Barrel cleaning

[4xforfun]

Where are all of the people who use ISSO, JB, and lots of bronze brushes.....Man, I go through a pile of these three things, along with Sweets and Butches!!

 

[newmexkid]

I'm pretty happy with the results I get using a mix of Kroil and GM Top Engine Cleaner. Lately I've also been using Montana X-treme copper killer after the Kroil and that really works good.

 

[4xforfun]

I just re-re-read the above posts....everyone, me included, is making a big thing about copper fouling. As we should. But copper can be physicaly or chemicaly removed...ie...brushing or copper remover and patches. Not that big of a deal, because you know weather or not if you still have copper fouling.....blue/purple patches tell the tale.

CARBON.....I have not even seen the word carbon on this thread. Carbon can not be removed chemically...it needs to be physicaly removed from your bore. All of the "magic potions" in the world won't dissolve carbon. If you haven't done so, and you have more than a couple of boxes of shells fired YOU HAVE CARBON BUILDUP. Probably not serious..yet, but we have all heard of a carbon ring.. I always figured I had my BBLs spotless, that is untill I had some tubes bore scoped at a match. "BBL looks good, except for the carbon fouling the first 4 -8 inches of your tube". I got that a lot!!! And a lot of the "tough" copper is coming from little cracks and chips in the carbon buildup. I have had lots of conversations with some of the top LR benchrest shooters in the country.....and benchresters are "CLEAN FREAKS" pure and simple!!! Carbon buildup can cause PSI problems , accuracy problems, and bullet problems.

What are you guys doing, if anything , about carbon? Like I said, I now use lots of ISSO, JB, and brushes....I use the ISSO on tight patches loaded with Butches. I always follow the ISSO with a brushing with LOTS of Butches and followed by dry patching.

 

[WildRose]

I just re-re-read the above posts....everyone, me included, is making a big thing about copper fouling. As we should. But copper can be physicaly or chemicaly removed...ie...brushing or copper remover and patches. Not that big of a deal, because you know weather or not if you still have copper fouling.....blue/purple patches tell the tale.

CARBON.....I have not even seen the word carbon on this thread. Carbon can not be removed chemically...it needs to be physicaly removed from your bore. All of the "magic potions" in the world won't dissolve carbon. If you haven't done so, and you have more than a couple of boxes of shells fired YOU HAVE CARBON BUILDUP. Probably not serious..yet, but we have all heard of a carbon ring.. I always figured I had my BBLs spotless, that is untill I had some tubes bore scoped at a match. "BBL looks good, except for the carbon fouling the first 4 -8 inches of your tube". I got that a lot!!! And a lot of the "tough" copper is coming from little cracks and chips in the carbon buildup. I have had lots of conversations with some of the top LR benchrest shooters in the country.....and benchresters are "CLEAN FREAKS" pure and simple!!! Carbon buildup can cause PSI problems , accuracy problems, and bullet problems.

What are you guys doing, if anything , about carbon? Like I said, I now use lots of ISSO, JB, and brushes....I use the ISSO on tight patches loaded with Butches. I always follow the ISSO with a brushing with LOTS of Butches and followed by dry patching.

You're right, pure carbon cannot be dissolved but it can easily be liquified. Products like Berryman's Carbureto cleaner are great at that.

Also the foaming bore cleaners such as Gunslick will "boil out" the carbon to a very high degree which is why you will also see black along with the blue when you use them pooling on the paper towel you put under the end of the barrel.

Typically what I will do is blow out the bore and chamber with carburetor cleaner or a product like gun blast first, patch it out, and then use the foaming bore cleaner.

When I get a clean towel, I blow it out and patch it again, and repeat. When I get two successive colorless PT's after running the foaming bore cleaner through it I'll blow it out and run another patch or two through it to be sure.

I'll then use just a tiny bit of either moly or lithium grease and dry patch before storing leaving just a thin film of the grease in place as a protectant against oxidation.

The above has always worked very well for me.

 

[Boss Hoss]

You're right, pure carbon cannot be dissolved but it can easily be liquified. Products like Berryman's Carbureto cleaner are great at that.

Also the foaming bore cleaners such as Gunslick will "boil out" the carbon to a very high degree which is why you will also see black along with the blue when you use them pooling on the paper towel you put under the end of the barrel.

Typically what I will do is blow out the bore and chamber with carburetor cleaner or a product like gun blast first, patch it out, and then use the foaming bore cleaner.

When I get a clean towel, I blow it out and patch it again, and repeat. When I get two successive colorless PT's after running the foaming bore cleaner through it I'll blow it out and run another patch or two through it to be sure.

I'll then use just a tiny bit of either moly or lithium grease and dry patch before storing leaving just a thin film of the grease in place as a protectant against oxidation.

The above has always worked very well for me.

Do you have a bore scope??????

 

[Boss Hoss]

I just re-re-read the above posts....everyone, me included, is making a big thing about copper fouling. As we should. But copper can be physicaly or chemicaly removed...ie...brushing or copper remover and patches. Not that big of a deal, because you know weather or not if you still have copper fouling.....blue/purple patches tell the tale.

CARBON.....I have not even seen the word carbon on this thread. Carbon can not be removed chemically...it needs to be physicaly removed from your bore. All of the "magic potions" in the world won't dissolve carbon. If you haven't done so, and you have more than a couple of boxes of shells fired YOU HAVE CARBON BUILDUP. Probably not serious..yet, but we have all heard of a carbon ring.. I always figured I had my BBLs spotless, that is untill I had some tubes bore scoped at a match. "BBL looks good, except for the carbon fouling the first 4 -8 inches of your tube". I got that a lot!!! And a lot of the "tough" copper is coming from little cracks and chips in the carbon buildup. I have had lots of conversations with some of the top LR benchrest shooters in the country.....and benchresters are "CLEAN FREAKS" pure and simple!!! Carbon buildup can cause PSI problems , accuracy problems, and bullet problems.

What are you guys doing, if anything , about carbon? Like I said, I now use lots of ISSO, JB, and brushes....I use the ISSO on tight patches loaded with Butches. I always follow the ISSO with a brushing with LOTS of Butches and followed by dry patching.

You got it!! The bore scope does not lie....... I have one and it always tells the truth!!

 

[newmexkid]

I hope I'm not wrong but, I believe my, "mixture" gets the carbon out. After I get rid of the black on my patches I can then readily see the copper at the muzzle. That's when the copper killer is used.

 

[WildRose]

Do you have a bore scope??????

No but my gunsmiths do.

 

[justgoto]

Carbon buildup can cause PSI problems , accuracy problems, and bullet problems.

What are you guys doing, if anything , about carbon?

I've been investigating carbon!
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/varget-dirty-71266/

Probably not serious..yet, but we have all heard of a carbon ring.. I always figured I had my BBLs spotless,

In that post you can see where the ring is/was clean. The barrel appears polished except where the ring used to be.

With my new rifle I am more cleanliness oriented.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/justgoto/gun/howa4Bore.jpg
The more I clean it the less it copper fouls.