brush on Henry 45-70

[dancote]

Hello
Shooting and cleaning my new Henry. I am wanting to do a good job and do know the two sides of the cleaning argument that show up on the internet. one is that you have to really baby the barrels on rifles carefully only pushing a rod one direction, removing the jag/brush and pulling the rod out the bore guide to reload the jag, etc. Vs the vigorous cleaning (overcleaning and brushing??) camp. I am trying to be someplace in the middle ground on that though my tendency would probably be to scrub and overclean too much. Today I started pushing a nylon brush out per Bore -Tech bore cleaner bottle instructions. After unscrewing the nylon brush about one time, I got tired of that and started pushing the brush completely out of the barrel and then reversing all the way back into the Possum Bore guide. Is brushing even necessary in these guns using copper jackets (Speer 400gr), Gas checked cast, and coated Missouri cast? Can patches with just Ballisol and soaking barrel 10-15 min keep lead and copper cleaned out? Can run the brush both directions if I run it completely out of the muzzle first?

Also, does anyone know a screwdriver they can recommend for the lever screw on the Henry? I have the Grace screwdriver kit, but the blades are too thick.

Thanks for any help!

Dan

[JEBar]

over the last 60 some years I've gone around the gun cleaning circle several times .... can't see any use in going through all of the variations .... where I am today is pretty simple .... unless something special comes up (like having to remove copper deposits from the barrel) Ballistol is the only cleaner/lubricant I use .... for the most part, I believe that less is better .... in short a very thin coat ... some say to not clean the barrel .... I choose to run a patch down the barrel (if possible from the chamber down the barrel) .... once I can look down the barrel and do not see any powder or other residue, that's it ... the same is true for the innards and exterior .... understood on the lever screw .... I had the same trouble finding a bit and ended up buying a Wheeler Engineering Gunsmithing Screwdriver Set .... if it wasn't buried in our camper in prepration for us to pull out for a cross country trip, I'd try try to find the name/number of the bit .... if you can't find what you need, let me know when we get to South Dakota and I'll be happy to dig it out


https://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-Engineer ... 173&sr=8-2

[RanchRoper]

I run a bore mop soaked in Hoppes down the barrel muzzle to breech, then pull it back out. Then same with a copper brush. Then a couple of patches, then some dry patches. A little lube after that then done. About 15 minutes to have a clean barrel. I shoot lead only. After several thousand rounds, no issues. I keep my guns clean but they don't get babied..

[dancote]

Thank you both JEBar and RanchRoper! That is helpful info and I respect your experience with this over the years. I will keep the rod outta the barrel a little more than I am prone to do in the past. It is still hard for me to believe that some don't even clean the barrel; i've run across this on the 1911 sites too and with Wilson Combat, etc. Makes me nervous cause I learned to be a responsible gun owner meant also to clean n swap that gun after every squirrel or deer hunt as a boy. You learn somethin' new every day I guess!
By the way, how can you tell if copper or lead is building up? Do you visually see it looking down a bore with the bolt pulled out? OR do you need one of them bore scopes to do so?

Many thanks!

[JEBar]

I have in the past but no longer choose to fire lead in any of our firearms .... both can be seen in barrels but it is easier for me to see lead .... a swab coated with any number of copper solvents will turn blue clearly showing .... at first I did worry about it and did so until I found out that in our firearms some copper in the barrel hasn't affected accuracy

[RanchRoper]

I use the rod for all of those steps I mentioned...they just screw into it. I bought one of those Hoppes rods with brass muzzle guard and the rod is made of something that won't scratch....graphite maybe?

[Steve51]

I have a set of Grace screwdrivers and the one I use for the lever screw on my Henry .45-70 is a P5.

[BigAl52]

I dont get wrapped up in the the hype of do it this way or you will ruin this or that. Ive always done it the way Ive been doing it since i bought my first gun. I havent ruined one yet. If you think the brush is doing you some good then use it. I do once in a while. If Im cleaning out copper I run a patch down the barrel let it sit for a spell and run another one down the barrel. Do this until the blue is almost gone. Other than that I run patches brushes both ways. I just do what works for me. Always have and I always will.

[GFK]

Welcome. In response to your question, Henry offers guidanc: https://www.henryusa.com/own-a-henry/he ... eo-series/. But as BigAl pointed out, I typically do what makes me happy, alone as it is not less than Henry's guidance.

[Yornoc3]

A couple more thoughts: Don't be in too much of a hurry when you clean, give the Ballistol, Hoppe's #9. copper solvent (when you need it), etc. a little time to work, it'll reduce the amount of brushing and patches required. How smooth the barrel is also makes a difference. My Henry 45-70 single shot cleans with a minimum number of passes, it's barrel has to be really smooth, and the Henry .243 ss is almost as good. Some other rifles I have take a bit more effort to get a clean patch out, not mentioning any names .

[Team Roper]

For copper removal, I have not found anything that works better then the foam stuff you can buy and I've tried just about all the expensive ,strong smelling, snake oils.
I used to do what many suggest an remove the bore brush from the rod and not returning the brush back through the bore. Bull! That is a pain in the butt so I just return the brush back through the bore. If that procedure ruins the bore then all I got to say is don't shoot bullets through the bore because you might really goof it up.
I like Ballistol but I think it is to weak a cleaner, works good in muzzle loaders though. I usually let my Ed's Red sit in the bore a bit before running patches through it,same with Hoppes or any other cleaner. They make solvents for just lead removal and I find they work well,Shooter's Choice lead remover and Montana Extream Cowboy Blend works well for lead removal. I don't find copper or lead hard to remove. Chor Boy wrapped around a bore brush is your friend for any heavy stuff but that usually doesn't happen unless your bullet sizing and lubes are in question. Don't worry yourself sick over cleaning for a really shiny bore. Heck, some of my best groups are done with a dirty bore. For this reason, I never clean my bore before or during hunting season.

