What is a Bore Brush, and What is it Used For?
Bore brushes consist of metal twisted or spiraled around strands of tiny hard material like plastic or metal filament. There are bore brushes that are designed like a bore mop. Therefore, instead of pieces of cotton that make up threads, which are tightly fitted together around a rod, they have filaments or threads of metal or plastic.
Maintaining a firearm requires a cleaning solution or a liquid solvent. However, a gun cleaning solution cannot be used standalone. You will need some tools that will help in delivering a firearm cleaning solution like a solvent to any desired part of your firearm. Among this array of tools is a bore brush. What exactly is a bore brush? Think of it as a tool for brushing dirt off a firearm bore. However, you’ll want to know what it’s made up of and how it functions to get the most out of it.
What Materials Are Bore Brushes Made Of?
The bore brush is made of materials like steel, bronze, brass, and nylon. Although bronze and nylon are the common types of bore brush, you will find around. Thus, briefly discussing these major types of bore brushes is necessary.
Nylon Bore Brushes
Nylon bore brushes are made of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which are, in turn, a product of petroleum. HDPE is used in making products like plastic bottles, milk jugs, shampoo bottles, cutting boards, and piping. It has high-impact resistance, and its heat tolerance is high. The nylon brush can either have filaments of plastic attached to a spiraled or blind hole rod.
Alloy Bore Brushes
A bronze bore brush is a metallic substance mainly consisting of copper, a tiny percentage of tin, and a mesh of other metallic substances. A bore brush can also be made of brass and steel. Bronze, brass and steel are alloys; they are a combination of metallic elements. Bronze and brass are common because they are primarily copper; while brass has a considerable percentage of tin, bronze has zinc. However, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon.
What Is A Bore Brush Used For?
It is often a common saying that maintaining a firearm requires four steps: cleaning, brushing, drying, and oiling. While gun cleaning solutions like the bore mop are used for cleaning, drying, and oiling, the bore brush is used for brushing. Irrespective of the types of bore brushes, they are used for removing tough stains.
However, you need to be cautious of the type of bore brushes you choose. The type of gun cleaning solution will determine the type of bore brush you should work with. Likewise, the material of your firearm also determines the type of brush to use.
What Is A Nylon Brush Used For?
Nylon brushes are usually used with a firearm cleaning solution that removes copper. The logic is simple; the copper remover will react with brass or bronze bore brushes, which are primarily made of copper. It will chemically react with the bristles of the brushes. Therefore, if you need to remove copper build-ups in your firearm bore, a nylon bore brush might be the best choice for you. It will prevent the scratching of bore surface.
What Are Bronze And Brass Brushes Used For?
Nylon bore brushes are highly impact-resistant. Nevertheless, they are not strong enough to remove carbon build-ups. Carbon is one of the strongest materials. Bronze and brass bore brushes can be effectively used with solvents that remove the powder, lead, metal fouling, rust, and carbon debris. However, the higher percentage of copper in both brass and bronze makes them unsuitable for solvents that remove copper fouling.
What Are Steel Brushes Used For?
A steel bore brush might be the best cleaning tool for removing the toughest debris like carbon or metal. However, there is a high tendency for steel bristles abrading the bore’s lining. This might reduce accuracy and eventually render the barrel useless.
How to Use Bore Brushes
Choose The Appropriate Firearm Cleaning Solution
Bore brushes are similar to other cleaning tools like a bore mop. First, you need an appropriate gun cleaning solution to determine what type of bore brush you will need. Spray the bore with your preferred gun cleaning solution.
Leave The Solution To Dissolve Build-ups
Leave it for a few minutes. Standardized solvents or oils come with instructions on how many minutes the solution should stay before brushing or cleaning. After the stipulated time has elapsed, the solution will have softened and dissolved stubborn build-ups or fouling.
Insert A Bore Guide
Insert a bore guide into your firearm barrel. This will guide the bore brush and prevent its rod from abrading the bore’s lining. The bore guide will also ensure that the brush does not reach places in your firearm that it is not designed to reach. Since the bore guide directs the bore brush, it keeps its rod straight.
Run The Brush Through The Bore
Once you place the bore guide properly, gently insert the brush through the muzzle until it comes out at the breech through the bore guide. Ensure that the brush sits firmly on the chamber or chambers of your firearm. Attach a swab or patch at the tip end of the brush. Gently run the brush through the bore. If the swab is heavily stained, change it at each run-through; repeat this process until the swab appears clean.
A firearm bore brush is very useful in the removal of stubborn stains. However, this cannot be possible without applying a good quality gun cleaning solution.
Armory Den offers a variety of gun cleaning solutions for your firearm cleaning needs, including solvent trap kits made of high-grade quality materials, a portable firearm cleaning kit, and gun cleaning solvent, among others. Visit armoryden.com for the best deals on gun cleaning solutions!
References
- https://www.shooting-school.org/how-to-use-bore-brush
- https://otistec.com/bloghow-to-choose-the-best-bore-brush-for-the-job/
- https://goodblokes.nz/bore-brushes-bronze-nylon/
- https://www.amazon.com/Tipton-Best-Bore-Brush-Pack/dp/B00M1WM044#:~:text=for%20your%20firearms.-,Each%20brush%20contains%20the%20maximum%20number%20of%20bristles%20that%20can,the%20coupler%20in%20the%20barrel.
- https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Gun
- https://www.gordonbrush.com/brushes/bore-brushes
