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

I used TC cleaner that it supposed to stop rust

Are you sure about that statement?
Does it stop rust or prevent rust?
Neither will remove existing rust.
Rust is active (ongoing ) corrosion.
First remove then stop then prevent.

Keep cleaning. :grin:

 

[amcmullen]

It states that it "Contains a protectant that inhibits rust..." I think that is manufactures speak for 'get your a** back upstairs and "keep cleaning"

:hatsoff: