dok7mm
Well-Known Member
Glad you're making progress, Rob. Unless you bought the accelerator, it will take longer soaks with just the WipeOut. I used 4-6 hours and overnight soaks on built up deposits. Good luck.
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Copper Fouling or what?
- Thread starter RobStar
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Thanks for all the help! An overnight foaming with Wipe-Out resolved it and I got it clean.
You guys scared the Bejesus out of me about using the SS brush so I called my manufacturer (Rifles Inc) and spoke to Lex about it. He pretty much scolded me for it as well. "Either throw that brush in the trash or give it to someone you don't like" was his comment!
Since I'd only done a limited number of passes with it he suggested I see if the accuracy was affected rather than find a bore scope.
He went on to scold me for "surgically cleaning" everything out of the barrel. According to him, he recommends not going to the squeaky clean point and leaving some fouling in the barrel and to only clean with a patch wrapped nylon brush and solvent after 20-30 rounds max.
Today I went to the range to chronograph and completely recalculate the data for the rifle. The results are below. The short answer is I think for a 4.5 lb sporter hunting rifle there was no apparent damage by using the SS brush and my overly ambitious cleaning.
Also, keep in mind looking at these groups that I'm a elk hunter foremost and not a bench rest shooter. All this came about simply from me wanting to learn and practice so I could extend my long range comfort level.
This is factory Barnes TTSX 180gr ammo. I allowed the barrel to cool about ten minutes between groups.
I'm really hoping to tighten these groups up some with practice. Do you think a good reload would help as well?
Thanks again to all of you. I learn a lot on this forum and sometimes it's the hard way!
Robert
You guys scared the Bejesus out of me about using the SS brush so I called my manufacturer (Rifles Inc) and spoke to Lex about it. He pretty much scolded me for it as well. "Either throw that brush in the trash or give it to someone you don't like" was his comment!
Since I'd only done a limited number of passes with it he suggested I see if the accuracy was affected rather than find a bore scope.He went on to scold me for "surgically cleaning" everything out of the barrel. According to him, he recommends not going to the squeaky clean point and leaving some fouling in the barrel and to only clean with a patch wrapped nylon brush and solvent after 20-30 rounds max.
Today I went to the range to chronograph and completely recalculate the data for the rifle. The results are below. The short answer is I think for a 4.5 lb sporter hunting rifle there was no apparent damage by using the SS brush and my overly ambitious cleaning.
Also, keep in mind looking at these groups that I'm a elk hunter foremost and not a bench rest shooter. All this came about simply from me wanting to learn and practice so I could extend my long range comfort level.
This is factory Barnes TTSX 180gr ammo. I allowed the barrel to cool about ten minutes between groups.
I'm really hoping to tighten these groups up some with practice. Do you think a good reload would help as well?
Thanks again to all of you. I learn a lot on this forum and sometimes it's the hard way!
Robert
The Oregonian
Well-Known Member
I think hand loading will help a lot, at least based on my limited experience. Bullet choice goes up while groups should tighten up. I have only been reloading for a year and a half, but I had no one to show me the ropes. Darrell Holland DVD and reading and asking questions here were all I used. And I got my factory and unmodified abolt 270win to go from about 1.25 -1.5 MOA to about .75.
In that process I saw how much groups can change based on several factors, such as powder, charge, ES, etc. it was a revelation to me how much each of those things matter. Now take all of those variations and make them static...how many are likely to be in the sweet spot for your gun?
For me, having a more accurate gun helped me to practice better. I could isolate a random flyer as something I did rather than the inherent inconsistency in the rifle. That has proven to be even more true now that I have a custom that will hit sub .5. It lets me focus on what I am doing wrong...conditions, misreading wind, or not compensating for the atmospheric conditions appropriately.
You can get in pretty cheaply with some of the starter kits, though I didn't want to replace things later with nicer equipment so I paid a little more to piece it together myself with nicer equipment.
In that process I saw how much groups can change based on several factors, such as powder, charge, ES, etc. it was a revelation to me how much each of those things matter. Now take all of those variations and make them static...how many are likely to be in the sweet spot for your gun?
For me, having a more accurate gun helped me to practice better. I could isolate a random flyer as something I did rather than the inherent inconsistency in the rifle. That has proven to be even more true now that I have a custom that will hit sub .5. It lets me focus on what I am doing wrong...conditions, misreading wind, or not compensating for the atmospheric conditions appropriately.
You can get in pretty cheaply with some of the starter kits, though I didn't want to replace things later with nicer equipment so I paid a little more to piece it together myself with nicer equipment.
Predator 22
Well-Known Member
You might try carb-out made by the same company as wipe out. It has worked great for me. I patch it through the bore a few times then let it set for about ten minutes then a few dry patches. If I'm still getting a lot of carbon I'll repeat the process with a nylon brush and dry patches. Then I run a patch of accelerator and wipe out and let it soak usually over night. I've all but quite running brushes in my barrels and if I do its usually only nylon or the occasional phosphorus bronze brush, Mostly on people's guns I work on that haven't been cleaned In decades but never a stainless steel brush.
The Oregonian
Well-Known Member
I use KG-1 for carbon with a nylon brush...I wet the barrel with a couple of patches, then a dozen or so strokes, then run KG-3 on some patches, then dry patches til fairly clean, then do it one more time and dry patches til clean.
I then use Holland's Witches brew...a nylon brush if I want some copper out. or a bronze brush if I want to get it all. Similar drill as above. Then Holland's bore lube to finish it up. For copper I look in the barrel with a flashlight...I can see the last several inches and that is my guide as to how clean it is. A scope would be better but hard to justify $$ for a good one.
A copper brush has many of the advantages as the steel brush without being harmful to the barrel. Sounds like you are focusing on nylon or stainless but not considering bronze...I know that what you put on the barrel will slowly eat the bronze brush, but have you considered bronze brushes?
I then use Holland's Witches brew...a nylon brush if I want some copper out. or a bronze brush if I want to get it all. Similar drill as above. Then Holland's bore lube to finish it up. For copper I look in the barrel with a flashlight...I can see the last several inches and that is my guide as to how clean it is. A scope would be better but hard to justify $$ for a good one.
A copper brush has many of the advantages as the steel brush without being harmful to the barrel. Sounds like you are focusing on nylon or stainless but not considering bronze...I know that what you put on the barrel will slowly eat the bronze brush, but have you considered bronze brushes?
