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Barrel Cleaning - Plastic Fouling Removal

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42K views 74 replies 40 participants last post by  Charlie Becknell  
#1 ·
I am not new to shotguns or cleaning firearms but, I do have a question regarding plastic fouling. I recently purchased a new Krieghoff KX-6 Special and it's my prize possession...the most expensive shotgun I've owned to date. I mention that because maybe that has something to do with my particular question...I may be over analyzing.

At any rate, how can I tell for sure that all the plastic fouling has been removed from my barrel? I ask this question because after a deep cleaning recently, I noticed what appeared to be parallel to the bore streaks remaining. The gun currently has 1,802 shots (yes, I've been keeping count). After every practice or event, before the gun hits the case, it gets wiped down and I run a bore snake down the barrel 3-5 times. Every 500-600 shots, I do what I referred to as a deep clean: running a chamber brush down the barrel from the bore about 18" up and down ~3 times, followed by doing the same with a choke brush from the muzzle (this one gets run down the bore ~24"-28"). This process is done using a drill on low speed and I soak the barrel with CLP first. After that is done, I follow it up by running the bore snake down the bore ~5 times. Once done, the barrel is definitely clean and shiny but, after this last cleaning, I noticed what I described above as "parallel streaks".....they are clean and shiny too but, visible.

Am I over analyzing? Do I still have plastic fouling in the bore? I realize this is hard to understand without seeing in person but, I thought I would see what experience people could offer.

For what it's worth...I use Slip2000 exclusively for my cleaning products....including their choke cleaner. My chokes are always 100% clean afterwards. Also, I don't ever remember noticing the same from my previous trap gun...a Browning BT-99.

Thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
Congratulations on your new Krieghoff KX-6 Special!

If it were mine I would purchase a cleaning rod that will go from the chamber through the choke area and use a 10 gauge bronze brush eliminating the need for the power drill which IMO is easier on the ID of the barrel. The bore snake will for the most part lube and wipe away the powder residue.

The streaks you are seeing may be lead instead of plastic. At any rate a few runs with Slip 2000 and the oversized bronze brush should remove those streaks.
 
#4 ·
I have seen this in my barrels as well. 0000 - steel wool will remove it....I sometimes wrap the 0000 steel wool around a 28g nylon brush and then soak in Ed's Red.... Attach it to an aluminium cleaning rod and chuck-in a drill. After that I run a few clean patches through. I would also recommend a few finishing patches with Qmaxx, It's amazing how much more stuff comes out with this stuff. It also helps prevent any future plastic fouling build-up. I agree, Slip 2000 is fantastic at cleaning choke tubes.
 
#8 ·
Thanks to everyone who has responded...all great suggestions that I may try over time. I think what I will do next is let the Slip2000 (just partial to this stuff...always worked great for me) solvent sit for some time before hitting it with my brushes. I also have a "T" handle set up that I can use with the brushes by hand so, maybe I'll do that a little more often and not use the drill method so often. Maybe use the drill only a few times a year. This has never failed me before and maybe I just need to put the microscope away :05:. I just love this gun...it fits me perfect and I've been hitting them great that I want to maintain it 110%. Everything is definitely bright and shiny and the forcing cone / choke areas are clean.
 
#13 ·
I've see those streaks in my CG also.

Shooters Choice or Hoppes #9 with a bore brush on a drill will take care of that instantly.

Brownells has a brass rod built for a drill and is long enough for a 34" barrel.

I fail to understand how lead can be the cause of the streaks when the shot is incased in plastic wad pedals until it exits the barrel.
 
L
#16 ·
IMO, I think you're over doing it. A smooth bore shotgun barrel is essentially just a pipe and the pellets do not even touch the barrel as they're contained inside a plastic shot cup. Unlike barrels with rifling in them, shotgun barrels are very simple.

What you're seeing is most likely plastic melted from the shot cup/wad, CLP won't do anything to it, neither will most gun cleaning solvent as plastic will not melt from those. Mechanical action is what you want, so get a cleaning rod that is long enough for your entire barrel and put a good brass bore brush through it, plastic is a lot softer than brass so the bore brush will get rid of those easily. I use tornado brush myself and they work great.

And oh, don't be cheap with the bore brush, get a good one and replace it when it gets worn. I wrap 0000 steel wool around old worn out bore brush and use it as a polishing/mopping device for my shotgun barrel, works really well. The steel wool will make your barrel shine like it has a mirror interior and makes cleaning easier next time.
 
Z
#21 ·
I have a set of Briley sub-gauge skeet tubes in the gun I use mostly for sporting. It is often months and months of shooting 12 gauge sporting thru those barrels before I insert the skeet tubes. All I do I is run a brush thru once or twice, then a wooly-stick thru the barrels, then insert the tubes. Often I skip the brush. If there was any appreciable plastic build-up I wouldn't be able get the skeet-tubes in the barrel with just that cursory cleaning.
 
#24 ·
Those streaks could be residual plastic. Use Ed's Red. It works magic. The acetone is what really cuts into and dissolves the plastic. Do not get it on your stock which shouldn't be a problem because you will break the gun apart before cleaning. Good luck with the K gun. Wish you lived near me so I could shoot a few rounds with it!!
 
C
#31 ·
Ed's Red and a bronze bore brush chucked up in a high-speed drill.
I have two Beretta's that get plastic fouling for about 4", starting right after the forcing cone.
It takes about three application of Ed's Red and about two minutes of the bore brush after each application to finally remove all the fouling in one barrel.
Don't know why any of my Brownings, Remingtons, or Winchesters don't do this, but two of my three Berettas suffer from it.

Also don't know why the acetone in the Ed's Red is effective, since I store my Red in polyethylene jugs and they don't seem to be affected by it. (wads are made of polyethylene) I think the bore brush is doing 99% of the removal.
 
W
#33 ·
Zoom.golly. No, I mean lead. Where would copper come from ? Have you ever seen the lead packing in old cast iron sewer pipes ? It is a pretty blue/green color where exposed to run-off. I run a bronze Tornado brush thru the barrel over a white paper towel and you can see the plastic on the towel. Then a bore-snake. No plastic left.
The streaks are still there. For some reason, only on the bottom of the barrel. I shoot several times a week and do a major clean once a week. The streaks always come out with this method.
 
7
#34 ·
I use the drill method with solvent and never had any streaks (Beretta)
Cut off the handle of a rod chuck it up spin slow to start and increase the speed as it breaks loose.
Work it back in forth like cross hatching - then out the muzzle - boy does the crap fly.
On the other hand I shot with an older guy who had won at the grand and said he had never
cleaned the bore of his Perazzi for 1000's upon 1000's.
May have been pulling my leg but I don't think so.
 
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