Advice / suggestions on cleaning a filthy barrel

[Bent Arrow]

So a few hours in the shed, half a bottle of solvent, 3 brass brushes, half a roll of cotton cloth and a jar of elbow grease later I think this is about as good as this bore is going to get.

After a bit of a clean

_20170811_181228.JPG (618.57 KiB) Viewed 7020 times

After today's effort

_20170813_171818.JPG (183.44 KiB) Viewed 7020 times

[Bent Arrow]

What are you going to do with this rifle.Can you source ammo?I have never even seen one but the load data suggests its ballistic curve would be a rainbow.Does anyone hunt with them or were they a low recoil training tool.I need one

It's going to be a plinker mostly. I scored 500 rounds that I'll probably pull apart and reload. I saw someone advertising cast projectiles for them just a little while ago. I'd seriously contemplate using it at close range on small goats.

[Bent Arrow]

OK, so now I'm looking for some advice on how to clean up the stock a little.. I'm definitely not looking to refinish the stock, just clean off the grime and reseal the stock........ There's a lot of conflicting info out there....

[Wm.Traynor]

Why do you want to seal the timber? Are you going to hunt in rain? If so, there is polyurethane which is not in keeping with the traditional finish. This only matters if you want to maintain the collector value. I recently re-finished a butt with stain, oil and wax that "seems impervious to water". Looks nice, isn't shiny. I would post pics but that has never worked for me personally, in the past. Maybe try shooting it first

[duncan61]

Will these bullets work out of it or is the bore size wrong

Bullet Name Brand Stock Number Type
.308 dia. 110 gr. RN .308 dia. 110 gr. RN Pro-Hunter 2100 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 110 gr. FMJ .308 dia. 110 gr. FMJ Pro-Hunter 2105 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 110 gr. HP .308 dia. 110 gr. HP Varminter 2110 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. (.30-30) 125 gr. HP/FN .308 dia. (.30-30) 125 gr. HP/FN Pro-Hunter 2020 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. SPT .308 dia. 125 gr. SPT Pro-Hunter 2120 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. HP .308 dia. 125 gr. HP MatchKing 2121 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. .308 dia. 125 gr. Tipped MatchKing 7725 Rifle
Ord

[Bent Arrow]

Why do you want to seal the timber? Are you going to hunt in rain? If so, there is polyurethane which is not in keeping with the traditional finish. This only matters if you want to maintain the collector value. I recently re-finished a butt with stain, oil and wax that "seems impervious to water". Looks nice, isn't shiny. I would post pics but that has never worked for me personally, in the past. Maybe try shooting it first

"reseal" was a poor choice of words. I want to keep the original look and finish. From what I've read boiled linseed oil is the right choice.

[Bent Arrow]

Will these bullets work out of it or is the bore size wrong

Bullet Name Brand Stock Number Type
.308 dia. 110 gr. RN .308 dia. 110 gr. RN Pro-Hunter 2100 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 110 gr. FMJ .308 dia. 110 gr. FMJ Pro-Hunter 2105 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 110 gr. HP .308 dia. 110 gr. HP Varminter 2110 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. (.30-30) 125 gr. HP/FN .308 dia. (.30-30) 125 gr. HP/FN Pro-Hunter 2020 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. SPT .308 dia. 125 gr. SPT Pro-Hunter 2120 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. HP .308 dia. 125 gr. HP MatchKing 2121 Rifle
Order
.308 dia. 125 gr. .308 dia. 125 gr. Tipped MatchKing 7725 Rifle
Ord

Have a look here.

http://www.castbulletengineering.com.au ... /310-cadet

http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.com/ ... pic?page=2

[duncan61]

Exactly what I was researching 30 cents is cheap to buy and a mould would make it even cheaper.What a fun toy to have.I had a greener shotgun with the falling block as my first firearm.Paid $200 at Geraldton 20 years agop

[Gwion]

OK, so now I'm looking for some advice on how to clean up the stock a little.. I'm definitely not looking to refinish the stock, just clean off the grime and reseal the stock........ There's a lot of conflicting info out there....

Strip the stock of all hardware. Use spirit of turpentine to rub it back with #0000 steel wool. Using fresh lot of steel wool, apply RAW linseed oil in a circular motion. Do this each day for a few days. It will take a good week to set up and not feel tacky. Give it one more going over with the steel wool and then buff it out with a nice soft cloth, like those micro fibre dust cloths that cost SFA at the supermarket.

[Gamerancher]

Lee Shaver, a prominent and well respected gunsmith and shooter in the U.S, recommends a technique using 0000 steel-wool to clean badly fouled barrels.
Basically, step 1 is to run a tightly oiled patch through the bore a few times. Then, unroll the steel wool and cut a piece roughly the same size as the patch and place it over the oiled patch. Run through the bore, it should be tight enough that you need to "bump" the cleaning rod to get it through. Repeat. It may take a few goes but he reckons he can clean the worst bore in about 15 minutes. He even now uses this method to "break-in" new barrels for black-powder shooting.
He states that the steel wool wont damage the bore in the barrel but merely "polish" it.

Also, once you get your bore clean, I suggest that you "slug" it to determine the actual bore diameter. Those .310 cadets can vary a lot in bore diameter.
Once you know your actual bore, you'll find you will get best results with a cast bullet about .001" to .002" over bore diameter.

[marksman]

I like the danish oil myself, cotton cloth and rub it in and wipe it off let it dry and repeat, may not be how it was finished originally
great job on the bore by the way

[Bent Arrow]

Thanks. I think this will come up OK. I've gone the simple and traditional approach of rubbing on raw linseed oil with 0000 steel wool and then rubbing off with a soft cotton cloth. Tonight was the second coat. This has left much of the character of years of use but is now looking cared for rather than discarded. A few more coats and it'll be done....

[Gwion]

Thanks. I think this will come up OK. I've gone the simple and traditional approach of rubbing on raw linseed oil with 0000 steel wool and then rubbing off with a soft cotton cloth. Tonight was the second coat. This has left much of the character of years of use but is now looking cared for rather than discarded. A few more coats and it'll be done....

That's the idea. Just a bit of TLC, not a full refinish.