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Copper removal ?
- Thread starter soundwaves
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Bob Wright
Well-Known Member
I read an article a while back where a smith had customers bringing in guns that barrels were "shot out". Actually, the gun smith claimed they were either improperly cleaned or rarely cleaned, which caused their early demise. My newest custom gun, the builder said "quit cleaning it so much", and let it go for 2-300 rounds since it has a hand lapped barrel. I find it hard to do, since I worry about carbon ring build up. I am compromising and monitoring with a borescope and clean about every 50 rounds with Accelerator and Wipe out. After 100 break in rounds and load development on this new build I'll pay attention to groups opening up at "X" amount of shots. I lean towards clean more than most people I reckon.
ajkellerusmc
Well-Known Member
Sorry let me clarify. When the guns were new they would foul faster and take 15 patches or more to remove all the copper. Now since they have been shot a little bit they cleanup much faster with 6 to 8 patches. They have always shot good at any level of rounds fired. The only reason I have cleaned them is to test different bullets and always start with a clean bore.
David Emerson
Well-Known Member
A custom barrel will re foul in 5 rounds. Some factory barrels that are oversize can take up to 20 rounds to shoot normal. Never 2 or 3 hundred rounds.
soundwaves
Well-Known Member
aye. l get what you mean now
ajkellerusmc
Well-Known Member
Sorry let me clarify. When the guns were new they would foul faster and take 15 patches or more to remove all the copper. Now since they have been shot a little bit they cleanup much faster with 6 to 8 patches. They have always shot good at any level of rounds fired. The only reason I have cleaned them is to test different bullets and always start with a clean bore.
I maintain the copper build up. I use wipe out and other products .
Starlite
Well-Known Member
My 2c's here.
I Clean as per the "barrel break-in" recommendations when I buy new. Then, under normal shooting conditions (no foreign debris such as sand in the barrel) will only clean the Outside, chamber and trigger mechanisms after each shoot. If I've been in wet conditions or know I'll be storing for long periods of time I'll put an oil patch through the barrel. When I notice the accuracy is dropping off I'll clean the bore with "wipeout ". One wet wipeout patch, one brush dipped in wipeout and on a modified carbon fibre rod. (Removed the Dewey Handel temporally) and mount on a drill. Low speed and back and forth a few times. Then two dry patches. Then a heavily soaked wipeout patch pushed through twice slowly. Then I spray wipeout foam down the barrel and in the action and close the bolt. Leave overnight. Next day do a complete cleaning and leave barrel oiled until just before firing. Two pull thru with the bore-snake and fire 5-10 warming rounds and I'm generally back to accuracy.
A gun club mbr and friend of mine cleans his with wipeout after every shoot (no matter how many rds go down range) in a similar manner as me. Other then he hangs the barrel to "drip dry" the wipeout foam. His 6mmBR shoots no better or worse than my 6.5CM. (From a consistency perspective), So..... to each their own. He is terrified to try it my way and thinks I'm destroying the barrels of my rifles. Maybe I'll remeasure the chamber and see how much the throat has grown, and fined a borescope And do a comparison of before and after. As of last week though it was still a tack driver. It really likes the 142gr SMK and the 140gr Berger elite hunter pills.
I Clean as per the "barrel break-in" recommendations when I buy new. Then, under normal shooting conditions (no foreign debris such as sand in the barrel) will only clean the Outside, chamber and trigger mechanisms after each shoot. If I've been in wet conditions or know I'll be storing for long periods of time I'll put an oil patch through the barrel. When I notice the accuracy is dropping off I'll clean the bore with "wipeout ". One wet wipeout patch, one brush dipped in wipeout and on a modified carbon fibre rod. (Removed the Dewey Handel temporally) and mount on a drill. Low speed and back and forth a few times. Then two dry patches. Then a heavily soaked wipeout patch pushed through twice slowly. Then I spray wipeout foam down the barrel and in the action and close the bolt. Leave overnight. Next day do a complete cleaning and leave barrel oiled until just before firing. Two pull thru with the bore-snake and fire 5-10 warming rounds and I'm generally back to accuracy.
A gun club mbr and friend of mine cleans his with wipeout after every shoot (no matter how many rds go down range) in a similar manner as me. Other then he hangs the barrel to "drip dry" the wipeout foam. His 6mmBR shoots no better or worse than my 6.5CM. (From a consistency perspective), So..... to each their own. He is terrified to try it my way and thinks I'm destroying the barrels of my rifles. Maybe I'll remeasure the chamber and see how much the throat has grown, and fined a borescope And do a comparison of before and after. As of last week though it was still a tack driver. It really likes the 142gr SMK and the 140gr Berger elite hunter pills.
RD57
Well-Known Member
Wipe Out/Patch Out for me! I have a 1991 Winchester Stainless Steel Classic which is hammer forged and it is very smooth and hardly copper fouls unlike my 1976 Interarms Mark X which is hammer forged but has many machining marks and copper fouls very bad ... good thing it is for hunting and not competition. My 1981 Winchester Featherweight hammer forged is very smooth but the first 6 inches is now getting some decent fire cracking/erosion but still shoots very good. I've had good and poor hammer forged barrels, the worst was a Ruger but it was from 1980 and probably one of the ones made from another sub-contractor.
david g ranes
Well-Known Member
I've been told by two barrel makers that Montana extreme was to harsh on a barrel that has been hand lapped any one else hear
Don A Parsons
Well-Known Member
None lapped barrels on either of my 2 main shooters,,, ha...
Consistan bullet drag the full length of the barrel seems to keep my verticals in check...
Yuppers,,, a bit crude looking down the bore,,, both of mine seem to shoot pretty good for what they are...
At least the riflings cut into the bullets deep...
Consistan bullet drag the full length of the barrel seems to keep my verticals in check...
Yuppers,,, a bit crude looking down the bore,,, both of mine seem to shoot pretty good for what they are...
At least the riflings cut into the bullets deep...
Baldhunter that is classic firecracking. It will only continue to get worse with more rounds. That is what we battle and ends our bbl life. As the heat continues to burn away the steel it get rougher and strips the jackets depositing the copper down the tube.
Just a quick report for whoever is interested. I tried Hoppe's no. 9 foaming bore cleaner today for the first time. Had about 120 rounds through my PRS rifle and it removed all the copper with 2 applications (let it soak about 15 minutes with each application). Pleasantly surprised. As a bonus it got most of the carbon. I normally run C4 carbon remover as the final cleaning step in an attempt to remove as much carbon as possible but after the Hoppe's there was very little carbon remaining. No brushing used.
