Barrel soak cleaner

[CA_Shooter]

I have a few barrels that have some hard carbon around the throat.

If i pull the barrel off the action, is there a good cleaner to soak the barrel (throat first) to get the hard carbon loose?

 

[David Christian]

If you have the reamer you can gently insert it into the chamber and scrape out the carbon ring. If not, try an oversized brush/AR brush with your favorite carbon cleaner and go to work with some elbow grease.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Patch out or carb out, followed by a brush with Flitz bore cleaner/liquid polish. Cleans all my match barrel to new condition. For horrible carbon, I start with KG-2.

 

[jpx2rk]

If you are not in a rush to get it done, wet a patch with your favorite solvent on a jag, and just insert the jag into the area with the carbon buildup. Re-wet the patch a few times during the soak period, and then scrub with bronze brush, repeat as needed. I've found #9 works well with some periodic scrubbing with the bronze brush.

 

[jelenko]

I've found using a well worn bronze brush with bronze wool wrapped around it so it's a fairly tight fit and a good solvent [C4 is probably a better solvent than Hoppes] works very well. Well worn = will easily reverse inside the barrel. Well worn nylon brush might work as well.
I've found that 20 short stroke cycles in the throat area often will get the lands and grooves completely clean. If there's carbon left in the grooves/very beginning of the throat, you could try another 20 short stroke cycles or go directly to an abrasive wrapped around a Parker Hale jag. If you do this, I've found it more effective to fold 1/3 of the patch onto itself to get a tight fit to push it into the grooves. [Speedy Gonzales describes this in a youtube video.]
The bronze wool wears fairly quickly > it needs a fresh layer after 20 short strokes. Of course, if you get too much bronze wool, the brush/wool gets too tight to move in the bore.

 

[JSH]

If you are not in a rush to get it done, wet a patch with your favorite solvent on a jag, and just insert the jag into the area with the carbon buildup. Re-wet the patch a few times during the soak period, and then scrub with bronze brush, repeat as needed. I've found #9 works well with some periodic scrubbing with the bronze brush.

Exactly don’t get in a hurry. Let a solvent soak and do its job. I use the long Qtips soaked in solvent and let it set. Even swap it out and reapply more solvent.

I have read all the yes/no thoughts and ideas on wether the abrasive paste, brushes or steel wool does any harm, I do what works for me and makes me pleased.
YMMV

 

[PopCharlie]

Free All on a worn bronze brush with a patch wrapped around it. 10 to 15 back and forth strokes. Then 5 full length strokes. Dry patch it out. Carbon is gone.

PopCharlie

 

[JEFFPPC]

Free All on a worn bronze brush with a patch wrapped around it. 10 to 15 back and forth strokes. Then 5 full length strokes. Dry patch it out. Carbon is gone.

PopCharlie

Pop, every time I see Free All pop up I laugh. I saw it mentioned on here so I bought some to try. I think it's junk. I am sure many think how I clean is stupid. So many great minds with so many different thoughts. Leads me to think we need a good solvent for carbon, Yet to be Discovered. It does make for some wild threads, lol.

 

[jelenko]

Free All on a worn bronze brush with a patch wrapped around it. 10 to 15 back and forth strokes. Then 5 full length strokes. Dry patch it out. Carbon is gone.

PopCharlie

Are you thinking of hard carbon? Have you confirmed all carbon is gone with a borescope?

I've done a fair amount of testing with Free All - checking results with a borescope.

First, no question Free All actually loosens hard carbon [the kind that doesn't just come out after brushing with a bronze brush with 25 strokes]. I.e., looking through a borescope it's difficult to tell if any has been removed after the first cycle of brushing, soaking for awhile and, then patching out. It does appear to loosen quicker after brushing.
But, it takes a lot of cycles and a long time to clean a barrel that's had 60-80 rounds down it. It all goes faster if bronze wool is wrapped around a [well worn] bronze brush. Even so, it's way too slow and too long for me. I often need to be back at the range the following or the day after next.

 

[CA_Shooter]

I have done brushes, free all, and other liquids that are generally safe around triggers, stocks, etc.

Wondering if there is something that is stronger that when the barrel is fully off my rifle that I can just dip and leave in to soak the barrel in that works better

 

[D-4297]

I have .308's . So I bought a .338 Bronze brush for this issue . I start by inserting a patch soaked in C-4 just into the barrel slightly , followed by a second wet patch that fills the shoulder / neck area , and stand the barrel muzzle down , on a piece of thick foam so as not to do any damage to the crown . ( I hope ) Then partially fill the area with C-4 , and let soak over-night . Checking to make sure it stays wet .

