Of Interest To Gun Geeks Only
on 02/06/2009 at 02:08 PM
Fascinating article Drew. One of my friends has a Sako .243 rebarelled by Border barrels in Scotland. They use Pratt & Whitney rifling machines. The rifle is amazingly accurate. I love hardcore engineering like this. Sadly it is a thing of the past in Britain nowadays. When I went to schol we had engineering on the syllabus. Now it’s “craft and design” no wonder we don’t make anything in Britain anymore.
Your friend shot out a .243? Color me impressed. That’s a great light round, but more than enough for the little roe deer, and the bigger ones too, but I’d want a lot more for moose and elk. Just to be on the safe side.
No, there’s no engineering any more. Not over here either. You know why? Because it’s HARD. Because it takes work, and real brains, and thinking, and problem solving, and tons of complex mathematics. Degree in Math + Degree in Physics + Degree in Chemistry + Degree in Materials Science + optional Degree in Computers = Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Kids today just want to get laid. And besides, you make more money being a “manager”, so why bother? Plus, there’s no work, unless you’re from India.
Aside from the fact an old friend of mine in the 82nd absolutely LOVED his .243, and felt it was the be all and end all of cartridge development, I do love my new 6.5 Swede. Hell, they use that as a moose round in Scandinavia. By Bob, that’s a pretty good endorsement. And “Karamojo” Bell used the 7x57 to hunt hefelumps.
A smooth barrel is paramount to accuracy. Sound clean rifling, and a smooth barrel. Seen the new “nano-ceramic” bore liner from Otis? No? Go look! That’s the point. But if you can “shoot-out” a .243 I’m impressed!CM
Yes, I’ve seen the Otis product. Well, I’ve read about it, and watched the firestorms erupt on the gun forums. There’s this stuff called nano-lube that also gets folks worked up.
Nanotechnology and ceramic fusion are parts of the Brave New World of chemistry. What some of these things can do is amazing. Unfortunately, so many of us have been fed so much snake oil over the years, so much smoke and mirrors, that we have a hard time believing in a real technical miracle.
For now, I’m sticking with what I know works, and it works very well thanks. Here is a labor intensive process that will get the filthiest, most fouled, leaded up barrel cleaner than it has ever been. It takes time, but the good news is that your gun will never be this dirty again. The electric Foul Out process also works most excellently, but that costs nearly $200 for the full rig. If you have money, or a lot of filthy guns, or if you’re just a tech geek or maybe just really lazy, Foul Out is the way to go. Use it for copper and then again for lead, then skip ahead to the last step.
Take your well fired, dirty gun. Soak a good oxford cloth patch in #9 or whatever liquid non-abrasive bore cleaner you use (Sweets 7.62, etc). Run the patch back and forth a few times; 10-12 strokes. Repeat with a new patch. Repeat with a new patch. Soak a 4th patch and wet down the bore with it; 2 strokes. Now go wash your hands and get some lunch. Come back in about 45 minutes and get out your nice new brass or nylon bore brush. Stroke stroke stroke, then dry patch the bore. That’s about all the cleaning most folks do, and this will remove most of the dirt and gum, a little of the copper, and a little of the lead.
Now go buy a can of MilFoam. That’s the stuff the Army uses to clean artillery. There are several brands on the market, but it’s all the same stuff, made in Finland by Forrest. Spray the bore from the breech end for about 2-3 seconds. MilFoam expands like shaving cream. When it runs out the muzzle, that’s enough. Wipe off the dribbles, and lay the gun on it’s side. Go away for an entire day. Push the glop out from the breech end with a patch, then stroke the brush back and forth a few dozen times. Now use patches to dry the bore. You know that drill. You will see an amazing amount of crap coming out. MilFoam turns blue as it dissolves copper. Really dirty guns may need a 2nd or even a 3rd application.
Next, wet a patch with janitorial ammonia. Straight up. Janitorial ammonia is the non-sudsy, 10% solution stuff. Ace hardware sells it, $10 a quart. Run that patch back and forth, but use a plastic jag! If the MilFoam got all the copper, your patch will not turn blue. If you’ve still got blue, it means you still have fouling. Swab on another coat, leave it for 15 minutes, then use the nylon brush, then patch it dry. Metal fouling builds up in layers over time, so it comes off in layers over time. (You can do the whole damn job with the ammonia, but it smells like hell and people are afraid of it. One shot of MilFoam works the same as several applications of 10% ammonia, and it doesn’t smell. So it saves you a lot of effort and patches).
