doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Chamber Cleaning

Lots and lots of info and cleaning apparatus for rifles and shotgun 'bores'. I have a good amount of it myself. However I have never come across anything specific to clean the chamber of a gun either rifle or shotgun. I find the forcing cone area of a shotgun holds a lot of burn powder and lead residue. Although the cartridge/shell in the chamber prevents powder from getting in the chamber over time they still end up quite dirty. Wonder if anyone plays attention to the chambers of their gun and how they go about cleaning them?

Tamid,
I simply rotate the cleaning brush as it goes through the chamber and forcing cone while advancing the cleaning rod down the bore several times. The bore brush is snug as it goes through the forcing cone and it seems to work for me. Hopes #9 is what I use as a bore cleaner.
Hope this helps,
Karl

There are shotgun chamber brushes, probably just one of the bigger calibers or guages. My 12 ga chamber brush has been on a stubby rod for many years, the front is worn, but there's plenty left. Similar for rifles, the popular chambers even have stepped brushes. Leading is why I'll steer away from fibre wads, no big deal cleaning, but those might be pellets that are lost to the pattern. 22lr is a good chamber to look for build up in that area.

When plastic would build up in my chambers shooting high volume doves in Argentina I would use a stainless steel Tornado brush. Works wonders, very quickly. Amazing how quickly it cleans a chamber without harming it.

Brownell’s ‘Double Tuff’ brushes on a short rod with a drill motor.

As they wear, use them for smaller gauges.

Expensive, but a serious time saver.

You gonna mess around, or you gonna clean forcing cones?

BTW I find exotic chemicals are not necessary or desirable. A tight bronze brush takes care of the problem without, for instance, acetone. I just use kerosene.

For most of us, chambers and forcing cones can be adequately cleaned with the same brass brush we use to clean the bores, especially if the area has no pitting or rough tool marks. When I acquire an old vintage double that has really dirty chambers/forcing cones with an accumulation of powder residue and plastic or lead fowling, I might wrap a little 00 steel wool around an old brass brush to increase the diameter and make it a bit more aggressive. Most any bore solvent will do, but Hoppes No. 9 still smells the best... especially the older stuff that contains nitrobenzene. Spinning it on a short rod chucked in a hand drill makes it quick and easy.

Payne Galway chucked on a drill.
Cheap Car fuel additive works extremely well as bore cleaner. The long neck is an added bonus as an applicator.
4 bucks will last a near lifetime

This 12, 20 and 28 bore set, kindly donated by Paul Roberts as a Prize for our British Deer Society Stalker's Shoot, adds tone to my gun case.

When I need to clean the chambers I use a far more agricultural looking chamber cleaning brush from Parker Hale rather than get them and the case oily.

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There is a lot to be said for a thick brass brush and some good cleaner like Ed’s Red.