The following day ; I put the .338 Bronze Brush on a piece of cleaning rod , and insert it into a drill . Remove the "WET" patches from the barrel with a cleaning rod , and then insert the .338 Brush into the chamber area , up to where I feel resistance . Start the drill and keep it on low speed for 30 seconds to a minute . Remove ; ,wet brush with more C-4 and do it again . Applying gentle pressure , to make sure the brush is going into the first lead twist in the barrel . Working the brush in & out slowly . I repeat the process of wetting the bronze brush two or three more times . Then follow up with a wet patch wrapped around a .308 brush to get the heavy junk out , followed by a dry patch . Visually check the area , and then do a normal barrel cleaning .

I will mention that I know the neck area to Leade distance , and I do run my cases towards the longer side . I feel this helps to reduce the potential build-up of any Hard-carbon area .

 

[PopCharlie]

Are you thinking of hard carbon? Have you confirmed all carbon is gone with a borescope?

I've done a fair amount of testing with Free All - checking results with a borescope.

First, no question Free All actually loosens hard carbon [the kind that doesn't just come out after brushing with a bronze brush with 25 strokes]. I.e., looking through a borescope it's difficult to tell if any has been removed after the first cycle of brushing, soaking for awhile and, then patching out. It does appear to loosen quicker after brushing.
But, it takes a lot of cycles and a long time to clean a barrel that's had 60-80 rounds down it. It all goes faster if bronze wool is wrapped around a [well worn] bronze brush. Even so, it's way too slow and too long for me. I often need to be back at the range the following or the day after next.

Jelenko, JEFFPPC,
Yes, I have verified that it works, by using a borescope. It does remove hard carbon. One thing I will say about Free All, is that it is NOT effective unless I use an abrasive, like JB's, prior to using it. I have verified with a borescope, that hard carbon is still present after using JB's. Then scrubbing with Free All to remove the hard carbon. Free All by itself was not very effective at removing hard carbon. I believe the abrasive breaks down the surface of the carbon enough to allow the Free All to penetrate.
Go out to YouTube and find Keith Glasscock's video about cleaning. (WinningintheWind). That's where I first saw Free All used.
PopCharlie

 

[jpx2rk]

I have done brushes, free all, and other liquids that are generally safe around triggers, stocks, etc.

Wondering if there is something that is stronger that when the barrel is fully off my rifle that I can just dip and leave in to soak the barrel in that works better

IF the barrel is SS, use CLR. If not SS, then CLR on the patch on a jag and short soak time. Clean good with alcohol afterwards. CLR is not very friendly to blue/regular types of steel.

 

[PopCharlie]

Pop, every time I see Free All pop up I laugh. I saw it mentioned on here so I bought some to try. I think it's junk. I am sure many think how I clean is stupid. So many great minds with so many different thoughts. Leads me to think we need a good solvent for carbon, Yet to be Discovered. It does make for some wild threads, lol.

JEFFPPC
I agree, every time a barrel cleaning thread starts, the responses get wild. This stuff works for me, that didn't. Like so many other aspects of this sport, there in no magic bullet, LOL.

PopCharlie

 

[jelenko]

Free All, is that it is NOT effective unless I use an abrasive

Very interesting. I stumbled across this also by accident.
At the time, it seemed that Free All started taking a bunch of carbon out just after using an abrasive [probably Iosso] but slowed down after a bit.

I'll give it a try next time.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Very interesting. I stumbled across this also by accident.
At the time, it seemed that Free All started taking a bunch of carbon out just after using an abrasive [probably Iosso] but slowed down after a bit.

I'll give it a try next time.

Stop by, I'll give you an almost full can, free. Lol.

 

[INTJ]

I'd you want to avoid all the soaking and time spend cleaning, just get some Iosso and the Iosso hard nylon brushes. It will quickly clean to bare metal. Don't use this method more than every 100-200 rounds or so.

 

[Dave M.]

I've found using a well worn bronze brush with bronze wool wrapped around it so it's a fairly tight fit and a good solvent [C4 is probably a better solvent than Hoppes] works very well. Well worn = will easily reverse inside the barrel. Well worn nylon brush might work as well.
I've found that 20 short stroke cycles in the throat area often will get the lands and grooves completely clean. If there's carbon left in the grooves/very beginning of the throat, you could try another 20 short stroke cycles or go directly to an abrasive wrapped around a Parker Hale jag. If you do this, I've found it more effective to fold 1/3 of the patch onto itself to get a tight fit to push it into the grooves. [Speedy Gonzales describes this in a youtube video.]
The bronze wool wears fairly quickly > it needs a fresh layer after 20 short strokes. Of course, if you get too much bronze wool, the brush/wool gets too tight to move in the bore.

I just started using the bronze wool wrapped around a worn bronze brush recently, and it works very well.