Wipe out

[nicholasjohn]

I've been using Wipe-Out for decades, and I just let it soak all night in the bore. Years ago, I talked with the guy who owns the company, and he said that is safe to do, and that there is no ammonia in it. I have never smelled anything like ammonia while using it. I have also tried the Accelerator, but don't have a lot of experience with it. Most of the time I'm not in any hurry so I just do the all-night soak.

I plan to try a shorter soak with Accelerator, followed by an all-night soak to check to see if the trial with Accelerator left anything in the bore. So far, I have been extremely happy with the results, but I must say that it is a bit sloppy to use. When I run out of the foaming kind, I plan to switch to the Patch-Out. It's probably easier to keep from making a mess with than with the foaming solution. This stuff will destroy oil finishes on walnut stocks, and I take special pains to cover everything up before using it. That said, probably most copper removers will do that. I don't know what, if anything, it would do to a synthetic stock, or the finish on one.

I do know that everything else I've tried to remove copper was less effective than Wipe-Out. If I got a bore "clean" with any of the ammonia-based solutions in my cleaning kit, I was still able to get more copper out of the same bore with Wipe-Out by soaking the bore all night. I have also used the Hawkeye borescope to check this, and it confirms that the other solutions weren't getting all the copper out, and the Wipe-Out did. It even worked better than using mild abrasives.

I recently picked up another one of their products, called Tactical. It's for carbon and powder fouling, as well as copper. I haven't used it much, so I won't comment on it yet. Has anybody had enough experience with this stuff to evaluate its performance ???

 

[BallisticsGuy]

Ammonia is fine to use. Just clean up after you're done using it. Wipeout smells a little acrid to me but nothing like Sweet's. If it says no ammonia, it's pretty sure got no ammonia but that's not to say there's not some other compound in it that smells similar and behaves similarly.

 

[25WSM]

I use eccelerrator and patch out. I have found this combo the fastest way to get the barrel clean. I have used practically every other kind there is. For carbon I use jb bore paste mixed in a 50/50 mix of patch out and jb mixed together. I put some stainless steel nuts in the bottle and shake it up till it's a milkshake consistency. This goop stays on the brush real good. It also gets the last little bits of copper out.
Sweets and 50bmg also work very fast at getting heavy copper out. I just don't like the smell.
Shep

 

[ajkellerusmc]

Wet is a film of oil. After first shot, barrel is "wet" with copper.
Pulling bore snakes from chamber to muzzle pulls dirt out. Yes, it doesn't leave a spotless bore, but I now believe spotless is not a good thing in barrels.

You would have to be certain that the chamber is dry before firing the first round!

 

[nicholasjohn]

I use eccelerrator and patch out. I have found this combo the fastest way to get the barrel clean. I have used practically every other kind there is. For carbon I use jb bore paste mixed in a 50/50 mix of patch out and jb mixed together. I put some stainless steel nuts in the bottle and shake it up till it's a milkshake consistency. This goop stays on the brush real good. It also gets the last little bits of copper out.
Sweets and 50bmg also work very fast at getting heavy copper out. I just don't like the smell.
Shep

I understand that you scrub out carbon, but for copper do you just let it soak with the Accelerator, or do scrub for that, too ? What kind of brush are you using for this, and are you wrapping a patch around the brush or not ? If you are soaking copper out, how long does it typically take with the Accelerator and Patch-Out ?

 

[woodnut]

ajkellerusmc, you are right; dry the chamber! I wouldn't worry about the bore after "snaking" as the last part of the snake drys it right. Really, if you have not tried the snake method, you should at least give it a try. It is sooo much easier, less time consuming, no patches to use and collect. Leaves the bore in accurate shooting condition. Plus, you don't have to do it nearly as often!

 

[25WSM]

I use regular bronze brushes. I first push 2 wet patches through to get mostly the powder fouling out. Then a patch with eccelerrator followed up with a patch of patch out. I then scrub it with the brush. You will see it foam up when both are used together like this. I let it sit for 10 minutes and patch it out. I repeat till no copper shows up on the patch. I shoot mostly 1000 yard compatition so I clean after every relay. So about every 20 shots. This comes clean in 2 applications. Then I run the goop mix just on a brush. No patch on the brush. After 20 strokes I let it sit for 10 minutes and patch it out. Normally the barrel will be spotless after doing this. 10 minutes of sitting time is just a reference time as you can really leave it in as long as you want. If I shoot a morning relay then I have all day to clean and I might leave the cleaner in for hours. I always have my muzzle pointed slightly down and you can see the copper coming out the muzzle dripping off. The goop mixture doest drip at all. Then of course I clean the chamber out and that's about it. If you have a bore scope use it between cleanings to monitor how clean your barrel is. This will tell you if your cleaning as good as you think or does it need more cleaning. Keep up with the carbon ring and it will not form. Once carbon starts to build up it's a pia to get out. So don't let it build up.
Shep

 

[freddiej]

I have used a myriad of chemicals on my bores throughout my lifetime. I still have several brands and products on my cleaning shelf of my shop. I started out with Hoppe's #9, found Sweet's 7.62, then Bore Tech products, then Wipe Out products, and Butch's. I have stopped using Sweet's entirely. all the rest I have kept using depending on the situation. I like Butches for low pressure/lead slugs. 38-55, 32-40, and the alike. I use Wipe out-patch out for general use. I use hoppe's #9 on 22 LR. I use Bore Tech products on certain rifle manufacturers barrels since it seems to clean them better. Bore Tech C4 carbon remover is my go to AR, revolver, and muzzle brake cleaner/carbon removing chemical. While I was hunting with Barnes and other soft copper slugs I was forever using Barnes C-10 copper remover or montana products copper remover. nothing out there is perfect for every situation. that is why I carry and promote most all the products out there. I have no idea what this Ballistol stuff is, but if it is a good cleaner then I am not going to say not to use it. I still use J&B Bore Paste to remove carbon and to help break in barrels. I still use J&B Bore Shine when I feel something odd in barrels. honestly I do not care much what others use, do or do not do. with the results I get and have gotten in the past I am not going to stop doing what I do and using the products I am using for untested procedures and products.

