I have inherited a WW2 bringback - an 8MM Mauser rifle that was originally a pre-WW2 commercial German hunting gun, but was unfortunately bubba-ed once it got into the US. A late uncle used this gun as his deer rifle for years, and I would like to take it out for deer here in PA later this year.
An experienced rifle shooter has told me that, scrub and scrub as I may, the bore is still barely shootable. I think that's due to years of improperly cleaned/removed powder and copper fouling and not actual bore corrosion.
I was going to attempt to cobble together one of those low-voltage electronic bore cleaners (plenty of DIY instructions online), but another experienced shooting friend has counseled against that - he's afraid it would remove actual metal from the barrel. So - before I go off and buy an iron rod, ammonia, wires, etc. - I would like to try one of those modern "miracle" foaming bore cleaners. Supposedly an overnight application will remove all kinds of fouling/gunk. There are several brands out there (Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out, Shooters Choice, Red Devil 0921 Foam & Fill, Allen Company Cyclean, etc.)
Important to note - I don't believe this gun was ever fired with "plain" lead bullets, just jacketed ones. As a result, I don't think any of the old fouling in the bore is lead or lead alloy.
Just thought I would see what kinds of experience/recommendations some of you may have?
TIA
PS Apologies if this has been covered before...