Range Bore Cleaner

[Iron Head]

I'm curious to know what you guys use to clean your bore while on the range.
Currently I am using the same soap water for both strip down cleaning and bore cleaning for every shot.
After each shot, I just moist a patch with the soap solution, stroke it down the bore, and then run a few dry patch after that. I need to know a more efficient technique.

Thanks

[Curly]

Windex works wonders.

[CP]

Windex, baby wipes, soapy water all work.  Just be sure that you clear the nipple by firing a cap or two after you clean with anything water based. 

[MagKarl]

Anyone ever try a dry brush?  When shooting paper with light loads in the 50-60gr range with bore butter lubed patches I can shoot as long as I want and don't really need to clean till I get home.  When sighting in with 100gr for my hunting load I get a lot of fouling in a few shots.  A couple passes with a brush and then pop a cap seems to knock off the fouling and let me load easily.  I'd never considered a brush for range cleaning but a buddy was doing it so I tried it, seemed to work great.  I'm scared of wet patches pushing goop down into my breech and flash channel.  Until I tried a brush I was using Hoppe's #9 solvent and patch lube as a range cleaning solution.  I'm also going to try it for patch lube instead of bore butter during a range session and see how it does in the fouling department. 

[Iron Head]

Curly,
You use windex for strip down cleaning too?

No kidding about the dry firing CP.
I could of tagged my cow within half an hour of the hunt but I forgot to pop a cap or two before the load.
The elk just looked at me after she heard the pop instead of a boom. Then she stuck her tongue out and gracefully walked off.

[Curly]

Curly,
You use windex for strip down cleaning too?

Yes, I have.  I still like to do the 'hot soapy water in a bucket' thing too.  But windex really gets it cleaned up fast.

[rasbo]

Anyone ever try a dry brush?  When shooting paper with light loads in the 50-60gr range with bore butter lubed patches I can shoot as long as I want and don't really need to clean till I get home.  When sighting in with 100gr for my hunting load I get a lot of fouling in a few shots.  A couple passes with a brush and then pop a cap seems to knock off the fouling and let me load easily.  I'd never considered a brush for range cleaning but a buddy was doing it so I tried it, seemed to work great.  I'm scared of wet patches pushing goop down into my breech and flash channel.  Until I tried a brush I was using Hoppe's #9 solvent and patch lube as a range cleaning solution.  I'm also going to try it for patch lube instead of bore butter during a range session and see how it does in the fouling department. 

I do the same thing,works for me also

[DBake]

Two questions for two different guys....

Curly: Do you take a bottle of windex with you to the range, stray a patch after a shot then run a dry patch after and follow that with one or two dry fires?

Rasbo: Fiber or brass brush you use to clean in between shots?

[rasbo]

Two questions for two different guys....

Curly: Do you take a bottle of windex with you to the range, stray a patch after a shot then run a dry patch after and follow that with one or two dry fires?

Rasbo: Fiber or brass brush you use to clean in between shots?

Rasbo..I use a brass brush once between shots dump out grit.after about 7 to 10 shots I will run a patch with thompsons bore cleaner through it and dry it then fire a couple of caps.My Gun is stainless,when cleaning I take it apart cleal it with soap and water,dry it,and I put some breakfree on a patch and lighyly coat inside of the barrel,and grease the nipple.Before shooting I run a couple of dry patches and two caps,1st round I shoot off target.

[Curly]

Dbake - I do take windex with me to the range, but I don't usually spay a patch with windex after every shot.  I think that just getting the barrel clean enough to easily get a new round down the barrel is good enough.......and usually just spit on a patch works for that.  Just moisten a patch with spit and run it down the barrel followed by a dry patch or two.  Then pop of a couple caps before shooting again.  If you've shot so many times that the barrel is getting real gunky, then use windex to get it really clean again.

[DBake]

Thanks guys...

[CP]

I’ve tried both brass and fiber brushes for cleaning and quickly found that they goo up when shooting “wet bore” i.e. patched balls and lubed conicals.  But cleaning really isn’t necessary with these loads; you just push the fouling onto the next charge when loading.   

Sabots are different though.  I’m just getting my feet wet with sabot shooting but I’m finding their accuracy drops off with a dirty bore.  Since sabots are supposed to be loaded without lube, brush cleaning makes a lot of sense.

[Iron Head]

Once a while I get a delay ignition; cap pops then powder ignites a few milliseconds after.
Anyone know what is causing this. Maybe too much fouling?

[stumprat]

Once a while I get a delay ignition; cap pops then powder ignites a few milliseconds after.
Anyone know what is causing this. Maybe too much fouling?

What kind of gun ?
Are you seating your bullet good ? My old traditional gun would delay. My inline fires like a rifle, no noticeable hang time.

[shag]

Stuff a patch or two in my mouth.  get it damp run it through.   dry patch's to follow then blast off one cap.  Not a problem shooting 8-10 rounds.    But I use 777 so that might help.

[CP]

Once a while I get a delay ignition; cap pops then powder ignites a few milliseconds after.
Anyone know what is causing this. Maybe too much fouling?

Hang-fires are caused by some foreign matter, usually moisture, getting between the ignition source and the charge.  A hot piece of material from the cap eventually burns through the blocking matter and then lights the charge.  The delay can be anywhere from a few milliseconds to a few seconds. 

My hang-fires are always on the first shot after cleaning when I get lazy about clearing the nipple by popping a cap before loading.  I’ve found that my inline is more susceptible to hang-fires and non-fires than my sidelock.  The design of the sidelock allows the bits of foreign matter to fall onto the breach plug where it is covered by the charge; the flash hole being slightly in front of the breach plug face is somewhat forgiving.  With the inline design the bits fall directly into the flash hole, blocking it. 

The solution is to always clear the nipple after cleaning.