Bore Brushes

It is important to use the bore brush properly or you will ruin the brush and damage the firearm.

Before running the brush down the barrel, the bore must first be flushed of abrasive muzzle dirt, moisture and loose powder residue. Run a solvent soaked patch from the breech to the muzzle. This will lubricate any abrasive material and take it out in the shortest distance. When you first use the patch, it may pick up the dirt in the material of the patch. Do not run this patch a second time, or else you will scratch the throat and bore.

Run the proper size brush down the barrel. Always go from the chamber to the muzzle. Two to three times down the bore is usually sufficient. Now run a tight patch with solvent, as this will scrub deep into the corners of the rifling. Remember that a brush does not clean a firearm, it only loosens the debris. You need a tight swab to remove this loosened materials.

Always place the brush back into a container after use, for this will prevent airborne dirt and lint form accumulating on the brush. This dirt and lint will be deposited in the neck the first time you use the brush.

To clean a brush, soak in material spirits in a small container. We recommend a small container that you can shake and agitate. This will wash dirt form the bristles.

It is important that you never go back and forth with a bore brush. This is the equivalent of bending a wire back and forth until it breaks. Back in forth movement will damage the brush and the firearm. When a brush exits the muzzle you will notice that each bristle throws debris into the air. Is a brush is run in the direction of the receiver it will throw this debris into the chamber, locking lugs and receiver. The number one cause of malfunctions in firearms is the result of cleaning in the wrong direction.

You will find that the brushes produced by Otis will give you many times the life of most brushes. Up to 100 times is expected. This is due to the superior construction and engineered features incorporated into the brush. And the fact that you will only be going in one direction (breech to Muzzle).

When you pull the brush down the barrel, it should pull uniformly in the bore. If you notice the brush pulls easier at the throat, most likely the firearm has fired many rounds. The throat is eroded.

If the brush pulls easier at the muzzle, water and moisture have entered the bore and rusting the rifling. This is a common occurrence and a new barrel will have to be installed.

If you want to determine the twist of the rifling . Pull a rod down the barrel with a brush attached to the flexible cleaning rod. The brush will follow the rifling. At the muzzle let the rod return to its normal position and count the fraction or total turns of the rod. This is the turns in this barrel.

As you use the brush the bristle ends wear slightly. This sharpens the brush to allow it the scrap the carbon and lead and copper loose in the bore. When the brush pulls easier in the bore it can be used on the next smaller series. The following chart will assist you in determining the proper brush diameter.