Brass or nylon brush

[Hunter300]

Most people say one have to use nylon brushes, is there actually any evidence that brass brushes damage your barrel?

 

[Stalker62]

...is there actually any evidence that brass brushes damage your barrel?

Not nearly so much "damage" as a lump of lead (or copper) at Mach II.

 

[Hornet]

A nylon brush is great for getting solvent down the barrel and not much else, a phosphor bronze brush is for scrubbing the bore.

 

[Len the dog]

If you're using copper solvent then a bronze or brass brush will cause the solvent to turn blue from its own copper content, you then won't know if you are cleaning out the copper fouling or just dissolving your brush. That said, it is my own belief that if using a nylon brush to scrub the bore, you will wear out your elbow long before you have removed the fouling.
Also, the barrel will wear out the brush, not the other way around.

 

[mealiejimmy]

A brass brush will not damage any of the steel parts of a rifle
Brass is many times softer than steel so when brass and steel come into contact, the brass is worn down, not the steel

Cheers

Bruce

 

[nowler]

Good quality phosphor bronze brushes and get on with it.

 

[BLUEROLL]

Good quality phosphor bronze brushes and get on with it.

And coat it in a carbon remover after you have washed out the copper solvent.

 

[Steff]

And coat it in a carbon remover after you have washed out the copper solvent.

Errr, no!
Most ‚carbon solvents‘ also do a fait bit on copper. Wash them out and that‘s it.

Use bronze brushes with oil as already mentioned by others. This is the inevitable part of mechanical barrel cleaning. Copper solvents (skip carbon solvents, you cannot dissolve carbon, soot at best) should be used with patches and/or nylon brushes.

 

[Tim.243]

Most people say one have to use nylon brushes, is there actually any evidence that brass brushes damage your barrel?

In my shot guns I use a 10b bronze brush in a 12b as the 12b brushes go soft after a while. rifles as per size of chambering

 

[Len the dog]

In my shot guns I use a 10b bronze brush in a 12b as the 12b brushes go soft after a while. rifles as per size of chambering

That’s because it’s nigh on impossible to buy a bronze brush of a decent quality, like those my father bought a couple of decades ago that I’m still using to great effect.

 

[enfieldspares]

I have never used anything else but a phosphor bronze in fifty years of this game from .22LR through all and everything from rifles to pistols inlcuding .455 Webley. But although now for shotguns I have gotten rid of the modern inferior such and use the "new" re-invented Payne-Gallwey type brushes. They work much better and don't go flat on one side as did the modern made P-Hale phosphor bronze brushes.

Bisley Payne Galway Brush 12 Gauge

All brushes, mops & jags are sold on Bisley or Parker-Hale blister cards for display convenience.

www.bushwear.co.uk

 

[NP435]

Most people say one have to use nylon brushes, is there actually any evidence that brass brushes damage your barrel?

Brass being softer than steel means you can't harm the barrel with one. The sole reason I use nylon is the stronger copper killing solvents will wreck a bronze brush in short order.