What would be a good at the range barrel wash?

[Junk Yard Dog]

If I'm understanding some of you correctly, the barrel can be damaged by the corrosive ammo in a very short time...like hours? I can't imagine the soldiers that actually used these guns doing a cleaning after each shooting...or did they?

I've been spraying Krud Kutter down my barrel, running a brush back and forth a few times, then spraying some Hoppes Powder Blast, followed by some water...but I often don't do it until the day after shooting. Again, I usually shot 20 rounds or less. Is this not a good procedure?

There is a reason why many Mosin bores show some amount of darkness in the grooves, this is caused by micro pitting, or worse from rifles that started to rust before they could be cleaned. Much of the war in the East happened in the middle of the Russian winter when it is both very dry, and super cold, that will retard rust formation. Soldiers cleaned their weapons as soon as they could, they knew about the ammo they used, and their lives depended on these rifles working. In the middle of a war you take care of your weapon because you want to live, not because some asshole DI is breathing down your neck. On a maximum humidity summers day cooked steel with no oil protection can start to flash rust in 15 minutes if a hydroscopic substance is on it such as salt, or blood. This isn't theory, I tested it, take steel soup can and toss it in a trash fire until it's nice and red, this burns off all the metals protection, toss salt all over it and let it sit in the humidity of a 90 degree NY summer afternoon when you can drink the air. When you shoot a rifle you cook off all the protection you had in the bore and you coat it with a very even layer of microscopic salt crystals, the type that will suck up moisture the very fastest.

[MeatMarket]

WD-40 is for squeaky doors. It is useless as a gun cleaner or oil. Buy some cheap window cleaner at the Dollar store and keep it in your range bag. A few squirts after shooting followed by a good cleaning at home.

WD-40 also works GREAT for removing soap scum build up in your shower...mixed with a tad of elbow grease.

[Junk Yard Dog]

WD40 works very well for removing crayons from auto seat covers.

[zhuk]

Unless you are shooting on a day when there is maximum humidity it's going to take more than a couple of hours for the rust to set in. However on a very drippy tropical summers day it can start in as little as 15 minutes. Salt gets it's rust causing moisture directly out of the air, the more moisture in the air the faster the rusting will start. I assume you are only shooting one rifle with corrosive ammo at a time at this indoor range, that makes it easier. Take a small Tupperware full of patches that you have soaked in oil, bring a cleaning rod, or you the one on the rifle to push one oil dripping patch down the bore. That will buy you some time until you can get home and clean, hours, not days of time. This way you are not spraying stuff around, it's only one patch, no mess.

OK that makes sense, thanks for the suggestion JYD. Particularly around February when it hits the 35*C mark and might well be close to 100% humidity.

Had also occurred to me that driving a station wagon the rifle can be exposed to a very hot environment in summer, with no boot to transport it in might be an issue but I thought only 2 hours drive home wouldn't be risky. Maybe I was wrong!

[Junk Yard Dog]

You still have station wagons in Australia? I think there are a few still sold here, but it's been years since I saw one. Everything is SUV's and minivans now. I had a lot of wagons, my favorite was the 1976 Ford Country Squire, 460V8, rear disc brakes, and a ride like a Cadillac.

[MeatMarket]

You still have station wagons in Australia? I think there are a few still sold here, but it's been years since I saw one. Everything is SUV's and minivans now. I had a lot of wagons, my favorite was the 1976 Ford Country Squire, 460V8, rear disc brakes, and a ride like a Cadillac.

Haha, there's a yellow station wagon around here jacked up on what looks like 44'''s or bigger

[zhuk]

You still have station wagons in Australia? I think there are a few still sold here, but it's been years since I saw one. Everything is SUV's and minivans now. I had a lot of wagons, my favorite was the 1976 Ford Country Squire, 460V8, rear disc brakes, and a ride like a Cadillac.

Hmm well the one I drive is *cough* 20 years old LOL


Does mean I can sleep in the back of it when going to one of the country ranges...instead of a corrugated iron shed

[Junk Yard Dog]

My last one was an '83 Chevy Caprice, nice before rust killed it. If I could have gotten one of the wagons to hold together for 20 years I would still have them. That Ford just fell apart.

