Alternatives to Cotton Cleaning Patches for barrel cleaning?

[VariableRecall]

I'd been thinking that there's some good alternatives to your standard cotton cleaning batches for wiping out barrels and the like.

Would those Blue Shop Towels, cut into small squares, be a decent low cost alternative to cotton patches?

I've got a feeling they may be just strong enough to function properly and would be a very efficient way to get things done.

If you've got any other cleaning patch ideas, let me know as well.

[Net]

In the past I've taken my worst t-shirt and a good pair of sharp sizzors and cut up a pile of patches during commercials. I don't do that often but I regularly do that to cut hand size cloths for cleaning/ oil rag.

[reddog81]

I’m sure the blue shop towels would work. I use regular old paper towels for cleaning and oiling the exterior and many parts on guns. Old cotton bedding cut or torn into small pieces work.

Q tips work in small places and a piece of paper towel wrapped around a q-tip works to clean the bore of a .22.

[BLAHUT]

I go to Walmart and buy cotton flannel by the yard, color, print, don't matter, what ever is cheap,
then cut to what ever size I need. I WON'T USE T-SHIRT MATERIAL. HAVE GOT IT STUCK IN BARREL TO MANY TIMES, I USE A VERY TIGHT PATCH.

[Omega]

I had tons of brown cotton t-shirts when I retired, and they mysteriously shrunk on me :grin: so cut one up now and then into various sized squares so I probably have enough for my lifetime...unless the wife cleans out my dresser drawers. But the good blue shop towels would probably work, I say good because I got a two-pack from wally world and they do not do well to wipe the oil off the dipstick let alone clean a bore.

[NyFirefighter357]

Sometime after my father died my mother gave me a bunch of his clothes including a bunch of handkerchiefs, I saved them for patches.

[Winger Ed.]

50 cent flannel shirts from a garage sale, or ones from Goodwill do a good job for me
when I don't want to sacrifice a well broken in T shirt. .

[imashooter2]

Old tee shirts are an endless source of patches and rags around here. Wife has a paper cutter that makes short work of them.

[Sasquatch-1]

My wife is a quilter, so I have an unlimited amount of 100% cotton scraps. I also save old t-shirts for cleaning.

Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores and buy anything that says 100% cotton and does not have metal threads.

[dverna]

I thought I was cheap...but I guess not.

I have bags of commercial patches from buying them when I find them on sale. I have seen some decent deals on Amazon, and I have Prime, so delivery is free.

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Shot-Gun-Care-7mm-38Caliber/dp/B004WHY4O0/ref=sr_1_8?crid=PZDDG59Q48HH&keywords=gun+cleaning+patches&qid=1661427935&sprefix=gun+cle%2Caps%2C530&sr=8-8

Hardly worth the hassle of cutting up old clothes in front of the TV, stuffing the patches into a bag or box, and having to vacuum up afterwards.

In a pinch, I have used Bounty paper towels. Not great, but this isn't neurosurgery.

[bedbugbilly]

I'm another one who buys cheap flannel off the bargain table by the yard. Years ago, I made cutters for cutting round patches of various sizes for different calibers. I bought hole saws, ground the teeth off and sharpened the edge. Remove the center drill from the mandrel and your in business. I mount the cutter in the drill press, use a wood backer and fold the flannel so I have about six layers and go to work. You can cut a lot of cheap patches that way. I also cut muzzleloading patches the same way out of pillow ticking and linen in the thickness I need.

[country gent]

One of the benefits of the cotton and flannel patches is the knap of the fabric. it catches and hold the fouling carrying it out with it.The better blue towels may work but others may smear. I buy disposable towels for in the shop they have a cotton fiber content are very strong and have a rough and smooth side. They carry and hold crud well very absorbent and very strong.

[Froogal]

Quick and easy---spray some ballistol down the barrel, let it set for a couple minutes, and then a couple passes with a bore snake. When the bore snake is dirty, wash it with dish soap and water and hang it up to dry.

[Freischütz]

Blue shop towels work. But even when using multiple layers they are not as strong as a cloth patch.

[parson48]

My wife is a quilter also. She uses her rotary cutter and knocks out a couple hundred patches in no time, using scrape from t-shirt quilts. I haven't bought patches in years.

[Hannibal]

I must say, the idea of precut packaged cotton patches as an area to save money in my hobby has never once crossed my mind.

[waksupi]

Paper towels.

[alamogunr]

I must say, the idea of precut packaged cotton patches as an area to save money in my hobby has never once crossed my mind.

