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Bronze Cleaning Brushes
- Thread starter dark1961
- Start date
It really depends on who made the barrel. In guns such as the Epoch Badger which use regular gun barrel steel they are fine but in some airguns a much softer steel is used and there "Might" be a problem there.
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I dont know if they will harm an airgun barrel if used properly but I can just about guarantee you will destroy an airgun barrel easier than a firearm barrel if used incorrectly. I dont think an airgun needs a bronze brush to be cleaned. Airgun barrels dont have carbon build up like a firearm does from the burning propellant. The only thing an airgun will have in the bore should be some very soft lead build up and there shouldnt be much if the barrels not complete garbage and really rough. A nylon bristle brush and solvent will remove that lead very easily. I have never had any issue removing any build up in my airrifles with a little cleaner and just patches.
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Plastic is softer than lead is softer than bronze is softer than steel. If you have impacted lead you will not clear it with plastic. If you have a steel barrel you will not scratch it with bronze.
A well made barrel will seldom require the use of a bronze brush. But if you have heavy lead buildup a good scrubbing with a brass or bronze brush on a one piece rod is the best way to clear it.
A well made barrel will seldom require the use of a bronze brush. But if you have heavy lead buildup a good scrubbing with a brass or bronze brush on a one piece rod is the best way to clear it.
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Ever clean a pistol after shooting lead wad cutters? Lead is hard to remove. NOW I have no idea how much of a problem lead is in a air rifle barrel . Seems it would depend on the quality of the barrel and probably the velocity of the round. BUT if you have lead you are going to have to get it out and my thoughts are a bronze brush might be required. I've got a bore scope and while I haven't checked my air rifle barrels I would base my methods on what I saw .
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There's black fouling in air gun barrels. Make no mistake. I've removed a lot of it due to the amount of antimony in the lead, and what the pellets are coated with. You also have to add in the fact that that compressing the air heats it. So this compounds the problem. So even though there's no burning propellant, it still gets hot in there. Enough to lightly burn deposits onto the barrel. I also use good quality Brownell's phosphor-bronze brushes. Softer than any steel used in air rifle barrels. But they only get one or two back-n-forth passes soaked with Rem-Oil. All wet then dry patches after that.
Here's some from brushing/patching the model 70 after receiving it with Rem-Oil;
And from cleaning the Hatsan Striker 1000x .22 that hadn't been cleaned or shot in awhile. Wasn't shot that many times back then either;
Here's some from brushing/patching the model 70 after receiving it with Rem-Oil;
And from cleaning the Hatsan Striker 1000x .22 that hadn't been cleaned or shot in awhile. Wasn't shot that many times back then either;
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Unionrdr a pcp does not heat up. The air isnt compressing during the shot its decompressing if anything its cooling it down.
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What steel do they use in LW barrels that are used on Texans? Is it rifle barrel stuff or airgun stuff?
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Give you a +1 on this one.
A well known tuner from another air gun web site once stated something to the tune of, "people would be appalled if they witnessed the way I de-lead barrels that have been neglected."
He went on to praise the brass or bronze brushes for doing that job and stated they will not hurt a barrel if used correctly.
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I wasn't referring to PCP's alone. Compression heats up air or air/oil/fuel mixtures. Ho do you think a Diesel engine works? Same thing here. I don't think it's cooling off very quickly, since some shots get a lil smoke out the barrel. Depends on how quickly you fire.
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I know how a diesel engine works I also know how a pcp works. A pcp isnt compressing air during the shot cycle so no dieseling is going to happen so absolutely no chance for heat. When air decompresses it will not be heated. As far as a spring airgun goes it is compressing the air during the shot cycle. The only way I could see the temp increasing enough to melt lead by heat would be if you had a major dieseling issue. Even then I bet its not hot enough to melt the pellet. I bet it could be tested. Shoot some pellets from a springer into soft media. Collect the shot pellets and inspect the back of the pellet for deformation caused by heat or melted lead.
Back on topic, I dont think you need a bronze brush to clean an airgun barrel under normal circumstances.
Also something to consider is that most airguns cant be cleaned from the breach end without removing the barrel. If theres an oring in the barrel you have to remove it as well. I can just about guarantee if you clean a barrel from the muzzle you will eventually damage the muzzle. Just a couple more things to consider if you are going to use a brush even if it is nylon.
Back on topic, I dont think you need a bronze brush to clean an airgun barrel under normal circumstances.
Also something to consider is that most airguns cant be cleaned from the breach end without removing the barrel. If theres an oring in the barrel you have to remove it as well. I can just about guarantee if you clean a barrel from the muzzle you will eventually damage the muzzle. Just a couple more things to consider if you are going to use a brush even if it is nylon.
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To all competitors, I will or have competed against, I sense your Barrels are extremely leaded up, and you must clean them immediately using a brass or even stainless brush ( only from the MUZZLE END! ) this should help me win... I mean restore accuracy! J U S T K I D D I N G! DON’T DO THIS! I JUST COULD’NT HELP MYSELF...
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Don't want to argue with internet wisdom (and I won't).
I won't use a brass brush for cleaning after ever 100 pellets. Once a year - absolutely! Why not try to get the rifling clean.
Folks are going to holler at me but the simple point is, the less often you clean with an appropriate solvent and swabs/patches (I use wool mops) the more lead you MAY be leaving behind in places a cotton patch might not have much impact on. A properly sized brass brush run through your barrel 2x, once a year, isn't going to hurt a thing. Just don't force a .30 brush into a .177 barrel. If you can PROVE me wrong, I'll give you a prize.
I run patches from action to the muzzle with a crown saver (couple hundred shoots), when I use the wool mop (maybe once a month) or brass brush (roughly once a year), it's on a carbon fiber rod and from the muzzle to the breach.
Maybe that's why I'm not at EBR...
I won't use a brass brush for cleaning after ever 100 pellets. Once a year - absolutely! Why not try to get the rifling clean.
Folks are going to holler at me but the simple point is, the less often you clean with an appropriate solvent and swabs/patches (I use wool mops) the more lead you MAY be leaving behind in places a cotton patch might not have much impact on. A properly sized brass brush run through your barrel 2x, once a year, isn't going to hurt a thing. Just don't force a .30 brush into a .177 barrel. If you can PROVE me wrong, I'll give you a prize.
I run patches from action to the muzzle with a crown saver (couple hundred shoots), when I use the wool mop (maybe once a month) or brass brush (roughly once a year), it's on a carbon fiber rod and from the muzzle to the breach.
Maybe that's why I'm not at EBR...
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Once again, I and the OP were not talking about PCP's specifically. YOU were. Compressed air raises in temp, but can cool down as it escapes. That whiff of smoke ain't escaping gas. it's heated air and oil fumes. Here's a list of pages that explain why this happens in the list in blue on the right side of the page; http://www.quora.com/How-does-compressing-air-heat-it-up
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Not so worried about bronze for the barrel, but do plan on replacing the barrel O-Rings if you use bronze. It'll cut up the O-Ring. No biggie in my mind, but do plan on it.
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For the few times I went bronze on my Woverine barrel, I removed the breech "O" ring before doing the job. It is an easy thing to do with a dental pick.
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good idea to remove the O-Ring before brushing. Other than that, I think Bronze should be just fine.
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I'm sure there are some air rifle barrels out there that foul to an extent that requires brushing. I'm reasonably sure I've never owned one. I have never needed more that a patch, with an appropriate cleaner (used many) pulled through from breech to muzzle. I have never owned a barrel that needed anything more to restore accuracy.
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