BLue color inside the end of my savage barrel

[marioq]

I posted some time ago about how dirty my new savage barrel was when I received it. Now, I cleaned it the last time I shot it and today when I was putting my guns in the safe, I looked down the barrel of the savage, and I could see a blue color in the barrel. Light blue, definitely reminds me of copper in chemistry class.... YEARS AGO....
But, anyway, how do I clean this well?? I put 2 different bore cleaners down to try and get it cleaned and I must have passed 12 patches down and they were black and blue...

FInally it seemed to clear... then I see this....
ANy ideas????

Thanks
Mario

 

[LouBoyd]

Does your barrel shoot ok? Do your patches come out colored light blue when you use a mid copper solvent? If not don't worry about the surface color. If you remove the color you'll be removing some of your barrel steel. That's not likely to help accuracy or barrel life.

 

[RT2506]

I know this is controversial but you may not want to remove that "blue" fouling. Unless a barrel finish is absolutely perfectly smooth most need some fouling to shoot well. I have seen more rifles harmed by cleaning them too much than I have seen by shooting them too much. I know a lot of shooters these days that have started cleaning their bores ONLY AFTER their accuracy starts to drop off. A long time ago I had a real tack driver and I decided that I needed to REALLY clean the bore. I used the newest copper solvent and after a lot of work it was squeaky clean. The next time I went to shoot it I had to shoot over 20 round just to get it to group again. It took about 30 rounds to make it a tack driver again. I learned my lesson. Don't clean until the accuracy starts falling off and then don't clean squeaky clean either. I just clean the chamber and the bolt face and muzzle with some regular Hoppe's #9. If there is much powder fouling I will run a patch of Hoppe's down the bore and let set for 10 minutes and then run a couple dry patches just to get the powder carbon and fouling out after a range session. If the rifle it to be stored for a while I will run a patch lightly coated with Break-free CLP down the bore. But before I go shoot it again I run a patch of Hoppe's down and dry patch to get all oil out. It only takes one shot to foul the bore and then it goes to shooting to point of aim.
That blue you are seeing is copper that has been dissolved from you past cleaning. If you do not neutralize those copper solvents usually with oil they will keep on working even though you thought you got them out.

 

[marioq]

Great thanks guys!!!
I have not shot it again since I first took it out. Been working in my 338 lapua and my 7mm stw so that one has just been sitting in the safe. I plan to take it out soon and shoot the new box of HSM I bought to make sure it is shooting ok.
I will clean it up and I like the oil idea. Never thought of that.
Thanks.

 

[Jinx-)]

I could suggest changing your cleaning product to KG, personally I use 1, 3, 12 and on stubborn copper KG-2 which is fine polish, also you can do fire-lapping with KG-2 or get Tubbs...