 

[nicholasjohn]

I use regular bronze brushes. I first push 2 wet patches through to get mostly the powder fouling out. Then a patch with eccelerrator followed up with a patch of patch out. I then scrub it with the brush. You will see it foam up when both are used together like this. I let it sit for 10 minutes and patch it out. I repeat till no copper shows up on the patch. I shoot mostly 1000 yard compatition so I clean after every relay. So about every 20 shots. This comes clean in 2 applications. Then I run the goop mix just on a brush. No patch on the brush. After 20 strokes I let it sit for 10 minutes and patch it out. Normally the barrel will be spotless after doing this. 10 minutes of sitting time is just a reference time as you can really leave it in as long as you want. If I shoot a morning relay then I have all day to clean and I might leave the cleaner in for hours. I always have my muzzle pointed slightly down and you can see the copper coming out the muzzle dripping off. The goop mixture doest drip at all. Then of course I clean the chamber out and that's about it. If you have a bore scope use it between cleanings to monitor how clean your barrel is. This will tell you if your cleaning as good as you think or does it need more cleaning. Keep up with the carbon ring and it will not form. Once carbon starts to build up it's a pia to get out. So don't let it build up.
Shep

Thanks, Shep. I'll give that a try next time out.


Nick

 

[hammer111]

What I don't understand is on wipe out it says in certain situations you can use wipe out when you need to clean a gun fast like at the range. But instructions says use accelerator wait an hour , then patch out and leave in over night. That's not fast.

 

[sedancowboy]

I will tell how I use Wipe Out products that work for me. I start with Tactical Advantage which seems to work better on powder fouling and carbon. I soak a nylon brush and push it through the bore with a good bore guide in place. I use felt pellets for cleaning instead of patches but patches work just fine. I will push pellets through and then more Tactical Advantage about 3 cycles and I am done unless I am going to remove the copper. If removing the copper I will soak a nylon brush in Wipe Out and same routine as above. Letting it soak if needed. Yes the Accelerator does work but is a bit more involved and messy so I avoid it if I am not in a hurry.
What I have found over 2 years of cleaning lots of rifles is that if I use the Tactical Advantage to clean the bore I rarely have any carbon or copper fouling. Hope that helps. Yes I do detect a faint odor of ammonia in the Wipe Out but it does not hurt the barrel to leave it in it overnight as is advertised. Wipe Out products work well and are for the most part odor free and do not stink up the room you are working in. They are easy on your barrel metal. I do check with a bore cam.
I would say they are not the fastest working product on the market but are safe to use. I hate using caustic products in my barrels because should I leave them in too long or get distracted and forget then I could have a ruined barrel.

 

[25WSM]

I don't know what's messy about eccelerrator. It's one extra step and the copper comes out twice as fast. Plus it foams up to coat barrel evenly. I believe tactical is just Wipeout mixed with carb out. I have all 4 bottles but I don't use tactical anymore. For carbon I use straight carb out on a patch and let it sit on the carbon ring area. Dissolves the carbon pretty good.
Shep

 

[nicholasjohn]

I don't know what's messy about eccelerrator. It's one extra step and the copper comes out twice as fast. Plus it foams up to coat barrel evenly. I believe tactical is just Wipeout mixed with carb out. I have all 4 bottles but I don't use tactical anymore. For carbon I use straight carb out on a patch and let it sit on the carbon ring area. Dissolves the carbon pretty good.
Shep

I was looking for Carb-Out a while back, and they didn't have any at Sportman's Warehouse. That was when I brought home a bottle of the Tactical. After reading the label, I thought the same thing you did - that it's probably a blend of Wipe-out and Carb-Out. I never noticed the foaming action when using Accelerator, because I was using it with the oven cleaner-type stuff that already foams by itself. That foaming action may make the Patch-Out solution more effective at getting down into the nooks & crannies, like the Wipe-Out foaming cleaner does. It appears that this company has a couple of different products, but is making it look like several by packaging it in a number of different ways. Interesting marketing plan ……....

 

[25WSM]

I buy mine from a dealer at the 1000 yard range in williamsport. He showed me how to do the eccelerrator and Wipeout. One patch of eccelerrator followed by a wet brush with Wipeout on it. When you start stroking it with the brush it foams right up. Not as much as the foaming Wipeout but similar. The 2 together really cleans fast. As far as the carbon ring goes I just push a wet patch down to the end of the chamber and let it sit. If you take the next size up brush and pull the bristles forward some and then put in in the neck and twist it all the carbon will come out. Guys at the range have a special rod with a hand similar to a hand drill that they spin in the chamber to get the ring out. I have never seen people clean their guns as much as the 1000 yard guys do. 20 shots and clean for 2 hrs. One guys Dewey rod has most of the black worn off of it. He does at least 100 strokes or more. When you are shooting 4 to 6 inches consistently you are doing something right.
Shep