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February 6, 2026
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Have an early 1894 rifle (26”) in 30-30 that shoots well, but the bore is dark, yet rifling is very strong & pronounced. I knew it was dark when I got it. Im no stranger to cleaning rifles, but this one has me a bit stumped. I use older Hoppes (the good stuff) and after letting it sit a bit, I scrub it with a Dewey rod & wet bronze bristle 30 cal. bore brush. A minute or two of that and then hit it with the dry patches. Then repeat the whole process. I must have went through 20 patches and they still come out dirty. Had to knock off for the night but want to try my best to brighten the bore up, as the rifle is in great shape. No experience cleaning an old filthy bore this dirty. Is there something I’m missing, or do I keep blowing through patches and hope for the best? Haven’t owned the rifle long, but shot a bunch of my downloaded ammo through it (2400 powder & 110 gr. M1 Carbine bullets, FMJ), and wanted to give it a good cleaning Any help is appreciated.
Ps. It’s a takedown, so maybe that will simplify things?
April 15, 2005
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218Bee said
Have an early 1894 rifle (26”) in 30-30 that shoots well, but the bore is dark, yet rifling is very strong & pronounced. I knew it was dark when I got it. Im no stranger to cleaning rifles, but this one has me a bit stumped. I use older Hoppes (the good stuff) and after letting it sit a bit, I scrub it with a Dewey rod & wet bronze bristle 30 cal. bore brush. A minute or two of that and then hit it with the dry patches. Then repeat the whole process. I must have went through 20 patches and they still come out dirty. Had to knock off for the night but want to try my best to brighten the bore up, as the rifle is in great shape. No experience cleaning an old filthy bore this dirty. Is there something I’m missing, or do I keep blowing through patches and hope for the best? Haven’t owned the rifle long, but shot a bunch of my downloaded ammo through it (2400 powder & 110 gr. M1 Carbine bullets, FMJ), and wanted to give it a good cleaning Any help is appreciated.
Ps. It’s a takedown, so maybe that will simplify things?
Take the barrel assembly off of the receiver frame, and then soak the bore with Kroil for at least 12-hours before attacking it again with a copper wire bore brush.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
February 6, 2026
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Bert, I have a can of Kroil and will give it a go. Thanks.
January 7, 2017
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JB Bore paste alternated with Kroil is my go-to for a filthy barrel.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
WACA #10293
October 14, 2024
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I like JB and Kroil, but be aware that patches my patches always come out black even when the bore is clean. Do you have a bore scope that you can use to assess how the cleaning process is coming along?
February 6, 2026
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No bore scope, but it’s on my short list of items I need. Amazing, even with the sewer pipe bore, rifle still smacks the 6” steel plate @100 yds consistently, even with my M1 Carbine bullets, downloaded a bit. I have a 1953 Carbine also in 30-30 my father bought when he got back from Korea. Put on a Lyman 66 and was able to do this @50, off a sandbag. That’s a dime.
April 30, 2023
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Birchwood-Casey also has a product called “Bore Scrubber” that foams up inside the bore…you let it sit and then scrub a dub dub.
October 14, 2024
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I recently purchased a Lyman Borescope 2 and have been using it to aid in bore cleaning. It is a double edged sword. one one hand, it’s very useful for seeing when all the carbon, lead and copper is gone. One the other hand, it really lets you see up close how bad the bore actually is! A true case of when ignorance is bliss.
November 7, 2015
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I understand fully the dangers of a bore scope in an imperfect bore but sometimes it’s helpful to understand the nature of the stubborn fouling. I like the foaming copper solvents but sometimes a mild abrasive like JB helps smooth out the rough spots that stubbornly hold onto fouling. The Kroil helps by getting between the barrel steel and copper fouling. My standard method it to brush with Hoppe’s #9 and a nylon brush, patch it out and brush again with #9. Then I let it soak overnight. I’ll repeat this for a few days before moving onto the foaming cleaners and or abrasives. OTOH it doesn’t take a perfect or even a clean bore to deliver acceptable accuracy.
Mike
October 14, 2024
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I agree 100% Mike. My 1899 Remington Lee in 30-40 Krag has a very rough bore but, it is exceptionally accurate with jacketed ammo. Sometimes, a rifle will surprise you (good or bad) with how it shoots depending on the bore condition.
January 20, 2023
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Has anybody tried the new ceramic bore coatings that are supposed to fill in pits and ease passage of cast lead through rough bores?
I’ve only read about them, never tried any.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
December 13, 2006
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I had a “revelation” when cleaning my rifles after using jacketed bullets . . .
What I thought was CLEAN . . . .proved wrong after trying “Thorro Clean”.
Running a Teslong bore scope thru after Thorro Clean, showed a “sparkling” bore!
November 19, 2006
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Jim F in CT said
I had a “revelation” when cleaning my rifles after using jacketed bullets . . .
What I thought was CLEAN . . . .proved wrong after trying “Thorro Clean”.
Running a Teslong bore scope thru after Thorro Clean, showed a “sparkling” bore!
Never heard of it – can you tell us more about it? Others here have any experience with it?
April 15, 2005
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steve004 said
Jim F in CT said
I had a “revelation” when cleaning my rifles after using jacketed bullets . . .
What I thought was CLEAN . . . .proved wrong after trying “Thorro Clean”.
Running a Teslong bore scope thru after Thorro Clean, showed a “sparkling” bore!
Never heard of it – can you tell us more about it? Others here have any experience with it?
Steve,
I found several good You Tube videos demonstrating it –
Tech Central – How To Clean Your Rifle Using ThorroClean – YouTube
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 31, 2009
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I have been using this product off and on for a few years. It is no miracle worker. Jacketed bullets leave copper and any powder leaves carbon. You have to remove all the layers of each type of residue. Who knows the last time the barrel was cleaned to bare metal. Copper is the easiest to remove but hard carbon is a major pain. Use a stiff nylon brush 1 caliber larger than the caliber of the barrel. As you remove the hard carbon you probably will uncover a layer of copper. I clean after every 50 rounds and with the high pressures the modern target guns produce it is not unusual to have to clean the barrel a half dozen times just to get it almost completely bore scope clean.
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