Chucking brass brush into a drill for heavy cleaning

BondoBob · June 5, 2020, 08:11 AM

I can't seem to get this gunk out of my cylinder bores. And yes it's from firing cheap 38s in a 357. 357 rounds go in easily enough but cannot be extracted in the usual manner. I've cleaned with hoppes and brash brush, soaking with Bore Extractor following their instructions and it's improved but i can still see come crud.

The spent 357 casings that got stuck may be over expanded at .381 dia, my spent 38s are .376. But either way I'd like to get it spotless before trying other factory ammo or loading for it in 357. (learned my lesson will never put a 38 in a 357 SW again. I need to clean this and try other ammo before sending it back to SW for re-sizing/honing/polishing or whatever they do.

Would this technique using a brush in a drill be safe? Could it void my warranty? It is after all a standard cleaning brush. But maybe the factory will be able to tell I used a drill. Has anyone here done this? Or any other less severe suggestions?

Here's a link to the process video I found from Fortune Cookie on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSCc2M45KhI

And here's the gunk I can't get off.

JERRYS. · June 5, 2020, 08:14 AM

for cylinder chambers I use a "tornado" brush and a drill once in a while.

BondoBob · June 5, 2020, 08:20 AM

Thanks Jerrys. I'm looking at it now on Amazon. At first I was concerned about it being stainless steel, brass or copper being softer. But they say the loops are better than bristles for not scratching the cylinder.

LeverGunFan · June 5, 2020, 09:15 AM

For removing stubborn carbon and lead buildup, there is a bore scraper called the Slix-Scraper, here is the product page at Uniquetek.

Dan-O · June 5, 2020, 09:31 AM

Find someone that reloads and ask them to bell out a couple of cases so you can use them to remove the crud in your cylinders.

ThomasT · June 5, 2020, 11:06 AM

I've had that happen a few times. The way I cleaned out the chambers was first I soak them with WD-40 and then let them set for a while. WD-40 is a penetrating oil and will soak into and under the fouling.

Then I use a smaller wire brush, like a 32 in a 357 and wrap the smaller wire brush with four O steel wool and use a drill to spin it. No worries about scratching the cylinder that way and it always gets them clean.

Bob Wright · June 5, 2020, 12:29 PM

I have the tip of an old cleaning rod that I chuck into the drill press, so I chan change brushes at will.

But what i did though: I drilled out the primer pocket of an old .357 Magnum case and tapped it for 1/4-20 thread. Then threaded a 1/2" rod about 1" for the end. Run a 1/4" nut onto the threaded end of the rod, then thread the threaded case onto the rod and turn down the nut for a lock nut.

Use a hack saw or Dremel cutter and slot the mouth of the case about 1/2 ~3/4" deep and flare with the flaring part of the loading die.

This makes a good "carbon cutter" after using many .38 Specials in the cyinder.

This can then be swapped out for .44 Magnum or .45 Colt cases.

Bob Wright

mhblaw · June 5, 2020, 01:44 PM

...or clean it more often so the crud doesn't build up. I shoot 41 Specials in a 41 Magnum and 44 Specials in a 44 Magnum. I clean after a couple hundred rounds and the chambers clean up real nice.

rclark · June 5, 2020, 01:51 PM

Yes. I do chuck a brush into a drill once in awhile. Sometimes it is just faster to get nice clean chambers and throats. Most times not necessary... Just some times

.

jpx2rk · June 5, 2020, 04:26 PM

I would try J&B bore cleaner or Rem 10x and see if either of these remove the crud.

rodfac · June 5, 2020, 07:54 PM

A half dozen strands cut from an All Copper Chore Boy then wrapped around a suitable sized bore brush will make short work of cylinders, forcing cone and barrel rifling leading problems. Soak the crud well with Hoppe's, Ed's Red, or what ever you use to clean powder fouling from your bores, then go with the Chore Boy.

Just remember it must be an ALL COPPER Chore Boy. A magnet carried into the cooking wares section of the store will tell you if it's all copper or just copper plated steel. I couldn't find any locally, several years ago and ordered them on Amazon...The Chore Boy treatment actually works better than the venerable Lewis Lead Remover. Best regards, Rod

jrothWA · June 5, 2020, 07:54 PM

Try using bristle pipe cleaner soaked with good solvent, thne tight fitting patches.

Dfariswheel · June 6, 2020, 06:03 PM

I always tried to use the right tool for the job.

In this case, I use Brownell's chamber brushes.
These are made over-sized, AND from a much stiffer bristle.
Bore brushes are made of a more flexible bristle and they bend over if using larger caliber bore brushes in chambers.
Chamber brushes work much better.
Usually one pass through and back out of a chamber leaves it totally clean.

