1938 S/42 P08 - Pitting Barrel?

[4 Scale]

I think your barrel is in fair condition with moderate wear/corrosion. Typical.

Originally Posted by cyanghost

1) How can I prevent it from getting worse?

2) Will aggressively and repeatedly running the bronze bore brushes through make it worse? Or is there no harm in doing this?

1) Apply lubricant after cleaning. IMO thicker lubricants, such as greases ( I use Rig) provide more protection.

2) Generally barrels are not harmed by bronze brushes as they are softer than the steel in the barrel. But why bother with 'aggressive'?

When I began collecting Lugers I was concerned about corrosion. I now believe my concern was misplaced. Corrosion cannot be reversed. It does not seem to affect accuracy. I own one shooter with a perfect bore, one with a badly worn/corroded bore, and cannot tell the difference in accuracy. This actually makes sense when you think about it, as corrosion only removes metal and the remaining oxide is soft. As long as enough of the rifling remains to spin the bullet, why would metal removal via corrosion impact accuracy?

As far as 'dirt in the pits' I don't see how a bore brush will help beyond a few strokes at an initial cleaning, as such material is by definition below the average bore surface.

My approach now is to clean and lubricate thoroughly at purchase then stop, then clean occasionally (shooters) or grease the bore of collectibles that I don't shoot, once or twice a year. I find I'm now a happier collector than when I used to furiously scrub and clean worn/corroded bores.