I've thought about it but never followed up. I do use old T-shirts for oiling rags. I saturate them with food grade mineral oil(a gallon is cheap) and store them in an air tite(sort of) jar. I don't expect the oil to last forever so re-do periodically.

[JimB..]

Depends on how bad the fouling is. I’ve thought that in a pinch I could make a bore snake by braiding strips of an old sheet…I’ve never been in that bad a pinch.

I thought the OP was at school in the pacific NW? If so, and now in AZ, then he probably has an ample supply of excess hipster flannel for a decade of gun cleaning.

[porthos]

when i was in the business i used nothing but paper towels wrapped around a brush. i think that they are a little more abrasive for cleaning than cotton.

[Castaway]

I get cotton flannel sheets from Salvation Army and cut my own. Sheets are woven, t-shirts are knitted. Woven performs better as the t-shirt will stretch as it goes through a barrel

[farmbif]

have big bags of cleaning patches really gotten that expensive. its been like 20 years since filling my cleaning box with a bunch of big bags of different size cotton patches and I think the real big bags were like $3.50 for like 500.

[waksupi]

when i was in the business i used nothing but paper towels wrapped around a brush. i think that they are a little more abrasive for cleaning than cotton.

Benchrest shooters have been using paper towels for years.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use old Tee shirts and flannel shirts, cut up for cleaning patches, like most have posted here.
I use brass jags and patch for most of my gun cleaning...and I like a tight fit.
Sometimes the jag size to barrel varies, where I'd need to double patch for best fit.
For those instances, I use sweatshirt material...much easier that two patches.

[Froogal]

have big bags of cleaning patches really gotten that expensive. its been like 20 years since filling my cleaning box with a bunch of big bags of different size cotton patches and I think the real big bags were like $3.50 for like 500.

I agree! I went to the effort of cutting up some worn out shirts, Tee shirts, etc. It gave me something to do, but other than that It seemed like a waste of time. My time is better spent by placing an order and having the patches delivered.

[imashooter2]

I agree! I went to the effort of cutting up some worn out shirts, Tee shirts, etc. It gave me something to do, but other than that It seemed like a waste of time. My time is better spent by placing an order and having the patches delivered.

A mockery of your screen name! :kidding:

[pworley1]

You can make a lot of patches from a set of old sheets.

[gwpercle]

I cleaned out my Tee shirt and underwear drawer , 40 years of stuff in there .
I pulled out everything worn out , full of holes and too small .... I cut out only any material that could be cut into a cleaning patch ... threw everything else away .
I now have a lifetime supply of patch material .

If you haven't cleaned out your underwear drawer (and your wife refuses ) in the last 25 years , you probably have a goodly supply of patch material . Old underwear makes the best / cheapest source .
Gary

[Sasquatch-1]

Anything big enough, I cut into strips about two inches wide. I cut them down to appropriate size for whatever I am cleaning.

[Wag]

Anyone ever use denim from an old pair of pants? I've been thinking about doing that........

--Wag--

[Froogal]

A mockery of your screen name! :kidding:

Not really. I am froogal with my time also. Why waste time making cleaning patches when I COULD be taking a nap?

[Rich/WIS]

Back in 91 was assigned to VII Corps in FRG, and we were being de-activted after Desert Storm. For some reason was in the arms room and our armorer was cleaning up. Was tossing a lot of stuff including cleaning supplies. Managed to snag eight sealed packs of 30 cal patches, two boxes of 5.56 patches, 45 and 30 cal brushes and some other stuff out of the trash can. Cleaning supplies have not been an issue since then.

[ACC]

I have a whole bolt of mattress ticking that my brother bought years ago that I make cleaning patches out of.

ACC

[jonp]

Linen sheets that wore out. Guess how many 2in patches a set of queen sized sheets has

[Mal Paso]

Linen sheets that wore out. Guess how many 2in patches a set of queen sized sheets has

It takes me 5 years to wear out a good set of sheets and I just had to replace a set. Now I'm in a quandary. Do I want to make little patches or have some nice polishing cloths? Fortunately last year I bought a big package of patches on sale so I won't have to make that decision for a few years.

[Sasquatch-1]

It takes me 5 years to wear out a good set of sheets and I just had to replace a set. Now I'm in a quandary. Do I want to make little patches or have some nice polishing cloths? Fortunately last year I bought a big package of patches on sale so I won't have to make that decision for a few years.

Cut the sheets into one foot squares and put them away. Now you have polishing cloths that can be cut into cleaning patches if need be.