DO NOT use stainless steel brushes. Those are for gunsmith use in chambers that are so badly neglected you have nothing to loose.

https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...-prod1287.aspx

The way I found that works the best is to push the brush into the chamber until about 1/3rd of it's sticking out the front, rotate the brush a couple of turns, push the rest of the way though then pull it back out.

Just in case people who are new to shooting and don't know.......
Spinning a brush in a SMOOTH barrel like a shotgun, or in a chamber is a valid technique.
NEVER, EVER spin a brush in a RIFLED barrel, it'll ruin it in very short order.

smee78 · June 6, 2020, 07:20 PM

I have chucked up a worn out brush like a really used 40cal to use in a 357 for a good scrubbing.

Dufus · June 7, 2020, 04:39 PM

I don't have that problem any more as I stopped shooting 38 Spec. in my 357 Mag guns.

BUT, when I did, I soaked the cylinder in kerosene for a few hours then I used a cleaning solvent with an oversized nylon brush. For 357/38 I used a 40 caliber brush.

I never wanted to spin a brass brush in a drill, and I got some tornado brushes as a gift years ago, never used them and prolly threw them in the trash. I was worried that the tornado brush might be harder than my cylinders. That's a no-no in my book.

BondoBob · June 7, 2020, 05:20 PM

Is the tornado brush meant to be used by hand or in a drill?

**JohnKSa** · June 7, 2020, 05:58 PM

Be very careful when using a drill and a brush to clean a cylinder. Make sure that the steel core of the brush (the twisted wire that holds the bristles) doesn't come in contact with anything while the drill is spinning. Also, pay attention to the chuck jaws to insure that they don't touch the cylinder during the process as they can mar the cylinder finish or even damage the steel.

I think a simpler option is to just bell the mouth of some .357Mag cases and use them as scrapers to remove the rings.

Dfariswheel · June 7, 2020, 08:33 PM

BondoBob.........

The Tornado brushes are intended to be used by HAND, NOT in a drill.
The Tornado brushes were originally developed for use in smooth bore shotguns, but they now make them for rifled firearms too.

I'm uncertain just how well they work in rifled guns, so I use standard bronze bristle brushes in rifled barrels.

Nick_C_S · June 10, 2020, 08:10 PM

BondoBob: I'm just making sure you are aware that the charge holes are countersunk; and you're going to see the step inside no matter what. Don't mistake that for crud.

Dumb questions are more easily handled than dumb mistakes. So I thought I'd ask.

I've shot a lot of 38's in my 357's. They have gotten fouled up; but nothing I wasn't able to clean out. Hoppes #9 has always worked. Sometimes a little soaking softens things up.

These days, shooting 38's in my magnums is a rare event. I bought a 38 Special revolver (Smith 67) to shoot 38's.

BondoBob · June 11, 2020, 08:58 AM

Nick, appreciate that. Yeah, they are definitely gunked up. I can tell because spent casings can only fit in 3 of the 7 bores now. I saved the ones that stuck and putting the same case in all 7 it gets stopped 1mm out in 3 of them. I'll try a long soak, followed by some of the other "elbow grease" recommendations.

jetinteriorguy · June 12, 2020, 07:18 PM

I took a nickel plated case and first put just enough flair to act like a scraper, then I sharpened the lip slightly with my chamfering tool. Just soak the crud in some balistol and scrape it loose with the modified shell case.

littlebikerider · June 13, 2020, 06:55 AM

I had a little bit of carbon buildup in a cylinder, although it doesn't sound like it was as heavy as yours. I used some Hoppe's foaming cleaner that I would let soak in the cyllnders, then gave it a good brushing (not with a drill). But I really like the idea of sharpening a nickel case, I think that would have saved me a good bit of work.
Since then, I've decided that once I shoot up my .38 special loads I'm only going to reload .357 mag brass. Why make extra work for myself?

zplinker · June 13, 2020, 07:50 AM

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner, a chore boy type pad that looks like stainless steel...but it isn't. It is perfect for cleaning rust off of blued guns w/o harming the finish, and when you wrap a little in a bronze brush, it takes lead out of barrels, cylinders, forcing cones, like magic. No, I do not sell it, just use it, and its been around for 30 yrs. or more.

