That Dreaded Carbon Ring

[Smaug]

To the guys who are saying "just clean your gun and it's not a problem", have you found that regular old powder solvent is enough, if cleaning is regular?

One member posted earlier that he coats his guns in 50% engine oil and 50% 3-in-1 oil, reasoning that if it can keep carbon from building up inside engines, it will work OK on guns too. I was thinking about that, and the parts of the engine that are lubricated are not the parts that have combustion to deal with. (unless you have leaky piston rings!) If he hasn't had problems with carbon build-up, it's not because of his oil mixture, but because he does a good job cleaning the gun.

What would make more sense would be either fuel injector cleaner or whatever the use to clean the valves. That might be worth a try!

 

[anothernewb]

bought a set of brownells chamber brushes and connected them to the RCBS case prep center. super simple to clean the carbon rings.

 

[BobWright]

As to cleaning the chambers of the revolver cylinder, I use a GI (non-rotating) cleaving rod and bronze bristle brush. The brushes are one caliber larger for the chambers. That is, a .41 cal. for .38/.357, .45 for .44 Spec. and Mag, and .50 for .45 Colt. These lubricated with my gun oil mixture. Then dry with dry patches.

Has worked for me these sixty or seventy years.

Bob Wright

 

[.45Coltguy]

50-50 mix of Hoppes' #9 and Kroil. Been using that for years after a range session. Never had a carbon ring issue.

 

[Jonesy814]

To the guys who are saying "just clean your gun and it's not a problem", have you found that regular old powder solvent is enough, if cleaning is regular?

One member posted earlier that he coats his guns in 50% engine oil and 50% 3-in-1 oil, reasoning that if it can keep carbon from building up inside engines, it will work OK on guns too. I was thinking about that, and the parts of the engine that are lubricated are not the parts that have combustion to deal with. (unless you have leaky piston rings!) If he hasn't had problems with carbon build-up, it's not because of his oil mixture, but because he does a good job cleaning the gun.

What would make more sense would be either fuel injector cleaner or whatever the use to clean the valves. That might be worth a try!

Yes, powder solvent & an over sized brush will make the carbon ring a non issue

 

[Jonesy814]

I shoot lots of 38s in my 686 and never noticed any carbon ring. Not sure if it matters or not. But I use a pretty heavy crimp with my cast bullets.

If you shoot a lot of 38’s you likely won’t have a problem until you try to load magnums

 

[sparkyv]

Carbon ring in my CF revolvers is not an issue, but I do clean well and often, though not scrupulously and not after every range session. However, in some of my 22LR rifles, it IS a factor that requires attention. This is the chamber in one of my CZ455s.

 

[billybob44]

50-50 mix of Hoppes' #9 and Kroil. Been using that for years after a range session. Never had a carbon ring issue.

Not sure about cleaning carbon, but this combo would make a GREAT Aftershave Mix..
Would get the real "Rugged" Gals...Bill.

 

[anothernewb]

Carbon ring in my CF revolvers is not an issue, but I do clean well and often, though not scrupulously and not after every range session. However, in some of my 22LR rifles, it IS a factor that requires attention. This is the chamber in one of my CZ455s.

View attachment 1116481

One thing that might work is something I did. Had a 22 that had a poor chamber and it would never extract worth a crap.
I made a "collar" for a 22 brush that limited it's depth to the chamber and got a piece of cleaning rod and chucked it in a drill. On that particular chamber I made a sleeve of 1000 grit sandpaper to finally fix it. However - in cases like yours, one could add jb bore paste or flitz to really make them shine without damaging anything.

 

[Jim Watson]

Trivia Alert:
An old soft steel .22 S,L,LR rifle shot with a LOT of Shorts could develop erosion or more likely corrosion under the fouling.
A Brownell's Gunsmith's Kink said that a Chevvy 283 valve push rod was just the same inside diameter as a .22 chamber and could be used to make a repair bushing.

 

[sparkyv]

Yup, that's the ticket!

- in cases like yours, one could add jb bore paste

 

[derek45]

Cylinders deserve love too......especially after UNIQUE

 

[Charlie Martinez]

OK I get that lack of cleaning can be the problem although I am pretty good about cleaning my guns. The problem is that it only happens with lead bullets. I don't have any issues with copper jacketed bullets.

Could this be a reloading issue?

 

[Charlie Martinez]

LOL carbon ring is not a thing.

Being lazy is, however.

