MANUAL FOR NONCOMMISSIONED OFPIOERS. 95 



to insure that cleaning has been properly accomplished. The 

 bore slioiild then be oiled, as described above. 



((j) If the swabbing solution or the standard metal-fouling 

 solution is not available, the barrel should be scrubbed, as 

 a Iron dy- described, with the soda solution, dried, and oiled with 

 a li/j:ht oil. At tlie end of 24 hours it should again be cleaned, 

 when it will usually be found to have " sweated " ; that is, rust 

 having formed under the smear of metal fouling where powder 

 fouling was present, the surface Is puffed up. Usually a second 

 cleaning is sufficient, but to insure safety it should be again 

 examined at the end of a few days, before final oiling. The 

 swabbing solution should always be used, if available, for it 

 must be remembered that each puff when the bore " sweats " is 

 an incipient rust pit. 



(70 A clean dry surface having been obtained, to prevent 

 rust it is necessary to coat every portion of this surface" with a 

 film of neutral oil. If the protection required is but temporary 

 and the arm is to be cleaned or fired in a few days, sperm oil 

 may be used. This is easily applied and easily removed, but 

 has not suflicient body to hold its surface for more than a few 

 days. If rifles are to be prepared for storage or shipment, a 

 heavier oil, such as cosmic, must be used. 



(i) In preparing arms for storage or shipment they should 

 be cleaned with particular care, using the metal-fouling solu- 

 tion as described above. Care should be taken, insured by care- 

 ful inspection on succeeding day or days, that the cleaning is 

 properly done and all traces of ammonia solution removed. 

 The bore is then ready to be coated with cosmic. At ordinary 

 temperatures cosmic is not fluid. In order, therefore, to insure 

 that every part of the surface is coated with a film of oil the 

 cosmic should be warmed. Apply the cosmic first with a brush ; 

 then, with the breech plugged, fill the barrel to the musjzle, 

 pour out the surplus, remove the breechblock, and allow to 

 drain. It is believed that more rifles are ruined by improper 

 preparation for storage than from any other cause. If the 

 bore is not clean when oiled— that is. if powder fouling Is 

 present or rust has started — a half inch of cosmic on the out- 

 side will not stop its action, and the barrel will be ruined. 

 Remember that the surface must be perfectly cleaned before 

 the lieavy oil is applied. If the instructions as given above 



