Cleaning Chokes?

[tnanh]

Some people on this site say that gun oil or even Hoppes in the barrel will ruin patterns. They recommend using denatured alcohol only or swab with it after done cleaning. Would this apply to the choke also or just the barrel? or does it not have an effect on patterns as some people say.

[Fl strutter]

With butches bore shine u don't need a brush. It will remove everything including plastic which is what hurts patterns most.

[taylorjones20]

With butches bore shine u don't need a brush. It will remove everything including plastic which is what hurts patterns most.

Yep and I put my whole bottle of butches bore shine in a mason jar and stick the tube in there and let it soak

[mtns2hunt]

I keep hearing about all the plastic in barrels and chokes. But I have never seen any. Fowling sure but it goes away with a good cleaning. I even looked at my choke under a microscope and did not see any plastic: its  possible it was mixed into the powder fowling? Tried deep cleaning once and noticed no real difference in patterns. My bore is always super shinny and I have been shooting it for decades.

As for chokes I use gun oil (I'm not particular, even used motor oil before). and a rag and it does not effect patterns at all. I'm just totally puzzled by all the different theories on cleaning. When I croak, hopefully not soon, whoever inherits or buys any of my rifles or shotguns will find the barrels rated at 10. They may be beat up on the outside but there is no rust or pitting whatsoever. I just use a bit of solvent, oil and a bush. I do use some foam gun scrubber at the end of the year.

Also the reason I oil the choke no matter what kind of steel its made of is not so much for the choke as the threads in the barrel. They will rust and the choke can stick if left unlubed. Just my two cents.

[Fl strutter]

Order u a bottle of butches bore shine and run a soaked patch thru barrel. U won't use anything else afterwards and will see the black plastic goo that comes out.

[wvnut3]

shooters choice mc#7 and old toothbrush.Lee

[Marc]

I use some sort of gun solvent and a bore brush...  I actually have a choke cleaning brush, which is basically a bore brush on a hand-drill...

I soak the choke in solvent overnight and then use the brush, and wipe out the solvent when done...  I then lubricate the threads and screw the choke back in leaving it just a tad loose (so there is no chance of it rusting in the barrel).

As mentioned, it is the plastic build-up from the wads that likely has the most potential to interfere with patterns...  And shooting waterfowl and steel loads, I do notice a considerable degree of plastic buildup in the chokes...  I clean mine about 3 or 4 times a duck season...

For turkeys, I clean the inside of the choke it at the end of the season (if I have fired any shells through the chokes)...  And always take the choke out and lubricate the threads.

Bottom line is that the main reasons for cleaning and lubricating the chokes are to reduce plastic buildup from the wads inside the choke, and to prevent the choke from rusting or setting in the barrel (this is a common occurrence with waterfowl hunting).

Anytime it rains, I unscrew the choke before casing the gun when going home, and immediately clean and lube the whole weapon upon returning home (including the choke)...  On any duck hunting forum, there is always someone posting as to how to remove a "stuck" choke from a barrel.

[mtns2hunt]

Well, I did pick up a bottle of Butches bore shine today out of curiosity. Liked the plastic bottle that came with it. This stuff smells worse then the Southern end of a North bound skunk.

I did not get much, visible, fouling out of the Hoppes cleaned barrel. However when I shinned my bore light through the barrel there was clearly a big improvement. The barrel was super bright: brighter than I have ever seen. So I think you can say I am impressed. I will be adding it to my shotgun cleaning routine. However, It will be end of season cleaning for my rifles as it smells so strong.

[bbcoach]

Most turkey chokes strip the wad from the shot string as it exits the barrel.  This does two things.  One, it allows the shot to head down range without the wad to imped the shot string and two it does build up plastic residue in and around the choke surfaces.  If you clean with brake cleaner, it will dissolve the plastic and you will see the residue on your toothbrush and in a bath if you use it that way.  My Indian Creek choke is bad where the slots are cut for collecting the plastic.  If you are patterning, look for your wads about 10 to 20 yards out and you'll see what the chokes do to the wads.  Clean with brake cleaner and apply a little choke lube to the threads and your good to go.

[stewdawg]

CLP, just like in all my guns. Liberal Tears makes one.