cleaning 357 chamber

[oldfogey]

For those of you that shoot 38 Specials in your Rossi 357 leverguns what are yo using to clean the chamber(the crud ring). I have a ton of 38 Special brass and am trying to figure out a way to clean out the chamber without pulling the bolt out and disassembling the rifle. Maybe something along the lines of opening the action and getting down in there with a flexible cleaning rod and a appropriate diameter bore brush. Would like to hear from folks that are actually doing this as opposed to hearing about what you read somewhere that somebody else is doing. Hands on experience please.....Mike

[Gunny268]

SliXprings sells a chamber carbon scraper for about $25. They are chamber specific and do a decent job. YMMV.

[COSteve]

Before I switched to all .357 mag brass, I had a small 'crud ring' from shooting .38 Spl brass in my 2 Rossis. What I did was opened the action, then took a bare cleaning rod (without a tool on the tip) and slid it down the bore until the threaded tip stuck out of the chamber.

Then I took a new, stiff brass bore brush and screwed it on the tip of the rod and then soaked it good with bore cleaner and scrubbed out the chamber. It's not easy reversing direction as the bristles resist it but with effort I was able to clean the bore out.

That's what convinced me to go to all .357 mag brass as it's a pain in the neck to do it but it gets the chamber clean.

[oldfogey]

Before I switched to all .357 mag brass, I had a small 'crud ring' from shooting .38 Spl brass in my 2 Rossis. What I did was opened the action, then took a bare cleaning rod (without a tool on the tip) and slid it down the bore until the threaded tip stuck out of the chamber.

Then I took a new, stiff brass bore brush and screwed it on the tip of the rod and then soaked it good with bore cleaner and scrubbed out the chamber. It's not easy reversing direction as the bristles resist it but with effort I was able to clean the bore out.

That's what convinced me to go to all .357 mag brass as it's a pain in the neck to do it but it gets the chamber clean.

Thanks Steve.....I'll give that a shot and see how it works out

[COSteve]

Don't be surprised if you're cussing me out when it gets hard as it's not fun to do it. Again, that's why I went to all .357 mag brass and gave my .38 spl to a friend after that. Good luck.

[dlidster]

If you're a reloader size and then expand the mouth of a .357 magnum case as you would for easing the entry of a lead bullet. Then single-load this case into the chamber and eject it. It will scrape away the crud ring just like that.

[Nashville Stage]

It's not easy reversing direction as the bristles resist it

I've found that if you rotate the bronze brush while reversing directions, the bristles won't bind up and it'll be much easier to change directions. This is easier to do with a cleaning rod that doesn't have a freely spinning handle; it can also be done by grasping the rod itself.

Alternatively, you could use an old cleaning rod without a handle and chuck one end into a low speed drill to rotate the brush in the chamber. Obviously be very careful to not overdo it, and only use bronze or plastic brushes (not steel), along with a good solvent to help break up the crud.

[COSteve]

If you're a reloader size and then expand the mouth of a .357 magnum case as you would for easing the entry of a lead bullet. Then single-load this case into the chamber and eject it. It will scrape away the crud ring just like that.

Thanks for that. That's an interesting idea I've never tried. I'll have to remember that one.

I've found that if you rotate the bronze brush while reversing directions, the bristles won't bind up and it'll be much easier to change directions. This is easier to do with a cleaning rod that doesn't have a freely spinning handle; it can also be done by grasping the rod itself.

Alternatively, you could use an old cleaning rod without a handle and chuck one end into a low speed drill to rotate the brush in the chamber. Obviously be very careful to not overdo it, and only use bronze or plastic brushes (not steel), along with a good solvent to help break up the crud.

Yes, I found that twisting the rod gives an easier reverse in direction. But, in the end I found that just using .357 mag brass is the simplest and easiest solution if you're a handloader.

[oldfogey]

I checked out the SliXsprings chamber cleaning tool mentioned above and I think I'm gonna give one of those a try. The cutter only cuts in one direction. Its set up so you can open the action and push a cleaning rod down the muzzle and thread the tool(8/32) onto the rod in the receiver and turn the tool to the right with the cleaning rod or open the action,put the tool in the chamber from the receiver then turn he tool to the left with a slotted screwdriver. Should work pretty good if you put it in from the receiver side then turn it with a offset slotted ratcheting screwdriver. All 20 some reviews on the website are positive. For $25 I'm gonna give one a try. Will report back

[oldfogey]

Just got off the phone.....ordered the SliXsprings chamber cleaning tool.....Mike