Barrel cleaning - back and forth? And rod question

[ar15barrels]

If I am using BoreTech to get copper out of my barrel, can I run the brush back and forth or only one direction?

I saw a video of someone going up and down the barrel to clean it, I thought that was a no no.

I got a "brass" brush that turned into stainless steel after contacting the BoreTech. Will that damage the barrel? Would nylon be better than brass? Are metal cleaning rods ok?

Thank you

Use a bore guide.
Push the brush from the chamber to the muzzle.
Remove the brush.
Wipe down the rod as it is pulled backwards in the barrel to remove it.
Flush out the grunge from the brush with brake cleaner or other spray cleaner.
Reinstall brush and repeat above.

Do NOT drag a brush across the crown.
Do NOT change directions of a brush in the bore.

[SanDiego619]

Use a bore guide.
Push the brush from the chamber to the muzzle.
Remove the brush.
Wipe down the rod as it is pulled backwards in the barrel to remove it.
Flush out the grunge from the brush with brake cleaner or other spray cleaner.
Reinstall brush and repeat above.

Do NOT drag a brush across the crown.
Do NOT change directions of a brush in the bore.

That's what I've been doing, but without a bore guide. Will pulling the cleaning rod back after removing the brush really scratch the inside of the barrel? Will a bore guide prevent the end of the cleaning rod from touching the barrel as I remove it?

Thank you

[ar15barrels]

I use BoreTech to remove fouling of various sorts.
I'll probably get a better brass brush to help loosen up carbon and agitate the BoreTech as it works on the copper and lead.
I use jacketed rounds but whenever I use boretech it comes out nice and teal so I know there's some copper in there.
After hundreds of rounds it comes out really dark teal.

Do NOT use a brass or copper brush with copper removing cleaners.
Brass has copper in it and it gives you a false reading of what was really in the barrel.
The teal you are getting could be from your BRUSH as much as it's from the copper that's actually in your barrel.

Use a plastic brush to apply and scrub with copper solvent.
Let TIME do the real work of stripping the copper.

Then dry out the bore with patches.
When you are using copper solvent, do NOT use a brass or copper jag with the patches as the copper cleaner will also turn the patches teal.

There are plastic, stainless or nickel plated jags available for use with copper solvents.

[ar15barrels]

That's what I've been doing, but without a bore guide.
Will pulling the cleaning rod back after removing the brush really scratch the inside of the barrel?
Will a bore guide prevent the end of the cleaning rod from touching the barrel as I remove it?

When the brush clears the muzzle, it's full of carbon and other grit that it pushed out of the barrel.
If you drag all that crud BACK into the barrel, you are sanding the barrel with the grit that the brush just broke free from the barrel.
The reason you REMOVE the brush is so you can flush it clean with spray cleaner.
Then you pull the rod back without a brush.
The bare rod will not damage the barrel if you are pulling it straight through a guide.

We do all this to save the wear or damage to the crown.
The bore guide keeps the bore ALIGNED with the bore.
Without a guide, you can apply more sideways pressure to the rod which can wear/damage the throat.

[homers]

Use a bore guide.
Push the brush from the chamber to the muzzle.
Remove the brush.
Wipe down the rod as it is pulled backwards in the barrel to remove it.
Flush out the grunge from the brush with brake cleaner or other spray cleaner.
Reinstall brush and repeat above.

Do NOT drag a brush across the crown.
Do NOT change directions of a brush in the bore.

This

[SanDiego619]

When the brush clears the muzzle, it's full of carbon and other grit that it pushed out of the barrel.
If you drag all that crud BACK into the barrel, you are sanding the barrel with the grit that the brush just broke free from the barrel.
The reason you REMOVE the brush is so you can flush it clean with spray cleaner.
Then you pull the rod back without a brush.
The bare rod will not damage the barrel if you are pulling it straight through a guide.

We do all this to save the wear or damage to the crown.
The bore guide keeps the bore ALIGNED with the bore.
Without a guide, you can apply more sideways pressure to the rod which can wear/damage the throat.

That makes sense, thank you, that helped put all the pieces of information I've heard over the last year or two together. No wonder the first time I used BoreTech it was so green, and my brush turned the color of steel.

How about those carbon fiber cleaning rods? If I get one of those, is it safer and I don't need a bore guide?

Thanks again

[SanDiego619]

I got a tipton ultra jag (non-brass) and some nylon brushes also with no brass so I won't get false readings anymore.

As for protecting the crown, is it ok to pull a nylon brush back in through the muzzle or can that also mess it up?

Thank you

[smle-man]

I rarely use any type of brush on any rifled barrel. I let the chemical solvents do the hard work for me.

[SanDiego619]

I rarely use any type of brush on any rifled barrel. I let the chemical solvents do the hard work for me.

I was thinking of using the brush to loosen up carbon and spread the solvent (BoreTech) around evenly but I'll let it sit for 10 minutes to work on the fouling.

[ar15barrels]

As for protecting the crown, is it ok to pull a nylon brush back in through the muzzle or can that also mess it up?

If you have crud in the brush, don't drag it past the crown.
If your barrel is clean (no crud), why would you push a brush down it?

[SanDiego619]

If you have crud in the brush, don't drag it past the crown.
If your barrel is clean (no crud), why would you push a brush down it?

Good point, good sir. Backwards I shall not pull the brush.