Dark Bore on Enfield?

telesquirt

telesquirt

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
46   0   0
Location
Fort Frances
Hi all---I have run into an Enfield with a dark bore and was wondering what was the best product and method of giving it the best possible cleaning before trying it at the range.

Also---what is the worst I can expect from this rifle---it's going to be a shooter ( I hope ) and as long a I can get minute of deer from it I will be happy.

Any thoughts will be helpfull!

Take care,

Rob.
 
my 303 had a black sewer pipe bore previous owner shot corrosive and never cleaned it properly.it was realy ugly. all i did was scrub with a 410 stainless brush with eds red.got most of the rust and black crap out.took it to the range it shoots 10 inch groups at 300 meters.it is as good if not the best 2 groove 303 ive ever had.my point is i guess that bore appearances are very misleading.shooting it realy knocked alot of the crap out of the bore.
 
As said before, dark bore means nothing. If it looks dirty, give it a good cleaning with a bore brush and some solvent patches followed by some oily ones. After the cleaning, look down the bore and check the rifling, if it looks good the head out to the range. After five round the bore will brighten right up.

My first rifle was a Parker Hale No.1 MkIII* made by lithgow. The bore was awful, it was rusty, dark, and dirty as hell. But after about half an hour of scrubbung it turned out prety good, its a bit over sized but it still shoots straight. But for a $1 rifle, I think its pretty good.
 
Thanks for the replies---this was my buddies dad's rifle ( passed away about 5 years ago ) and I can only guess at the last time it was fired---it has sat in a case in the closet and I'm pretty sure it was not cleaned before it was put away, way back whenever. It looks like a dirty shotgun bore---with what looks like unburnt powder stuck all over inside. Should a guy try to saturate the barrell with solvent and then let it set for a while before brushing, or should I look for the pastes I have heard about on some other threads?
 
Just let the solvent do its job, let it sit for a few minutes between swipes. You'll know quickly enough whether there was permanent damage (pitting).
 
Last edited:
all i did was dump a bunch of eds red down it scrubbed 5 times wiped with patches,.did sot. then i discharged 15 rnds.there is peramanent pitting but dont let that discourage you.ive had pitted crappy bores that have shot well looks arent everything
 
You can put some penetrating oil inside, lets soak for a couple hours and run a bore brush severals times. After clean with a good bore solvent and wipe with severals clean patches. If the rifling look deep and sharp, he will shoot pretty well.
 
telesquirt said:
Hi all---I have run into an Enfield with a dark bore and was wondering what was the best product and method of giving it the best possible cleaning before trying it at the range.
Click to expand...

The old standby solvents are copper and powder fouling dissolvers, designed for fresh deposits. But they generally can't do much more than wet down the rust. with their ammonia and petroleum based cutters. The newest formulas use anti-oxidents and are nontoxic. Some guys swear at foaming barrel cleaners; others swear at them.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
The old standby solvents are copper and powder fouling dissolvers, designed for fresh deposits. But they generally can't do much more than wet down the rust. with their ammonia and petroleum based cutters. The newest formulas use anti-oxidents and are nontoxic. Some guys swear at foaming barrel cleaners; others swear at them.
Click to expand...

I have a had good success with Wipe Out foaming bore cleaner....i have a O3/A3 Springfield and P14..with dirty bores.. a steady diet of Wipe Out over several days,,,and patches...the crap that came out of those bores was amazing...
 
Dark bores and Enfields are the norm. No? You can clean it and clean it and clean it. It will always stay dark. As long as it hits where you aim, that's all that matters. How does it shoot?

Also, my dad's enfield used to be terrible with military ammo and just fine with regular hunting ammo. I suspect the ammo, more than the rifle were to blame. Old ammo can vary greatly in velocity from one to another.
 
You could also try an electronic bore cleaner. Either buy one or make one. There is a section with plans for a home-made one on Suplusrifle.com.
 
arch1965 said:
Here is the best stuff going. I had just your problem, dirty old enfield barrel. This stuff took it from dark to shiny, near new. Simply amazing !!! A Friend of mine is a distributor.

http://www.sharpshootr.com/

Arch:)
Click to expand...


I also highly recommend this product also...if you have a dirty bore it will clean it up....no BS....just make sure you have lots of patches and cleaning rod.

You will also need some patience...several days..let the bore cleaner sit overnight..then use the cleaning rod and patch...:dancingbanana:
 
I have the idea that some of these modern cleaners are organic anti-oxidents. I think they have a carrier and some simple ingrediant that eats the iron oxides then trap the sludge.
 
arch1965 said:
Here is the best stuff going. I had just your problem, dirty old enfield barrel. This stuff took it from dark to shiny, near new. Simply amazing !!! A Friend of mine is a distributor.

http://www.sharpshootr.com/

Arch:)
Click to expand...

So, how does one get a hold of some of this wipeout. Does your friend have an e-mail address? I'd like to try some of this.

I've checked the local gun shops around London and have not seen it on the shelves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom