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Wad buildup in my SxS barrels


Tom Bullweed

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I shot frontier cartridge for my first time today. What a hoot!

While cleaning my guns after the match, my shotgun brush came out with strings of plastic left over from the wads. I still ahave bout 50% coverage inside the barrels of wad remnants. I am using medium loads of APP FFg.

How do I get this plastic out of my barrels?

How do I keep it from happening again?

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This will happen with plastic wads and Bp/subs. Here's how I deal with it;

 

Take the barrels off and spray them inside until dripping with Mpro7. I have also used 409 with same results but I prefer MPro7. Let soak for around five minutes, enough time to clean the other half of the gun. Spray again and then push a brass/bronze cyclone "twisted" brush. All that crud will push right out after a few scrubs per barrel. Tight patch and oil, done.

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I use Windex. Spray the bore real wet, wait about 5 minutes. Then run a couple of smokeless rounds done each barrel. Spray again, wad up a half a paper towel in each barrel and force it through with a stout rod. Do this several times, then spray the bores with Ballistol. Run another piece of paper towel down the bores, not near so tight this time. Use the towels that are now saturated with ballistol to wipe the outside of the barrel.

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Take the barrels off. Wad up a paper towel in each one give 6-8 sprays of Windex with vinegar and set to side muzzle up. Clean rest of receiver. Then use a 12ga. jag brass or plastic with the O ring a push thru should get a big black snake out the front. Usually only takes one pass to be clean for me. Then run a patch soaked with Balistol down it.

 

You should be good to go.

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Here is what I do. Now I have a SxS....

 

I take two used hulls and put a thin band of plastic electrical tape at the brass base... this is to create a tight seal for the next step.

 

I put the hulls in the chambers and close the shotgun, it will be tight to close. This is good for the next step....

 

Now I use a mixture of Ballistol and water but you can use just soap and water. After you close the shotgun pour the mixture in the end of the barrels filling them to the brim.

 

Let it sit for 3-5 minutes and then pour out the liquid. Open the shotgun, remove the hulls, and use a shotgun brush and push from the chamber outward. All the plastic and crud will come right out.

 

The secret is to get alll the stuff wet and soaked. I then run a boresnake through each barrel and I'm done!

 

JJJ-D

:ph34r::ph34r:

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The "trick" is to let the shotgun barrels soak for about 45 minutes to an hour. Spray Ballistol and water mix down each barrel. Let it sit for 5 minutes and spray again. Keep doing this for about 45 minutes so, that at the end of this time, you have sprayed the barrel interiors about six or seven times. I like to do this while I'm cleaning my other guns. Soak the SG tubes before cleaning the first pistol, spray again, clean second pistol, spray again, and so on. But, and this is the key, let the SG soak for close to an hour.

 

O.K. fouling is softened and pulling away from the barrel. Now, wet the corner of a paper towel and cram the whole towel, wet end first, down into one of the tubes. Then repeat for other tube. Push these wads slowly down, and out of the barrel while holding it over your trash container. Do the other barrel. viola!!! both barrels completely clean with one patch. All the plastic comes out a one, long tube. Put some oil on a patch and run it down both barrels.

 

Done.

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We basically do the same thing August West does except we use cheap window cleaner as our barrels are chrome lined. We also use a piece of newspaper (about 1/4 to 1/2 a page) wadded up to push the gunk out of the other end. Ballistol patch and yer done....

 

Good luck and happy shootin' (and cleanin')!

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Heee Haaa Spray the inside of barrels with Ballisol and water( 1 to 7 mix) "moose-milk".. Let set 10 min. while cleanin the rest of the shotgun.. ^_^ Push a shotgun swab with a 6"x6" tee shirt patch thru each barrel .. ;) then I run a brush with 3"x3" cotton patch thru the bores soaked with straight ballisol(seasons the barrels).. :D

 

Heee Haaa Crazy Mingo :wacko::wacko::FlagAm:

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If you don't like bits of black flying around when the brush or snake get pulled through or you don't like to wait while the shotgun soaks, you can try what Iron Pony and Wild Bill call "The Lou Method"

 

Heat melted the plastic to the bore and heat will remove it. I use hot Murphy's Mix, equal parts alcohol, Murphy's Oil Soap and hydrogen peroxide. Microwave until just starting to foam (maybe 45 seconds, depends on your microwave). Plug the barrels. I use 2 rubber stoppers my friend Driftwood gave me. Ace Hardware should have them. Wrap a towel around to hang onto the barrels and hold it over a bucket or trash can or something to catch the mess. Pour in the HOT Murphy's. About a 1/2 cup for each side, adjust depending on gage and barrel length. (I shoot 16 ga) The Mix will foam up to the top, you can see crud bits coming loose and floating in the foam and the barrels will get hot. Give it oh, maybe 30 seconds, a little more if it's real bad and pull out the stoppers so the stuff whooshes into the bucket. Wet, soft black goo plastic snake globs will come out along with the Mix. Push wadded up paper towel through each side. Do another paper towel wadded up to dry. Look down barrels, they will be free of crud and shiny. Use whatever you like to oil.

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A tornado brush works real well at getting wad snot out of the bores.

 

After you get them cleaned up, I've found WD-40 works real well as a post-treatment to prevent this problem later. I think the waxes in the stuff coat the bores so no fried wad residue sticks.

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If you want to ELIMINATE the plastic crud from happening at all then use a 1/8 hard card between the powder and shot cup. It acts as a sweeper during every shot and insulates the burning powder from the plastic shot cup. Use the short red claybusters shot cup to keep the shot column the correct length for a proper crimp.

