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CLR and Chrome Moly Barrels

CLR two active ingredients are lactic acid and gluconic acid. The issue with the etching comes from the lactic acid. It's metabolites it breaks down into are well known for being crossive to steel. One is simply carbon dioxide but it's well known to be corrosive. It's similar to the effect simple green has on aluminum as the Chinook maintenance techs found out when it corroded the rivets holding the aircraft together and it stopped flying and made a uncontroled rapid decent arrested by the ground. i.e. crash.

Try either KG1 carbon remover or Boretech C4. If its as stubon and bad as stated, let it soak then brush it and add more and let it soak again. Finish cleaning and check it.



If that does not work, JB bore paste or Isso. I hate using mech cleaners though. They can clean about anything out including part of your lands.. only really an issue for the obsessive cleaner i.e. old school BR guys.


The JB or ISSO will likely polish out those etching marking as well i.e. white spots. You will have to reburnish the barrel afterwards. 5-10 shots should do it. I have seen blued or parkerized/phosphated barrels that got the solution in the bores during the process that had discolored sections of the bore in a way that it looked like carbon. Mostly on mass produced CM AR barrels that were not chrome lined. But a couple blued barrels too on hunting rifles.


Just an FYI I switched away from KG big Bore Copper cleaner which worked great andcI was a huge proponent of it. . Switched to Boretech which is as good if not better. Main reason KG Copper cleaner uses cyanide in its formula. Who would have thunk!?! Was looking into how it worked so well but only had a slight brown color to indicate Copper. So I grabbed the safety data sheet. I was surprised. If you use it wear gloves. Boretech has no transdermally absorbed toxic chemicals from my research.

Vinegar such as white distilled vinegar is acetic acid usually 5% by solution. Caustic soda l for those tgat may not know is another name for lye or visev-ersa which are both sodium hydroxide. Very good at breaking down organic matter like bodies in 100 gal drums. While vinegar is a low
Ph acid, caustic soda is a VERY powerful base. It tops out with a PH of 15. White vinegar 5% acetic acid is around a PH of 2.5-2.6. Vinegarvwill absolutely etch carbon steel. Old school body guys use it to etch car bodies before priming to get better adherence.

STick with gun specific cleans and ones not containing ammonia.
 
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Greg Dykstra (the Primal Rights guy) talks about this in a interview with Cortina on the Believe the Target youtube channel. He mentions that if CLR is left too long on a metal surface it will begin to crystalize and once that has happened its near impossible to remove from the surface. I wonder if that's what you have in your bore. Ill attach a link to the video I'm referring to. Its right at the 25 minute mark.

 
Greg Dykstra (the Primal Rights guy) talks about this in a interview with Cortina on the Believe the Target youtube channel. He mentions that if CLR is left too long on a metal surface it will begin to crystalize and once that has happened its near impossible to remove from the surface. I wonder if that's what you have in your bore. Ill attach a link to the video I'm referring to. Its right at the 25 minute mark.


That takes a day or two, minimum.

The instance I was referring to, a muzzle brake was left in a cup of CLR for a week nearly.


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