Removing copper fouling - sharing the info

[acloco]

Because I have several rifles with copper fouling in them, have been on the quest to find something that will help clean the copper out of the barrel (as many on this site are on the same quest as me).

Over the last couple of years, I have probably spent close to $200 on various chemicals. From Sweets 7.62 to Hoppes Copper to Hoppes #9 to you name it. I have a 1 foot square box that has ALL of the cleaners in it. Some with ammonia, some without, etc, etc.

Finally, have stumbled across a method that seems to remove 80-90% of the copper in the bore. M Pro 7 in conjunction with Montana Copper Cream. Get the majority of the fouling out of the bore with whatever flavor of cleaner you have, then, with a nylon bristle bore brush for your caliber, dab some M Pro 7 on the brush, run through the bore from the breech end several times. Push the brush all the way through, allowing the brush to hang out the end of the muzzle. Alternate applying Montana Copper Cream and M Pro 7 drops on the brush, stroke in the bore multiple times - you can feel where the copper & hard fouling is built up. Push a dry patch through the bore to remove the bulk of the residue. Push a second and third dry patch through. Apply M Pro 7 to the brush again, stroke the bore multiple times, let the brush hang out the end, alternate applying Montana Copper Cream and M Pro 7 drops on the brush, and brush accordingly. Don't forget to swab out the chamber/well when you are done.

So far, I have had the highest success rate with this method and chemicals.

Anybody else have more to share that has not been discussed in the past?

[Lee C.]

acloco, I'm like you and have tryed just about every thing out there for cleaning my guns. And like you I have a big supply of things that don't do alot of good.

But I use M Pro 7 and carb-out for the fouling in the barrels now and cr-10 for the copper. these three things have been doing a good job for me. But i just might have to try what your useing to see how good it is. Thanks for your in put on this gun cleaning thing any ways.

[rayfromtx]

I took the chemicals that I had been using and some new ones and got out some old copper pennies. The sweets made the penny turn bright and shiny instantly. All the others took some time.

One thing I tried recently on my pd trip was birchwood casey foaming bore scrubber. I had my bore scope along and after a day in which I was simply brutal to my barrel I tried some. This barrel looked so coppered up it was like a shiny heat cracked penny inside from one end to the other. I figured a few years later my boretech eliminator would be getting close. With nothing to lose, I shot some of the borescrubber down the throat and spread it evenly with a jag with no patch. We then went to the movies. This is not what the instructions said to do but I don't limit myself by those very often. When we came back 3 hours later there was no blue evidence to be seen. Arnold and I figured it was a rip off. I patched it out and saw little evidence that it had done anything, just a little dark yellow goo with some black tinges. I patched it clean several times and then checked it with the scope. I swear it looked super clean. It wasn't super shiny but there was no trace of copper except in the deepest of the fire cracks. I was amazed and still doubt what I saw with my own eyes.

My current cleaning method is Hoppe's #9 followed by sweets. This is the method that Lester Bruno uses and recommends. It is very fast and effective. It gets the barrel almost clean. Lester warns against too clean. What you want is a repeatable condition in your barrel that doesn't build up layers over time. Then you tune your load to that repeatable condition.

As with many things in this game though, what's gospel today is bs tomorrow.

[jo191145]

Patch- Out with the Accelerator and a nylon brush. Awesome stuff.

You can let it sit and do the work itself.
In a rush just alternate the accelerator and Patch-Out on the nylon brush as acloco stated.
Sure beats Sweets and CR-10 with no worries about what its doing to the barrel.

Theres only one concoction I yet wish to try. KG-12


Severe copper fouling?
This may help, may not.
Lock-Eze. Sure we've all heard about using it. Spray some on a patch and run it through.
My new method.
Hold rifle with barrel pointed down and liberally spray inside the bore until it runs out the muzzle
If you can keep the rifle muzzle down overnight so much the better.

Heres the WARNING.
You must run a "loose" patch through it before firing. Rerun the same patch multiple times if you wish.
Any puddles or clumps of graphite can be viewed as a barrel obstruction.
Swabbing out the chamber is recommended also.

I just used this method on 204 Savage barrel #5.
No break in, no scrubbing copper, no whining Just load and shoot.
I get a touch of copper in the throat but nothing like the full bore copper streaks I'm used to in a new Savage tube.
Maybe I just got lucky with this tube but I don't think so.
Visual inspection showed the normal roughness on the lands just like my previous tubes. Patches told the same story.
I haven't seen any railroad tracks in newer Savage tubes like the oldies. I hope thats a thing of the past.

First time out I shot eight rds of factory ammo through it. Home and cleaned it.
Second time I fired roughly 24rds of factory ammo.
Third time I fired 50rds of Benchmark and 39bk's.
Yesterday I fired 25rds of Benchmark and 39's with no lock -Eze in the bore.
I'll fire ten more today then clean.
Its looking nice.

[heikki02003]

I agree with Ray 100%. Sweets is the way to go. It is some major powerful stuff, don't leave it too long. My patches come out glowing bright blue. It just disintegrates the copper chemically, NO BRUSHING. I use a bore scope and have zero copper.

[rayfromtx]

If you don't use a borescope, you are just guessing about the condition of your bore. On the other hand, if you are winning in competition on a consistent basis, then your method of cleaning is perfect with or without visual confirmation.

[Steve V]

KG 1 and KG 12. KG1 to get the carbon out....and if I let it soak, it will take out some copper. KG 12 takes copper out, but you don't get the blue color on your patch; but it definitely gets the copper out.
This past week , while shooting pds in Montana, I talked to a group of four guys that swear by the KG products. They each shot 2 Remington XR100s in 204 with top end Leupold and Burris glass. Every one cleaned them with KG. That petty well convinced me that I was on the right track.
I like Sweet's, Shooter's Choice copper remover and others that I have used over the years, but at this point in time, KG gets my vote.

[finman]

Hi Chaps, from across the pond.

I have to agree with all who are using the KG stuff. I have yet to find anything that cleans like them and being water based, one does not have to worry about etching the barrel. Just remember to let the chemicals do the work! I have had my 6mmBR borescoped and the barrel was like a mirror, not a trace of anything. The barrel is 3 years old, made by Border Barrells and has had over 800 shots through. I am pretty sure that my .204 (Sako) is in a similar condition.

I have used Hoppe's, MPro7, Sweets and all manner of other concoctions, but nothing beats the KG(1, 3, 12), to a cleaning regime.

Testament enough of the quality of the stuff, and I still wonder how come and they do not get a more frequent mention. Let alone that they are as scarce as hen's teeth here....

best wishes,

Finman

[Bayou City Boy]

Don't be afraid to use a brass brush to help get a small caliber bore clean....

The current crop of popular cleaners typically only do one thing well - either they remove copper or the remove powder fouling very well. As a result, a combination of cleaners is generally required. And again....a brass brush will save a lot of time and effort...

JMO - BCB

[acloco]

Keep the info coming.

Of note, had a multi point discussion over the last several weeks with three different fun gun nuts. One item that has been discussed, kicked, cussed, and left up in the air, we are wondering how many of the different chemicals are actually doing harm to the inside of the bore by etching the metal? In effect, YOU are eroding the barrel every time you clean it.

Thoughts?