# Cleaning Your Blowgun



## orcrender (Dec 8, 2012)

So what do you guys use to clean your blowgun? On most of mine I now use Simple Green and an extended shotgun rod with the right size cloth mop on the end. Now that I have ordered one with a teflon coating do I need to change cleaner? I also have polished the tube with RainX.


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## treefork (Dec 8, 2012)

I swab the barrel during shooting sessions to improve accuracy. With my 4ft. 40 cals I use a long (55in.) flexible plastic tube with a patch at one end.I pull it down through the mouth piece to muzzle end. After several shots moisture builds up in the barre effecting accuracy. For my 7 ft large bores i use a 4 ft. dowel rod and swab the barrel from each end to cover the entire surface. For a thorough cleaning I do the same with cleaning solution and change patches for clean and rinse/swab.I have attache the dowel to a hand drill to wax and polish the bore in the past . Works like a charm!


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## Carbon (Dec 22, 2012)

I just wet a paper towel and push it through. Although I use a homemade blowgun.


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## Turtle (Dec 6, 2012)

Interesting thread! I'll have to rig something up for a swab of mine.

Orcrender, how are you finding the rainX works on blowgun barrels, is there quite a difference?


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

Paracord and a cloth works well.


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## orcrender (Dec 8, 2012)

Rain X seems to make the tube slicker. Got the ideal from my paintball days. My marker would chrony faster after doing the barrel, but the big thing was cleaning after a ball breaking in the barrel. Cleaned up better. Had not thought of a dowel as a ram rod. I will be using water on the new one.


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## Lightgeoduck (Dec 8, 2012)

I think I am going to use this, one day






until then I like the paracord and coton cloth idea. I also think RainX is genious, or some silicon base wax.

LGD


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## FukiyaGal (Dec 25, 2012)

I use an extended shotgun rod too. I find it quicker to use during competitions than pulling a string through. 

-Restita

Sent via Tapatalk 2


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## superman365 (Dec 11, 2012)

I use a papertowel and dowel as well


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## Blue Danube (Jan 6, 2013)

Shotgun rod on big bores, conventional rod with custom made jags on .40 or .50 cal with round patches


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## BlasterTom (Jan 6, 2013)

a 2 piece carbon tube, leftover from building a kite, with a pipecleaner fixed and twisted around the top.

This is how the tip looks like:









I Like treeforks idea of fixing a drill to the rod.

Earlier I tried some industrial teflon spay for he barrel and felt that the darts "slipped" to easy through it and less pressure was build up.

Than I applied some furnitute wax to the cones, to thighten them better to the barrel.

After that, it felt that it shoots a bit faster and more powerfull than befor, but the effect lasts only for a few dozends of shots.

i recently thought about applying a small amount silicon grease or vaseline to the barrel time by time, but didn´t dare.

Did anyone made expieriences with lubricants? Of course, only BG related ;-)


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## Raptor (Jan 15, 2013)

I make what i call a swab dart. Its a 10 inch long bamboo shaft with 2 or 3 1|4 inch thick craft foam disks punched to the inside diameter of my pipe slide them onto the bamboo shaft with 1 inch masking tape spacers between them..now you can shoot them just like a dart ,like after every 5 or 10 dart shots or when you are done shooting to swab the pipe..easy cleaning for me.


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## Turtle (Dec 6, 2012)

Made a paracord and cloth pull through. Works very well I just pull it through slowly and it leaves the bore

nice and clean!


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## Gigmaster (Feb 28, 2013)

Y'all make it harder than it needs to be. I have a 5' Cold Steel Big Bore, and the 2' Extension. All I do is remove the mouthpiece, and endcap, then take a 7' piece of string, paracord, or sisal cord (or even fishing line...), clip a pinch-on fishing weight to one end, tie a 12 ga. shotgun swab to the other end (with a slip knot), and soak it in alcohol (rubbing...). Holding the blowgun vertically, I drop the weight down the barrel, which pulls the string after it. , Then, I grab the weight at the other end, and slowly pull the swab through. If necessary, I change the swab and repeat the process several times, until the swabs comes out clean. Then, I run one more dry patch through it, and then one more sprayed very lightly with Break-Free, or WD-40. My bore stays clean as a whistle. It works on my .40 cal, also. I just use a smaller .40 cal swab. I take the Break-Free soaked patch loose from the string, then finish the job by wiping the outside surface with it. I let it set for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess with a clean swab. Or, sometimes I will wipe the outside with a silicone-soaked gun cloth.

I avoid using hot water because of the danger of it warping the barrel.

Keeping the barrel cleaned and lubed helps your speed. Last time I chronographed mine, I was getting 310 fps with bamboo darts, and 293 fps with the steel spearpoints. The slowest was the large broadheads at 247 fps. This was using the 'Tee' blow method. The 'Whoo' method resulted in slightly slower speeds, but the dart seemed to retain more energy at the target. Probably due to a longer, more sustained acceleration down the barrel. When hunting, I usually use the 'Whoo' method, because it is smoother, and has less chance of barrel jerk. It sort of like squeezing the trigger on a firearm, as opposed to jerking it.

By comparison, my compound bow set at 55 pounds, with a 26" draw gets 280 fps with Easton xx75 Gamegetter arrows.

Needless to say, I Iove my blowgun.


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

Turtle is 100% correct. For aluminum tube barrels (Preferred method) ... get a used dryer (fabric softener) cloth (non-sponge type). Get a length of 1/16th in. diameter paracord about 1 ft. longer than the length of the barrel you're trying to clean. Tie a slipknow into one end. Center the cloth into that, and pull it tight. Tie a figure-of-eight know into the other end. Get a rubber-core fishing sinker, and attach it at the knot. Drop the sinker into the mouthpiece, and draw the cloth through to swab it out. Store with the muzzle guard on (shoot with it off), muzzle down, with the cloth protecting the mouthpiece from dust and critters. Best hanging on the wall between two nails suspending the mouthpiece. See Gallery for an image of the cleaning swab.

NEVER use WD-40 or other lubricants inside the barrel. Washing it out is OK, but be sure to get out *ALL* soap residue, or it will affect your accuracy. Best to submerge it in a bathtub - use bleach to kill off any pathogens (wear rubber gloves)


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