How often do you guys remove copper fouling?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Dano86

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
13
I've had my Savage 10FCP HS Precision .308 for several years now and I can get very good groups at 100yds with my hand-loads, but I am sort of a neat freak and it bugs me to no end to not have a clean firearm at the end of the day.

My question for you guys is, how often are you hitting your bore with Butches, Sweets 7.62 etc. to clear out the copper fouling?

I have heard several schools of thought on this, one of which being that there is a "sweet spot" of copper in the bore that will give a more consistent performance. Then there's the no fouling what-so-ever type of shooters.

Not looking for a right or wrong, just wanted to hear your thoughts.
 
Remove all of the fouling and see how good the groups are compared to how they are with fouling. When I bought my .264 winmag I took it to the range and shot MOA groups with it. Then I cleaned it with sweets and they more than doubled in size. It took 20 or 30 shots to get the accuracy back.
 
I shoot nothing but cast bullets so I clean my bore one time to remove all the copper. I get evrything I need with bullets I cast.
 
I never want to get an accurate gun squeaky clean if it is shooting well. Clean, just not squeaky clean.

An old seriously fouled gun is another story.
 
I have wasted too much ammo on a 'clean bore'. To my mind a clean bore will cost you close to a box of ammo to bring it back.
Recently I toyed with the idea of cleaning the bore of a 243. Decided against it because it still shoots like a boss. If it ain't broke.... You know.
That's not to say that my guns aren't clean or can't function due to filth. Quite the contrary.... If you feel like you need to clean your gun then by all means go ahead.
Ask yourself this. Do you clean you car or change the oil every time you drive it? If the answer is yes then the best thing to do (for you... Not your gun) is clean it.
 
I usually give the bore a swabbing, brushing, and 15 minute soak with Hoppe's after shooting. If I get heavy blue patches, or brown carbon when I dry patch, I'll use a more aggressive cleaner. If not, light coat of CLP & I'm done. Of course, if accuracy starts to deteriorate or I see heavy copper deposits in the grooves at the muzzle, I'll use a stronger solvent like Sweets or Wipe Out on it.
 
For whatever reason, it seems that my semi-autos shoot better when squeaky clean whereas my revolvers just like to be reasonably clean. I'm now in the process of letting four of my barrels (two wheelgun, two semi-auto) soak overnight with a homemade version of the ancient Hoppe's No. 9 formula per Hatcher's Notebook sans ammonium oleate (that stuff is DIFFICULT to find!!!), although the copper fouling removal will likely be on the mild side without it (but at least it smells GREAT)...

If successful, then I'll try it on my rifles- especially my Ruger No. 1-H .405 Winchester...
 
Last edited:
I clean out the fouling in old well used guns, shoot it until it settles back in and just do normal cleaning from there. Copper can fill in the voids and smooth the barrel. It doesn't hurt anything to clean it out, you might have to shoot a few more times to bring the accuracy back.
FYI - Some copper solvents need to be used in a well ventilated area. Wipe-Out is pretty safe.
 
I have two procedures for managing copper fouling.

1) Complete removal I use KG12. It will take all of the copper out including pits etc. I only do this when a barrel appears to be "distressed" or on an old milserp or similar.
2) For routine cleaning and frequency depends on the gun, I like twelve back and forth passes with a patch saturated with "JB Bore cleaner". It removes any excessive copper fouling but leaves the barrel "seasoned".

In either case I finish with a few patches wet with Eezox. If the gun is to be stored it is finished. If the gun is to be ready for use I follow the Eezox with two dry patches.

For pistols, I believe it is critical to get all traces of copper out of a barrel before shooting lead. The KG12 excels at this.

IME leaving a coating of Eezox in a barrel not only provides the best corrosion protection I have found but also makes cleaning easier.

Nothing I have tried in more than fifty years of shooting has worked any better.

Yes, I'm an "old guy" - BUT I am an old guy with a background in science and engineering.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top