Why are shotguns getting harder to clean??

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.300 Weatherby Mag

New member
Why are shotguns getting harder to clean??
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I ask myself this question each time I clean one of my shotguns... Is the powder getting dirtier?? Are the companies watering down the solvents?? When I shoot one of my shotguns without a chrome lined bore it seems to take forever to get the bores to clean up... Ten years ago everything seemed to clean up quicker.... I've given up on the 100 round "value packs" as they are more trouble than their worth especially if shooting a gas auto loader...
 
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jaguarxk120

New member
There is a video from Midway that shows the way to clean a barrel.

Larry Potterfield show scrubbing with a stainless scrubby very much like a pot scrubber.

And for powder solvent use Ed's Red
 
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johnbt

New member
Two words:

plastic
wads

Other than that, I just don't know. Powder seems to be getting dirtier in a lot of ammo, but I'm not putting stainless brushes in any gun I own.
 
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WV_gunner

New member
I put a brush through it, patch with solvent, patch with oil, and a dry patch. Works with all of my guns. Always gets them cleaned easily.
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
300-
Spray some non chlorinated brake cleaner down your bore, then run a patch or two on a rod chucked in a cordless drill. Barrels are cleanin about 45 seconds.
 
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TheKlawMan

Moderator
I am using Promo, which is dirtier than some powders, and I had a heck of a problem getting my forcing cones clean. Oneounce's wire brush wrapped with a patch and mounted on a cordless drill did the trick. I later found that it wasn't necessary as long as I didn't wait too long after shooting before running a patch thoroughly soaked in Hoppes down the barrels. I let work for a couple of hours and things cleaned up beautifully without resorting to the drill. Occasionally I also run a tornado brush down it to scrape up any plastic fowling.
 
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zippy13

New member
Larry Potterfield show scrubbing with a stainless scrubby very much like a pot scrubber.
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My owner's manual specifically recommends against using steel scrubbers. Since I switched to fuzzy sticks in the mid 80s, I've use bronze brushes only on rare occasions.

Back to the OP's question: I've noticed that barrels with ports will be harder to clean than standard barrels -- the ports get junked-up with plastic. But, that goes back a lot farther than the last 10-years. Also, the better the barrel's polish, the easier it seems to clean. Just because a barrel is chromed lined, it doesn't follow that it will be easier to clean -- you can have smooth high-grade standard barrel that's easier to clean than a rough barrel that was chromed. And, a barrel that rings may be easier to clean, too.
 
3

.300 Weatherby Mag

New member
Back to the OP's question: I've noticed that barrels with ports will be harder to clean than standard barrels -- the ports get junked-up with plastic. But, that goes back a lot farther than the last 10-years. Also, the better the barrel's polish, the easier it seems to clean. Just because a barrel is chromed lined, it doesn't follow that it will be easier to clean -- you can have smooth high-grade standard barrel that's easier to clean than a rough barrel that was chromed. And, a barrel that rings may be easier to clean, too.
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No ported barrels... I do notice that my Berettas all clean up quicker than most of my other guns... My Mossberg 500 picks up so much plastic after one range outing, its absolutely disturbing.. I won't get anything stainless near the expensive guns...
 
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jaguarxk120

New member
I would think that the Beretta barrels are much better in material quality and manufacturing operations than The Mossberg stuff.

Beretta on used market is $300 to $400.

Mossberg on used market $85 to $140.
 
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Poodleshooter

New member
?
Smoothbore shotguns shooting smokeless loads must be the easiest weapon to clean that I know of. A pass or two with a boresnake or Tico tool and it's done, with almost no residue left. Even if some is left, who cares? You don't have 1 tiny super compressed projectile that must go to the same place every time as the rifle or pistol shooter has, you have a very forgiving shotgun,with many,many pellets, insulated from nearly every side by wadding, from the tiny amount of fouling that could actually stick in a smooth barrel. I can't imagine how filthy a barrel would have to get to start to blow patterns enough that I'd even notice.
For pumps at least,the actions are big and open so an enormous amount of residue and debris has to to build up before you get function issues.

Now, if we're talking slugs in a rifled barrel, that's a different matter. They're a pain. But shot loads are easy to clean up after, and tiny flakes of powder residue from low pressure shotgun loads are a breeze.
 
D

Dave McC

Staff In Memoriam
Both my O/Us, a Beretta 686 and an Ithaca/SKB 600, have barrels sets that clean up very easily.

That's what full length hard chroming does.

I note the bore on this A400 cleans up better than its gas system, chrome again.

I also note from one 870 barrel that 10 reloads using Unique powder leave more slag behind than 50 rounds using Clays.

Primers with higher Brisance are reputed to burn cleaner and leave less stuff, but I've not tested the theory.
 
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TheGoldenState

New member
I use bore brushes on every barrel hangun, rifle, shotgun.

I thought that was the only proper way, how else do you guys get it all scrubbed clean?
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
I use bore brushes on every barrel hangun, rifle, shotgun.

I thought that was the only proper way, how else do you guys get it all scrubbed clean?
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See my post above about brake cleaner for barrels and choke tubes
 
B

B.L.E.

New member
Poodleshooter said:
Smoothbore shotguns shooting smokeless loads must be the easiest weapon to clean that I know of.
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Old timey black powder residue is actually easier to clean, it literally rinses off with water.
However, with smokeless, cleaning is optional. You won't ruin the bore by leaving it uncleaned.
 
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