Hoppes Bore

Mauser 98K Bore Cleaning?

I have an S/42G Mauser 98k and I shot some corrosive ammunition through the rifle and the bore of the barrel all dark inside and I can clean and clean all I want but it won’t come out. I went to a shooting range with it before I started cleaning it time after time after time and not a single bullet hit the target and I’m wondering if there’s anything that can be done to restore the inside of the barrel to where it will look decent and shoot true once again. I once sat swabbing out the barrel with hoppes solvent for like an hour and a half and it came out dark everytime until I gave up and patch dried the barrel so any help would be greatly appreciated. Added note I bought the rifle when I was 18 when I didn’t know much about cleaning guns so it was about three months after I shot the corrosive ammo through it that I cleaned it. So I’m desperate for answers

There was “corrosive ammo” used in that rifle every time it was shot before you got it…… because all ammo made before the last few decades was corrosive. That’s all the Nazis had, that all that was used in every WWII rifle including American.

There is a lot of ignorance, fear and downright stupidity coming from those who tell you not to use “corrosive” ammo. You can choose to believe the BS, or you can learn the facts, it’s your choice.

Chances are, nothing you did caused the barrel to turn dark and suffer from corrosion. I have dozens of bolt-action WWII rifles from all countries and many of the well used or poorly cleaned ones have dark bores. Some of the most accurate rifles I have in this group have dark bores. This may, or may not affect your accuracy.

Despite myth and legend to the contrary, the 8mm German K98k was not the most accurate rifle of it’s time. When you add unknown usage during the war and consider that rifle may have been out in the weather for several years before the owner was killed by the Red Army and it was picked up stored away by the Commies. I have a few K98s that shoot well and some that can’t hit a barn. It’s the luck of the draw.

Look, try cleaning the bore but don’t obsess over it. The most important thing is not the bore but the crown. Take it to a smith and see what he sees on inspection. If the crown is off, have him recrown it. If he has an electrostatic cleaner, have him use it.

What ever you do, do not rebarrel that Mauser. If you really want a shooter, sell it intact and buy another and roll the dice again, or get a new gun.

Cleaning a Glock 23 with a Hoppe’s Bore Snake