Metallic Flakes

I use either a steel rod, that screws together or a plastic-coated rod designed for rifles. The reason I use the long rod is that I have a couple of artillerys and I like to use a rod w/o joints when I can. On one or 2 occasions I have used an amonia-based solvent, but I don't have it here & can't remember name. This has not been recently, however. My normal cleaning product is Break Free CLP.


Last night I used the steel rod on an artillery. I had fired 200-400 rounds w/o cleaning it. Disassembled the gun and ran a patch soaked with CLP through the chamber end. Came out fairly dirty. Then ran a brass brush through a couple of times. Ran a CLP soaked patch, and it came out black as pitch. After running several oily patches through, they of course came out cleaner and cleaner, until I had one that was oily and only a little dirty. I used it to wipe down the inside of the receiver, and possibley the outside of the toggle assembly, firing pin chamber, etc. I'm not reallly sure where all that particular patch had been when I discovered the flecks.


The only other interesting thing about that cleaning session was that apparently the primers left a red deposit on the face of the breechblock. In addition, the firing pin had mud-like deposit on it that was dark red in color. (I was shooting mainly factory Winchester ammo, 115 gr. FMJ. I have never used lead bullets in the gun.)


Thanks, guys.