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Best cleaning method for top accuracy?

Exactly right on the way we learn but I could spend $1,000 on chemicals and a few months and not test everything.

I'm trying to narrow down what I try to stuff that works well for several other people.
 
BoydAllen said:
IMO there are several cleaning routines that work. Which one you choose may depend on several factors one being how much time you have. For instance, in the short range benchrest group game, shooters clean at matches, which makes using a foam cleaner impractical. Another issue is whether one is shortening barrel life by one or more details in a cleaning regimen. Bowing rods, inadequate rod guides, running a jag or brush out inches beyond the muzzle are examples. If I do not have to clean until the end of a session, Wipe Out is always a good option, but I have found that it may be necessary to do a little brushing afterward, depending on the number of shots and the powder that was loaded. There is a lot of difference in powders with respect to how much effort it takes to clean a barrel. If two powders can do the same job, with equal performance, generally I will choose the one that takes less effort to clean. There is also the matter of barrel quality. Cleaning typical factory barrels is a much different proposition than working with top grade lapped barrels. Generally one learns this stuff by trying different products and methods, and with the advent of commonly available, and recently, affordable bore scopes, we can actually know the condition of the insides of our barrels, instead of just guessing.
Click to expand...

Exactly and if you're using a dirty powder, it is best to get after the carbon right after shooting vs waiting till that barrel stops shooting well. Dirty powders will form that dreaded carbon ring much faster than a cleaner one. However not all of the black we see in there is actual carbon. Some of what we see on the patch is graphite from the powder. In a factory barreled hunting rig that coppers up badly, if you stopped trying to clean it down to the bare steel, it will copper a little less if we leave that graphite seasoning in there. Exposing all that dry rough steel will only strip copepr from bullet jackets that much more.
I'm a fan of the copper erasing powders like the CFE from Hodgdon and IMR Enduron . I use these where they give me good groups and find I need those ammonia based cleaners much less.
 
Tommie said:
I’ve used many “proven” cleaning methods. The one thing that I’ll never change is the final step: swab bore with colloidal graphite. That was a game changer.
Click to expand...

Do you use collloidal graphite only in barrels that have been broken in using it, or, can it be used as a final step after regular cleaning for all barrels ?

I see Grafoil as possibly another option.
 
Martin52 said:
Do you use collloidal graphite only in barrels that have been broken in using it, or, can it be used as a final step after regular cleaning for all barrels ?

I see Grafoil as possibly another option.
Click to expand...
I use Lock-Ease. Every barrel gets a patch of it after cleaning. IMO especially important to use it in a new, unfired barrel. I swear by the stuff.
 
I use Shooters Choice on a bronze brush to remove the carbon first. Then it is either Hoppes Bench Rest #9 or Bore Tech Copper Eliminator depending on how much copper I anticipate or how impatient I am. The copper remover goes on a patch with an aluminum rod tip. I will let the Hoppes sit for hours and the Bore Tech for 5 minutes. I finish with Pro Shot 1-Step Bore Solvent and dry patches.

If I see really hard carbon at the throat I will use some JB paste on a felt pellet.
 
Why not just run a reamer down the barrel? Let’s say we are shooting .308, why not use a .310 reamer in a lathe? That’ll clean out all the copper fouling and carbon. Nice smooth bore finish!
 
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