Cleaning question

[ourichie]

quick question. I was cleaning my M38 after shooting it (noncorrosive ) and no matter how many times or how long i clean it, patches still come out black when using Hoppes 9 or breakfree.

Is there any special trick to cleaning the bore and chamber other than scrubbing it with a bore brush and patching it clean that I don't know about? I ran through a package of patches cleaning it and they still come out black.

[Junk Yard Dog]

You flushed out the salts before starting regular cleaning right? Forget about spotless patches, it will never happen, at some point you will be seeing gray haze from the barrel steel itself. Let Hoppes do it's job, run a dripping patch down the pipe, let it sit for a day or so, let it sit all week if you want, Hoppes will not harm the bore. The longer it sits the more copper it eats. Every few days run another wet patch down the pipe to keep it nice and wet in there. That will get you some green patches. You will not get it all and I do not suggest trying, you will put more wear on the bore scrubbing it that shooting it. These rifles are antiques, there are tiny pits in the bore that retain crud forever, once worn out they can not be replaced. Salt residue is Very Bad, you never let that sit, but a little powder or jacket fouling will harm nothing, especially if you have run a patch wet with real oil down the pipe before storing it away. Sgt Rock is not standing over you making you give 20 for having a dirty weapon, get most of it, do not worry about all of it.

[MarksmanTim]

You flushed out the salts before starting regular cleaning right? Forget about spotless patches, it will never happen, at some point you will be seeing gray haze from the barrel steel itself. Let Hoppes do it's job, run a dripping patch down the pipe, let it sit for a day or so, let it sit all week if you want, Hoppes will not harm the bore. The longer it sits the more copper it eats. Every few days run another wet patch down the pipe to keep it nice and wet in there. That will get you some green patches. You will not get it all and I do not suggest trying, you will put more wear on the bore scrubbing it that shooting it. These rifles are antiques, there are tiny pits in the bore that retain crud forever, once worn out they can not be replaced. Salt residue is Very Bad, you never let that sit, but a little powder or jacket fouling will harm nothing, especially if you have run a patch wet with real oil down the pipe before storing it away. Sgt Rock is not standing over you making you give 20 for having a dirty weapon, get most of it, do not worry about all of it.

He said he used non-corrosive ammo.

OP - that doesn't change anything JYD said. I think I have 1 or 2 Mosins that will produce a nearly clean patch. Most do not. The copper fouling is the most important piece to clean out.

[ourichie]

thanks. just wanted to make sure that there was not somethign that i wasnt doing.

I jave the bore soaking in a foam copper solvent right now then i'll give it a good scrub

[jones0430]

thanks. just wanted to make sure that there was not somethign that i wasnt doing.

I jave the bore soaking in a foam copper solvent right now then i'll give it a good scrub

The only scrub you need to do is twice or three times with a bore brush through the barrel. Then patches.

You really aren't going to get more out of it than that will produce. Heavy scrubbing with a bore brush will start wearing down the rifling. Remember that these are battle rifles and they were kept in a decent condition, not a spotless condition.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Are you shooting competition with this rifle? The idea behind my advice is not to get your weapon spotlessly clean, it is to preserve it with the minimum amount of invasive damage to it inside or out. I don't care if that bore is plated end to end with copper fouling, you are never likely to do the sort of shooting that a small amount of copper in the bore will effect, not with a 70 year old Mosin rifle anyway. These rifles are not built for, or expected to shoot under 4 MOA, you get 1-2 MOA and it's by chance not design. Fastest way to wear one of these rifles is to scrub the shit out of it, inside, or out. Save that for the commercial sporters or the serious competition shooting rifles that once worn out you swap out the barrel for a new one.

[jones0430]

This is where the phrase "good enough for government work," actually applies to your benefit.

[Matt72601]

None of mine become "spotless" either and that is fine with me

[Luthierseye]

Good Thread!! I have had the same questions and these good answers solved the mystery of never-clean patches. Thanks everyone.