Winchester Collector - Forum: Restoration, Repair and Maintenance

Zebulon on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:34:02 +0000

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.

kevindpm61 on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:53:11 +0000

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.

TXGunNut on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:46:04 +0000

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

kevindpm61 on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:57:31 +0000

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.

Jeremy P on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:50:40 +0000

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.

218Bee on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:39:37 +0000

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.

kevindpm61 on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:15:21 +0000

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?

rwsem on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:32:34 +0000

JB Bore paste alternated with Kroil is my go-to for a filthy barrel.

218Bee on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:32:08 +0000

Bert, I have a can of Kroil and will give it a go. Thanks.

Bert H. on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:11:59 +0000

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

218Bee on Patches still coming out filthy….dark bore w/strong rifling. Tips?

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 01:37:34 +0000

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?

Jeremy P on Attention: Model 07 Gurus, Semi-Gurus, and Virtual Gurus

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:07:18 +0000

As a fun side note, someone online figured out that a certain Whirlpool appliance rubber foot had a perfect diameter to replace the 1911SL fibrous washers, with a little easy fitting of course. I bought quite a few to hold onto for future use...I think I have the video saved somewhere if ever needed....pretty neat and creative solution.

Darrin Smith on Attention: Model 07 Gurus, Semi-Gurus, and Virtual Gurus

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:40:31 +0000

Are the buffers the same in all of the models 1905, '07 & '10?

TXGunNut on Attention: Model 07 Gurus, Semi-Gurus, and Virtual Gurus

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:45:54 +0000

Jeremy P said
Damn, I need to start selling 3D printed parts! Sounds like a similar arrangement to the 1911 SL shotgun in terms of fibrous buffers and recoil absorption.

You are correct, T. C. Johnson designed the Model 1907 and 1911...started with the 1903 and the group also includes the 1905 and 1910.

Mike

Jeremy P on Attention: Model 07 Gurus, Semi-Gurus, and Virtual Gurus

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:12:38 +0000

Damn, I need to start selling 3D printed parts! Sounds like a similar arrangement to the 1911 SL shotgun in terms of fibrous buffers and recoil absorption.