TargetTalk

Some weeks ago I bought my first free pistol, a TOZ-35 old model, not M. The gun looks like it has not been used much, e.g. grips are original and unmodified. But it seems that that the gun may have been stored without cleaning for years. There's no rust, and everything seems to work OK, but I'm concerned about the bore. No pitting, but lands seem a bit dark, like there were some gunk (lead?) stuck on them. So far I've tried to clean it with solvent, bristle brush and patches till they come out clean, but it still does not look as good as the bores of my two other Russian pistols (IJ-35 and Margolin MCM). So, what I'm asking is:

- Should I try to clean it with a brass/bronze brush, or may it harm the bore? I have never cleaned any of my .22s with brass brushes before, since there really has been no need for doing it.

- Should I even worry about the bore, and just leave it as it is? I have no access to a machine rest to find how accurate the gun is, but it sure seems more accurate than me.

- In general, how often should the barrel of a FP be cleaned?

I'll be interested to see what response you get - I'm new to the TOZ as well.

Here's a FP group on Yahoo that might be helpful.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Free_Pistol/

After a match/practice, I use a short bronze brush to clean the chamber (brush is not long enough to reach the rifling) followed by a few dry patches to remove the debris. Old toothbrush to clean around the breach/bolt area and a blast of compressed air.

Once, perhaps twice, a year I will clean the bore with solvent and patches; disassemble, clean and lubricate the bolt and linkages.