hey guys, so my father in law has finally decided to give me his old enfield. im not sure how to tell what it is but its stamped 1916 on it. hes had it since who knows when but its been a good 40 years or so. that means in 40 years it hasnt been cleaned and was sitting in a closet barrel up. ive cleaned it once for him and got it somewhat clean but the barrel still has what looks like little hairs inside of it. im guessing its dust and stuff thats settled in there from years of not being stored properly or cleaned. this thing was alot worse when i cleaned it for him a few months ago, looked like a little pipe cleaner flipped inside out. so itll come clean its just being a bit of a pain to get cleaner. im hoping you guys have some tips and tricks for me to get this thing cleaned out so i can take it out and shoot it and not have any issues with it. aside form that everything works good. the bolt slides smoothly and trigger pull is very smooth aswell.
cleaning an old lee enfield?
- Thread starter uchi
- Start date
Really bad cases of bore neglect can be somewhat helped by plugging the muzzle with some sort of cork, then filling the barrel with bore cleaner and let it sit overnight. Better to do this with the barrel action stripped, easier to work on and clean.
ive run the brush through it many times. ill have to spend some more time on it, maybe ill soak it tonight and let it sit and then play with it tomorrow. speaking of which, i soaked the barrel for my shotgun two weeks ago and forgot about it in the basement, lol
Foaming bore cleaner
Try the foaming bore cleaner. I usually pack the chamber of a rifle fairly tightly with cleaning patches, and give it a good shot of the stuff from the muzzle end. Wrap the muzzle in a large cloth, give it a shot, then tilt the rifle about 45 degrees when the excess starts to foam out the muzzle. Whe the foaming stops, follow the directions on the can as to the position of the barrel, and wait the recommended length of time.
If you still have crud in the bore, you might try using a fairly aggressive cleaning brush to loosen up the stuff, followed by another foaming cleaning. If this does not really work, then it is time to make a decision as to what to do with the rifle, with wall hanging being one alternative.
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Try the foaming bore cleaner. I usually pack the chamber of a rifle fairly tightly with cleaning patches, and give it a good shot of the stuff from the muzzle end. Wrap the muzzle in a large cloth, give it a shot, then tilt the rifle about 45 degrees when the excess starts to foam out the muzzle. Whe the foaming stops, follow the directions on the can as to the position of the barrel, and wait the recommended length of time.
If you still have crud in the bore, you might try using a fairly aggressive cleaning brush to loosen up the stuff, followed by another foaming cleaning. If this does not really work, then it is time to make a decision as to what to do with the rifle, with wall hanging being one alternative.
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funny thing is that process came to mind, clean it hot. lol
thanks for the tips on the foaming stuff ill look for it if i cant get it clean
Next time at the range, bring a cleaning rod with a nylon bristle bore brush and a small container of grease that you can coat the bore brush with.
Nylon bristle bore brush is important because they are not stiff enough, like brass, to leave some areas uncovered with grease.
Dip the brush in the grease and put aside for awhile.
Fire 5 rounds as quick as you can.
Remove bolt quickly and run the rod with the bore brush and grease down the bore back and forth a few times ensuring the bore is well coated with grease. Leave it at least overnight and preferably until next time you can take it to the range again.
Next time at the range, use a jag and patch to push through all the grease out of the barrel. Fire as much as you need to and repeat the above process at the end of the day.
After 3 or 4 repeats, then clean the grease out at home and only then use bore solvent and see if it has improved. Results just might surprise you. Just use a decent grease with low sulfur content and non-hygroscopic, if possible.
Nylon bristle bore brush is important because they are not stiff enough, like brass, to leave some areas uncovered with grease.
Dip the brush in the grease and put aside for awhile.
Fire 5 rounds as quick as you can.
Remove bolt quickly and run the rod with the bore brush and grease down the bore back and forth a few times ensuring the bore is well coated with grease. Leave it at least overnight and preferably until next time you can take it to the range again.
Next time at the range, use a jag and patch to push through all the grease out of the barrel. Fire as much as you need to and repeat the above process at the end of the day.
After 3 or 4 repeats, then clean the grease out at home and only then use bore solvent and see if it has improved. Results just might surprise you. Just use a decent grease with low sulfur content and non-hygroscopic, if possible.
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Nope. Standard procedure with Swiss K31s and older Swiss Rifles. Even on the newer Stgw 57 and Stgw90
Grease does not obstruct the bore. Nylon bristles leaves a thin layer on the bore.
Even if you should forget to de-grease it, only problem will be a cloud of smoke from the grease burning up. The Swiss call it a "Fettschuss", literally a grease shot.
It would be grounds to buy a round a drinks for everyone who witnesses it at the range.
Grease does not obstruct the bore. Nylon bristles leaves a thin layer on the bore.
Even if you should forget to de-grease it, only problem will be a cloud of smoke from the grease burning up. The Swiss call it a "Fettschuss", literally a grease shot.
It would be grounds to buy a round a drinks for everyone who witnesses it at the range.
I was also surprised to see the Swiss using grease in their bores at Borden.
Some of the Swiss 7.5 surplus ammo comes with what appears to be a thick ring of grease around where the bullet meets with the case neck. The ammo seems to shoot well enough all the same.
Some of the Swiss 7.5 surplus ammo comes with what appears to be a thick ring of grease around where the bullet meets with the case neck. The ammo seems to shoot well enough all the same.
On the Swiss ammo, that's actually a wax, like candle wax and bee's wax, most likely a mixture.
Many of the older Swiss guys bemoan that fact that the post 1979 GP11 does not have the wax ring anymore. They think it keeps the rifles with some throat erosion shoot well longer.
Hand loads are not allowed so you can not seat the bullets longer than production ammo to make up for throat erosion.
Many of the older Swiss guys bemoan that fact that the post 1979 GP11 does not have the wax ring anymore. They think it keeps the rifles with some throat erosion shoot well longer.
Hand loads are not allowed so you can not seat the bullets longer than production ammo to make up for throat erosion.
