safe storage

[HerrKaiser]

Yes, rem as in Remington. That stuff does everything but clean the bore. I like to use Hoppes 9 to clean the bore then use Remoil for most everything else on all my firearms. It’s a bit like duct tape in applications to gun maintenance. I’m sure it could work in a pinch as a bore cleaner but I’m perfectly happy and well served with my current methods of bore store plus rem oil on my Lugers with a, at the minimum, monthly inspection for rust and the like.

[Ragnar]

Mine’s the Model 1900 with the strange side plate and am curious as to cleaning it properly. Have Hoppes no.9 and the Remington oil already and seeing as this Luger is on the far side of 100 years old and with a rather pitted barrel would I be remiss if I was to attach a brass brush of the appropriate barrel size to say a battery powered screw driver and with Hoppes no.9 gently use it to clean the
Barrel? Or would that be a really dumb noob idea lol

[mrerick]

You can clean things by hand. No need for the aggressive action of a power tool.

Besides, you don't rotate a bore brush while cleaning. You push it all the way through, and then draw it all the way out of the bore. You never reverse a bore brush while it is inside a barrel.

The barrel steel of a firearm is probably softer than you think it is, and you can do real damage with even bronze and brass tools if you do things wrong.

I personally use new formula Hoppes No. 9 to clean my firearm bores, and finish things off using Remington spray gun oil, then store things inside home made bore-stores (silicon impregnated sleeves).

Do not spray silicone directly onto the metal of a firearm. It's almost impossible to remove.

Otis makes videos describing how to use their products to clean firearms. They may prove helpful.

Here's an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fQ0tfU8tyk

I think that more damage is sometimes done to bores and rifling by improper cleaning than by actually firing of the gun.

[Ragnar]

Sooo’ dumb idea! but then I haven’t had to clean a firearm in 50 years so thanks for the refresher course!!

[Sergio Natali]

This topic has been dealt a number of times.
FWIK the best way to preserve any gun is to leave it clean and properly lubed in a dry safe, period.
I just put a liberal coating of BALLISTOL inside and out my collectibles, then I wipe them.
I give them a good cleaning two or three times a year, and I NEVER leave any of them stored in holsters or cases.
This has worked for me for 40+ years.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Sooo’ dumb idea! but then I haven’t had to clean a firearm in 50 years so thanks for the refresher course!!

I have actually done what you're describe, but only in the chambers of really cruddy barrels. It won't do you any good in the rifling anyway, most of the crud is normally in the grooves and you won't be hitting much of it with a rotating brush. Back and forth together with plenty of bore cleaner is the only way to get the rifling clean. If it's really bad, you can soak it in penetrating oil for a few days, this tends to loosen the deposits and make the cleaning easier. Still, there's no substitute for good, ol' elbow grease.

[Ragnar]

Sooo,field stripping and soaking the barrel and reciever in Hoppes bore cleaner for a couple of days should work as well?

[HerrKaiser]

No, Bore cleaner will corrode the finish.

[Ragnar]

I’m learnin’ I’m learnin’!!

[Olle]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Sooo,field stripping and soaking the barrel and reciever in Hoppes bore cleaner for a couple of days should work as well?

For really dirty guns I like to soak in a penetrating oil like Kroil, WD-40 or similar, and for general cleaning you can dunk the gun in kerosene. You can also mix up a batch of "Ed's Red" ( https://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm ), many say that this is the very best gun cleaner. There's a lot of fantastic, space age products on the market and some may be more effective, but a gallon of WD-40 is $20, a gallon of kerosene is $9, and you can buy it at any hardware store.

[rhuff]

In the past, I have owned some barrels with really nasty bores. What I do is plug one end of the barrel, set it upright(plug to bottom, and fill the bore with Hoppe's #9 and let it sit for a few days. Hoppe's #9 contains kerosene, and has worked wonders for many decades.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by rhuff

In the past, I have owned some barrels with really nasty bores. What I do is plug one end of the barrel, set it upright(plug to bottom, and fill the bore with Hoppe's #9 and let it sit for a few days. Hoppe's #9 contains kerosene, and has worked wonders for many decades.

I have done kind of the same with Kroil: Wet the bore good, wet it again the next day and then let it sit for another few days. The longer it sits, the better. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

I had an SVT-40 with an extremely nasty bore, no matter how hard I scrubbed it was still rough so I wrote it off as a hopeless case. Then somebody suggested that I spray some Kroil in it, so I did that, put up the rifle and forgot all about it. A few weeks later a friend comes buy and wants to buy it, so I sold it at a "bad bore price". A few days later he texted me and said that the crud wiped right out, the bore was a little corroded but the rifling was fine.

[rhuff]

I keep an empty olive bottle around that I fill with #9 for 911 barrels, and other removable barrels that are really nasty. Let them sit for a week or so, and my right arm/wrist thanks me.

[Ragnar]

thanks for all the suggestion’s gentlemen!