Argentine mauser barrel woes

[fiberoptik]

I've got a pristine Argentine Mauser 7x57 that's totally spotless. Only problem is the barrel looks like someone used a roto-ruter through it. What is the best way of getting it gunked out, one of those electric rod thingies? I'd hate to have to rebarrel it. I haven't shot it yet, so I'm still out on that end.

[David R]

I had a problem with one of my guns, I drove a cork in the chamber, filled it with bore cleaner and left it overnight. It came out pretty good.

[Buckshot]

...........Wouldn't be an Argentine if it's 7x57 unless it's been rebarreled like a sporter. Regardless, a cruddy barrel is a cruddy barrel whatever the caliber is. I don't have an Outers electronic cleaner, so I used other means when I ran across the problem. To date, these have been a couple Turkish Mausers.

What I used consisted of copper Chore Boy scouring pads, bronze bristle brush, 4/0 steel wool, Sweets 7.62 and Hoppes #9. First it was the brush and Hoppes to soak a bit and then the copper pads on a patched jag worked back and forth. I was cutting through layers of powder and copper fouling, petrified grease and oil. Renew the copper scrubber on the patch as required.

Occasionaly patch in some Hoppes and let it soak while you do other stuff. Once the barrel shows good lands and has some shine to it, it's time for the 4/0 steel wool. Wrap it on the (by now) tired out bronze brush, soak in Hoppes and stuff it in the barrel working smoothly back and forth. It should be a good snug fit. As it works it will get looser, just add more steel wool. Be liberal with the Hoppes.

Soon you should have a gleaming barrel, and it's time for the Sweets. You may find the patches clean after only a couple. Substitute any good penetrating oil for the Hoppes if you want.

..................Buckshot

[Bret4207]

Yupper, Buckshots got it right. I use a combination of different solvents and 4/0 steel wool. No appreciable damge I can detect.

[drinks]

If all else fails, do what I did to an inherited .32sp that likely had not been fired or cleaned in at least 50 years, after all the above it was still a mess, so I got a can of fine Clover valve laping compound at the auto parts, spread a little on a piece of glass, rolled some soft cast .323 bullets in it with a piece of steel and shot 10 at as low a speed as posible, 4gr Universal if I recall, this finally broke the crud and I could see the very dark and pitted bore, a few more patches of bore cleaner, a light oiling and I shot factory 170s in 2" at 50 yds, good for me with the sorry inverted "V" front and small, shallow "V" rear, my eyes are just too old for those sights.

[jh45gun]

Those electric rod cleaners that are homemade work well and can really bring out the rifleing in a bore that looks almost like a smoothbore. if there is gunk that is darn near welded in this will break it loose. It has worked on several milsurps I have done and a friend has done with good results. If ya got pits after cleaning it still may shoot ok. Lots of Salt and Pepper bores still shoot good even though they may look like crap. Jim

[Char-Gar]

In cases such as yours, I pour about a gallon of boiling water down the barrel from the breech end. Not to worry, the heat will dry the barrel. From there I use Sweets 7.62.

I once had a Krag with so much fouling it was almost unbelievable. I tapered a wooden dowel and drove it in the chamber to seal it. I then filled the barrel with Sweet's 7.62 and let it sit for about a month. That did the job.

I have since read this is a good way to damage a barrel, but it did no harm to mine, and I still shoot it with good results.

[Linstrum]

Hi, fiberoptik: These guys all have things that work well.

In addition, I use a Milwaukee Sawzall with a variable speed trigger. I made an adapter to SECURELY fasten a 36-inch length of 1/4-inch brazing rod to the Sawzall rod, then drilled and tapped the other end to hold a bore brush. Buy the ¼” brazing rod where welding supplies are sold, you can also use the brass rod to tap a buck ball down a bore to slug it. I used a piece of flat steel strip the same thickness as a Sawzall blade and used a hacksaw to cut a slit in the rod to hold the steel strip the same way that the blade is held in the Sawzall head, and then used some 1/16" pins made from finishing nails to pin it. If you file a flat on the brass rod to mount it in the saw head it will break off immediately. If you have a lathe you can also make an adapter sleeve to mount the brass rod in the Sawzall with setscrews. I use a tired bronze brush with a piece of copper chore boy scrubber pad material wrapped on it and liberal amounts of Bon Ami. Bon Ami works best when soupy wet. Buckshot discovered that some brands of so-called copper scrubber are copper plated soft iron, so take a magnet with you when you go shopping! Take an empty cartridge and drill on-center a 17/64" hole through the head then grease it up lightly with wheel bearing grease. Put the cartridge in a vice and squeeze its middle so it is very slightly oval and then tap it into the chamber. Don't squeeze the cartridge too much, you won't get it back out easily. The cartridge helps guide the rod to protect the throat from the rod rubbing on it. Insert the rod from the breach end and run the Sawzall at its lowest speed to scrub the bore vigorously. It takes the hard work out and does in twenty minutes what you can do by hand in two hours. Keep plenty of Bon Ami in it and keep it wet. Every few minutes of scrubbing flush the barrel out and put new Bon Ami and copper scrubber pad material in. Also check for the rod rubbing through the side of the cartridge guide. Bon Ami is harder than brass and about the same hardness as barrel steel and won't cause rapid barrel damage, but it will polish and slowly abrade it. The brass brazing rod is softer than the barrel steel and won't damage it UNLESS it gets abrasive material on it, then it will slowly lap a spot on it where it touches, so go carefully. Once you get the hang of it you can scrub out a sewer pipe in no time!

[fiberoptik]

Just wanted to thank all for the input. I'll have to give them a try/report back when I get a chance to do it with results. :razz: