I'm not happy with Lyman

[Darto]

Thanks for the wax idea. I couldn't shoot it a brush because it was porous. Wax idea works easier. :bow:

 

[Rifleman1776]

For all those slamming me for using a brass brush, I refer you to Lyman's own directions: Lyman GPR On page 1, look under Directions: Item B and I quote

B. Brush out the following day using a nylon brush wrapped with 00
steel wool or a brass brush (must be under bore diameter to prevent
bristles from jamming at the breech of the barrel).

The brush wasn't the issue, the lack of physicalal attachment of the ram rod tip was the issue. The tip popped off with less than 5 pounds of pull. I've since epoxieded and cross pinned both ends.

No slam intended. That was intended to be helpful advice.
As for instructions from a factory, I never accept at face value. Instructions are often written by people who really have no expert knowledge. This is true with many products. In this case, I would agree, Lyman messed up. Some modern gun guy probably wrote that.

 

[kingsax26]

you ahve a two part problem.... one ..your blaming Lyman for something that is partly your fault....you Never....Ever...use a brass brush. Because u may not get it out.....2nd ...its a ramrod not a cleaning rod...it wasnt designed to haul out a bore brush.... Go buy a cleaning rod...I reccomend TOW i ahve one from them ...its 7/8 i believe ....and i bought the rod ...tip and pin seperate might have cost me 5.00$ i am not really sure ....but bore brush is bad idea my friend

 

[M. De Land]

I see no reason not to use a brush for getting residue out of land corners. The trick is to give the brush a half turn to the right just before reaching the bottom as this moves the bristles to ninety degree pull out rather than a 180 degree, greatly lessoning the pull tension on the rod end coupling and torque on the cross pin. Push the brush in and just before reaching the bottom begin a twist right and then reverse direction to begin to pull out and the bristles will move around in the opposite direction for a pull out no different than the travel into the bore.
I think some folks get into trouble by using to tight of a brush then when they reach the bottom without the twist movement the bristles don't have any where to flex to. All that is needed is enough diameter for the brush ends to reach the groove bottoms while still flexing a bit for adequate scrubbing tension in the land corners. MD

 

[irishtoo]

i chuck my brass brushes in a drill and spin them against a sharpening stone to shorten the bristle. then i check the fit. that said, i rarely brush a barrel. did get one stuck once, wont again.

 

[Black Jack]

A bore brush with nylon bristles is the simple answer. The bristles are firm enough to be effective in the corners of the grooves and flexible enough to reverse when you extract the cleaning rod. Available almost everywhere that sells muzzleloading supplies.

 

[courdebois]

I got one in 54, not a kit, changed the ramrod,an put in a davis lock,great gun,shoots better than i can,i almost always make my own ram roads an use a range rod every where but out hunting

 

[rfdr]

how cheap is a company that it doesnt install cross pins in the rod!

They must all be cheap companies, because I don't know of a single gun company that pins their rods. TC, Traditions, Lyman, Pedersoli. You name it.

i just received a brandy new pedersoli ramrod for their kentucky flint - yup, both end caps are pinned and done very poorly. they used split tube pins that extended past both sides of the brass and all pin ends required filing flush to the brass.

what a rip off. :cursing:

 

[Dan Jordan]

go brush stuck in my pedersoli 50 carbine and had to use pliers wrapped with cotton to gram my rod to get it out ,wont use a brush again... i started using cva barrell blaster foam works great and very fast and easy cleanup will never get caught without any in my gun box. Super product :bow:

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Wow, Dude if your biggest complain against the GPR is that the RR tip came off. You are way ahead of the game. I have had much worst problems from custom built guns from TVM. Second of all, what exactly does using a brush accomplish that plain water and patch does not?

I mean, unless you are using conical bullets which can cause leading when using improperly sized and lubed bullet, what part of black powder fouling is not cleaned with water and patch when using PRB? I would add using alcohol if you are really persnickety about getting the graphite out or if you are using some wax based lubricants, but still no need for a brush.

 

[FishDFly]

The OP:

[RANT] I purchased a GPR kit from Lyman, and assembled it. The assembly was ok, it did taked about 12 hours of work getting the stock in order, but that was to be expected. What wasn't expected tho was running a brass brush down the bore and having the end pull right off of the ram rod

Is not completion of finishing of the ram rod part of completing the KIT?

