Cleaning a dark bore?

LawrenceN

LawrenceN

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
240   0   0
Location
Toronto (West end)
I picked up a nice Lee Enfield in very good shape. The stock needed some work but my concern was the dark bore. I've owned and shot a lot of milsurps over the years but this was the first time I've tried to bring shine back to dark bore. The rifling is very good and strong and there's no pitting evident, but it's dark with old fouling. I've been through about 20 cycles of Hoppes #9, brushing, patching (with Break Free), until I get a clean patch. When I start the process again, it's like I've never touched it and the patches come out black. I don't want to hit it with any actual abrasives like steel wool or valve grinding compound. I doubt the fouling will affect accuracy, given how good the rifling is. I was told that several cycles of shooting and cleaning with help as the heat expands the molecular structure and permits deeper cleaning, but I've never met anyone for whom that actually worked. So my fellow gunnutz, any thoughts?
 
Just keep cleaning it. You have alternating layers of copper and carbon fouling built up that needs to be removed. Wipeout is the best copper remover I've ever used, and Balistol/Gunzilla are equally the best for carbon brushing. Takes time but it will come out.
 
I've used a bore paste in the past with success. I cleaned the bore as best as I could then ran a sacrificial bore mop with the paste on it. It isn't too gritty so many passes really helped to achieve some shine.
 
Might I suggest that you take a look at cleaning using Electrolysis. So easy to put together, you wont believe it!

I can't recommend this process enough for the easiest and quickest way of getting dirty sewer pipe bores to look like clean sewer pipes!
It removes everything, carbon, copper, nickle, rust, but wont touch the parent metal, no matter how long you run it.

It costs so little to do, yet works like a charm.
 
Exactly! If the bore is pitted, the pitting will still be there - but it will be clean pitting.
 
Wipe out has worked for me on any bore so far. Potent stuff. I’ve also stuck a bronze brush attached to cleaning rod in a drill and used that to power clean the bore , only thing is to go from chamber end if possible and if not use a bore guide etc to protect the crown , just go moderate speed , too fast disentegrates the brush and causes a lot of wobble in the rod. I’ve only done this a couple times with real bad bores but it does work.
 
I had a Krag like that.
Used Hoppes #9 with about 30-40 patches..didn't matter, still came out black.
Then I used Wipeout every morning for a week. Let it sit for 24 hrs ran more patches until dry repeat.
Went from black to very dark turquoise blue to a clean wet patch.
That was the darkest barrel I've done. I like using Wipeout.
Now I only use Hoppes after a day at the range to bring back all to shining clean again.
 
Last edited:
If the rifle shoots well with a dark bore, and there's no active rust, just follow normal cleaning routine. Some rifles actually shoot better with some fouling. Clean is good, but being overly anal isn't. Many bores have been ruined by over zealous cleaning and poor cleaning technique.
 
No I did not. I put a soft ear plug in the chamber end, then squirted it in from the muzzle when it started foaming out the muzzle a bit I plugged the muzzle with another ear plug and let it it for 24 hours (make sure the barrel is close to horizontal. I repeated this 3 times using patches with hoppes no.9 in between
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom