preventing corrosion in the bore...

[fuel tanker man]

Just wondering what some of you guys think about the issue of leaving a gun bore fouled with powder, copper, etc., for an extended period of time.

I have heard that the copper can react with the carbon steel in the bore and cause corrosion.

I have also heard that there is so much graphite in the powder fouling that this corrosion really isn't an issue. Does graphite inhibit corrosion?

Further, I have heard that so long as there is a coating of the proper kind of oil (for instance, Kroil) which will flow between the layers of copper and steel that corrosion cannot occur.

I used to clean my gun barrels until I saw no fouling whatsoever on the patch. Nowadays, I believe that some fouling, so long as it is in the presence of a thin, penetrating solvent like oil, should not be a problem.

What say you folks?

Dan

 

[johnsmith]

Arrgh! I fight a continuous battle with one person in particular on this.

Here's his argument:
"It's only a _________, running a couple rounds through it isn't going to hurt it."

Here's my argument:
"It's a _________, running a couple patches through it isn't going to hurt it."

It's just bizarre that someone would spend all that time and money on a hobby and then whine about cleaning. Doesn't make sense. A gun with a good design can withstand a lot of abuse [there's a guy on an FAL forum who has run almost 11,000 rounds of surplus ammo through his WITHOUT CLEANING, and it still shoots!] but a little maintenance can go such a long way, why would you fight it? Don't have to clean everything to death, just run a patch or two w/solvent, let it sit, run a few dry patches, and finish up with an oiled patch...you're done. Nothing else really needed for the average shooter. If you really don't give a ****, at least run one or two patches of something through it, or get one of those BoreSnakes.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest...

 

[fuel tanker man]

Here's the thing that confuses me...

Read this article: http://www.6mmbr.com/borebrushing.html

Even the top competitors and barrel makers disagree about cleaning. Some of the better known competitors mention that they rarely clean their barrels. Jerry Tierney said "For my 6.5-284 and .284 I clean every 100-150 rounds and normally do not brush. I'll go even longer with the .308. I've found that my X-count peaked with the Palma rifle at the fourth or fifth match (about 200-300 rounds)."

I would not be comfortable not cleaning at all, but I have come to believe that cleaning down to bare metal each time is probably not a good idea. Even if it has no ill effects on the bore itself, it does (for most rifles, anyway) adversely affect the accuracy of the first few shots that are fired.

If a coating of the proper oil or mild solvent can prevent corrosion (which I believe that it can) then I think the best scenario is to clean the major fouling out of the bore, and just leave some "conditioning fouling" in there, with some Kroil or Hoppes number 9 to prevent rust.

Dan

 

[johnsmith]

First off, that was a fantastic article, thanks for posting it. Second, I will pretty much agree with a few of the shooters in that short range benchrest = needs frequent cleaning, low velocity/large caliber = not so much. If you shoot moly bullets, different story all together. You're kind of defeating the purpose if you clean all the time. That's my experience/opinion anyway.

Last time I was at the range, we were shooting [among other things] a .17HMR and a .243, @ 100 yards, and we were running (not more than) 2 or 3 patches through the HMR about every 30 rounds. The groups really did tighten up a little bit (after each cleaning), although I suppose it wasn't a huge difference. I don't think we probably even ran enough rounds through the .243 to warrant a cleaning, but if you are shooting 60-80 rounds in one sitting, my shoulder would probably need a "halftime" as much as the barrel!

We've toyed around with some other methods, and the above seems to be the best compromise from all angles. I don't go to the range so I can sit there and clean my guns the whole time, but I do want them to shoot well while I'm there. If that means a quick cleaning after XX rounds, then so be it. I say do what works for you.

Oh, and here's Ol' Dirty!
http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?s=bc86e0877b0cf453aa0b6c5e953ca8d2&threadid=68486

 

[fuel tanker man]

Wow. That's amazing... Maybe powder fouling is a preservative?

Dan

 

[johnsmith]

Accuracy aside, if you're strictly concerned about preventing corrosion, I think you would really have to do your darndest to rust up a chrome-lined barrel. Leaving a little something in there isn't going to destroy anything, IMO, but even then, humidity would probably play a bigger factor in corrosion than fouling. Do you store your guns a long time in between shoots? I think CLP makes an oil that is specifically made for antiques/long term storage...

 

[fuel tanker man]

I don't go more than 6 months or so without shooting them. I think if I were going to do that, I would clean the barrel really well and coat it with a grease that wouldn't run out.

Normally, it's just Hoppes 9 in there. It'll drain into the chamber if the rifle is stored upright (like in a gun cabinet) but I haven't had any issues with corrosion to date.

Dan

 

[416Rigby]

I always clean and oil the bores on my guns when I'm done shooting. You don't have to get it spotless, though. Some folks ruin nice barrels by scrubbing the bejesus out of them with bore pastes and other abrasive cleaners. A good solvent will do just fine. Modern ammo isn't really corrosive, but I still think it's just good practice to clean guns after shooting them. If nothing else, atleast run an oil-soaked patch through them before setting them aside.

 

[416Rigby]

If you want to see the results of a homemade corrosion test of over a dozen different gun lubes and oils, go to the Pistol section of Sigforum.com. Some very surprising results there!

 

[wileyE]

Thanks for the link Rigby, interesting to see boesheild in there. It sort of has a cult following for mt bike chains. I'd like to see fogging or storage oil compared. Quiksilver , Mercury, OMC or whatever brand (Kawasaki smells the best). This is exactly what it's formulated to do.

 

[416Rigby]

You're welcome.I was surprised that the greases didn't last as long as Eezox or Boeshield. Next up, CorrosionX gets tested.