Removing wad fouling from barrel

[HookMeUpII]

Does anyone have any tips for removing plastic residue or fouling from the wads in shotgun barrels? Sometimes we get into a good shoot, barrel gets hot, and leaves a plastic residue on the inside of the barrel. Currently using Bore Tech shotgun cleaner with a wire brush but it just doesn't seem to get it all out.

 

[Graham Hunter]

Wipe out foam for shotguns or Brake Clean.

 

[Marc Ret]

Ed's Red and a tornado brush tipped rod chucked up in a power drill.

 

[BeeMaa]

The only place I really find plastic is in the choke tube of my SBE3.

According to Benelli...
"Cryogenic physics has revealed steel changes at the molecular level when cooled to -300° F. When a Benelli barrel is cryogenically treated, all the stresses caused by hammer forging are relieved and the surface of the bore becomes more even-grained. The result is a slicker surface offering less resistance to wads and shot charges.With smoother, more uniform surfaces, Benelli Crio® barrels deliver superior patterns and stay clean longer."

Anything in the choke I'm able to get out with a little CLP.

What kind of shotgun do you have and how hot are you shooting them?

 

[steve white]

Dedicate an old cleaning rod for this: mount a bore brush, chuck in a drill, spin on a layer of fine steel wool, oil it, spin it inside the barrel. According to decades of use, then careful measurement by the shotgun gunsmith Ralph Walker it will EMPHATICALLY NOT wear the inside of the barrel at all. But it will be quickly clean as a whistle and burnished bright. Have never found quicker, easier or better.

 

[HookMeUpII]

The only place I really find plastic is in the choke tube of my SBE3.

According to Benelli...
"Cryogenic physics has revealed steel changes at the molecular level when cooled to -300° F. When a Benelli barrel is cryogenically treated, all the stresses caused by hammer forging are relieved and the surface of the bore becomes more even-grained. The result is a slicker surface offering less resistance to wads and shot charges.With smoother, more uniform surfaces, Benelli Crio® barrels deliver superior patterns and stay clean longer."

Anything in the choke I'm able to get out with a little CLP.

What kind of shotgun do you have and how hot are you shooting them?

I shoot a Browning Silver in 12 and a Beretta A300 Xtrema in 12. It's the Xtrema with the wad fouling. We only shoot them hot once or twice every couple of years. Last time was a 26 goose shoot with birds dumping in all over. Then the cripples running all over.

Wad fouling is only going to get worse as time goes on with them using different materials and/or styles of wads. I'm not complaining because the patterns are getting better and they are using a lot more biodegradable materials. Just have to address the fouling.

 

[112Savage]

When I shot clays in college there was a company that made a dip for choke tubes to get the plastic out. Looking on google I think it is Slip2000 because I remember it being a white liquid. I’ve never used it but have friends who swore by it.

 

[BeeMaa]

I shoot a Browning Silver in 12 and a Beretta A300 Xtrema in 12. It's the Xtrema with the wad fouling. We only shoot them hot once or twice every couple of years. Last time was a 26 goose shoot with birds dumping in all over. Then the cripples running all over.

Wad fouling is only going to get worse as time goes on with them using different materials and/or styles of wads. I'm not complaining because the patterns are getting better and they are using a lot more biodegradable materials. Just have to address the fouling.

I've seen some pretty heavy shooting day with goose during conservation season.

As for getting the plastic wad material out, I would prefer not to use a cleaning rod with drill. Too much of a chance of creating micro scratches in the bore that could compound the problem in the future.

I'd take a look at the Slip 2000 Choke Tube Cleaner that @112Savage recommended to see if that will work for you. Says it will dissolve plastic. This may not be as quick as using a drill, but the slower method might be better in this case.

EDIT - Also found a similar product from Carlson's Choke Tubes on Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/Carlsons-Cho...89194991&sprefix=slip+2000+cho,aps,110&sr=8-6

 

[503]

You're supposed to clean shotguns?......

 

[steve white]

I have not found 4 0000 steel wool to scratch, Walker found nothing measurable to ten thousandths. One could use bronze wool....burnishing the interior surface makes it smoother, maybe even closing the pores?
I do it because it is FAST and cleans all the way through the gunk.

 

[lockingblock]

Don’t use power tools. You will leave crosshatching in the bore that makes fouling build up.


i shot trap competitively for years. Plastic is a pain, but very solvable. It just takes proper tools.

Get a GOOD brass shotgun rod, bronze tornado brush (several), bore mop (several), patch holder, 12ga bronze brush (several), and a few cans of gun scrubber or similar spray degreaser that’s NOT safe for paint or plastic.


https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-cleaning/gun-solvents-degreasers/shotgun-wad-solvent/

Start by spraying the bore wet with gun scrubber and brushing aggressively with the tornado brush. Spray regularly as it dries very quickly. Reverse the brush in the bore, at various places where there is fouling. Keep spraying and brushing for 30-50 strokes. Next, wrap a large patch onto a brush and run it through. Repeat patches 2-3 times. Inspect…repeat…and it should be gone unless it’s lead which is a whole other problem.

