Gun cleaning behind all copper ammo

[Surgeon1]

Boretech CU2 stop shooting Barnes for that reason As fouling increases so does pressures in a few of my rifles, so yes I "obsess over that"

 

[bruce moulds]

barnes used to and possibly still does sell a copper removing solvent.
i have never used it, but it had a good reputation.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

I leave Bore Tech in for long periods of time, never had an issue. In fact they recommend leaving in a small amount.

yes they do recommend leaving it in.
i did that with the carbon remover due to the stubborn nature of carbon fouling.
i thought it would be better than much scrubbing and use of abrasives.
the stainless barrel i did it to went black and rough inside and was totally ruined.
be warned.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

there is a foaming cleaner with a name like wipeout that is reputedly good on copper, and woks more by soaking than scrubbing - a good thing for barrel life.
it is hard to get in oz, but i tried it once when a guy said "try this".
as tha foam came out of the muzzle it had blue streaks in it.
bruce.

 

[sestoppelman]

yes they do recommend leaving it in.
i did that with the carbon remover due to the stubborn nature of carbon fouling.
i thought it would be better than much scrubbing and use of abrasives.
the stainless barrel i did it to went black and rough inside and was totally ruined.
be warned.
bruce.

I have not used the carbon remover, but I think I would be having a chat with them if it trashed a barrel!

 

[sestoppelman]

barnes used to and possibly still does sell a copper removing solvent.
i have never used it, but it had a good reputation.
bruce.

I used it for some time, much like Sweets 762, both ammonia based. I think CU2 works much faster and no ammonia.

 

[Mike Van Horn]

I use Hoppes, copper remover and bore cleaner. Works fine. Barnes bullets in Weatherby rifles. Clean your rifle throughly ever 100-150 rounds

 

[sestoppelman]

If I shoot it, I clean it, same day. No matter how many rounds.

 

[Rickmt]

Sestoppelman, I have learned that Boretech makes a family of products and Eliminator is their all purpose cleaning solvent. I was at my gunsmith today and he uses Eliminator and said that it is great. I smelled it , and to my amazement it smelled like lemonade. No strong odor! I ordered some today

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

over the years i have tried many copper solvents.
from using sweets i tried butch's bore shine, and it was useless.
the first effective product after sweets was kg12, and it was quite good.
after some years of that i tried pro shot copper remover, and it was far better, in fact the best of all tried.
i like it quickness particularly when running in barrels as it saves time.
kg carbon remover seems about like boretech carbon remover.
never leave boretech products in a barrel or you will end up with one like my broughton 6.5 super lr barrel - black inside.
when all cleaning is done, hoppes no 9 always seems to be able to pull something else out, and protects the bore as well.
bruce.

@bruce moulds.
I'm basically lazy now I use CFE223. When I Clean my bores I give them a a few stokes with a nylon brush, then a spray with foam bore cleaner. Lock them in the gun room overnight muzzle down on a folded towel. Patch it out the next day and patch it out with a patch soaked in INOX and put it away till next time.
Bob

 

[krish]

It takes me few hours to clean them. I clean few guns st s time. I use nylon brush soaked in copper cleaner and pull through few times. Put a earplug at muzle end. Fill the barrel from the breach with cleaning solution. Put the firearm in a bucket with muzle down. Soak it over night. Next day drain the solution in a coffee cup each separately removing the ear plug. That is to make sure no copper cleaning fluid gets in trigger and ejector mechanism. Then I run cotton patches through till it comes out white as it goes in. Again spray wd40 . Run the brass brisle through few times. Again run cottonbpatches through it comes out as it went in.Next I fill the 99.9 % alcohol . Drain it in a few minutes. Alcohol observes any moisture left in the barrel. Inspect the barrel with bore cammera. If it is clean then I run Rem oil lintree patches through it and make sure there is no cotton fibers left in the barrel. Clean the chamber and oil rest of the moving parts and put it away. Yes it is lot of work. Few guns take a day.

 

[TMac]

...How do you know you have a copper fouling problem?...

When accuracy drops off and a regular carbon style cleaner does not improve things, I try a copper cleaner. If accuracy returns I presume it was copper. So no hard and fast rule, vary’s by rifle. I have a new Tikka that shoots TTSX’s at 1/2moa for 15 ish shots then opens up substantially. I clean and then remove copper and back to 1/2” it goes. Cleaning alone does not help that particular rifle. Rough bore, weird barrel, no idea. I have another Tikka that shoots TTSX’s and it’s never lost accuracy, even after 150-200 rounds. But I’ll use a copper cleaner on it after about 150-200 rounds just cause.

 

[Hogpatrol]

If you don't look at it with a borescope, you don't know if it's clean.

I use Bore tech eliminator, copper remover but mostly their carbon product.

 

[krish]

Here is the picture of cleaning solution I use.

 

[bruce moulds]

krish,
that is the one i have found best.
2 patches through the bore, and a couple of strokes with a well loaded nylon brush, then let it soak for a little while.
bruce.

 

[postoak]

Be sure to replace all your brass brushes with nylon ones, otherwise your patches will come out green forever.

 

[CBH Australia]

Mmm, I’m not the best on cleaning mine but have tried many different products so I’m reading out of interest.
I might more the type to clean if it got wet, it’s been a while or I want to handle my rifles on a rainy day in the shed just because or as a bit of time out.

 

[flatwater bill]

Good data in this thread. Since I started using a bore scope, I have learned a lot. Hog-P is right, you don't know that your rifle is truly clean until you scope it......but having said that, if it shoots to your satisfaction, then I guess you don't need to know more. But for older or rougher bores when shooting monometal, it may not be possible to fully clean them without using some mechanical means........not just chemical.....say JB bore paste or the like. It can be a necessary step for my older guns. Also, it is very possible to get a rifle too clean.....like over cleaning a dutch oven.......they often shoot better when the pores are sealed. If you need a two inch group, you don't need to know much about cleaning......if you need a half inch group, you had better have a good method for cleaning thoroughly.........for a properly broken in Hart Bbl it is easy, they are smooth and clean up nicely, for a 60 year old workhorse........cleaning is hard work, takes many (at least 7) steps, (and I hate it!!)..............thanks for posting...........FWB

 

[bruce moulds]

bill ,
you are right about the borescope.
actually copper is not hard to get out with a little practice.
carbon on the other hand, if not addressed correctly, can get out of hand and go ceramic.
then it is nearly impossible to get out without ruining the barrel.
this can give the same results as a shot out barrel, which if looked after properly would have gone on for many more shots.
in extreme cases it can also raise pressure with dropped velocities, as it makes throats tighter.
bruce.

 

[rookhawk]

This goes against the grain of those who obsess over copper fouling, but I do not sweat it. I should add that I have shot the TSX family a lot over the last decade plus in several calibers. I run a couple of patches of ballistol through the barrel once every few months (or year) as the spirit moves me. In fact, for a typically well made barrel, I think of copper as a bit like a last finishing filler of any manufacturing flaws.

Many here will relate experiences where copper fouling was detrimental to the accuracy of their rifles. I do not question their experiences. I will simply say those experiences have not been mine.

@Red Leg I tend to agree with you for typical small and medium bore rifles that use soft-copper alloy barnes bullets. Anything works okay and it doesn't seem to matter. This isn't F-class stuff nor are these F-class guns, these are hunting rifles.

The only exception to this is brass/bronze solids in medium and large bores. I've found NONE of the specialty chemicals work very well getting solids, particularly mono-metal solids that have brass content, out of the bore. When I shoot my 470 using brass nosler solids its a one-hour cleaning job to remove the "gold plating" that is 100% visible to the eye out of those barrels.