favorite copper fouling remover

[conan32120]

Like the title says, just curious what y'all use as your favorite copper fouling remover, homemade or store bought, lets hear them.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Bore Tech Copper Remover when needed. Works.

 

[mcb]

Barnes CR-10

 

[Charlie98]

Sweets 7.62... but you have to be very careful with it.

 

[gwpercle]

Ed's Red Bore Cleaner ... as good as any and better than most .
Mix together equal parts ... 1 quart of each ingredient makes up1 gallon of solvent ...
Automatic Transmission Fluid - GM type - conventional ... not synthetic
K-1 Kerosine
Mineral Spirits - deoderized
Acetone

Cost about $20 to make 1 gal. If the acetone bothers you you may omit it and still have a pretty good bore cleaner ... the acetone makes it work faster and helps it get under fouling .
Long soaking is encouraged to let the solvent / cleaner work .
It's also a great cleaner for any reloading tools and bullet lubricator's .
Gary

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

If your in a hurry. Boretech eliminator or Hoppes elite. I find the elite also works better on carbon. Not in a hurry Ed's red or Hoppes #9.

 

[Laphroaig]

I've been using Boretech stuff. You need inert jags and nylon brushes when you use it.

I bought some KG-12 recently. It seems to get the copper out in a hurry, but doesn't turn the patches blue. What gives there?

 

[Slamfire]

Sweets has been a very aggressive bore solvent. So has been Butch's. Hard to prove which is the most aggressive.


Getting Bores Clean: Copper Solvents Require Elbow Grease

 

[hq]

Robla Solo MIL. It's been a mainstay I always seem to revert back to when others fail. 10-15 minutes of soaking, one brush stroke and a couple of cleaning patches - what doesn't come out belongs to the barrel.

 

[robin banks]

for me nothing is better then the bore foaming cleaner. there is no scrubbing patching brushing which has ruined countless barrels. spray the foam in. let it sit and a couple of patches may be blue or green and you are done

 

[hq]

for me nothing is better then the bore foaming cleaner

As a sidenote, I steered clear of foams after giving a Forrest-cleaned barrel an extra run with Robla Solo and getting two blue patches as if it hadn't been cleaned at all. If scrubbing damages the barrel, there's something seriously wrong with your equipment.

EDIT: the other way around, I've never been able to get even a hint of blue with foam from a barrel that's been cleaned with RS...

 

[Offfhand]

During my rifle shooting and hunting career I've tried about every brand of bore solvent-copper remover available, including brands mentioned in above posts plus a lot more brands plus some DIY concoctions. So out of curiosity I pulled some off back shelves in shop and lined them up for attached pic. The count is 18, and there are even more I've forgotten or can't find. Well over half did not live up to advertised claims and expectations or presented other problems. Current choices are Montana X-TREME or Wipe-Out, Patch-Out with Wipe-Out Accelerator. PS: always be careful using today's high energy bore cleaners. And yes, I know I need to clean out my shop more often.

 

[Ethan Verity]

Seal1 Copper and Lead Remover. I've found all the Seal1 products to be superior to anything else I've ever tried, I exclusively use their CLP as is and was pleased to find their Copper and Lead Remover to do an awesome job for those times when there is a buildup.

 

[.38 Special]

I like Sweet's for heavy duty removal. For lighter work, I have had good results with "Wipe-out" foam - it really pays to be lazy and let it sit for a good long time.

 

[Charlie98]

I like Sweet's for heavy duty removal. For lighter work, I have had good results with "Wipe-out" foam - it really pays to be lazy and let it sit for a good long time.

Just don’t let Sweets set a good long time…

 

[conan32120]

Just don’t let Sweets set a good long time…

why? what happens?

 

[westernrover]

My preferred handgun load delivers nothing but copper fouling -- meaning it is very clean with no carbon or other fouling. It's made with a DDNP primer and Titegroup powder. After 500 rounds through my revolver, I just have some orange copper on the cylinder face and the barrel face. Incidentally, if I shoot a powder with a de-coppering agent like Vihtavuori N-105, I get no appreciable copper fouling.

Now to remove the copper, I've used Barnes CR-10 (ammonia). It works and it works faster and more thoroughly than Hoppes #9, and a lot more thoroughly than Ballistol.
I acquired Boretech CU+2 and have been using that. It seems to work equally to CR-10, smells less (no ammonia), and doesn't present risk to the metal if left on. It does not work meaningfully faster or more aggressively than CR-10 at removing copper, which is what I was hoping for.

I use all the fluids mentioned in rifles also. Ballistol is wood-safe. None of the others are. I don't always shoot DDNP primers in the rifles, so I get the carbon fouling with M-Pro 7 which is not wood safe and does not dissolve copper fouling but is good for carbon.

I'm very doubtful that anything is faster or more thorough than CR-10 or CU+2, but if anyone has experienced a copper fouling remover working better than those, let me know because I could use it for my revolvers shot with Titegroup and jacketed and plated bullets.

 

[.38 Special]

why? what happens?

Folks have reported pitting from letting it sit for hours or days. I use it per the instructions, letting it soak for ten minutes, patching it out, repeating if necessary, and lubing afterwards, and have never had any troubles.

 

[nettlle]

why? what happens?

Sweets 7.62 can erode the bore if left too long. Says so on the bottle label.

 

[InTheSwamp]

Don't have a favorite, but I only remove copper when accuracy suffers.

 

[robin banks]

As a sidenote, I steered clear of foams after giving a Forrest-cleaned barrel an extra run with Robla Solo and getting two blue patches as if it hadn't been cleaned at all. If scrubbing damages the barrel, there's something seriously wrong with your equipment.

EDIT: the other way around, I've never been able to get even a hint of blue with foam from a barrel that's been cleaned with RS...

for 50 years I have heard more barrels were ruined by cleaning them then shooting them especially 22 rifles

 

[nettlle]

I do clean bores after each range session. As far as going after copper fouling the bore cleaner I presently use has maintained the accuracy of these rifles for many thousands of rounds for many years. Rifles and pistols. Maybe it's not the best for copper fouling but someone would have to tell me what I am doing wrong.

 

[nettlle]

for 50 years I have heard more barrels were ruined by cleaning them then shooting them especially 22 rifles

I have never read an owners manual for a firearm stating that it could be ruined by cleaning. And I own a few.

 

[Walkalong]

Tried a few, some not pictured.

 

[tactikel]

Butch’s Bore shine. Apply liberally to a patch and coat bore. Let sit. Use a dry patch to remove.