[firefly1957]

Wag
I use thin denim for muzzle loading round ball patches I like a tight ball patch combination but it is a bit thick and not the best color for cleaning a guns bore. I like to see when the bore is clean better then a darker material will show. There is lighter colors and the inside can (lighter color) work depending on your jag size absorbency may be an issue too Denim does not seem to soak up solvent as well as some cotton cloth does .
There are different types of denim one is thick and has a thread going one way and seven threads going the other the thinner material had a thread going each way and is less likely to tear out or shred in use as a patch for loading a round ball .

I do use the thicker denim to make char for flint and steel fire starting it is not quite as good as flannel at catching a spark but works and gives lots of heat to be blown into a fire in the tinder.

[Wag]

Ah. Good thoughts, firefly.

I just have a stack of old pants I need to get rid of. Trash can it will be!

--Wag--

[45_Colt]

Ah. Good thoughts, firefly.

I just have a stack of old pants I need to get rid of. Trash can it will be!

--Wag--

I've used the denim pants legs to make sand bags for the range. The lower area of the legs are typically in good condition while the rest is worn out. Could also use rice or such if sand is too heavy.

45_Colt

[alamogunr]

I've used the denim pants legs to make sand bags for the range. The lower area of the legs are typically in good condition while the rest is worn out. Could also use rice or such if sand is too heavy.

45_Colt

Following a suggestion made here, I made sand bags(actually, bean bags) using soy beans that a friend at church gave me last fall. Used my worn out jeans. As 45 Colt said, the lower legs show little wear.

To prevent moisture from getting to the beans, I also used plastic bread wrappers to bag the beans inside the denim. Had to eat some of the more expensive bread to get heavier bags.

[imashooter2]

I've used the denim pants legs to make sand bags for the range. The lower area of the legs are typically in good condition while the rest is worn out. Could also use rice or such if sand is too heavy.

45_Colt

I make draw string bags from pant legs. Perfect for carrying ammo to and brass back from the range. Got the idea from member Slughammer.

[Rapier]

I watch out for things I can use in shooting when I am out and about. One day I ran across a company that had industrial presses, they were cutting and bagging shooting patches by contract. So, they needed a little help taking out the trash, I got two big leaf trash bags loaded into my truck, of patch cloth scraps. The edges make big patches, the spaces between make 22 size patches. I just cut them up into zip lock bags full.
I have tried the paper products for patches, they tear up and pull apart. Cloth is best for a patch, always pull a patch through, do not push a patch. I only make a patch just snug, not tight.

I make few bucks clearing stuck objects from barrels every year.

[Bent Ramrod]

We had to wear cotton socks at work to conduct and dissipate static electricity, so I got into the habit of buying gym socks and wearing them all the time. Mostly white, and a few black pairs for “formal occasions.”

When the heels wore through, I’d wash and bleach them one last time and cut them into squares for cleaning patches. They absorb cleaning solvent and barrel grime as well as they do foot sweat, and are thick enough to not tear through, even with the barrel in a vise and both hands and shoulders pushing on the cleaning rod.

It’s less the fact that I’m cheep (I buy the arsenal and cotton patches for BPCR match shooting); it’s that I’ve come to despise the throwaway culture we have now. Things that used to get fixed are now found to be “not supported” anymore, and are supposed to be thrown out and a new one purchased. It’s getting rarer even to see things repurposed, like using old t-shirts for shop rags; people toss them out and then go to Harbor Freight and buy a bundle of wiping rags.

I try to counter the trend to the extent that I can, wherever possible. I’ll drive my 1988 pickup truck with 355,000 miles on it until it crumbles to powder like the One-Hoss Shay.

[MarkP]

Medical cotton or cosmetic cotton balls wrapped around a Parker Hale style jag. You can adjust the diameter easily. Loose wet patches followed by tight dry patches..

[MT Gianni]

In the past I've taken my worst t-shirt and a good pair of sharp sizzors and cut up a pile of patches during commercials. I don't do that often but I regularly do that to cut hand size cloths for cleaning/ oil rag.

+++ there is no cheaper option than an old tee shirt. Get a friend who's wife sews and see if she has a rotary cutter. Lay the materiel on the board, use a ruler and get perfectly sized patches in seconds. Give the lady a gift and say thanks.

[MT Gianni]

Anyone ever use denim from an old pair of pants? I've been thinking about doing that........

--Wag--

A jag would be way too tight. You would have to experiment with bore sizes.

[firefly1957]

I have also used denim legs to make both sand bags and hole bulk ammo it is surprising how many of us think and do the same here !