Milsurp After Hours

I gave up using propriety cleaning products many years ago, I used to be a Hoppes fan , does as advertised and great smell, but the price was too much.

Some one tipped me off on Ed's Red or an equivalent as it wasn't called that then but when I came across Ed's recipe it was similar. It does all my cast boolit cleaning but takes some effort if there is leading. I avoid leading by going for good boolit fit.

As ammonia is the active copper removing ingredient in most cleaners I buy that as household ammonia 10% strength from any hardware shop. This what I use for getting the copper out when I want get a barrel into cast boolit shooting fettle.

What I do is bristle brush and patch the bore turn about with Ed's Red and then ammonia leaving it no longer than 10 minutes to soak for the ammonia as some one said too long in there will damage the barrel.

I've used this for years and it does the job effectively and cheaply, I don't go for the unfired barrel state but I do like to get the ammonia patches not coming out blue.

For corrosive ammunition I preceed the cleaning with a few pints of boiling water to neutralise the hygroscopic salts.

In saying all this I've been given some Wipe Out and rate it highly as its squirt and leave, it's pricey but just the biscuits for those old barrels that look like a .22. It just gets everything out with ease. Even shifts leading.

I use alternating applications of a nitro solvent and Sweet's 7.62 copper solvent. It took just four cycles to get down to steel on my Mosin. This was after two good soaks of forrest bore foam; it is good, but not as good as most people think.

SurplusRifle.com has several articles about cleaning using commercial and home-made products and devices. Check the articles in the General Maintenance secton: http://www.surplusrifle.com/maintenance.asp

In particular, I recommend the article about building your own Electric Bore Cleaner, EBC: http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/copperout/index.asp

They also have articles about removing cosmoline from Milsurp weapons, making your own bore cleaners, and so on.

There are many comments and several good mini-articles in the forum area: http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/index.php

and in particular: http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a

Scroll down about one third of the way on the first page and read the post by Jeff S. posted Sep 15, 2007, who gives a pretty good set of instructions on building and using your own EBC.

Mark

Mark,

Haven't had a crack at building one of those ECB's have you ?

It's on my to do list (someday).

Yes, I built one and used it to clean up a 100 year old Winchester 1894 .30-30 that exhibited the usual clean it, put it away, clean it the next day and it was as if you hadn't cleaned it the day before. After using the EBC, it now cleans up more quickly, and follow up cleanings on the next two days, my usual practice, don't take nearly as long, and don't look like you didn't clean it the first time.

Mark

Sounds promising. Will have a crack at it later in the year.

There is nothing in Hoppes #9 to neutralize corrosive salts so cleaning with hot soapy water first or Windex will take care of them, then use your solvent of choice.