help cleaning gun

[ilikemoneygreen]

So i was cleaning an air rifle because it was pretty dirty and was out in rain. I think I was over ambitious with some tissue paper. its a higher quality beemon so i dont want to junk it. But to make a long story short, a whole tissue is stuck inside the nose of the barrel. Ive tried lots of things but cant quite get the thing clear. i went out and bought another gun cleaning kit, stuck on the ram looking attachment, hammered it in for 30 minutes and that rod got bent. I somehow bent the connecting part of the two cleaning poles, so now ive got tissue paper thats probably packed very tight, and a ramrod stuck in the barrel. in summary

Barrel : [2 inches of air][tissue paper probably 2 or 3 inches] [brass looking ramrod thats 6 or seven inches with a mangled connecter][4 inches of air]

it .177 cal.

I poured half a thing of honing oil in the barrel a month a go, seems to have soaked in but its still not moving with a hammer. Any tricks? paper eating chems that dont rust riffling in barrel? idk, im at a loss currently. I dont want to mangle the rifling too bad either...

[KingAirDriver]

Try finding a long enough wooden dowel to put inside the barrel and use a hammer to tap it out. I don't know that I'd try to soak the paper- it sounds like a lot. If you get it soaked it probably won't budge. Let it dry out and try it again.

Suck man, but don't know what else to tell ya. Next time use a standard gun cleaning patch (or a small piece of it).

[Tommygun]

Can you get a drill bit into the barrel area to drill out the paper?

[ilikemoneygreen]

A wooden dowel is a nice idea. Im not too sure how to dry the paper considering its honing oil. i figured lube would make it slip out. i think just about every idea i have for caring for this gun just about has gone bad.

And i thought about the drill but thats probably going to mess up the barrel pretty good so i wont try that until im really exausted on options. Id also have to find a long enough bit. they usually dont make small bits that long.

[Tommygun]

They do make a screw attachment for cleaning rods.

These are meant to be used as ball/bullet pullers, but I don't know if they make any that would fit a .177 .

You might also look into those CO2 type bullet removers.

[KingAirDriver]

Definitely wouldn't go the drill bit route as it'd chew up the barrell...nice idea though!

If you could somehow attach something small and hooked, like a sewing needle with a bent back tip, to a rod/dowel, maybe you could get it in, hook it, and start ripping it out bit-by-bit.

Forgot that you said you soaked it with oil. Yeeeeeah, would probably be oily for quite a while, haha.

[KingAirDriver]

Hmmm...my brain is thinking about that drill bit idea of yours, Tommy...

Perhaps if you found something small enough (that won't bind up) to slip on the outside of the drill bit, like a drinking straw (for example), but left the tip exposed, you could slide it in the barrel without much damage. ???

Here's a quick pic I 'shopped. Trouble would be finding a small enough bit/straw...maybe a coffee stir straw?

Edited September 25, 2012 by KingAirDriver

[Tommygun]

You can get hollow brass rods in very small sizes to slide over the drill bit.

This company has the rods and a few small specialty tools as well.

http://www.micromark.com/

Long 1/8"(0.125") x 5.5" long bit:

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT2?PMAKA=89316251&cm_mmc=GoogleMerchant-_-buyNow-_-buyNow-_-buyNow

[Carthaginian]

DO NOT use steel; it WILL damage the rifling (unless you are taking chrome-lined).

Anything you stick inside a barrel MUST be brass- especially on the milder steel of an airgun.

This sounds like an expensive mistake and a very good learning experience.

1.) never try to 'save one'- either it is expensive enough to get a professional involved, or it is cheap enough to throw away.

2.) weapons that are in dubious condition go KA-BOOM; they are not to be fired until inspected by a professional.

3.) do not hammer, ram, jam or otherwise force anything into the barrel that is not designed to come out again.

4.) never use tissue paper in any manner for cleaning a weapon- it leaves lint, which causes fouling of moving parts.

5.) use only soft cloth cleaning patches inside the barrel, and do not use more than one at the time.

6.) if it is dirty enough to use two patches at once, it is dirty enough to use two patches one time each.

7.) if one patch doesn't fit, you are using the wrong cleaning patch/tool combo.

I could continue going, but the basic point that I am trying to make is apparently the weapon is in poor condition and the proper tools or training to correct the problem are not present. In the interest of saving a weapon that might possibly still be serviceable and most of all your own personal safety, please seek a professional gunsmith.