At this point you’ve removed years worth of copper fouling, and nearly all the dirt and gum. But we’re not done yet. Right now, as soon as you’re done with the ammonia, get out your can of Kroil. What, you don’t have Kroil? Geez, go buy some. A pint will last you for years. Kroil is the shizz, pure and simple. It is what WD-40 should have been, combined with what Liquid Wrench dreams of being. Take your gun out to the garage, and swab the bore good and wet with Kroil. It stinks to hell and back again. Don’t use this stuff in the house! Once soaked, close the bolt, plug the breech with a patch, lay the gun down on its side, and come back tomorrow. Patch, brush, patch. And now the lead will come out. Swab it again, brush it again, patch it again. Repeat. Still seeing little bits of crap? Repeat the overnight process, patch, brush, and patch dry. You now have a lead free, copper free barrel.
The last step is to swab and swab the bore with TSI-301 and tight fitting patches. TSI-301 is an ultra-penetrating synthetic high pressure, high temperature lubricant. It penetrates at least as well as Kroil, but smells lemony fresh. It will actually displace the Kroil as it works it’s way down into the micro-pores of the steel. And it really works. Wipe the barrel with the stuff too. TSI-301 will remove minor surface rust. It’s safe on wood and leather, but try to avoid getting on plastic. It will eat styrofoam in an eye blink. TSI-301 will not melt, will not gum, will not anything. And it stays in the pores almost forever.
Here’s the good news. After this huge process you will still need to clean your guns, but it takes almost no effort. You can use either straight Kroil or straight TSI-301, and that’s all you’ll ever need. TSI-301 treated barrels don’t really foul. Well, the fouling doesn’t stick. Both are very good penetrants, so whatever gunk you pick up comes out easily. And you never have to worry about rust. Personally I prefer TSI to Kroil when I use jacketed bullets (and one dose of that 10% ammonia first), and I prefer Kroil over TSI when I use lead bullets. But both are superb “final” cleaners. And either one is all you really need from now on, now that you actually got your gun clean in the first place.
I tried the Militech stuff. Great for parts, not great for barrels. I tried CLP. Break-free. Sweet’s. Butch’s. JB paste. Snake Oil. Hunter’s Secret. You name it, I’ve tried damn near everything over the years. Kroil and TSI-301 are the products you want. 10% ammonia removes copper fouling like nobody’s business, but you have to follow it up instantly with penetrating oil or else your barrel will rust. So that’s what you do, no big deal. MilFoam isn’t cheap, but it works just as good as many applications of Hoppes #9 and 10% ammonia. (separate applications. Don’t mix chemicals!) Put in the effort to get your guns totally clean, treat them with TSI-301, and then future cleaning becomes ... almost fun. And NEVER use stainless steel brushes.
I don’t do blackpowder so I can’t say if all of this works for that. But I bet it does. MilFoam does a helluva job.
Drew I’m worn out just reading that! I might pick up some ammonia as it is dirt cheap, but it does stink. Though Butch’s bore shine is hardly olfactory friendly. I don’t have too much trouble cleaning up my rifles but I am fastidious about cleaning them. The .17 is a bit problematic as it is a barrel burner but I have a Pac-Nor barrel on this which cleans up pretty easily. The Sako .223 still has the factory barrel which doesn’t seem to be too hard to scrub up but has only had 200 or so rounds through it.
Re the .243 being shot out. It wasn’t unuseable but my friend is a bit of an accuracy nut. The damage was done when we joined a gun club that shot at a military range. They all had Enfields or AK47’s (single shot only) and would blast away with .303’s or .308’s etc using miltary surplus ammo. We only joined becuase it was easier to get a second gun on your firearms license that way. I got my .223 and my buddy got a .243. We both were gilty of firing too many shots in rapid succession. That said he does use his 243 for everything. Fox, crows, magpies, pigeons and the occasional “field Lion”
Anyway interesting read. I wil look out for Kroil as I have seen lots of good stuff about it but I’m not sure it is available in the Great White North. No doubt someone will put me straight.
CM I like your remarks about the 6.5 Swede. I am interested in a similar round the .260 Remington. I agree the 6.5 Swede is used by the Scandinavians for just about everything. Here in canuck country though it seems if you haven’t got a 300 magnum you aren’t to be taken seriously. I think it is more important being able to hit the target...but what do I know?
02/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