Next, pull the choke tube, soak it in a jar of whatever solvent overnight…carbon buildup and plastic. Use a scraper tool gently.

Grease choke tube threads to prevent stuck tubes.

Finish with rust prevention oil in bore.

 

[Inline6]

You're supposed to clean shotguns?......

Not that I'm one to abuse gear. I do use it and want to know what it take. To figure out what my A400 Extreme would take, I put a case of high brass 6s through it. Cleaned it up, have not done anything to it other than some oil on the bolt body and head. I'm at 1800rds on anything from low 9s to high 6s along with steel shot. I might clean it up before dove season, it has ran better than I was expecting.

 

[steve white]

Plastic is not a pain with the steel wool bob on a drill, I'm telling you, guys. Does wonders for the chamber, too.

 

[503]

In all seriousness, I've been to many shotgun classes and shotgun instructor school a few times and we shot several hundred rounds over the course of a few days and I've never seen any plastic buildup in the barrel.

Just some solvent and a brush followed up by a few patches is all they seem to need. I'm not saying it can't happen but it seems like a fairly rare situation to have plastic build up in the barrel.

Cheers

503

 

[BeeMaa]

In all seriousness, I've been to many shotgun classes and shotgun instructor school a few times and we shot several hundred rounds over the course of a few days and I've never seen any plastic buildup in the barrel.

Just some solvent and a brush followed up by a few patches is all they seem to need. I'm not saying it can't happen but it seems like a fairly rare situation to have plastic build up in the barrel.

Cheers

503

Lots of factors play into the wad fouling. Obviously..barrel temperature, but there are other factors that play into it like what brand of wads are used and what the ambient temperature is.

Hunting dove in Argentina can have round counts above 1200 for a single shotgun in a day. Certainly not typical for most hunting in the US, but some conservation goose (unlimited or at least a high bag limit) seasons when the temperature is still up can also cause it.

I won't even start with the competition guys who do trap, skeet, 5-stand, sporting clays...etc. I know college shooting teams like Virginia Tech shoot several hundred shots in just a couple of hours. Fouling happens and accuracy suffers.

Look at it this way, companies wouldn't go through the trouble of making a product to dissolve the plastic from shotgun wads if it wasn't an issue.

 

[112Savage]

Lots of factors play into the wad fouling. Obviously..barrel temperature, but there are other factors that play into it like what brand of wads are used and what the ambient temperature is.

Hunting dove in Argentina can have round counts above 1200 for a single shotgun in a day. Certainly not typical for most hunting in the US, but some conservation goose (unlimited or at least a high bag limit) seasons when the temperature is still up can also cause it.

I won't even start with the competition guys who do trap, skeet, 5-stand, sporting clays...etc. I know college shooting teams like Virginia Tech shoot several hundred shots in just a couple of hours. Fouling happens and accuracy suffers.

Look at it this way, companies wouldn't go through the trouble of making a product to dissolve the plastic from shotgun wads if it wasn't an issue.

I was on the Virginia Tech clay target team when I found out about Slip2000. A flat of shells in a day during competition is normal.

 

[fourfive8]

Plastic wad fouling can build up. Probably a lot of variables affect how much, how fast. Easiest way to remove may be mechanical. Not many chemicals dissolve plastic- that’s why so many chems come in plastic bottles

Wrap steel wool around brass brush for tight fit in bore. If weak kneed about steel wool then use brass wool. Consider… If steel wool will scratch the bore, the barrel steel is too soft to be used as a gun barrel to begin with.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Not many chemicals dissolve plastic- that’s why so many chems come in plastic bottles

I never thought of that but you are absolutely right. Nothing that comes in a plastic bottle is going to work. Looks like the "Wipe Out" stuff comes in a metal bottle for a good reason.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Not that I'm one to abuse gear. I do use it and want to know what it take. To figure out what my A400 Extreme would take, I put a case of high brass 6s through it. Cleaned it up, have not done anything to it other than some oil on the bolt body and head. I'm at 1800rds on anything from low 9s to high 6s along with steel shot. I might clean it up before dove season, it has ran better than I was expecting.

My A300 Xtrema (A400 without the kickoff) is an absolute machine. However, salt marshes are where the best of shotguns go to die if not cleaned. Learned that pretty early on. Dogs coming into the boat shaking off saltwater, freezing spray from crossing the bay, mud, etc. The salt just destroys guns.

I tend to agree with you though. Beretta makes a hell of a gun. I still clean mine after a messy trip.

 

[deewayne2003]

Take a 20ga bronze brush and wrap it in chore boy, chuck the cleaning rod into a drill and spray diesel down the bore and work the drill slow speed up and down the barrel.