Embarrassing question. Every time I clean my barrel with JB Compound the patch comes out black. The barrel look spotless to me but if I run another JB covered patch through it and work it for a few strokes then it is black - and I am talking black here. Will it come out clean eventually?

I cannot believe this is all dirt� Some kind of chemical reaction?

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Regards

Richard

I found the same thing.. The best I can figure, it is like a ruge.. Little compound, little metal..
I hope some one else can elaborate on this.

How much can you JB before your over doing it?

As far as I know, JB patches always come out black even from a 'clean' bore.

Mudruck

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"Our Country won't go on forever, if we stay soft as we are now. There won't be any America - because some foreign soldiery will invade us and take our women and breed a hardier race!" - CHESTY PULLER, USMC
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Utah Varminters Association http://www.armscenter.com/uva

The black is microscopic steel particles coating particles of grit. JB is a superfine abrasive paste and will always come out black. In spite of the fact that it is an abrasive it is unlikely that your arm would last long enough to increase bore diameter with it. Never the less, I believe in judicious use of JB's. Regards, Bill.

I just gave my .223 a thorough cleaning yesterday. The JB patches never come out clean. Here was my procedure. JB on a patch wrapped around a small brush for 20 strokes. Clean out JB with Hoppes (brush and patches). Patches finally came out clean. Then, 20 strokes with Sweets on a loose patch. Left in the bore for 15 minutes. 20 strokes with a nylon brush with Sweets. Another wet patch and then dry ones. Since the dry patches were still coming out blue, I repeated the Sweets from the beginning. This time the patches came out with no blue. One more patch with Hoppes, then dry patches. Finally one patch saturated with Break-Free and one more loose dry one. That Savage has never been cleaner!

NoCAL

Lots of competitive shooters use JB sparingly. It will eventually wear a barrel, but not if used in moderation. I'd worry more about wear or damage caused by the cleaning rod.-Rob

I was just given some JB by my gunsmith, for use in cleaning a Rem 700 that fouls fairly badly. It was used sparingly, and the barrel looks and feels much better.

As an aside, this particular barrel has a long (6 inches or so) scratch in the barrel at the chamber end. We have no idea how it was done (2ndd hand rifle), but would suspect something to do with a cleaning rod. In any event, it fouls, but shoots well...

I LOVE JB's!
I have a Remington 40xc that I purchased about 7 years ago. It came with a 1/4 minute of angle test target from the factory that blew my mind (they were kind enough to supply a test target and load data). I have used JB's on it from day one in combination with Hoppes/Sweets and break free much in the same style as NoCAL posted above. The weapon actually shoots better now than when I got it new! JB's (in moderation) is our friend!

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

I have used JB, but, according to J. Belk the Gunsmith, whose advice I value, says it will ruin your barrel. So, I threw out my jar of the stuff!!

Thank you gentlemen!

It certainly feels and looks like it is doing a good job.

Precision Shooting ran an article last year that looked at the various abrasive types of cleaners, from Comet (no joke!) to diamond pastes. If I can find the issue, I will come back and post the month it came out.

The general slant of the article is that the most common abrasive cleaners (ie JB, USP, and RemClean) are crystalline in nature, harder than copper, but softer than steel used in barrel making.

Just for fun, I did a quick survey of some barrelmaker websites to see what they say about abrasive type cleaners.

Lilja - no mention
Hart - does not recommend
Krieger- Ok to use
Shilen - no mention
Douglas- no mention (of anything related to cleaning)
Pac Nor- suggests using JB for cleaning during break-in, no mention of using thereafter.

Barrel cleaning is kind of like discussing politics, religion, and whether Match Kings are hunting bullets---it's a quick way to start an argument that has no end.

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I know the next rifle will be the answer to all my hunting needs....

JB is perfectly safe IF used as directed and used sparingly. However, when has anyone ever followed directions??? I have heard of guys chucking up their cleaning rod in the ole electric drill and giving their bore a real good scrubbing at 300 RPM! If you use improper cleaning techniques, you will most certainly damage your bore - doesn�t matter if you use JB or not.

