Help with Cleaning an XD-9 Barrel!

[nognig]

Thanks for the info so far guys!

I've avoided lead bullets like the plague, considering the trouble I'm having with plain old copper coated bullets.

I'm very cautious in my use of the brass brush, I clean from the breech end and make sure the brush is centered before pulling it back through.

Tastyweasel has a point about cleaning the brush each time. I've tried that and the stuff on the brush contributes very little too what comes out of the barrel when I push a patch through.

I'm not really stressing about it, I'm just curious if what I'm seeing if normal.

NN

[[TASF]Overkill]

Same story with mine... It just gets dirty and stays dirty.

[Verm]

bore snakes

[Captain Ray]

I have one of those bore snakes (snicker) but it is for my .22, I should buy one for the 9mm but I havn't made it out to sportsmanswharehouse recently... next time I am out of bullets, I will pick one up. They are very easy to use.

Raymond

[Fly-Sig]

What kind of brush are you using? If it is really a brass brush, your solvent may be dissolving the brass of the brush! Some products designed to clean the barrel contain chemicals which dissolve brass and copper.

What you might want to try is a phosphor bronze brush.

For cleaning my pistols, I first spray the bore with MPro7, let it sit briefly, then run a couple of patches through it. That is followed with another spray of MPro7 and a bore snake a few times. Then a dry patch. By this point the bore should be generally very clean and shiny, but frequently some copper streaks are visible, so I run a couple of patches through that have been wetted with Butch's Bore Shine and then run a phosphor bronze brush through it a couple of times. Finally, a bit more MPro7 and then patches until they come out dry.

[nogoa]

I was going to say MPRO-7 myself. I have never had a cleaner, as well as ease of cleaning, firearm in my life.

[manygunner]

I use MPro 7 myself. I first spray it in and use a nylon bristle brush for about 10 to 15 strokes to work it in. I let the barrel rest soaking like that while I clean the slide and frame with CLP. Then I use a phosphor bronze brush and more MPro 7 on the barrel for about 20 strokes. Run a pathc through to get rid of the gunk, runa another through to seee how clean it is. If necessary blow clean with compressed air the bronze brush and do another 20 strokes followed by patches. I also inspect with a bore light to check for appearance of the barrel. After the barrel is clean I run a patch soaked with CLP through it followed by a dry patch. Every 6 months I use MPro Bore gell or CLP bore cleaning foam to remove and major copper build up.

BTW, I find that 9mm bronze rifle brushes do a better job on handgun barrels, more bristles.

[astronwolf]

Originally Posted by nognig

1. Should I just suck it up and clean more?

Clean more.

I have an XD-9 service that has about 2k through the barrel, mostly WWB just like yours. Sometime within the first 1000 rounds, I had to clean the barrel more than I do now. The patches kept coming out grey, instead of white. I was using some kind of Kleen-Bore "one-shot" cleaner that was supposed to be a powder residue solvent, copper solvent, and lubricant. I switched to "plain old" bore solvent. Sometime after 1000 rounds, my barrel comes clean with minimal cleaning. Now my patches come out white. I don't do anything fancy.

What I have on hand for cleaning my XD barrel:

-Bore Solvent (Hoppes, Shooter's Choice, Ed's Red, doesn't matter)
-2-1/4" patches for the 9 mm barrel.
-bronze phosphor brush of the right size
-toothbrush
-Copper Solvent (again, your choice)

The way I cleaned my barrel for a BIG cleaning session. None of this is a big secret. This is only for the barrel.

1. Push a single soaking wet patch through the barrel. Push it through from the breech to the muzzle. Don't scrub. Just push the patch through. Take the patch off when it comes out the muzzle. Don't drag a dirty patch back through the barrel. Clean in one direction.
2. Let it work for a minute, and push a dry patch through the barrel.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Patches grey? Double up on the patches and wrap them around the jag so they fit down the barrel. Repeat steps 1 and 2 using this tighter fitting patch.
5. Still dirty? Switch to the brush with bore solvent. Push it though. Don't scrub. Don't drag the brush back through the barrel.
6. Repeat step 5.
7. Repeat step 4 to prepare for the next step.
8. Run a soaking wet patch with copper solvent down the bore. Set the barrel aside for 10+ minutes to let the chemical work.
9. Push a dry double (2-patches) patch through the barrel.
10. Blue color on patch? Repeat steps 8 and 9 until you get no blue color.
11. If no blue color, repeat Step 4 until the barrel is clean. Clean and clean until it is clean. Using 50-60 patches is not unusual if the barrel needs it.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. I never did get a blue patch out of my XD barrel. At 2k rounds, my XD barrel cleans up faster. My patches come out as clean as they went in. I don't go crazy on cleaning after every trip to the range - just a few passes with bore solvent and dry patches does it. No brush.

-Wolf

[nognig]

Originally Posted by astronwolf

Clean more.

I have an XD-9 service that has about 2k through the barrel, mostly WWB just like yours. Sometime within the first 1000 rounds, I had to clean the barrel more than I do now.
[snip]
Now my patches come out white. I don't do anything fancy.

Maybe that is my problem! My gun only has 600 rounds through it. Maybe the barrel is still pretty rough and picks up residue easily and makes cleaning harder.

So far, cleaning with Eezox, followed by Hoppes Copper Cleaner seems to leave the patches white. Maybe I'll send a few more rounds through the gun before I start changing things.

Thanks!

NN

[C.H.Luke]

Well if ya' want to get really Anal visit a porno site, err..., do like the bench/competition rifle crowd and never draw that dirty brush back thru the bore, spin it off, remove the rod, douche the brush in an old dirty bottle of solvent then spray with contact cleaner or a spritz bottle of Isopropyl, repeat.

Or if you're lazy &/or old like me use this stuff:

http://www.jarheadtop.com/article_finalfinish.html

http://www.zediker.com/tubb/finalfinish.html