Cleaning Brushes (a quick question)

Qball-16

Qball-16

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What's the lifespan of a bronze cleaning brush?

I'm fairly new to precision shooting, and bought my first cleaning rod, jags & brushes a few months back. The bronze brush used to be fairly snug in the barrel and would take enough force to run it through & back that I knew it was giving the barrel a good scrub. Now, it doesn't feel like it's making much contact with the barrel at all, and I'm going through more patches (wet & dry) than ever before.

The brushes are fairly cheap, so I'm not overly concerned, but this maybe explains why they can be purchased in 'bulk packs'...

Are nylon brushes any more durable? Do they scrub/clean as well as the bronze brushes?

Please educate me!!!
 
I've read a few posts around the web claiming that brass brushes can cause premature wear on barrels so I have steered clear myself. I get good results from nylon so I won't be changing my routine anytime soon. Also, they don't seem to wear out, I replace them every 3-4 cleanings just because they start to hold residues that leave trace on the patches. Makes it hard for me to read the state of the barrel when I'm getting false copper/carbon on my patches after a scrub.

Another thing to think about is how often you are cleaning. With the exception of BR shooters who may clean as often as after every shot, some shooters may find that their rifle will maintain very good accuracy for hundreds of rounds. Personally, I rarely clean my two precision rifles inside of 300 rounds unless they're being put away for winter or I plan on shooting a long match.

Just food for thought
 
I just use Wipeout bore cleaner every 300 rounds, no brush. 2000 rounds down the tube of my AI now, all is well.

Also did you say you are running it through the barrel and then back out the breech? You should only go one way, breech to muzzle, remove patch or brush and gently pull the empty rod back.
 
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I say drop brushes all together. If you want to brush your bore use VFG pellets with brass infused in the wool felt. Best part every cleaning has a new "brush". They hug the bore really well.


Only brushes I use are chamber ones, rest patches, wipe out and VFG pellets (both regular and superintensive).
 
Qball-16 said:
What's the lifespan of a bronze cleaning brush?

I'm fairly new to precision shooting, and bought my first cleaning rod, jags & brushes a few months back. The bronze brush used to be fairly snug in the barrel and would take enough force to run it through & back that I knew it was giving the barrel a good scrub. Now, it doesn't feel like it's making much contact with the barrel at all, and I'm going through more patches (wet & dry) than ever before.

The brushes are fairly cheap, so I'm not overly concerned, but this maybe explains why they can be purchased in 'bulk packs'...

Are nylon brushes any more durable? Do they scrub/clean as well as the bronze brushes?

Please educate me!!!
Click to expand...

You should be using a quality one piece rod with a ball bearing handle and a good bore guide.

If you are using a copper eating solution, use nylon brushes. The copper solvent eats bronze brushes.

If you are not using a copper solvent you will have to eventually or a bit of JB Bore Cleaning Paste on your bronze brush once in a while.
 
Brass core bronze bristle brushes are pretty cheap and come in bulk packs as you say. I just buy a bunch and throw them away when they start to wear.

One of the down sides is the solvent will continue to act on the bristles as it sits in storage waiting for the next use. You can use nylon brushes as well, I have used both.

I you prefer the bronze brushes and the intervals between use of the brush is longer you can try rinsing the brush in alcohol after use before hanging up your cleaning rod. Its a tad OCD I know but it rinses off a lot of the left over solvent.
 
I realize there are many differing opinions on just about everything in shooting - but especially when it comes to cleaning rituals and schedules. If/when my skills get to a point where I can notice a difference between cleaning interval length, I'll take it into consideration. Until then, my barrel gets a decent cleaning after at least every other trip to the range or bush, regardless of the number of rounds fired.


guntech said:
You should be using a quality one piece rod with a ball bearing handle and a good bore guide.

If you are using a copper eating solution, use nylon brushes. The copper solvent eats bronze brushes.

If you are not using a copper solvent you will have to eventually or a bit of JB Bore Cleaning Paste on your bronze brush once in a while.
Click to expand...

Yep, got a 1-piece coated rod and bore guide straight from Dewey (back when the exchange rate was more in our favour). I'm using Shooter's Choice MC-7, which does have a copper solvent in it. It seems to work great, but man does it stink...



njohnson said:
Brass core bronze bristle brushes are pretty cheap and come in bulk packs as you say. I just buy a bunch and throw them away when they start to wear.

One of the down sides is the solvent will continue to act on the bristles as it sits in storage waiting for the next use. You can use nylon brushes as well, I have used both.

I you prefer the bronze brushes and the intervals between use of the brush is longer you can try rinsing the brush in alcohol after use before hanging up your cleaning rod. Its a tad OCD I know but it rinses off a lot of the left over solvent.
Click to expand...

Never thought about the copper core of the bronze brush VS the copper solvent - it makes complete sense now why the brush seems 'smaller' after a couple dozen uses... I might give a nylon brush a try next, or just get a bulk pack of the 'disposable' bronze brushes.
 
Qball-16 said:
Never thought about the copper core of the bronze brush VS the copper solvent - it makes complete sense now why the brush seems 'smaller' after a couple dozen uses... I might give a nylon brush a try next, or just get a bulk pack of the 'disposable' bronze brushes.
Click to expand...

When using a copper solvent and a bronze brush you will always get a false indication of jacket fouling on your patches...
 
There is so many different way to clean and the timing of ones cleaning.
I believe that there has been enough effort put in to validate that brushing done properly will not damage ones barrel.
In my experience chemical cleaning will not completely clean a barrel, it needs the addition of a mechanical element to get a barrel completely clean. This does not mean a barrel has to be completely clean to shoot well.
For those using brushes the nylon ones outlast the bronze brush by a noticeable margin but they do have a shot coming.
To make the nylon bristles stiff they have to be of a large diameter, which reduces the flexibility and volume of bristles.
It makes it more difficult for these bristles to get into the corners of the groove of the rifling.
The bronze brushes have a noticeable higher bristle count with a smaller diameter to them, this aids in reaching the corners of the grooves.
As mentioned above the neutralizing of the solvent with isopropyl alcohol with extend the life of a bronze brush, as well as clean it for its next use.
 
In the Short Range BR world 90+% will clean after every target. Average of 8-12 shots per target. Majority use bronze brushes. We do NOT worry about pulling it back over the crown.SS is a lot harder than the brushes. I use First Choice bore cleaner, Bore Tech Eliminator and my bronze brushes. The key is to Neautralize your brush after brushing. In regards to false readings of copper, most get away from that using aluminium rod jags. I do not worry if I have false readings because I do not have that. I know my routine works. The bore scope has proven it over and over.

What you will not see, multiple piece rods,stainless brushes and lack of a quality bore guide and the dreaded bore snake. All bore snakes should be thrown in the burn barrel. Nylon brushes are used to short stroke Iosso bore paste after every yardage.
 
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