Milsurp barrels

[Beekeeper]

Got a few minutes before have to take care of Wife so thought to ask this question!
How many of you have Milsurp barrels that when cleaning never seem to come squeeky clean?
Reason for question (I think I know the answer) but wanted someone elses opinion.

Have a 1888 43 Mauser barrel that I married to a Gahendra Martini Henry action.
Barrel is almost as New (inside)
No matter how much you clean (hours) it will still show (brown ) rust on the first patch after brushing with a copper ( brass) brush.
After second patch It is clean (better than a lot of new barrels I have seen.

I think it is the steel used back then but not being a barrel maker I just don't know.

What do you think


beekeeper

[Larry Gibson]

Might have something to do with the barrel material; steel or iron?

Larry Gibson

[MtGun44]

Try plating the barrel, often this is the only way to get down to the steel.

Bill

[Multigunner]

Use a bore cleaning paste like JB Bore cleaner.
Old rust compressed and glued down by fouling can form a thin even layer, with pitting concealed.
Cupro Nickel fouling can coat a bore so evenly that it conceals the actual surface of the bore with rust from corrosive primers locked under it to leak out of fissures during cleaning.

"Farrow's Manual of Military Training" gives instructions on spotting rust blooms under cupro-nickel fouling when inspecting the barrels of rifles brought out of long term storage.

The bore may look fine to the naked eye but that can be deceiving.

More modern barrels are a bit more resistant to rusting.

[waksupi]

I would shoot a bunch of rounds with FWFL. Then, if I was getting good groups, I would quit cleaning the bore.

[303Guy]

I would fire-lap the bore with fat cast boolits. Not saying that's good but it's what I would do.

[craig61a]

1+...

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Another option is to simply make a home made electronic bore cleaner. Pretty simple to do and cheap. Use commercial grade ammonia as your "chemical," plug the receiver end, insert steel rod with taped sections to prevent shorting to barrel into vertical barrel. Fill barrel with ammonia, attach flash light "electronic bore cleaner. Keep an eye on it to prevent the ammonia boiling out/evaporating. Pour into toilet in 45 minutes to an hour. Wipe sludge off of rod with wet cloth, flush bore with hot water, clean as normal.

Should resolve most of your problems. Here's a link on how to make the bore cleaner:

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/copperout/

[JeffinNZ]

I agree with Dave. I have an electro cleaner I use sparingly. I once got the barrel on my .303 Pygmy absolutely spotlessly clean. I know it did because a friend put his bore scope down it.

[flounderman]

The original ammunition for that barrel was corrosive. I don't know if hot water would help or not but the corrosive salts are resistant to bore cleaners. Just a thought.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

The original ammunition for that barrel was corrosive. I don't know if hot water would help or not but the corrosive salts are resistant to bore cleaners. Just a thought.

Ed's Red will handle the crud from the older ammunition, but won't handle the jacketing material. The electro bore I mentioned above and the ammonia will handle the jacketing material. If you're firearm has both and is built up and won't come clean, alternating between these two methods has never failed for me and I have cleaned some UGLY bores you couldn't see the lands, much less the grooves.

[uscra112]

The electrolyte for electrolytic de-rusting is washing soda ! If the O.P. is getting brown rust on the patch, that's what his bore needs.

I use Barnes CR-10 for really bad milsurp cleanouts, and even that mustn't be left in contact with steel for long. I would not ever want to soak a bore in that ammonia/vinegar solution for more minutes than I can count on my fingers.

The original ammo for a .43 Mauser was black powder. Salts were not the problem, acid formation from the sulphur in the BP was what ruined BP barrels.