Bore Cleaners?

[articmp]

I use Butch's bore shine until the patches come out clean, followed by Boretech copper eliminator until the copper is out, then follow up with butch's after each relay. Jb paste followed by butch's after every 100 rounds.

 

[Quickoz]

I run through with boretech eliminator and then follow with JB bore paste. I just follow the process on the boretech bottle and then run a patch with JBs and then wet patch, dry patch out the JB. I do this every 24-50rds. Works good so far. Need to verify with bore scope though.

 

[jaygorski]

I tried a slightly older version of Amsoil's PI, they have a stronger recipe now, just might order some after I talk to their Lab guys.

 

[LVLAaron]

If I'm not at the range, I use the individual copper and carbon boretech products based on what I see with a scope. I think they work better than eliminator.

I have wipe out and accelerator... and use it sometimes. It works. It only foams up like it says it should sometimes... don't know why. When it does foam... it works the best.


I've been trying ThorroClean on a new gun I built. It seems to work very well if you follow the directions and start with a clean barrel. It doesn't seem to do much good if you have a barrel with a lot of rounds on it that's already got a baked carbon layer.

 

[One Eye Pete]

OK here is where I start controversy and/or get laughed at.
Let me preface this by saying I shoot mostly all hand lapped stainless steel barrels.
What I have been doing for quite a while is either cleaning before I leave the range or shortly after I get home.
To get the carbon I use a stiff (as in not worn and/or slightly oversized bronze brush) soaked in either Ballistol or Mobil 1. (actually any good synthetic motor oil works) I use a good bore guide and push the brush down to the end of the barrel but don't let it exit the barrel. I then reverse the brush and pull back until it exits the throat and repeat the process. The reversing of the brush would be difficult to impossible if not for the lubricating properties of the oil. The stiff brush with the detergent properties of the oil/Ballistol gets the carbon pretty quickly. The lubricating properties also see to help the bronze brushes last longer. NO the stiff brush and reversing in the barrel does no harm to the barrel (motor oil is designed to protects cylinder walls). I then clean the oil out with an alcohol soaked patch and/or dry patches. At this point I always borescope. If I find any copper I follow up with BoreTech eliminator.
Its not rocket science, the secret of eliminating carbon is regular cleaning and not letting it build up in the first place. If you have built up hard carbon then an abrasive cleaner is the way to go.
I have tried Seafoam and sometimes I still use it for carbon ring removal but not for general barrel cleaning. To the best of my knowledge it doesn't bother the coating on the cleaning rod. The thing I don't like about Seafoam or any other solvent type cleaner is that I don't know how bad it is if I get it on my skin.
When and if I think the barrel needs it, usually about every 300 rounds, I go to a very mildly abrasive cleaner such as Flitz bore cleaner on VFG felt pellets. Generally, according to my borescope, that does the trick.
As far as I know whats good for a centerfire barrel also works for a rimfire barrel. However, generally for my rimfire it is much easier to clean and I just use Ballistol on a patch. Then maybe every other cleaning I use a bronze brush.

 

[jelenko]

motor oil is designed to protects cylinder walls

Right. But, in a cylinder it's just protecting by the cylinder itself? There isn't any expectation that there will be stiff, thin pieces of metal pressing against the wall, yes?

In any case, what does the borescope show where the brush is being reversed?

 

[One Eye Pete]

Right. But, in a cylinder it's just protecting by the cylinder itself? There isn't any expectation that there will be stiff, thin pieces of metal pressing against the wall, yes?

In any case, what does the borescope show where the brush is being reversed?

The borescope shows absolutely no difference where the brush reverses at the end of the barrel.
The brush is bronze, its softer than the stainless barrel and wont harm it . The oil helps the brush slide, protects the metal, helps dissolve the carbon and keeps the carbon in suspension. Stiff thin pieces of bronze pressing against the wall of the barrel is what I want to clean it and break up the carbon. The oil helps dissolve and carry away the carbon.
It works for me.
I would never try this with an abrasive cleaner on the brush.

 

[freebird22/250]

Kroil & Shooter's Choice or Butches Bore Shine mixed with Kroil works for me.

 

[Shuz]

Ed's red is what works best for me.

 

[jelenko]

The borescope shows absolutely no difference where the brush reverses at the end of the barrel.
The brush is bronze, its softer than the stainless barrel and wont harm it . The oil helps the brush slide, protects the metal, helps dissolve the carbon and keeps the carbon in suspension. Stiff thin pieces of bronze pressing against the wall of the barrel is what I want to clean it and break up the carbon. The oil helps dissolve and carry away the carbon.
It works for me.
I would never try this with an abrasive cleaner on the brush.

