Wow, was this really twelve years ago? Or has it JUST been twelve years since "Shooter's" broke up?
I purchased my first SS barreled rifle just over a year ago, Ruger #1 in 7 STW. As with all new rifles, the first thing I did with it was clean the bore and apply Action Product's Friction Block.
I cleaned the bore with Shooter's Choice on bronze brushes from Midway, followed by dry cotton patches, followed by USP bore paste on a tight cotton patch, followed by dry patches to remove paste, and finally a patch with a couple drops of Hoppe's #9 to remove the last of the paste. Then repeat and repeat again.
Each time I applied the brush and Shooter's choice to the bore I got lots of black gunk which resembled powder fouling from the CM barrels in my past experience. I spent about three hours repeating the procedure listed above. And the black came back each time, until I switched the bronze brush for a patch with Shooter's Choice.
I have never had any such experience with CM barrels. They are always very easy to clean before firing. After firing the powder residue always responds in a predictable manner.
My cousin subsequently bought a Rem 700 Sendero SS in 7STW, and we had the same experience when cleaning it brfore shooting. He finally purchased a nylon brush to use on his rifle.
I also saw the same results when cleaning my new Ruger 77MKII SS in 260 Rem.
Is there an adverse chemical reaction occurring between SS, Shooter's Choice, and the bronze brush?
Is SS just so abrasive to the bronze that it makes things turn black, and why would the color be black instead of bronze colored, if so?
I am not confident in a thorough cleaning job using a nylon bore brush. I now clean the barrels of my SS rifles using the process shown above and repeat once. Then I trade the brush for a patch soaked in Shooter's Choice,and repeat a couple more times. I then leave a final light coat of Hoppe.s in the bore.
Please respond if you know why a SS barrel responds to cleaning in this manner or if you have a cleaning method which works better.
I do not think I have a bronze brush on the place any more. But I did buy a couple yards of white cotton flannel at the fabric store which Momma visits.
I remember it was just a short while later that 'Stick got after me for suggesting that a 30-06 was a better long range game cartridge than the 308.
That was an educational thread.
