cleaning copper out of barrel?

[Axis II]

I have a 22lr and 2-223 bolt actions and the 22lr has seen its share of copper and lead bullets and only got a quick cleaning here and there. The 223 has shot a ton of tul ammo, hornady v max and other ammo and only got hit with a bore snake. I know I should take better care of my stuff.

I got a bottle of hopps #9 bench rest copper solvent but a friend told me that is doesn't work unless you scrub the barrel several times with it.

any tips?

Thanks!

 

[MagnunJoe]

BALLISTOL, that's all I ever use with all types of ammo... Works like a charm.

 

[MtnCreek]

I believe bench rest 9 contains ammonia. If so, you shouldn't leave it in the bore very long. Copper removal requires a lot of scrubbing or a potent solvent or both. If you can find KG12 or Butch's bore shine either would work faster than the hoppes.

 

[nettlle]

The strongest stuff I have ever used is Sweets 7.62. Follow the directions on the bottle because it can damage a bore.

 

[Drail]

Are you serious? Scrubbing the bore SEVERAL TIMES is just too much work? Maybe you can get an app for your i!phone to do it for you.......

 

[Axis II]

Are you serious? Scrubbing the bore SEVERAL TIMES is just too much work? Maybe you can get an app for your i!phone to do it for you.......

I was hoping you would do it for me!

He said I would have to run the brush through it probably 50 times. sorry I should have been more politically correct.

 

[Deanimator]

He said I would have to run the brush through it probably 50 times. sorry I should have been more politically correct.

50 times would be a cursory cleaning in the Army.

How much work did you THINK it was going to be?

 

[MEHavey]

KG-12
Wet slop it in.
Wait 5-10 min
Dry patch it out.

Done.



postscript: It doesnot eat your floors and it doesn't drive your wife out of the house.
Simple.

 

[Reloadron]

I have a 22lr and 2-223 bolt actions and the 22lr has seen its share of copper and lead bullets and only got a quick cleaning here and there. The 223 has shot a ton of tul ammo, hornady v max and other ammo and only got hit with a bore snake. I know I should take better care of my stuff.

I got a bottle of hopps #9 bench rest copper solvent but a friend told me that is doesn't work unless you scrub the barrel several times with it.

any tips?

Thanks!

Since you already have the stuff you may as well try it using the directions.

1. Run a wet patch of Hoppe's Bench Rest 9 through the bore, following with a dry patch.
2. Repeat this wet/dry patch process until the dry patch comes out clean. (Fro really stubborn deposits use a Hoppes brush).
3. Then run one wet patch through and let bore soak overnight.
4. The next day run a dry patch and again repeat the wet/dry process till the dry patches come out clean.
5. Finally run a patch through the bore of a good gun oil or lubricant.

You can, according to Hoppes, leave the stuff in the bore overnight. I would try cleaning the bore in accordance with the above, only since you already have the stuff. I have used the stuff for years and fo me it has worked fine. I have also used a few of the other cleaners mentioned with good results. The more copper fouling the more work required to get the copper out and that is what it will always go back to.

The Great Debate--Brushing and Cleaning Intervals. My suggestion is find a cleaner that works for you with a method that works for you and have at it. Try several of the suggested cleaners. Read the link and draw some conclusions.

The above destructions (err instructions) are a partial from the label of a 16 ounce jug of the stuff.

Happy Cleaning
Ron

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Break Free copper solvent

 

[50 Shooter]

Look up Boretech, they make the best copper solvent. It's called Eliminator and is 100% hazardous materials free, follow directions and you'll be done in no time. They were supposedly working on a better solvent then Eliminator.

Remember, if you use a good copper solvent and a bronze bore brush, you'll get a false positive as it will eat the bronze/ brass bristles.

 

[jerkface11]

Get some sweets and follow the instructions.

 

[M1key]

Wear out them bores with all that scrubbing? No thanks.

Let the solvent do the work.

M

 

[C.R.]

Arent there some electralisys kits on the market that will do a good job without potentialy damaging the bore ?

 

[MEHavey]

Again, neither over-scrub nor (which all the ammonia-base solvents require to one extent pr another) nor set up exotic apparatus.

