How to Clean a Ported Barrel

Barrel porting is a performance modification done to pistol and shotgun barrels. It involves making a number of small holes or slits in the top of the barrel near the end of the muzzle. Porting is usually done to decrease the recoil or muzzle flip of the firearm. One of the disadvantages of porting is that it introduces an additional element to cleaning. But cleaning a ported barrel is not difficult with the proper tools.

Things You'll Need

  • Bore brush
  • Cleaning rod
  • Cleaning jag
  • Cotton patches
  • Cleaning solvent
  • Cue tips
  • Port cleaning brush
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Point the gun in a safe direction and verify that it is unloaded before continuing.

    • 2

      Attach the bore brush to the cleaning rod and run it through the barrel several times to dislodge any carbon fouling. Carbon fouling is the residue leftover from the powder that burns when a cartridge is fired.

    • 3

      Remove the bore brush from the cleaning rod and attach the cleaning jag. Attach a cotton patch to the jag and dip it in the cleaning solvent. Run this through the barrel repeatedly until the cotton patch is completely black.

    • 4

      Repeat with a fresh cotton patch as many times as necessary until the cotton patches start coming out clean.

    • 5

      Use the port cleaning brush to dislodge any fouling from the barrel ports.

    • 6

      Dip the cue tips in the cleaning solvent and use them to clean out the inside of the ports until the cue tips start coming out clean.