[leverjc]

So many different opinions on what is the best way to clean a bore. I do not believe there is any one best way to clean all bores. I have many different guns and they all clean up differently. The bore of a Wilson Combat match grade barrel will clean up completely with nothing but a few patches after several hundred rounds and I have an old 336 barrel that needs a lot of cleaning just to get the long streaks of copper build up out of the bore after 20 rounds. Most of my guns take some where in between to get clean.

[Keystone]

I have just recently started using a bore snake. When at the range and done shooting I pull the bore snake breech to muzzle a few times. When I get home I run some patches with hopppes and a lightly oiled patch and I’m done with the barrel bore. I wipe down the brass receiver, furniture, then the outside of the barrel with a lightly oiled rag and put it in the safe. The bore snake seems to do a rather good job for the effort it takes.

[Grunt67]

I dont get wrapped up in the the hype of do it this way or you will ruin this or that. Ive always done it the way Ive been doing it since i bought my first gun. I havent ruined one yet. If you think the brush is doing you some good then use it. I do once in a while. If Im cleaning out copper I run a patch down the barrel let it sit for a spell and run another one down the barrel. Do this until the blue is almost gone. Other than that I run patches brushes both ways. I just do what works for me. Always have and I always will.

What Al said........

[GunnyGene]

People spend way too much time in the bore hole, and usually much too little time on the moving parts. Trust me, that bullet will come out of the muzzle unless the bore is totally jammed up. But a little bit of carbon and grit in the moving parts can bring things to a screeching halt in no time.

Unless you are shooting a precision match grade rifle at 1000+ yds you don't need to sweat a little bit of copper or powder residue in the bore. And shining it up to bare steel every time you run a few rounds ain't gonna make you or the rifle a better shooter.

[james89]

People spend way too much time in the bore hole, and usually much too little time on the moving parts. Trust me, that bullet will come out of the muzzle unless the bore is totally jammed up. But a little bit of carbon and grit in the moving parts can bring things to a screeching halt in no time.

Unless you are shooting a precision match grade rifle at 1000+ yds you don't need to sweat a little bit of copper or powder residue in the bore. And shining it up to bare steel every time you run a few rounds ain't gonna make you or the rifle a better shooter.

How often would you recommend disassembly for cleaning?

[GunnyGene]

People spend way too much time in the bore hole, and usually much too little time on the moving parts. Trust me, that bullet will come out of the muzzle unless the bore is totally jammed up. But a little bit of carbon and grit in the moving parts can bring things to a screeching halt in no time.

Unless you are shooting a precision match grade rifle at 1000+ yds you don't need to sweat a little bit of copper or powder residue in the bore. And shining it up to bare steel every time you run a few rounds ain't gonna make you or the rifle a better shooter.

How often would you recommend disassembly for cleaning?

There is no hard and fast rule. It completely depends on the firearm and the environment it lives in. For example; compare a custom tight clearance Kimber 1911 to a issue GI 1911. The GI gun has loose clearances for a reason - that being to allow it to shoot under conditions which would stop the Kimber in it's tracks. But the Kimber is a far more accurate weapon. There's always trade offs.

I've done a complete teardown and cleaning of my BBSC once since I bought it in Aug. 2018, and after putting a couple hundred rounds thru it. It wasn't giving me any problems, but I just wanted to see how gunked up it might be. It was remarkably clean, so just wiped the pieces off, lubed it up, and will probably not tear it down again for several years. But I don't shoot it often - a few rounds just prior to deer season, mostly just to check zero and maintain my skills, and one round per deer.

Anyway, instead of me getting too windy, I recommend you watch a series of video's at the below site: Specifically Parts 37 thru 45. This entire series is focused on ELR precision shooting & equipment, but the fundamentals apply to any firearm.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... vDCIcEPxUn

[JEBar]

There is no hard and fast rule. It completely depends on the firearm and the environment it lives in.

agree and to that I'd add the preference of the owner .... I have friends who literally can't stand seeing a speck of dirt on their vehicles, boats, campers, etc .... accordingly, they spend hours washing and polishing them .... the bottom line is, while its not for me, that's perfectly OK .... folks who and hopefully enjoy spending hours swabbing the barrels and micro cleaning the actions of their firearms should do so .... I'm simply not in that camp

[GunnyGene]

There is no hard and fast rule. It completely depends on the firearm and the environment it lives in.

agree and to that I'd add the preference of the owner .... I have friends who literally can't stand seeing a speck of dirt on their vehicles, boats, campers, etc .... accordingly, they spend hours washing and polishing them .... the bottom line is, while its not for me, that's perfectly OK .... folks who and hopefully enjoy spending hours swabbing the barrels and micro cleaning the actions of their firearms should do so .... I'm simply not in that camp

There is that personal preference of course.

[james89]

My marlin is clean with out help, if I shoot I will do a quick patch or two but I just take the lever and bolt patch wipe the bolt and put it away till I shoot again.my Henry 3030 was filthy when I got it apart! Like only the rifling had any shine so I'm probably going to have to keep my eye on it better but I'm new to ownership in general so I don't wanna distroy them in ignorance