Quote:
Originally Posted by FNorm
Do it from the breech, not the muzzle.
FN
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I first heard something like this in the 70's, and asked about the reasoning/science behind it. I was told that the brush should always travel in the same direction thru the barrel that the rounds did...and this would necessitate pushing the brush through from the breech, unscrewing the brush from the rod after it popped out of the muzzle, withdrawing the rod, re-attaching the brush, and taking the next stroke. I was hard-pressed to believe that anybody would believe that something like this was necessary, and concluded that it was an old wives' tale, at best.
Metalurgically speaking, it's a game of rock/paper/scissors as to what will mar what. It's based on "hardness". Steel most usually trumps brass and aluminum. Granted, I have not tried to gouge a piece of totally annealed steel with an exotic brass or aluminum of extreme hardness, but take it from me there will be no harm from using a rod made of
anything, as long as it is not harder than the steel. Note that I did not say, "no foul". This is because it is likely that the softer metal in contact with the bore while scrubbing will leave some of
its molecules behind instead. I do this on purpose, to apply an interesting tone to forged steel metalwork: Heat the steel to dull red and brush vigorously with a brass brush. The heat makes the transfer easier and faster, and soon you have an object that looks as if it has been brass plated.
Theoretically, one would see microscopic brass residue on the steel around the opening chosen for inserting the brush, whether breech or muzzle. If you insert the brush, pop it out the other end--and have to pull it back inside
that end, then I guess you'd "foul" both ends with brass...