χάος wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:44 pm
sometimes I use WD40 as well for cleaning. However, some shooters have advised me not to expose the barrel with WD40 for too long because it may harm the blueing, don't know whether it is a fact or a myth.
Before the shooting session, you lube the parts of your shotgun that will be wearing against each other, like the hinge pins, etc. Here I find Ballistol to be too thin an oil (lower viscosity) and in stead use either, Hoppes or Outers (simply because I have them handy), but any other slightly thicker (more viscous) gun oil will do just fine for this purpose.
WD40 spray is used after a shooting session as a cheap and easy way to wash off the excess oil and built up crud (if any) from those parts. It works well for this, essentially because it is really "thin" (lower viscosity) as compared to most other oils which need to lubricate as well. The only thing you need to worry about with WD40 is to keep it well away from any wood, as it will damage it. Also, since WD40 leaves behind a deposit, I am not a big fan of it, though I use it once in a while. The WD40 bottle in my range bag gets used mostly by others
After a shooting session is over, I make sure to wipe away all of the lube I have applied before the shooting session and any other place the excess may have seeped too (this is mostly at the bottom of the action). Once this is done, I quickly run a bore snake through each barrel 2 or 3 times. Then wipe down the action, barrel and especially the rib with an oily cloth/ sportsmans cloth to get rid of the fingerprints (they are rust magnets). Then put it in a gun sock before returning it to the case.
χάος wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:44 pm
Can you please recommend a good solvent!
Frankly I've only ever used Remington Brite Bore for this, as I still haven't finished the can which I bought back in 1996. So I haven't gotten around to opening or trying any of the others! As you can tell, I don't really get to do much shooting with centrefire rifles
χάος wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:44 pm
I shoot good quantities, not too much but between the volumes of 7500 to 10000 cartridges every year, so far I haven't seen any plastic wad leftovers, I may be missing it, but I clean my gun every week and then regrease it, so maybe because of this it is not getting deposited.
Regards!
Plastic wad fouling isn't easily visible to the naked eye, as it forms a smooth coat on the inside of the barrel, mostly in/ around the chokes. That said, not all plastic wads are created equal and some will cause more fouling that others, so the amount of fouling you will experience depends on the cartridges you are using. BUT rest assured, all of them do cause fouling.
From
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=764&start=15#p261078
mundaire wrote: ↑Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:53 pm
A good substitute for cleaning
plastic wad fouling/ residue from shotgun barrels (chiefly in/ around the chokes) is
carb cleaner spray. Caution: KEEP WELL AWAY from wood and synthetic stocks. Also, make sure to wear rubber gloves (always good idea when cleaning your gun) to prevent skin irritation AND use in a well ventilated area. Also, while this works for shotgun barrel fouling, which is chiefly carbon and plastic wad residue, it wont work in rifle barrels where copper coated bullets leave behind copper residue. For that you need a copper solvent (which in turn is useless for cleaning plastic wad residue from shotgun barrels).
METHOD OF USE: Spray in the barrel and allow to penetrate the deposits for 10 minutes. After this when you look down the barrels, you will see the fouling curling up and it can now be removed easily using a suitable bronze/ brass brush. For excessive fouling, you may need to repeat this 2 - 3 times, but if you clean your shotgun barrels after every 500 rounds, one application should be fine.
As mentioned above, I've been using a Talbros carb cleaner spray I ordered off Amazon, but almost any carb cleaner spray should work equally well as the chief ingredient in most is Acetone (mixed with the secret sauce of each brand). Acetone wreaks hell on plastic and if you have access to lab grade acetone, you can use that as well. Just follow the same precautions as mentioned above.
I like to typically address this kind of fouling every 500 - 1,000 rounds or so, otherwise the build up gets excessive and while the guns still shoot just fine, I don't like to leave it in there
Also, when reinstalling the chokes, make sure that the threads are clean and that you lube them with either a high viscosity oil or grease which has a high temperature rating. I use Tetra lube for this, but there are plenty of other good ones out there, I see many shooters using Perazzi grease which is excellent as well.
HTH
Cheers!
Abhijeet
