Barrel cleaning fluid recommendations?

[CT10ring]

I've been using Butches, MC-7 and Montana Extreme 50 BMG cleaners, all with good results.
I'm low on all 3, and need to stock up.
What is working for you? New and "better"?
Strong odor is not a problem if the solution works...
Info appreciated.

 

[0.1 Aggregate]

In today’s market get what you can. Odor is endemic to most cleaning chemicals, for example ammonia is arguably the best copper remover - it stinks. I use Hoppes Benchrest when I can’t find Butches, frankly I’m not all that certain it matters all that much. Everyone has their favorite, yet somehow most of us end up with clean barrels.




.

 

[Murray Brook]

I have been getting good results with the Bore Tech products .

 

[PigButtons]

+1 for Bore tech. Received my order of their Camealion product. It is a paste that they say is non abrasive. When used in conjunction with their C4 liquid it works better than anything else I've tried in the last 20 years. I used to buy used rifles and fix them up. I've spent weeks getting a barrel clean. This new combo on a bad 22-250 brought that down to just two days this past week. I'm a believer.

 

[BoydAllen]

Although I have lots of different cleaning products, my go to solvent remains BBS. All of the barrels that I normally shoot are top grade lapped stainless, so cleaning them is not that big of a challenge, and I believe that stripping every molecule out of a barrel can be counterproductive.

 

[Chiquita]

I have used SharpShooter with excellent results.

As mentioned above everyone has their favorite and almost all claim that theirs is the best. In reality they all work the same. Not that I have tried them all, but from previous similar threads, that seems to be the case.

 

[Mudeat]

I really miss GM Top Engine Cleaner (original formulation) - removed carbon crud cleanly and quickly. But, dangerous - (that’s why it worked), environmentally unfriendly (of course), smelled bad (but you know that was good). Not a wimp cleaner.

 

[acloco]

Hoppe's #9.........

 

[JEFFPPC]

Hoppes 9 mixed with Kroil and Sweets........and SOAK TIME with all the above.

 

[clowdis]

Hoppes #9 followed by Thorroclean on a nylon brush. https://www.bulletcentral.com/brands/thorroclean/

 

[tominboise]

I really miss GM Top Engine Cleaner (original formulation) - removed carbon crud cleanly and quickly. But, dangerous - (that’s why it worked), environmentally unfriendly (of course), smelled bad (but you know that was good). Not a wimp cleaner.

I am with you - used it for years, especially on handguns. It was a great product.

 

[F Class John]

KG or Boretech for me with a bias to KG now...

 

[ShootDots]

There is a new bore cleaner called "ThorroClean" sold by Bullet Central. It is a mixture of Iosso bore-paste and some solution that makes it the consistency of paint. I clean my bore with BoreTech Eliminator to get the "loose" carbon out. Then I take my usual bronze brush, dip it in the ThorroClean and scrub the bore down thoroughly. I then use the ThorroClean on patches and do some patch work. Completely flush out the ThorroClean (which is not an easy task) and your bore will be as close to REALLY, REALLY clean as you can get. The bronze brush gets down in the "corners" of my 4 groove conventional style rifling and scrubs out the hard carbon. The patches make quick work of the lands. The barrel is as clean as it will ever come. After a 2 day F-Open event, the ThorroClean is quick as can be expected after a grueling 2 days..

 

[JBT47]

Examining the bore with a borescope before and after cleaning is the most assured by way to evaluate the effectiveness of solvents and methods of cleaning. Some chemicals work better than others. None of them will remove hard carbon just ahead of the throat.

 

[AlNyhus]

Butch's does a fine job. JB Bore Paste on a patch wrapped around a worn brush with a few drops of Kroil or Butch's addresses the hard powder fouling in the first few inches of the barrel. After cleaning, I put a patch with Hoppe's #9 down the barrel for storage. It's mild enough to slowly act on any residual copper while giving great protection. If I don't clean at the range when I'm done for some reason, I'll use Wipe Out and let it sit overnight, then patch that out and clean normally the next day.

Lot's of good products out there. Find products that work, stick with them, learn your barrel(s) characteristics and get in a routine.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[FNSafari]

IMO the key is to use a competition quality barrel(Krieger, Hart, Bartlein, Shilen), hand lapped and finished. They don't copper and all you have to worry about is carbon fouling, especially right in front of the chamber.

 

[F Class John]

Just a simple example of KG-1 (carbon remover) used on my carbon ring. I wrap a patch around a brush and let it sit for about 15 minutes, spin the brush a few times and then clean with fresh patches. I've done the same with Boretech but I find the KG is just a little faster in my experience (albeit with a tiny bit of smell vs Boretech which has zero smell).
KG products wash off my hands easier vs. Boretech which has a soapy feel for way too long when washing my hands.

 

[divingin]

KG or Boretech for me with a bias to KG now...

For me, it's Boretech Carbon cleaner followed by KG-12, if needed for copper.

Boretech CU2+ works, but seems slower than KG-12.

 

[Prose]

+1 for Bore tech. Received my order of their Camealion product. It is a paste that they say is non abrasive. When used in conjunction with their C4 liquid it works better than anything else I've tried in the last 20 years. I used to buy used rifles and fix them up. I've spent weeks getting a barrel clean. This new combo on a bad 22-250 brought that down to just two days this past week. I'm a believer.

The chameleon gel has abrasives. Read the sds sheet on their website. Contains calcite iirc.

 

[PhilC]

Boretech for me.