[millman]

You still have station wagons in Australia? I think there are a few still sold here, but it's been years since I saw one. Everything is SUV's and minivans now. I had a lot of wagons, my favorite was the 1976 Ford Country Squire, 460V8, rear disc brakes, and a ride like a Cadillac.

Hmm well the one I drive is *cough* 20 years old LOL


Does mean I can sleep in the back of it when going to one of the country ranges...instead of a corrugated iron shed

Does mean I can sleep in the back of it .. when the old lady throws me out?....

[zhuk]

You still have station wagons in Australia? I think there are a few still sold here, but it's been years since I saw one. Everything is SUV's and minivans now. I had a lot of wagons, my favorite was the 1976 Ford Country Squire, 460V8, rear disc brakes, and a ride like a Cadillac.

Hmm well the one I drive is *cough* 20 years old LOL


Does mean I can sleep in the back of it when going to one of the country ranges...instead of a corrugated iron shed

Does mean I can sleep in the back of it .. when the old lady throws me out?....

Lol

Foam mattress helps a lot there


Also helps to be single in my case, terminally so

[Junk Yard Dog]

The big wagons were great for camping, much better than a tent but could be warm on a hot night unless you put bug netting up over the windows and left them open. Fold down the seats and there was lots of room. Of course an RV is the best way to camp

[lowflier]

Good idea, JYD: the one oily patch won't remove the salt, but it will lock it away from the damp air for a while.

Re: WD-40 being bad, it's true that it's not really a lubricant at all. But it is excellent at washing water off metal, and leaving a surface which is ready to take the oil of your choice.

I read a magazine test comparing the ability of various gun storage oils to inhibit rust. If I recall, the test was to coat a separate sheet of plate steel with each oil using a paintbrush, and mount each at a 45-degree angle out in the weather for a period of time. The tested oils included some gun storage oils, some general gun oils, and also WD-40. What they found was that most of the oils didn't coat the steel completely (incomplete application), and bits of rust came-through. WD-40 wicked across the metal better, avoiding these tiny gaps in coverage. Though it wasn't a good oil, the more complete surface coating resulted in a better overall performance tha most of the real oils. I'd think that using water, then WD-40, then gun oil, would give a good result.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Good idea, JYD: the one oily patch won't remove the salt, but it will lock it away from the damp air for a while.

Re: WD-40 being bad, it's true that it's not really a lubricant at all. But it is excellent at washing water off metal, and leaving a surface which is ready to take the oil of your choice.

I read a magazine test comparing the ability of various gun storage oils to inhibit rust. If I recall, the test was to coat a separate sheet of plate steel with each oil using a paintbrush, and mount each at a 45-degree angle out in the weather for a period of time. The tested oils included some gun storage oils, some general gun oils, and also WD-40. What they found was that most of the oils didn't coat the steel completely (incomplete application), and bits of rust came-through. WD-40 wicked across the metal better, avoiding these tiny gaps in coverage. Though it wasn't a good oil, the more complete surface coating resulted in a better overall performance tha most of the real oils. I'd think that using water, then WD-40, then gun oil, would give a good result.

That was the idea behine oiling the bore, a temp solution until you get home. For metal protection oil is a short term solution, cosmoline is the best metal preservitive for the long haul.

[bunkysdad]

When I have the most trouble getting everything cleaned up is when I can't decide what I want to shoot at the range and end up taking about 5 rifles at the same time. I have always ran a few patches of Hoppes #9 down the barrel and wiped the bolt and bolt face with the same and then a good cleaning at home, and if it takes till the next day to get them all done properly then at least a nother couple passes with Hoppes and oil. The boiling water cleaning I had never done until educated here by JYD, but now I have experienced how well it works and have no problem with it. I think if I am looking for a new wash for the range I am thinking Windex just to neutralize the salts.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I take several extra rifles to the away shooting trips as a just in case, just in case something I intend to shoot has a problem.

[daveshady]

reason I shoot modern ammo non corrosive lol

I like to go on the front deck and rattle off a few rounds at varmits and
don't want to have to take my guns to the bath after every time.

Sure costs more but I don't get much time to get out and
shoot allot or as much as I would like to. I have about
1000 rounds of non corrosive now and pick up some when
I can get it cheap enuf. Last paid 8.15 a box for 20 rounds
of Wolf. Twice the cost but less hassle, just my .02

[Junk Yard Dog]

If you don't shoot much then it's better to do it the way you are, less work.