Thanks to you and all that liked your comment. You solved my problem. AH's

 

[Anchorite]

As to cleaning the chambers of the revolver cylinder, I use a GI (non-rotating) cleaving rod and bronze bristle brush. The brushes are one caliber larger for the chambers. That is, a .41 cal. for .38/.357, .45 for .44 Spec. and Mag, and .50 for .45 Colt. These lubricated with my gun oil mixture. Then dry with dry patches.

Has worked for me these sixty or seventy years.

Bob Wright

Bob, I always enjoy your posts. Not to derail the OP, but what’s your go-to handgun cleaning solvent? I’m curious. Thanks.

 

[Ru4real]

The problem is that it only happens with lead bullets. I don't have any issues with copper jacketed bullets.

Could this be a reloading issue?

Not a reloading issue, but a byproduct of lead + powder + pressure. Adding to what @derek45 posted

View attachment 1116881

PLUS

View attachment 1116880

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Those who don't clean their guns are lazy

HEY!!!
I resemble that remark!

Seriously, even though I'm not a person who cleans that often, when I'm shooting a lot of .44 specials in my .44 mag, or .38s in my .357, I do give the cylinder some attention pretty quickly. Never had a problem. But I clean each chamber with solvent, dry patch, then follow with light oil. It seems to work.

 

[BobWright]

Bob, I always enjoy your posts. Not to derail the OP, but what’s your go-to handgun cleaning solvent? I’m curious. Thanks.

Only since about 1954 it has been Hoppe's No. 9. At times I have substituted WD-40. If I need degreasing, soak the parts in lacquer thinner.

My set-up:



Bob Wright

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I took my SP 101 out yesterday. I went beyond cleaning the cylinders last night. Decided to clean the carbon off the top strap and around the forcing cone. Good ole Hoppes #9 did the job and some 0000 steel wool.

 

[JohnKSa]

I've messed around with lots of carbon cutters/carbon solvents/nitro solvents and only found one that was significantly better than the others. It was a product made by BreakFree that is no longer available. All the rest seem to work about the same to me.

 

[trackskippy]

I just find that if I keep the guns clean, and clean after every outing, and use proper calibers/cases for the guns chambers, I dont have the problem.

Let things go and allow things to build up, and you get what you get, and its more difficult to deal with it.

 

[Bugster]

I have seen some threads elsewhere about cleaning frequency. A lot of people wait and clean after a high number of rounds, I clean after every range trip and it's not a quick clean and done. I run a solvent patch through including the chamber and let it soak over night before using bore brushes and finishing the clean. It's the way I was taught and I won't get lazy with it.

 

[Reeferman]

When I’m done shooting I spray my revolvers with some ballistol and everything thing wipes off with a toothbrush when I get to cleaning them either that day or next.

 

[Smaug]

OK I get that lack of cleaning can be the problem although I am pretty good about cleaning my guns. The problem is that it only happens with lead bullets. I don't have any issues with copper jacketed bullets.

Could this be a reloading issue?

Yes, it could be a reloading issue.

Cast lead bullets are 0.001" bigger in diameter than jacketed bullets.

Have you shot any factory lead bullet ammo through your gun, or only jacketed factory ammo?

Have you measured the outside diameter of one of your finished reloads, compared to the outside diameter of a factory round? How do they compare to the published diameter of the loaded round? Get a caliper and measure. You can get one for $25 or so on Amazon or MidwayUSA.

Assuming your chambers are clean enough, the diameter of the finished round is the only remaining factor in this.

 

[.38 Special]

A few thoughts...

I also have noticed that cast bullets tend to leave more of a ring than jacketed/plated. I suspect that the lube tends to bind with powder and metallic fouling and help hold it into place while pressure and hot gasses iron it into the chambers, but that is just a guess.

Either way, normal, routine cleaning ought to solve it - and I am fairly lazy about it! I usually just run a boresnake (with WD-40, most of the time) through each chamber a couple of times, and that prevents significant buildup. After the boresnake I will look through the chambers with a bright light, and if I see any sort of ring I will attack it with a bore brush. That almost never happens...

These days, the only time I have to deal with a significant ring is with the occasional used gun. (One of my favorite revolvers came to me for a song, as I ran into apparently the last pawn shop owner in the country who didn't know anything about guns. She told me the gun was cheap because the cylinder would have to be replaced, and of course it just suffered from serious rings.) I prefer the "brush in a drill motor" trick, and even the worst rings I've ever seen took a couple of minutes per chamber to sort out completely.