June 5, 2020, 08:11 AM	#1
BondoBob Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2020 Posts: 163	Chucking brass brush into a drill for heavy cleaning I can't seem to get this gunk out of my cylinder bores. And yes it's from firing cheap 38s in a 357. 357 rounds go in easily enough but cannot be extracted in the usual manner. I've cleaned with hoppes and brash brush, soaking with Bore Extractor following their instructions and it's improved but i can still see come crud. The spent 357 casings that got stuck may be over expanded at .381 dia, my spent 38s are .376. But either way I'd like to get it spotless before trying other factory ammo or loading for it in 357. (learned my lesson will never put a 38 in a 357 SW again. I need to clean this and try other ammo before sending it back to SW for re-sizing/honing/polishing or whatever they do. Would this technique using a brush in a drill be safe? Could it void my warranty? It is after all a standard cleaning brush. But maybe the factory will be able to tell I used a drill. Has anyone here done this? Or any other less severe suggestions? Here's a link to the process video I found from Fortune Cookie on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSCc2M45KhI And here's the gunk I can't get off. Last edited by BondoBob; June 5, 2020 at 08:27 AM. Reason: picture too big

June 5, 2020, 09:15 AM	#4
LeverGunFan Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 407	For removing stubborn carbon and lead buildup, there is a bore scraper called the Slix-Scraper, here is the product page at Uniquetek. __________________ *Support the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition*

June 5, 2020, 12:29 PM	#7
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	I have the tip of an old cleaning rod that I chuck into the drill press, so I chan change brushes at will. But what i did though: I drilled out the primer pocket of an old .357 Magnum case and tapped it for 1/4-20 thread. Then threaded a 1/2" rod about 1" for the end. Run a 1/4" nut onto the threaded end of the rod, then thread the threaded case onto the rod and turn down the nut for a lock nut. Use a hack saw or Dremel cutter and slot the mouth of the case about 1/2 ~3/4" deep and flare with the flaring part of the loading die. This makes a good "carbon cutter" after using many .38 Specials in the cyinder. This can then be swapped out for .44 Magnum or .45 Colt cases. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

June 5, 2020, 07:54 PM	#11
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	A half dozen strands cut from an All Copper Chore Boy then wrapped around a suitable sized bore brush will make short work of cylinders, forcing cone and barrel rifling leading problems. Soak the crud well with Hoppe's, Ed's Red, or what ever you use to clean powder fouling from your bores, then go with the Chore Boy. Just remember it must be an ALL COPPER Chore Boy. A magnet carried into the cooking wares section of the store will tell you if it's all copper or just copper plated steel. I couldn't find any locally, several years ago and ordered them on Amazon...The Chore Boy treatment actually works better than the venerable Lewis Lead Remover. Best regards, Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

June 6, 2020, 07:20 PM	#14
smee78 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,918	I have chucked up a worn out brush like a really used 40cal to use in a 357 for a good scrubbing. __________________ We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are

June 5, 2020, 08:14 AM	#2
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,969	for cylinder chambers I use a "tornado" brush and a drill once in a while.

June 5, 2020, 08:20 AM	#3
BondoBob Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2020 Posts: 163	Thanks Jerrys. I'm looking at it now on Amazon. At first I was concerned about it being stainless steel, brass or copper being softer. But they say the loops are better than bristles for not scratching the cylinder.

June 5, 2020, 09:31 AM	#5
Dan-O Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 2011 Location: Northern Colorado Posts: 969	Find someone that reloads and ask them to bell out a couple of cases so you can use them to remove the crud in your cylinders.

June 5, 2020, 11:06 AM	#6
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	I've had that happen a few times. The way I cleaned out the chambers was first I soak them with WD-40 and then let them set for a while. WD-40 is a penetrating oil and will soak into and under the fouling. Then I use a smaller wire brush, like a 32 in a 357 and wrap the smaller wire brush with four O steel wool and use a drill to spin it. No worries about scratching the cylinder that way and it always gets them clean.

June 5, 2020, 01:44 PM	#8
mhblaw Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2009 Location: North Dakota Posts: 111	...or clean it more often so the crud doesn't build up. I shoot 41 Specials in a 41 Magnum and 44 Specials in a 44 Magnum. I clean after a couple hundred rounds and the chambers clean up real nice.

June 5, 2020, 01:51 PM	#9
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,622	Yes. I do chuck a brush into a drill once in awhile. Sometimes it is just faster to get nice clean chambers and throats. Most times not necessary... Just some times . __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

June 5, 2020, 04:26 PM	#10
jpx2rk Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2015 Posts: 387	I would try J&B bore cleaner or Rem 10x and see if either of these remove the crud.

June 5, 2020, 07:54 PM	#12
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Try using bristle pipe cleaner soaked with good solvent, thne tight fitting patches.

