Copper removal

[Shadow]

I have been cleaning my rifle bore with hoppies, sweets, slick 2000 and it takes forever and when finished I still do not think it's clean. Do you guys have any ideas as to what works best?

[Col. Colt]

Try a Bore Cleaning Foam. I like WipeOut - by Sharp ShootR Products of Paola, Kansas.
A favorite of the Bench Rest Shooting crowd - and they are VERY picky about what goes in their barrels!
Just fill the bore with the foam and leave it set for an hour - or overnight. You will be amazed with what comes out. I once got five different, alternating Layers of powder, copper (blue), powder, copper, etc, out of an old M1917 Enfield.

Be patient and let it work, scrubbing is not usually necessary. I have no connection with the company, by the way. CC

[Hefights]

A little copper isn't going to hurt a thing in a milsurp rifle. Your barrel is probably clean enough, its not a bench rest rifle. I let Hoppes 9 sit in the barrel a few hours or overnight, it removes enough copper, patches come out nice pretty blue green for a while, then the copper is greatly reduced. Does not harm barrel. Accuracy is just fine. However, if you want some good info, speaking of bench rest, here is a link, in case you have not seen it.

http://www.6mmbr.com/borecleaning.html

[free1954]

Try a Bore Cleaning Foam. I like WipeOut - by Sharp ShootR Products of Paola, Kansas.
A favorite of the Bench Rest Shooting crowd - and they are VERY picky about what goes in their barrels!
Just fill the bore with the foam and leave it set for an hour - or overnight. You will be amazed with what comes out. I once got five different, alternating Layers of powder, copper (blue), powder, copper, etc, out of an old M1917 Enfield.

Be patient and let it work, scrubbing is not usually necessary. I have no connection with the company, by the way. CC



+1 on the wipe out. i used it to clean up one of those ima nepel martini henrys. did a great job.

[cwbuff]

Do a search on "Copper Equilibrium Cleaning Procedure." This is a minimal disturbance cleaning regime that removes carbon fouling while maintaining copper equilibrium for consistent internal ballistics. It may change your mind on what is "clean."

[XLF30]

I agree with the foams, they work well, however the mfrs warn not to use in a gas gun. I do anyway, I just make sure I clean the gas cylinder when finished. Also, while cleaning, tilt the rifle slightly muzzle down so the stuff runs OUT of the gun instead of into the action and up the op rod. I feel it's best to remove the gas plug and also lock open the bolt so the op rod is far from the gas port and so the foam does not expand toward the rear of the gas cylinder...let it expand out the muzzle end of the gas cylinder instead. I use Gunslick foam.

Also, for a "neglected" bore, I use some bore paste such as JB. In this order, Shooter's Choice or foam repeatedly until no more copper (or dirt) comes out. Then copper remover like Sweet's or Montana until no more copper comes out. Then repeat the cycle. When it looks like you're outa copper, you're probably not. Use the bore paste. Then repeat the other cycle. Be sure not to use copper-containing (brass) jags, brushes, or loops or you'll get copper well into the next century...coming off the equipment.

The bore paste strips the crud that the chemicals can't cut through. Bad fouling is in layers...gotta strip one layer at a time, till they're all gone. I was cleaning only with SC and Sweet's and thought my rifle should do better...when I stripped it down to the metal (meaning got out ALL the dirt, powder, copper) with the regimen I described above, my groups cut in half. Your rifle will still function with lots of copper fouling, but its accuracy will be crummy, and it will ALWAYS remain more difficult to clean. A layer of copper fouling is ABRASIVE and like a sheet of sandpaper, it strips more copper off each passing bullet. That creates BOTH the loss of accuracy AND the acceleration of more copper fouling.

Don't despair, I find that even for a brand new (but broken in) match barrel starting squeaky-clean, it may take 30 or 40 patches to re-clean it after shooting only 30 rounds. BTW, I don't use the bore paste for barrels in excellent condition, just initial clean up for "neglected" bores like Garands and carbines. Initial clean-up of a neglected bore may take up to 200 patches and several days.

I also learned the hard way to use a jag, not a patch loop, and use a patch that gives a tight fit. In .30 cal, a 1.75 inch patch works good for me. Dewey's makes an aluminum jag, rod adapter and aluminum-cored brushes.

I also found that Montana's worked better than Sweet's, and Shooter's Choice takes out a lot of copper but also leaves a lot behind. It gets the easy stuff, but not the more stubborn deposits.

Good luck!

[Major Tom]

Get a pure copper mesh scouring pad. Unroll it and cut a 2 inch square piece. Wrap that around a worn bore brush and dip in Hoppes #9. Scrub at least 12 passes. Use a bore mop w/Hoppes #9 and wipe bore. Follow up with clean patches until patches cme out clean.