Cleaning a old military rifle !!!

chambered221

Is it possible to get the bore of an old Military 8mm Mauser clean ???

My dad picked one up for shooting informal matches at the club he belongs to. The overall condition of this gun is rather good and all original.
Trying to get the bore clean has proved to be a real PIA !!!
He has gone through 3 or 4 brushes, used the standard bore cleaners, a bottle kroil and has even tried some black powder solvent thinking that might work due to the military ammo being corrosive. I can only imagine how many patches he's gone through.

I know there's some guys and a gal (hi Suzy !!! Howdy

) here that have messed with these and other old military firearms ........ got any secrets or tricks that might work ???

Aloysius

Did you already shoot 'm?

And remember: it not always have to shine to be a good shooter.

On the S-A-forum they gave a method using a wire and some batteries. I didn't use it myself, but it seems to give good results. If nobody here uses that method then I will try to find the link.

Elvis

boil the jug put barrel over the sink or bath tub and pour boiling water down the bore, you may need a funnel to do this. that is how we used to clean the crap out of the old .303 then give a good normal cleaning. if that doesnt work try filling bore with CRC 5.56 overnight and scrub out with a bronze brush, that worked wonders on my mates 6.5x55 that was dull az beforehand and quite good afterwards.

shrpshtrjoe

Try some sweets . That stuff is potetent Shocked

Ominivision1

I Use the boiling hot water method 1st as Elvis mentioned above, as this seems to soften the powder carbon deposits and swab out with hoppes #9. If you have copper deposits, get some chore boy copper pads and use them. If that fails, mix equal parts White vinegar and Hydrogen peroxide.

Plug your barrel and pore it in. Guaranteed to remove lead and other deposits and it will not harm your barrel. I have used it for 15 years and never had any problems. If you do not think it will work, mix some up in a small cup and drop in a lead bullet....it will turn to black goo at bottom of cup.

You will see the chemical reaction to the lead as soon as you drop it in. A 357 bullet will almost completely dissolve in 24 hours and leading in barrels is not that thick. I normally let it stand in the barrel for about 30 minutes then wipe clean and give it a boiling hot water bath and clean with #9 and a coating of oil.

It is safe and easy to use with ready available components.

inthedark

Here is a website for Ed's Red Bore Cleaner:
www.handloads.com/arti...t.asp?id=9
The instructions are also on the site. It works very well in cleaning out the carbon and the lead. The lead will come out looking like grey tar so use some examination gloves on your hands. Good luck.
Chimo
ITD

Dawgdad

I fit is shooting well I would not worry about it... when accuracy is poor I will use Hoppes #9 with a 24 hour soak and if that does not help I go to JB paste.

Dawgdad

oh yeah, Butches bore shine and Kroil 1:1 before the #9 soak.

Joe Boleo · Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:00 am Post subject: It depends

If the bore is damaged from shooting and not properly cleaning it after using corrosive military ammo, it may not clean up. I agree with these folks, shoot the rifle and see how it performs. I have used brushes and J B Bore Cleaner along with Remington Bore Cleaner and noticed some improvement in bore condition. If all else fails, either rebarrel the rifle or trade it for one with a better bore. So it depends. Take care...
Joe

coyotehunter_1

Some of those old battle rifles have seen a hard life but may still be good shooters. Like said before... shoot it.

When all else fails you may want to give GOJO® Orange Pumice Hand Cleaner a try. My gunsmith recommended it and no kidding it does work. Use the hand cleaner on a bore swab, it works like JB bore paste. After swabbing the bore, rinse well using hot water, then dry and lightly oil.
One word of caution: The citric acid used in the orange cleaner can also remove rust, some colored case hardening and gun blue, so be careful around the finish.

Suzanne

Chambered!! I've used the reverse electroplating method with very good results. This is part ll of a how-to article about it. The barrel could have rust or pitting in the grooves which make it appear dirty too. Anyway I've used it on several old military rifles, you might have to do it several times along with some scrubbing. Afterwards Kroil and JB paste the snot out of it. You can build your own system easily (just look around the internet) with a battery some jumper cables a rod and such.

I don't think I ever got better than 2" groups @ 100yds out of my old Mauser even after scoping it, but it's barrel looks bright and newish inside. Also did a Mosin that way and I recommend the method for sure. You can see the metal buildup on the sacrificial rod and you get a lot of other gunk out of there too.

Here's a video
good luck!
Suz

slimjim

shrpshtrjoe wrote:

Try some sweets . That stuff is potent

So potent it can damage the barrel. Try leaving Bore Tech cleaner in it for a couple of days. I stop the barrel with clay with a sheet of Handy/Cling Wrap between it and the barrel and just let it soak. Let time do the work.

44marty

Suzanne wrote:

I don't think I ever got better than 2" groups @ 100yds out of my old Mauser even after scoping it
Suz

I guess that I have been very lucky with the rifles I have bought, and this has made me just too fussy. I will not consider keeping a rifle that groups over 1" at 100 yards (even though a 4" group would be fine for deer in the thick stuff- shorter ranges - where I hunt).

Back on topic - that JB bore paste seems to be the way to go. All the shooters whose opinions I value recommend it.
So far, my rifles all clean up nicely with Hoppes #9, but I clean often and never let fouling build up.

chambered221

Thanks for all the tips and ideas !!!

I like the idea of the vinegar and peroxide mix..... already have it so we'll probably give it a try first.

This thing seems to have more of an issue with powder fouling than copper build up.
Most bore cleaners today focus more so on copper fouling, I think that's why some guys still prefer good old #9

Gotta look around....... I think I've got some of the original stuff somewhere here.

fnuser

JB and Sweets with a really good cleaning between if it is as dark as some I have seen the JB will brighten it up, but you better pack a lunch.