Soap & water doesn't cut it

[Elkeater]

The bore looked clean after soap and water but scrub with JB compound and patches are black. After 2 oz of JB and 5 oz of Hoppes #9 patches are still black. Is there a faster way?

 

[Lonegun1894]

Isn't JB compound an abrasive? If so, all you're doing is making sure your bore is REALLY well polished. May make it a smoothbore eventually. Soap and water, then dried, then oiled works.

 

[BrownBear]

Is there a faster way?

When I want a bore spick and span, I use brake pad or carb cleaner. It cuts through any oil or grease I've ever encountered. But that takes it back down to bare metal, and you have to follow pretty quick with a rust preventative.

As for JB paste being an abrasive, yeah. But it's a very mild one selected to cut copper jacket fouling and not barrel steel. Used it for close to 20 years on very expensive CF benchrest barrels without the slightest issue. And far as I know it's still pretty standard on that circuit.

Dunno what the black is in your case.

 

[Carl Aldridge]

Sometimes mild abrasive compounds when used to polish metal will turn black, that happens when I use semichrome polish.

 

[screamin]

In my limited experience the black is more than likely the JB itself. WD40 takes the JB out pretty quick. At least it works for me. ymmv

 

[stormcrow]

The mild abrasive polishes will pick up black color in my experience as well, but I don't think this means you have not gotten your barrel clean. I belive if you take JB's (or Simichrome) over a brand new shiny piece of steel you will see the same effect.

In your case, I must say that I think 2 oz of JB's is a massive amount to put down your barrel -it is to be used very sparingly on patch. So you may be seeing the effects of this overdose even when you are using the Hoppes 9. You may want to put that stuff away and start from scratch with alcohol patches and get absolutely all the JB's and Hoppe's out of your barrel. Windex might work as well. After you have done this I think you will see the black disappear from your patches. Then go back in with a coat of oil.

 

[doulos]

A patch with JB will turn black in a squeaky clean barrel. You dont need it to clean up black powder.

 

[William O.]

Use the JB's first, then soap & water to remove whatever the JB's has loosened up.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

Sometimes mild abrasive compounds when used to polish metal will turn black, that happens when I use semichrome polish.

exactly what it is. JB bore paste is some excellent stuff. I had to do 400 strokes in order to get my GPR to stop cutting patches.

 

[Matt85]

sounds like yer being too picky, im often guilty of this aswell.

if the bore looks clean and youve flushed it with water or hoppes and applied oil or a similer product for rust prevention... yer good.

 

[Sinner]

yup, loose the jb paste.
If the patches end up clean with soap and water, then you're fine.
What prompted you to use the jb paste in the first place?

 

[Rat Trapper]

The black stuff is the JB.

 

[Elkeater]

JB was recommended for a problem I had with a new cf rifle. It reminds me of when as a kid polishing the wheels of my bicycle.

I'll try a crud buster or brake cleaner. Thanks for the help.

 

[Ken Rummer]

I agree with many in this post. The black stuff is iron/steel. This is the same result you get when you sharpen a knife. It's not the stone or the oil.

 

[stone knife]

What's JB?

 

[cynthialee]

What's JB?

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1160/Product/J-B-reg-NON-EMBEDDING-BORE-CLEANING-COMPOUND

The original, time-proven formula developed by Jim Brobst and produced under exclusive license. J-B has been getting burned-on, caked-in powder residue and copper jacket fouling out of gun barrels since the 1960’s, and hasn’t damaged an inch of rifling yet. Today, J-B once again proves itself a champion by the way it easily cleans the dirtiest, moly-fouled barrels.

A unique combination of ingredients and a one-of-kind, multi-step mixing process give J-B its special characteristics. They work together to cushion the abrasive action; the soft paste liquifies as you use it, then wipes out of the bore easily. The non-embedding feature means there’s no abrasive residue left behind which might keep "cutting" after you’ve finished cleaning.

 

[MJMarkey]

I never heard of JB before this thread. I guess that's because I shoot muzzleloaders with a patched round ball. Never get any metal fouling of any kind. Likely never will.

If you're using an abrasive to clean your barrel and getting black residue every time, you are not cleaning your barrel you're lapping the bore. It's fine if you use it sparingly to remove sharp lands but don't use it for cleaning. Dishwash and warm or cold water will clean your barrel spotless. Then dry well and add a rust preventative. You're done. Maybe re oil in a couple of days. If you don't shoot it for a year later it will still be clean.

But I've only been doing this for 40 years and never rusted a barrel, not even a little bit.

So, it's your gun to do as you want. I've donated my 2 cents.

 

[CrackStock]

If water and a few patches do not remove the dark gray residue, then it does not need to be removed.



Seriously, almost all black powder has graphite added to cause it to flow smoothly through the process. Once the actuall BP residue is washed out, these particles are inert and cause no trouble. Yes, they stay in there, but the harmful BP residue which attracts moisture is readily dissolved in water. You can polish your lands to a mirror finish or even make a rifle into a smoothbore, but you are accomplishing nothing of importance in the process. (I generally run a few oiled or Ballistol soaked patches just to be sure, but quit shortly after that measure.)

The exception is if you have some exotic patch lube which causes trouble for your bore through a reaction to by trapping BP residue into your bore.

But the Black Powder residue alone is not a problem once washed out and some bore protectant used.

CS

 

[Dphar]

The bore looked clean after soap and water but scrub with JB compound and patches are black. After 2 oz of JB and 5 oz of Hoppes #9 patches are still black. Is there a faster way?

Its iron oxide. Iron oxide appears in 2 forms red and black, It will appear on the patches so long as JB is used. It is an abrasive after all.

If you are doing this to a barrel with a hot tank blue its rust from the bluing, black iron oxide.
Run it into a brand new in the wight barrel and it will come out black as well. If you polish steel with a 600 grit it will produce black iron from the steel.
So if you use JB and expect clean patches it will not happen.

Once the barrel is clean and dry even a dry patch will pull oxide from the barrel and its black. If the patches are left the oxide will often convert to red form unless they are oiled. Especially if they they are a little damp when they come out of the bore.
BP fouling if damp, will turn black or grey when it dries, not red.

Dan

 

[Dphar]

Graphite is used and was back in the day to make cheap powder shine.
I get black oxide from a clean barrel and I use Swiss which has no graphite.
Dan