JB has been used in premium barrels for years with no problems. I have used it very sparingly to break in new bores and for general cleaning for my moly guns. I bore scope my guns quite often. I have not seen any abnormal wear as a result of using JB, however, and it would be difficult to impossible to prove one way or the other.

At the end of the day, JB is a great product, it works as advertised, and is safe in all guns. Simply follow the directions and don�t get creative with your gun cleaning.

I suspect that much much more harm is done to bores by cleaning rods than by proper use of JB. Last weekend at the range I observed a gentleman diligently cleaning his new rifle and laying his nice one piece cleaning rod on the concrete bench. I wonder how much sand/grit that rod picked up and was forced /left behind in his bore? That's exactly how many otherwise good bores are ruined!
I have a .17 Rem that has been JB'd since I chambered the barrel every 10 rounds due to normal .17 rem copper fouling. This bore does show considerable wear on bore scoping and I suspect it has more to do with the rod than the JB.-Rob

http://www.sixgunner.com/FAQ/barrels.htm Here's the repost of a repost of Gale McMillian talking about barrel break in, and one good part on why he says no to JB.

cas - The dangers associated with JB is just another urban myth. Don�t know who was responsible for it but they are quite wrong.

I would never argue with Gale, however, consider the facts - Polishing compounds which are utilized with lead lapping in custom barrels are many times MORE abrasive than JB. JB is non-embedding and specifically designed to be many times softer than gun steel. HOWEVER, JB is classified as an abrasive. Abrasive ANYTHING must be used with care and applied properly when it comes to cleaning guns.

Chemical cleaning is the safest way to clean your bore as long as you follow directions. Most of my guns do not require any brushing and I only use JB every 10 or so cleaning to ensure that I am addressing stubborn powder fouling. Used properly, it extends the life of my barrels by eliminating trapped fouling and ultimately pitting. I have several varmint/target guns which are still sub-sub-MOA after 2,000 to 3,000 rounds and I use JB in all of them.

IF JB is wearing out my barrels, I can attest that it makes absolutely no difference in any of my guns and I have yet to discover abnormal wear via continual bore scope inspection. Furthermore, most bench and competition target shooters still use the stuff by the bucket full. I have the same 2oz container that I purchased 8+ years ago - still have plenty in it.

One other point that I have considerable trouble with from Gale�s cleaning suggestions is the use of the Foul Out system. This system has destroyed more barrels in a shorter amount of time than any other cleaning system on the market - period. If you want to pit a barrel in record time, simply use the unit with weak chemicals. Within a few hours you can trash a new barrel. Furthermore, the system is totally ineffective on powder fouling which requires manual scrubbing before more electrolysis treatments - and that is not an urban myth!

.

[This message has been edited by Zero Drift (edited 04-10-2002).]

Spray a squirt or two of carbarator cleaner down the bore followed with a patch when you're finished with the JB. Some bench rest shooters do this to dry the barrel out prior to shooting.

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Doug Humbarger
NRA Life member

The Precision Shooting article I mentioned in my earlier post was in the February 2001 issue.

JB is composed of sieved volcanic glass (pumice). The article mentioned that the structure of this type of abrasive is such that the particles easily fracture and break down to a smaller size (or higher grit #). If you use JB, that is why you have to "top up" your patch periodically to maintain the fouling removal capability.

The ranch that I hunt here in Texas is pretty dry and sometimes very dusty. After riding around in a Jeep for a while, everything is coated with a layer of nasty limestone dust. I have to believe that this is way worse than an occasional JB cleaning.

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I know the next rifle will be the answer to all my hunting needs....

JB is non-embedding, diatomaceous earth, specifically formulated to be many times softer than gun steel. IT IS SAFE TO USE!

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[This message has been edited by Zero Drift (edited 04-11-2002).]