Sq. or Round Cleaning Patches??

[F. Guffey]

I said I make a different kind bore snakes, difference? It is impossible to get one stuck. It is adjustable, the old philosophy of the red corn cob and white corn cob no longer apply.

F. Guffey

[TrueTexan]

I'm a RN and had access to out of date 2X2 and 4X4 gauze pads that were going to be thrown out. Brought them home have not bought a patch in years.

[serf 'rett]

UncleNick:

For a few years there was an outfit making patches from a waffle pattern material that I really liked. They seem to have disappeared, though.

The old cotton insulated underwear fits the bill if you're looking for the waffle texture.

Flannel patches are nice.

Old shirt or fabric store special.

T-shirt cloth is too stretchy for me.

The stretchy quality is why retanglar strips of T-shirt or cotton briefs are my first choice for patch material. The tightness of a patch can be easily changed by how tight or loose the material is pulled over or around the jag or brush.

But lots of schools of thought out there.

All too true on that one. I forsook store bought patches years ago. It’s just so simple to cut up an old T-shirt, pair of underwear, rag, shirt, etc. while watching the tube (haven’t upgraded to LED or plasma yet). One good football game will yield a small mountain of custom patches.

TrueTexan - That's a whopper of an idea. My RN sister furnished me with a sack full of the blue cotton surgery cloths which she had saved, cleaned and uses for rags. I'll check the out dated gauze idea with her and my RN daughter.

[Unclenick]

The waffle patches were a good deal less pliant and have a finer pattern than the underwear. I found the company that used to make them and have an email in to see if they'll tell me what the material was, exactly.

My issue with the stretchy T-shirt material was that I never felt confident in how well I was controlling its tightness. That, plus I had it tear on me a couple of times. But it's probably been 25 years since I last messed with it. My cleaning procedures have all changed since then, and perhaps a wrap around the Dewey with some would be worth exploring again, particularly when using JB Bore Compound. One problem I have is that I mainly use Boretech Eliminator as a cleaning solvent now, and it eats brass jags, like the Dewey. So, I am using only non-reactive alloy and plastic jags with it to prevent false blue indications that copper is still present.

[243winxb]

When done, clean brass jags & bronze brush in 91% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Dont know about Boretech Eliminator. May or may not help.

[Real Gun]

I finally realized that bore cleaners were eating away at my bore brushes, so now I don't use a bronze brush except in a wiped bore and I clean them in mineral spirits and then Dawn after each cleaning session. That same routine nicely cleans up my fleece swabs too. They go from black to virgin wool color very quickly, thanks mostly to the mineral spirits.

[serf 'rett]

I just purchased some Boretech Eliminator last month, along with Patch Out and No Lead and a set of Tipton's nickle plated brass jags. Will be "testing" the new stuff in the following weeks.

Unclenick - I hope you get a response. I'm interested in whether the material was natural fiber, such as cotton, or perhaps man made poly whatever. I would think the upside if stiffer material would be a higher degree of bearing pressure against the bore walls; however, there may be some loss of getting into the "corners". Thinking....

[JohnKSa]

I finally realized that bore cleaners were eating away at my bore brushes, so now I don't use a bronze brush except in a wiped bore...

Depends on the bore cleaner. The ones marketed as nitro solvents are usually nothing but petroleum solvents and won't hurt bore brushes.

I alternate using a bore brush with a nitro solvent and patches/jag with the other bore solvents/cleaners. I think the bore cleaners do a good job on everything but breaking up the caked on residue and brushing with a nitro solvent takes care of that.

[Real Gun]

I only use bore cleaners that mention copper fouling, so they apparently dissolve my bronze brushes, at least making them a looser fit rather quickly.

[Unclenick]

John,

Get a little pump sprayer. Put some Boretech Eliminator or Gunzilla in it. At the range, while the gun is still warm (this is critical to best effect) squirt a couple of pumps into the chamber and let it run to the muzzle and coat the bore. Stick a Neoprene stopper in the muzzle and a chamber plug in the rear to protect your gun case and stock bedding and head home. I think you'll generally find the first wet patch down the bore after you get it home takes all carbon out if you use Gunzilla and gets virtually all copper and carbon if you use Eliminator.

BTW, board member Hummer90, who's done a lot of experimenting, cleans at the range with Mobil 1 0W-20W oil. He finds it does well on carbon same as it does in a car engine. As I've done with Gunzilla, he's let this oil sit for a number of days and found more carbon coming out. I am going to start an experiment with it soon.

I was influenced by this article. Subsequent to its publication, Boretech has come out with other products, including a specialized carbon remover that is very effective. The main trick is most people don't give solvents time to work. The article found 20 minutes did about all that could be done, but that doesn't count getting caked carbon off. I don't use brushes or abrasive cleaners anymore. Just time for the solvents to work, and patches. My Hawkeye Borescope tells me these things are removing all there is to remove.


243winxb,

The problem with Eliminator is it attacks copper so quickly that it turns a patch partly blue just from etching the copper in the jag brass in the time it takes to push the patch through the bore. This makes it impossible to use the patch color to tell when you've got all the copper out. Hence the need to use plastic jags or Boretech Proof Positive special non-reactive alloy jags or nickel-plated brass jags. Bronze brush? Forget about it. It becomes a blue brush whether there's anything in the bore or not.

[JohnKSa]

Get a little pump sprayer. Put some Boretech Eliminator or Gunzilla in it. At the range, while the gun is still warm (this is critical to best effect) squirt a couple of pumps into the chamber and let it run to the muzzle and coat the bore.

I've tried this a time or two with BF CLP and it does cut down on the brushing time significantly.

I haven't tried either Boretech Eliminator or Gunzilla--guess I'll have to start looking around for some to test.

[chrisintexas]

old thread but I want to know if ballistol and any other solvents can negatively affect nickel plated jags?

[RC20]

Not a clue.

I have found Carbon Killer 2000 is better for Carbon, Bore Tech for copper and a general good cleaner if carbon and copper.

As noted by Unclenick, better (faster) in a warm gun so I clean at the range when done with that gun for the day after a last 5 shots if needed to warm it up again though usaly I pick my spot (harder in cold weather) .

I don't have an issue with the brass Jag wiht Bore Tech, I can see the blue on the patch and when its gone.

All we have is square patches and I don't have the patience to carve them out of myself. Plenty cheap. All cotton, hate anything synthetic.

[JohnKSa]

Ballistol is not going to affect any kind of jags. In my experience, it's a decent-not great--nitro solvent and has no detectable effect at all on metal fouling.

Even if you do get a solvent that attacks the jag, it's not a big deal. The amount that's going to come off of it is very minimal based on my experience with copper solvents and brass jags. Brushes seem to be a different story.

[condor bravo]

If you have the military 2.5x2.5 square patches, or similar, cut them diagonally and the triangular patches are perfect for 30 caliber. Or cut any square patch diagonally to obtain a proper size for other calibers.

[Real Gun]

There are rules of thumb about nickel plated guns, e.g. avoiding ammonia based solvents. As I recall, the issue is attacking the copper base under the nickel.

[cw308]

Even though this post has been going on for years some how , its good reading . I use a Parker Hail jag ,its a wrap around works great on my 308 with a 3" square cotton patch I cut a 1/2" piece off one side that 1 use for 22 cal . Makes the 2 1/2 side the length of the jag perfect fit for the bore . Bart B hasn't posted for years , anyone know what happened to him , he was very in formative,