Simply use KG-12

 

[DoubleMag]

With using the product you mentioned you are receiving great advice here. Wet patch, soak for a few minutes, the brush or patch or whatever.Looks like you are looking for easier, but at end of the day you want clean.

OK so you are like the rest of us I guess

If you want to try a dif product, Wipe-Out bore foam with the added nozzle. Foam into barrel, be mindful that it expands to fill barrel & chamber so a little squirt at 1st & proceed as necessary. Tilt barrel downwards just a fuzz & place rag at muzzle end in case of any drips.

The next step is very technical and cannot be overstated.....

Walk away for several hours.

Patch out the blueish / green stuff , you may have to repeat this 2-3 times. Then apply your wet patch of fav oil followed by a dry patch to pick up access.

I guess to some it's just too easy. Mechanical cleaning i.e. phosporus bronze brush followed by patches may be quicker as far as overall time, but not easier.

 

[TimSr]

Chuck your cleaning rod with the brush into a drill and automate.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I would not use a drill to spin the brush on a rifle barrel. It will not do the rifling any good. Ok for a shotgun.

 

[MtnCreek]

KG-12
Wet slop it in.
Wait 5-10 min
Dry patch it out.

Done.



postscript: It doesnot eat your floors and it doesn't drive your wife out of the house.
Simple.

So you're saying I should go ahead and open a bottle of hoppes for residual affect even though I'll be cleaning with KG12?

 

[MEHavey]

I leave an open bottle of Hoppes out for nostalgia these days.
But KG-1 for most all/carbon cleanout, and KG-12 if even a hint of copper.

As far as scrubbing to 99-44/100% clean, that's a losing proposition on so many counts.
Two wet/dry patch sequences w/ KG-1 followed by a patch of Mobil-1 Synthetic is the most ever really needed on 99% of <Mach-3 sessions
(...w/ KG-12 if I'm really pushing a Swift really hard)

 

[G.E. Lee]

For years I settled on Montana Extreme as the best copper remover and was certain it got it all out. (Over time I had tried various others such as Sweets and was happy enough with all of them.) Then I tried Boretech's Eliminator on a supposedly copper-free barrel and was stunned. I got copper out for half an hour.

https://www.boretech.com/category/solvents.shtml

 

[MEHavey]

If you are getting copper "out of your barrel for half an hour," the solvent is not doing it's job. (and you are wearing both yourself and the barrel out)

Again, slop KG-12 in, wait 5 min, dry patch it [...and all the brown crud it chelates] out.
Using any other solvent you want, see if you "get any blue" after that one cycle.

 

[Axis II]

50 times would be a cursory cleaning in the Army.

How much work did you THINK it was going to be?

I DONT GET WHY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE SMART ASSES ON TALK FORUMS. Yes I THOUGHT it was going to be work but didn't know I was going to have to spend 3hrs cleaning one rifle. never owned target/varmint rifles until now so always did a quick swab on the shotgun barrels.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I used Hopped Copper cleaner once, all it did was clean the tarnish off the copper in the barrel and make it look shiny.

Wipe-Out along with the Accelerator got all of the copper out in about 3 hours with no scrubbing.

Just just swab the barrel with the Accelerator, spray in the Wipe-out...let it sit for a couple of hours, come back and run a few patches through and they will be dark blue if there is copper in the barrel.

 

[230RN]

"More guns, cameras, coffeepots and small boys have been ruined by excessive cleaning than any other single cause."
--Terry, 230RN, in a wry mood one day.

I gotta laugh because after all that diligent cleaning, most matches used to allow four or five fouling rounds before your sighting shots and firing for record. Gee, I wonder why. (Disclaimer: I haven't shot competitively for many decades.)

For long term storage, or in extreme conditions (living near salt water, winter road chlorides, e.g.) OK, get it down to bare metal AND/OR coat it with preservative, but otherwise, don't overdo it. It helps if you aren't trying to squeeze every little foot per second out of your loads, too.

(I realize that some bench-resters clean the bore after each shot to maintain identical conditions for each round. But that's a different ball of wax than reg'lar shootin'.)

Terry, 230RN