Using a brush is to be questioned.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Is not completion of finishing of the ram rod part of completing the KIT?

Using a brush is to be questioned.

Yes, you should have expected to finish the build by assuring the rod was completed.
Yes, the use of a (brass) brush is a very questionable procedure generally not reccomended in a muzzle loader.

 

[leslie]

Without taking sides on the use of brass brushes,there are two basic types,one the center core is a loop that goes through the retainer,the other the center core is just crimped into the retainer and pulls apart easily.

 

[FishDFly]

The only brass brushes I own are used on the forcing cone of As Issue Revolvers.

The brush is inserted from the end of the barrel, removed from the cleaning rod after brushing the forcing cone, then the cleaning rod is removed from the barrel.

Amazing how much crude is removed by a brush and not by a cleaning jag from the forcing cone.

Maybe brushes or the lack of, should be a sticky for rifles and another one to remove them when stuck.

 

[Albertan]

A bore brush with nylon bristles is the simple answer. The bristles are firm enough to be effective in the corners of the grooves and flexible enough to reverse when you extract the cleaning rod. Available almost everywhere that sells muzzleloading supplies.

I use Montana X-Treme nylon-composite brushes for my Deerstalker. Works alot better than the copper bore brush that I first picked up.

 

[Rat Trapper]

If you are using a good range rod with a "T" handle and stick a brush or patch all you need to do is put the handle over the edge of the picnic table and pull it out.

 

[Billnpatti]

Plenty of folks have given you the means to remove your stuck brush. In the future, if you feel that you must use a brush, be sure it is a nylon brush and when you reach the breach with your brush, give it a clockwise twist as you remove it from your bore. This will make the bristles lay down and keep them from "grabbing" in your bore. Even better, don't use a brush unless your bore really, really needs it and I mean as a last resort. Most fouling can be removed with simple soap and water and most rust can be removed with something as simple as a 50/50 mixture of automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Just fill your bore, let it sit for a few hours and swab out the rust with cloth patches. You will have to remove the barrel from the stock to prevent getting the mixture on your stock. It will ruin your stock finish if you get any on it.

 

[crockett]

One reason to always shoot PRB in a muzzle loader versus conicals , etc that foul the bore and require more cleaning. On the brass brush issue, If you use a cleaning rod and can turn it, the bristles start to align sideways to the bore and if you keep doing that you can eventually start them in the right direction and get the brush out.
There been some recent remarks against Lyman GPR after years of praise, has the quality changed on that rifle?

 

[nchawkeye]

Many of us here know a hellofalot more than the folks at Lyman when it comes to muzzleloaders... :thumbsup:

If you are getting lube buildup then maybe it's time to move to the next phase of muzzleloading...

Time to buy bulk patching (both shooting and cleaning) and start making your own lube and cleaning solution!!! :wink:

Hang around awhile, we'll have you running ball and making your own custom flintlocks before long...

 

[Valley Forge]

A jag and patch does not adequately clean the "powder chamber" at the breech end of a Lyman GPR barrel. I know. I have one. You can not clean that small, narrow chamber at the breech end with a patch and jag.

If you follow the directions for cleaning that are printed and handed out by Chuck Dixon, you are told to piston-pump water in and out of the barrel by inserting the touch-hole end in a container of water and then using a wet patch on a cleaning jag and pump it up and down to get a column of water moving up and down in the barrel. Then you pour very hot water into the muzzle end of the barrel and let it drain out the touch hole, then you jag and patch to dry the bore, then use an oiled patch to lubricate the barrel bore. That all works great, but does not totally clean that small powder chamber at the breech end. It does clean pretty well, but not totally. At some point, you are simply going to have to clean that chamber. I have tried using patches that are inserted down the bore on a slotted patch-holder on the rod. That does OK, not perfect, but OK. It does not clean the very end of the chamber because the slotted patch holder gets there, but not the patch itself. THAT is where the brass brush comes in. I use a .38 caliber brass brush on a range rod to brush out that powder chamber at the breech end of the .50 caliber barrel. It is small enough to get into that chamber, but not wide enough to get stuck in the barrel itself, or even in the chamber itself. I use it on a brass T-handle range rod, and only rotate the brush clockwise. Never had it get stuck.

There IS a reason that every major muzzle loading manufacturer and ML firearms shop in the country sells brass bore-cleaning brushes.