Cleaning my B3-1 barrel

[reysaint]

This has probably been asked a thousand times, but here goes.  Can WD40 be used to clean the barrel on my B3-1?  Also does anyone clean (dish soap & water) and dry their pellets prior to using them?

Are there any shops in south Florida that repair air rifles?

Ray

[mjb108]

The solvent in WD-40 (Stoddard's solvent if I remember correctly) will dissolve and clean out a lot of oils in the barrel that were left from manufacturing or previous cleanings.  My experience is that the terpene-based cleaner "Goo-Gone" does a better job; that's probably why a lot of people here recommend it.  I recently cleaned the barrel of a brand-new QB-57 with a light lubricant like WD-40 (RemOil, I think) and then followed it up with Goo-Gone.  The first Goo-Gone patch was FAR dirtier than the first oiled patch, and the oiled patches had actually started to come out clean prior to that!  Goo-Gone is about $4-5 at Wal-Mart, but go ahead and use the WD-40 if money is tight and you already have it.

Pellets have a light lube on them for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is to keep the lead from oxidizing due to contact with the air.  Clean pellets will rapidly develop a whitish powdery coating on them (lead oxide) and should be discarded.  Using these pellets will distribute the powdery oxide on anything they touch, including your fingers, the breech and barrel.  As a result, I don't recommend cleaning the oil from pellets.  If you choose to, I recommend only cleaning enough for a shooting session.  You can always re-lube pellets that have been cleaned.  Do a google search and you'll find quite a bit on that.   I think Straight Shooters (??) sells a lube for this purpose.

Talk to Howie about airgun shops in South Florida (maybe he is close to you??).  He knows his stuff.

Regards,

Mike

[reysaint]

Thanks Mike-- ----------appreciate the info.

I will look for Goo-Gone at Walmart.

Ray

[RedFeather]

My take on WD-40. Good for spraying the lawnmower deck in the spring, etc, but I NEVER use it on guns. There are so many better products on the market. Goo-Gone is what many air gun shooters use. Just be sure not to get it on the seals or in the compression chamber.

Yes, do wash your pellets. You can use a mild dishwashing detergent and then strain them. (Make sure you don't use the strainer for anything else and I wouldn't recommend a kitchen sink.) Dry and then lightly coat with Pledge furniture polish. It will keep them from oxidizing and also seems to make them shoot a bit better. I just opened a couple of tins, different brands, and thought the pellets looked clean until I dropped about a dozen into the lids. Lots and lots of metal flecks.

[mjb108]

Good observation on the metal flakes, Redfeather.  That and the Pledge are making me think more about this....

Mike