 

No Mess, no fuss. :)

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Ms Lou has it dead on but I'll offer a modification that I found when short on murphys mix once. My version of the Lou method is now to set a kettle to boil while I break down other BP guns, normally pistols as the rifle(s) have an empty case in the chamber and the bores are soaking with the weasel piss. Plug the bbls as normal and once the water boils fill the bbls then stand them in the corner or such while you clean the handguns. Get your gun cleaning over mitt, yep task specific, grab the bbls which should be hot enough to scald your hands without it and take em to the slop sink. Pull the plugs and watch all that plastic run out. The bbls should also be hot enough to dry the water AND possibly cause flash rusting so make sure to get some lube on them.

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I just use hot water out of the tap. Remove the barrels from the reciever and put them in a sink with a sprayer. Spray the hot water down the barrels and that black snot will run out the barrels. When they are clean, use your favorite lube on a patch to slic them up. It takes longer to wait for the water to run really hot then to get the cleaning done.

 

Chancy

 

 

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I just use hot water out of the tap. Remove the barrels from the reciever and put them in a sink with a sprayer. Spray the hot water down the barrels and that black snot will run out the barrels. When they are clean, use your favorite lube on a patch to slic them up. It takes longer to wait for the water to run really hot then to get the cleaning done.

 

Chancy

 

Reckon you can get as fancy as you want with household chemicals and all, but Chancy has it right far as I'm concerned. My only difference is that I use a wad of wet paper towel and a jag to push the plastic out instead of the water sprayer..

 

Works for me and Goex.

 

Doc McGee

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One way to get rid of the plastic crappola FOREVER is to use fiber wads. Thats all I use and I don't have a problem. Iknow...it is slower and the wads are a little harder to deal with, but make your choice and deal with it. I use a prelubed fiber wad and a card over powder wad, works great. :wub:

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All the above methods work well. I have several shotguns and each one seems to need a different treatment.

 

At one end of the spectrum I have an old Stevens 311 that I spray with Windex and let sit for 10 minutes, then I push one patch through each barrel and I am done.

 

At the other ends of the spectrum. I have a shotgun of recent manufacture that has a barrel that is really stubborn to clean and soaking with chemicals does not work. On this shotgun I use extremely hot water with dish soap, and some minimal soak time. This works really well with a couple of patches on a wire brush.

 

What I learned... the barrel needs to be really smooth, and heat is the magic that releases the plastic fouling. Heat (from gunpowder) put the fouling in the bore and heat (and the water) will take it out of the bore.

 

Your mileage will surely vary.

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Welcome to the ranks of BP shooters! You are right, it's a hoot. Shooting smokeless seems like drinking decafe coffee on Monday morning. It seems right but an an important component is missing.

 

I've used both Windex with vinegar and boiling water with a bore snake to remove the plastic buildup. Both methods work and take modest effort though not a little as a single pass of an oiled patch down the barrel of a shotgun that was fired with smokeless powder. You will spend more time cleaning your shotgun and brass than you did shooting smokeless though the effort is modest and worth it.

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I'm with Big Sage.

 

I got tired of the melted plastic and went to Circle Fly fiber wads. One: its more traditional and my older shotguns pattern better with them and Two: no snot to clean up.

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Shoot a match using smokeless.

Now why would any of us on this post want to do that....smokeless is just a passing fad that will disappear when you all realize what REAL powder is supposed to be. :o

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Now why would any of us on this post want to do that....smokeless is just a passing fad that will disappear when you all realize what REAL powder is supposed to be. :o

 

To clean out the pastic! :mellow:

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I'm with Big Sage.

 

I got tired of the melted plastic and went to Circle Fly fiber wads. One: its more traditional and my older shotguns pattern better with them and Two: no snot to clean up.

 

I'm with you guys.

Shot first match yesterday with these. I definitely noticed better patterns.

My shells smell nice too!

My gun cleaned out with one DRY paper towel, wadded up to fit tight and rammed through with a spare synthetic muzzle loading ramrod I keep on the bench.

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Taper some corks to fit the muzzle end of the barrels. Insert corks, fill barrels to 1/2" from breech with boiling water. Wait 10 min. Remove corks. Push 1/2 paper towl thru each bore. Follow with bore mop dribbles with Balistol. Done.

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Guest Cactus Cris SASS#2790

I and Mason S. do it the Goody way- after shooting the last stage-spray the bores with windex-simple green-whatever u got-stick it in guncart barrel down- after the posse is done-respray the bores- go up to the line with 2 smokeyless shells- yell "fire in the hole"- go bang,bang- and all the plastic will be gone- when u get home run a tight patch down with Ballistol and put in safe- DONE! I have done this for 12yrs and have never had a problem getting the bore clean this way--also saves on getting the shop all messy with black gunk and black "snot"!!

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WOW! So much work. I can understand why folks don't wanna shoot BP when ya'll describe such time-consuming methods with potentially hazardous chemicals.

 

Turn on kitchen hot water tap, (it's the one with a long enough spout), let it run long enogh to reach a temp that's a bit uncomfortable, take barrels off receiver, place receiver end of barrel under the tap, point other end of the barrel at the drain, let water run for a coupla minutes. Using a rod, cyclone brush and a cloth cleaning wad, push thru the barrel. Take that brush off, put on plastic brush soak another wad in Hoppe's and run it thru the bore. Repeat with other barrel, put set back on receiver... set gun in safe. Done.

 

Let's see... started shooting BP in CAS in 1986... no rust in gun... silly me, but simple works... why make it difficult.

 

But, if your gun is pitted BEFORE you start shootin' black, you may have to take more aggressive methods.

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