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Help with Cleaning an XD-9 Barrel!

4K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  InspectorNugger 
#1 ·
I've got an XD-9 Service Model and it has been a great gun, not a single jam in a 1000 rounds, etc. No big surprise there.

Thing is, when I go to clean it, it seems to take a lot more effort than I think it should. The only part that gives me a problem is the barrel. When cleaning it, I use Eezox and a brass brush. I usually clean the following way:

1. Run some Eezox down the barrel, let it sit for a minute or two.
2. Run the brass brush down the barrel, back and forth, 5 times.
3. Run 2 Eezox wet patches through, followed by 2 dry patches (the last dry patch has just a little gray on it).

I can do this FIVE times, and the wet patches look just as black the 5th time as the first time (well, almost). I usually just give up at that point.

I've also tried cleaning with CLP, didn't really notice a difference. I thought it might be a copper problem, since I always see copper in the grooves when I'm done. So I bought some copper cleaner and it did a great job of cleaning the barrel. But after shooting another 100 rounds (I always clean after every single shoot, usually 100 rounds) I get the SAME THING!

The ammo I shoot is WWB from Walmart. I know it's not the cleanest ammo, but it's a lot better than Wolf.

Questions:

1. Should I just suck it up and clean more?
2. I was thinking of getting some JB bore compound. Maybe a polished barrel will collect less shooting grime?

Thanks,
NN
 
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#3 ·
You may be obsessing just a bit.. but that is ok.

I use the gel from Blue Wonder... (check the forum on this board for more info on that.)

I put the solvent on the brass brush, make about a dozen passes through the barrel with that, then I run lint free patches through the barrel until it runs through clean.. I have never had a problem.

Raymond
 
#4 ·
"Run some Eezox down the barrel, let it sit for a minute or two."

Have never used Ezeox {sic} so cannot comment on its ability as a solvent. However, any good traditional solvent needs more than a few minutes of soaking to penetrate and lossen the minute layers of powder/firing/lead residue and copper {assume you're not shooting lead?} that ea. individual round leaves.

FWIW, most good bore solvents don't need other than a snug fitting spear jag and good quality patches to clean the barrel. Seldom is a brush needed except for deposits near the throat.
A method many use is to treat/soak the barrel and set it aside then clean the rest of the pistol and finish up with the barrel.


"But after shooting another 100 rounds (I always clean after every single shoot, usually 100 rounds) I get the SAME THING!"

Copper is going to start scrubbing off with the first round thru a squeaky clean barrel, with ea. following bullet building over that. It's just the nature of the beast. Have several KKM barrels that get that way after a single 50 round Match. The only barrel have had {other than rifle} that came clean as quick as a whistle was from a Glock that Teddy Jacobson polished the bore with diamond grit/dust. It was so smooth that not much could stick to it. Suspect the super hard Tennifer had a lot to do with it too.
Let that barrel go 800-1K rounds as a test once and it still came clean easily.
 
#5 ·
First off why are you useing a brush, When I was in the service they told us and showed us the damage a brush can do to the rifleing and crown
If you must use a brush either push from the breech or pull from the muzzle but not back and fourth as this motion causes undue wear and only do this a couple of times, if you are getting excessive fouling you should do a "white shirt" test to check for unburned powder you would really be suprised.
I use EEZOX on my Savage 10 .308 and would never consider a brush this goes as well for my SASC9 now my FAL since I push milsurp thru it I use Montanna Xtreme for it followed by some light oil in the bolt assembly.
I know this may seem anal to some but this is how I was taught
 
#6 ·
I don't see why using a brass brush would cause a problem. The metal of the barell is harder than the brass, so it should not be damaged by the brush.

Raymond
 
#7 ·
Try Hoppes tornado brush. Costs about 3 bux and does a great job on a stubborn bore.
NogNig, you are doing just fine on the cleaning, I wouldn't worry about it too much. :)
 
#9 ·
hobocircus said:
Try Hoppes tornado brush. Costs about 3 bux and does a great job on a stubborn bore.
NogNig, you are doing just fine on the cleaning, I wouldn't worry about it too much. :)
WARNING!!! If this is the steel wire brush with a toroidal spring wound helically along the length it can be damaging to the bore. I have been warned against using these by gunsmiths, they are to be used against only the most abused/fouled barrels and even then great care should be exercised.
 
#10 ·
OH MAN! I didn't know...................nevermind. :shock: :wink:

(I have used them for a while and don't see any problems, but maybe they are right? but, I am still keeping mine)
 
#11 ·
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
 
#12 ·
Same story with mine... It just gets dirty and stays dirty.
 
#14 ·
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
 
#15 ·
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.
 
#16 ·
I was going to say MPRO-7 myself. I have never had a cleaner, as well as ease of cleaning, firearm in my life.
 
#17 ·
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.
 
#18 ·
nognig said:
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
 
#19 ·
astronwolf said:
nognig said:
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.
[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
 
#20 ·
#21 ·
C.H.Luke said:
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, ....
It sure didn't take long for the "anal cleaner" comments to appear. :?
Or if you're lazy &/or old like me use this stuff:

http://www.jarheadtop.com/article_finalfinish.html
That's a good product from what read, though not every match shooter is sold on the stuff. I went with the "cheap and dirty and time consuming" method for my AR. I spent the late morning and early afternoon going part of the way through breaking in a stainless steel match barrel on my AR. It was fun in a way that only shooters could appreciate. Such a nice day, I didn't feel like I needed to rush.

But I'll bet you Mr. Tubbs cleans his guns pretty good too, don't you think? Perhaps even "anally" by some folks' standards? To each his own.

Shoot safe, and keep it clean,

-Wolf
 
#25 ·
I'll throw my 2 cents in. I've just found some stuff recently thats fairly new to the market. A lot of word of mouth at the range and finally our local Sportsmans Warehouse started carrying it. The stuff is called Hunters Extreme Coppermelt. I've enclosed a link below. I don't work for them or anything BTW. Anyhow, this stuff is friggin' incredible. I was skeptical of all the range talk at first, especially since this stuff runs about $30 per 3.5oz. bottle. I bought it mainly to clean my magnum hunting rifles, but works great on handguns too. Copper (and everything else for that matter) comes off/out like a charm with hardly any scrubbing. Its supposed to be safe on all barrel metals and finishes. The thing with the cost is you have to use so little that a bottle lasts a long time (approx 218 cleanings per bottle they claim). You wrap a cotton patch around an undersized nylon brush and take about 10 strokes back and forth in the barrel and thats about it. I cleaned my XD barrel with about 600-700 rounds through it the other day with 2 wet patches and 2 dry ones. Same goes with my rifles as well. I can't say enough about this stuff (I've used most everything else out there too like Butch's, Sweets, Barnes, Hoppes, etc.).

http://www.coppermelt.com/index.html
 
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