cleaning solution

whitey07

CGN Regular
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does anybody know what or how the average conscriptused to clean his rifle after shooting corrosive ammo..did they use a special solution to neutrilize the salts?i cant see them using boiling water every day any inf would be great thanks
 
Hot water and soap solution-at least in a rifle range scenario. What works best is a tight fitting patch with the muzzle immersed in water. Then pump the rod back and forth from the breech end with the patch acting as a piston.

In Brit/Cdn service there was a special funnel issued which could be inserted in the chamber to allow a hot water rinse down the bore.

In WW2 the US Army issued small cans of a foul smelling water based concoction which could be carried in a troopies ammo pouch.
 
All the troops used was boiling water followed by just oiling the bore, the boiling water removed the corrosive priming salts and any carbon residue. The Armourers would mix the copper cleaning chemicals and clean the copper out of the bore during one of the four yearly inspections of the rifle.

(Source 1931 British military publication "Inspection for Armourers")
This means NO ONE had any Hoppe's no.9, Butches Bore Shine or any type copper cleaners.

KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. ;)

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In Hemingway's "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" all they did after shooting their rifles on safari was the same thing, pore boiling water down the bore and use the rest of the water to make tea.
 
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