Mauser barrell question

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rustynut1

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I have recently purchased two 8mm Mausers. One is a VZ24 and the other is a Mannlicher 1904 Portuguese Verguiro. Both of these are in good shape. The bbls. looked good at purchase. I took them out this AM and they fired well enough. Got home and proceeded to clean them after firing and what a mess in the bbls. I had 24 reloads from the one vendor, they were older and the primers had a green ring around them but I was assured they were modern primers. I fired these off 4 at the time and than fired of 4 each gun new factory ammo. The factory ammo was way better than the reloads, glad to be done with them. I won't say these guns punch a single hole but with the factory ammo more or less free hand from a bench using my elbows on the bench three of 4 were within a couple inches kind of thing at 50 yards. And I wasn't trying all that hard. I'm not a great shot at the best of times.

Anyway I worked pretty hard to try to get some shine into the bbls. The bbls. were clean before firing and I might have oiled them prior to the range visit. But I had a lot of work and the bbls. aren't what I would like them to be. I used some brass wire brushes for a .38 special and one for a .30 cal and I used Hoppes oil and Pro-Stop one step cleaner and lubricant than hoppes oil. Wiping down often. The bbls. are dull, maybe a little shine and likely black in the groves.

Wondering if this is the best it is going to get? Anything else I can do? As long as the guns work OK, I'm not too worried I guess.

Thanks EH!
 
I shoot mostly hot-burning S and B FMJ stuff. This makes cleaning a total breeze.

You can source Hornady Match grade 8mm ammo for the same price as a box of S and B now.. A lot of people will also knock the Federal 8mm, however at 100 meters and less I found the point of aim to be very natural compared to the other 8mm ammo types I have used, allowing for easy shooting and therefore better grouping.

A lot of the time, these guns will out shoot the shooter! I would recommend trying the Hornady stuff as well as the Federal. As for the reloads, could be Russian capture ammo, maybe Romanian or even German. Surplus ammo for these guns can be had now, but only Russian Capture it would seem. I was lucky and nabbed 180 rounds of the Portuguese surplus ammo which is easily sub-MOA capable; if you find it, buy it! Non-corrosive too.

As for cleaning, I use a bore brush, a pull through and some solvent and it's mirror every time. Not sure why yours would be like that.
 
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Be careful, you can do more harm than good if you get too aggressive.
Did you try a copper solvent? Hoppe's Bench Rest Copper Solvent or Sweet's 7.62 for instance?
 
I have a Hoppe copper solvent and another kind. I think the refuse might have been powder but it didn't want to come off. I have a .38 special bore brush that seems to work well made of copper or brass. I'll take another stab at it. The factory ammo was S&B I'm pretty sure. Cost about $35 for 20 rounds. The reloads were old hand loads not corrosive but weird projectiles. Gone now, they were done by a good gun guy.
 
Not surprising for used military barrels which usually come with an accumulation of fouling. It's worth trying an de-coppering agent, like Butch's Bore Shine or Sweets 7.62 as well as the previously mentioned JB Bore Paste, a mild abrasive which has been around for a long time.

A dark bore can still produce good groups if the rifling is not unduly worn and the crown is in good shape.
 
If the barrels are pitted to any degree, trying to get them squeaky clean can be a wasted effort. If you have access to some Wipeout, give that a go....
 
Wet the barrels with a good copper solvent or Wipeout and leave them muzzle down on a pad of paper towel over night. The amount of gunk the next day on the paper will tell you how dirty the barrel is. Repeat if required. One day the pad won't show more crud. Oil it and put it away.

This method does not harm. No physical scrubbing.

In this example, rifles took 2 or 4 days

CLEANING PAD.jpg
 

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Don't go crazy with rods, pull-throughs and steel or brass brushes. Over use is greatest cause of damage to the bore.
Avoid corrosive ammo. it's cheap for a reason.
Wipeout is good. I use it occasionally and I mostly grease the bores as per Swiss practice.
 
A couple milsurps I've had were real dark down the bore initially, great rifling but dark bore, after a couple trip to the range and cleanings they shine like new. I wouldn't be surprised if they brighten up after repeated shooting and normal cleaning.
 
Thank you guys for the responses. I will keep them oiled and will shoot off the 40 factory rounds I have. I have the reloading setup and IMR 4350. Try to go to the range again soon.
 
Curious on the Swiss bore-greasing practice...seems like it would be great for where I live (very humid) in terms of longevity. Would anyone be able to provide their steps on this?
 
1) Attach .30 caliber NYLON brush tip on solid rod.
2) Dip brush into grease of your choice.
3) Remove bolt and mag.
4) Insert rod into rear of action. You can use the rear plug of the Swiss rifle bolt as a bore guide.
5) Pass greased brush minimum of three times and rotate the brush with each pass. Keep brush in muzzle.
6) Take home and put it away/store the rifle.
Next time you are about to shoot it.
7) Get a close fitting patch jag ( not the one with a slot) onto your rod.
8) Run a patch once all the way through bore, carefully near muzzle. You can reverse the patch for the second pass to have a cleaner patch surface, then repeat with a new patch.

Simple as that.
I only use bore cleaner after 300 or so rounds, or once a year if rifle was shot.
Pictures to follow. IF needed.
 
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diopter said:
1) Attach .30 caliber NYLON brush tip on solid rod.
2) Dip brush into grease of your choice.
3) Remove bolt and mag.
4) Insert rod into rear of action. You can use the rear plug of the bolt as a bore guide.
5) Pass greased brush minimum of three times and rotate the brush with each pass. Keep brush in muzzle.
6) Take home and put it away.store the rifle.
Next time you are about to shoot it.
7) Get a close fitting patch jag ( not the one with a slot) onto your rod.
8) Run a patch once all the way through bore, carefully near muzzle. You can reverse the patch for the second pass, then repeat with a new patch.
Simple as that.
I only use bore cleaner after 300 or so rounds, or once a year if rifle was shot.
Pictures to follow. IF needed.
Click to expand...

That sounds...so much better then what I was taught in the army on so many levels for an already cleaned rifle.

Thank you for this!
 
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