Cleaning with a Bronze brush

[GRJY]

I have been shooting for over 10 years. I always clean with a bronze brush on barrels hat are not chrome lined. Chrome lined seemed to clean up easier but for pistols I always use a brush. I use Moro products. If I just wet a patch and and run a few patches I get hardly any crap out. When I use a brush it my patches will come out black.

I always read online about people saying using a bronze brush scratches barrel or accelerates wear. I have never seen it. I usually brush 5 or 6 times out the muzzle then back through to chamber and then patch it. Then usually another 5 brush strokes and patch and by that time the patches are turning light grey. I lube it and call it a day. I rinse brushes in warm and soapy water and then rinse with water and let air dry.  I have never once noticed a scratch in any of my barrels. Where did this idea that bronze brushes scratch or wear a hardened barrel? I just don’t get it.

[M1A4ME]

Never heard that myself.  I've used brushes (brass???, bronze???) for shotguns, .22's, rifles, pistols, revolvers and centerfire guns since the late 60's.

Now, I haver heard that sometimes, the crud/color you see after using a brush with solvent on it is the solvent breaking down the brush, not necessarily stuff from your barrel.

I ever dry brush sometimes.  I just run a dry brush through the barrel a few times then patch it a few times.

There there's those days when I get lead left in a pistol barrel (happens sometimes) and the patching/brushing/solvent don't work.  Then I end up with a tiny flexible dental pick doing a little scraping.  So far I've not seen a mark from that either - even with two pairs of grlasses and a nice light to check out the barrel.

[GRJY]

Yeah I know certain copper cleaners will eat away bronze brushes. I was reading stuff online and people were saying how brushes leave tiny scratches that you can’t see. I just don’t believe it. I have cleaned my barrels to a polish finish and never seen a tiny scratch. Most times I clean enough to just get a bit a grey coming out and then I am done. I don’t usually clean to a mirror polish.

[larryflew]

Have used brass and bronze brushes since I was 12 and that's 59 years and have never seen a barrel scratch or heard of one.

[cousinmark]

    A bronze brush shouldn't scratch or otherwise do any harm to a steel barrel. When combined with a quality rod that is the best way to clean a bore (IMO). Likewise most solvents designed to clean powder residue are harmless to the barrel.
    Stainless steel brushes and solvents designed to dissolve lead, those should be avoided.

[Practical Shooter]

I always read online about people saying using a bronze brush scratches barrel or accelerates wear.

Never heard nor seen this happening to anyone using bronze or brass.
More Interweb miss information.
I have seen stainless steel brushes around, and always wondered about those.

[bang bang]

welcome,

how do you think that grand canyon was made?  add some water and abrasives.  it took alot of time, but thats all you need.

chances are your guns will outlive you and once you are dead, i seriously doubt you will care.

But ive been using bronze and ss  and nylon brushes on my guns.

when i was young and only had a handful of guns i use to clean religiously.  That is after each outing, i would clean all guns shot no matter the round count.

now with alot more toys i dont clean as often.  Sometimes i will take out a friend and let the test drive my toys.  Most of the time its only a few mags through each gun. I dont clean them for that low of a round count.  So i may do it after several outings.   Its just how i do things now.  If im taking a toy out, i will field strip it and wipe down the rails and give it some lube, but thats about it.

I will also inspect the bore, but again, after 2 or so mags, not alot of dirt.  Ive been switching to jacketed/plated bulllets so leading isnt as much an issue and the need to be aggressive with the cleaning is not needed.

im sure others will do differently, but really its up to you to find how you like to do things.

one this about brass/broze.  in my M1 i will use the Shooter Choice? but the one that has ammonia in it and that will attack your brass/bronze. So that is where i wont use brass/bronze.

[eastman]

The normal concern I've heard about stainless steel brushes is people scratching a barrel by trying to reverse the direction of travel while the brush is still in the bore - not sure if this is Fact or Fiction. I use the Otis cables so all of my brushes (and patches) start in the chamber and exit the muzzle.