FYI. I've been experimenting with bronze wool wrapped around a well worn brush. It seems to be cleaning a lot more a lot faster. I'm using Boretech C4, but I'd bet that any solvent would work. The bore is coming out really clean including the throat.
So far I've tried a total of 40 short strokes through out the bore with ~ 1/2 in the throat. I'm going to see what the min number of short strokes is needed to get the same results.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Montana Bore and Copper Killer , then Sea Foam and Kroil for Carbon ?
At this point its working ?

 

[sqrlgtr]

Boretech c4 carbon, then Boretech cooper, then JB with a little kroil and yes I use brushes. Got the Teslong bore scope and realized what a poor job I was doing cleaning especially throat and first few inches of barrel lol. No problems with carbon ring since I've been doing this either. I let the borescope tell me how much scrubbing it takes and believe me I dont do anymore than I have to. I do not like cleaning firearms !!! Im in the camp of staying ahead on the cleaning regimen been there and done that on neglected rifle bores no fun.....

 

[Link]

How often can you use IOSO before any damage occures?

 

[jelenko]

How often can you use IOSO before any damage occures?

Just getting ready.

 

[Mark W]

What are you all using on your stainless barrels? Anyone use Eds Red or Seafoam Engine treatment? With the Eds Red is the Acetone necessary? Will these eat the coating on a coated cleaning rod? Will these clean the copper or are they mainly for the carbon? Also are these safe for rimfire barrels?

Thanks

I push a couple patches with Accelerator and Wipe Out at the range and then finish with the original full strength formula Ed’s Red followed by a bronze brush when I get home.

 

[B23]

Anyone ever use a product Mercury Marine called Quicksilver Power Tune? https://www.amazon.com/QuickSilver-858080Q03-Internal-Engine-Cleaner/dp/B000XBFL0K#customerReviews

It's an aerosol spray that's supposed to be pretty good at removing carbon. I've heard of people using it as their first step spraying it down the barrel letting the gunk run out the end and they claim it does a good job of loosening carbon then proceeding to patch it out with other products.

 

[JEFFPPC]

You can get rid of most of the carbon with water and Dawn. Get what remains with a bronze brush (on way)and pick your choice of the 25.00 per bottle choices. Every 150 rounds a bit of Iosso or JB if needed. For copper Sweets overnight as needed.

 

[DawidB]

The only method that gets all the carbon out is mechanical - brushing and or abrasives. PERIOD. Don't believe all the BS that the cleaner mfg's put out! carbon is INERT and does not react chemically with any bore cleaner!

Totally agree! Since I got my Teslong borescope I finally realized all the bs from gun cleaning promotions. The Only way forcarbon is mechanical

 

[LVLAaron]

For science, I shot a match today (~75 rounds) and cleaned the gun with wipeout / patch out and accelerator per the directions. It foamed up like it should, pushed a few patches of wipe out through after 30 minutes until the patches were clean.


Followed up with 1 patch of boretech carbon remover and the patch had thick black streaks on it.

This barrel has never picked up any copper... I'll be packing a little needle bottle of boretech carbon remover from now on.

 

[p-man]

I used to use nothing but Butches but they re-did their formula ten or more years ago and the new stuff just didn't do the job - at least what I was used to. I always kept Sweet's as the heavy hand when I needed some extra oomph to get out that stubborn stuff - followed if necessary with some JB on a felt bore 'pellet'. I never used bronze after the really stiff, improved nylon brushes came out because Sweets and some of the other ammonia-heavy stuff would start eating the bronze and I would end up chasing false 'blue' on my patches. Since then I use Ed's Red and never have had a problem with any reaction with my cleaning accessories. For a while I tried Wipe-Out and it does work - however, it will leave behind a sticky residue that will gunk up areas of your action (especially inside the front ring lug race) if you let the foam seep or if like me, you let your cleaners soak your barrel bores. These days, just before I leave the range, I wet swab my barrel(s) with Kroil - if I don't get to cleaning for a couple of days it's actually better than an immediate clean as the longer it soaks, the better it seems to loosen if not dissolve residual carbon. I load/shoot about a dozen different cartridges and about 1 out of 4 have Bore Coat; so far my cleaning concoctions don't seem to be harming it. YMMV