June 6, 2020, 06:03 PM	#13
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	I always tried to use the right tool for the job. In this case, I use Brownell's chamber brushes. These are made over-sized, AND from a much stiffer bristle. Bore brushes are made of a more flexible bristle and they bend over if using larger caliber bore brushes in chambers. Chamber brushes work much better. Usually one pass through and back out of a chamber leaves it totally clean. DO NOT use stainless steel brushes. Those are for gunsmith use in chambers that are so badly neglected you have nothing to loose. https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...-prod1287.aspx The way I found that works the best is to push the brush into the chamber until about 1/3rd of it's sticking out the front, rotate the brush a couple of turns, push the rest of the way though then pull it back out. Just in case people who are new to shooting and don't know....... Spinning a brush in a SMOOTH barrel like a shotgun, or in a chamber is a valid technique. NEVER, EVER spin a brush in a RIFLED barrel, it'll ruin it in very short order.

June 7, 2020, 04:39 PM	#15
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,965	I don't have that problem any more as I stopped shooting 38 Spec. in my 357 Mag guns. BUT, when I did, I soaked the cylinder in kerosene for a few hours then I used a cleaning solvent with an oversized nylon brush. For 357/38 I used a 40 caliber brush. I never wanted to spin a brass brush in a drill, and I got some tornado brushes as a gift years ago, never used them and prolly threw them in the trash. I was worried that the tornado brush might be harder than my cylinders. That's a no-no in my book.

June 7, 2020, 05:20 PM	#16
BondoBob Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2020 Posts: 163	Is the tornado brush meant to be used by hand or in a drill?

June 7, 2020, 05:58 PM	#17
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,986	Be very careful when using a drill and a brush to clean a cylinder. Make sure that the steel core of the brush (the twisted wire that holds the bristles) doesn't come in contact with anything while the drill is spinning. Also, pay attention to the chuck jaws to insure that they don't touch the cylinder during the process as they can mar the cylinder finish or even damage the steel. I think a simpler option is to just bell the mouth of some .357Mag cases and use them as scrapers to remove the rings. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

June 7, 2020, 08:33 PM	#18
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	BondoBob......... The Tornado brushes are intended to be used by HAND, NOT in a drill. The Tornado brushes were originally developed for use in smooth bore shotguns, but they now make them for rifled firearms too. I'm uncertain just how well they work in rifled guns, so I use standard bronze bristle brushes in rifled barrels.

June 10, 2020, 08:10 PM	#19
Nick_C_S Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2013 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,523	BondoBob: I'm just making sure you are aware that the charge holes are countersunk; and you're going to see the step inside no matter what. Don't mistake that for crud. Dumb questions are more easily handled than dumb mistakes. So I thought I'd ask. I've shot a lot of 38's in my 357's. They have gotten fouled up; but nothing I wasn't able to clean out. Hoppes #9 has always worked. Sometimes a little soaking softens things up. These days, shooting 38's in my magnums is a rare event. I bought a 38 Special revolver (Smith 67) to shoot 38's. __________________ Gun control laws benefit only criminals and politicians - but then, I repeat myself. Life Member, National Rifle Association

June 11, 2020, 08:58 AM	#20
BondoBob Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2020 Posts: 163	Nick, appreciate that. Yeah, they are definitely gunked up. I can tell because spent casings can only fit in 3 of the 7 bores now. I saved the ones that stuck and putting the same case in all 7 it gets stopped 1mm out in 3 of them. I'll try a long soak, followed by some of the other "elbow grease" recommendations.

June 12, 2020, 07:18 PM	#21
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,175	I took a nickel plated case and first put just enough flair to act like a scraper, then I sharpened the lip slightly with my chamfering tool. Just soak the crud in some balistol and scrape it loose with the modified shell case.

June 13, 2020, 06:55 AM	#22
littlebikerider Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2018 Posts: 131	I had a little bit of carbon buildup in a cylinder, although it doesn't sound like it was as heavy as yours. I used some Hoppe's foaming cleaner that I would let soak in the cyllnders, then gave it a good brushing (not with a drill). But I really like the idea of sharpening a nickel case, I think that would have saved me a good bit of work. Since then, I've decided that once I shoot up my .38 special loads I'm only going to reload .357 mag brass. Why make extra work for myself?

June 13, 2020, 07:50 AM	#23
zplinker Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2011 Location: way out here Posts: 262	I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner, a chore boy type pad that looks like stainless steel...but it isn't. It is perfect for cleaning rust off of blued guns w/o harming the finish, and when you wrap a little in a bronze brush, it takes lead out of barrels, cylinders, forcing cones, like magic. No, I do not sell it, just use it, and its been around for 30 yrs. or more.