Carbon Fouled barrel??

[tjtjwdad]

I've used Shooters Choice (SC) for years and I always found it far better than Hoppes. I have quite a bit of it so I haven't tried to many of the others. For Copper, what SC doesn't cover I've always used Sweets 7.62 which I've always found to be quite effective. I have used the following in combination for the most stubborn barrels;

- Lead Away, JB Bore Cleanes, Sweets 7.62, followed by Break Free as a protectent. Lead Away is a cloth (yellow in color) and it cleans carbon really well. I use it primaraly to clean the forcing cone and the face of the cylinder on revolvers and it wipes it right off. Be careful on blued guns because it will rub it right off.

Recently I did try some SLIP 2000 and it cleaned my barrels up very nicely. The down side is it is water based so it must be completly removed to prevent corrosion. For SLIP 2000 I use nylon brushes and to my surprise they have worked thus far. For all other cleaners I too use a good stiff bronze bore brush. Don't recollect the brand but I buy them in 1-doz baggs.

To the poster who tried SLIP 2000 on AR-15 bolts; I will have to give that a try because I agree, the area of the bolt you describbed gets pretty nasty. I happen to have a chrome lined and a STD phosphate finished bolt and it will be interesting to see how this stuff works out on them.

 

[dogdude]

NO need for brushes!! used them for years, no more.W/O accelerator 1-2 minutes,W/O patch out, 5 minutes of stroking, check with borescope, any carbon left, kill it with KG-2!!! Ive used much more aggressive method's(pm me if interested) that fellow shooters said NOOO!too. my h/g took 5th in score at Williamsport(10match) behind Eric Springman(gunsmith) Joe Saltalamacchia(40year club shooter)John Stecik(club treasurer)Mark King(gunsmith) and then ME!! if you don't know those names you don't know 1,000 yard Benchrest. John Stecik turned me on to the WIPE OUT products. it works so nice, just hope nobody from Williamsport reads this HAAA!! We all share info,(thank God) at the range. give it a try, you'll love it or just cuss me out!! all best dogdude

 

[holstil]

Seems like if I clean my barrel while it's still warm the carbon comes out pretty easy. I noticed that case necks twist clean easier if I get em right when they come out of the chamber.
It could just be that I'm in a more enthusiastic or optimistic mood when I'm at the range.

Curious, how many rounds are down your barrel?
When you say everything is all well and tight, do you mean there is no fire cracking or no carbon build up or,.....?

Jim

 

[FergusBailey]

After seeing several very positive reviews on SLIP 2000, I gave some a try in my 6PPC barrels and also a heavily carbon fouled 300 Ultra. I found it to be completely ineffective, as I could see no impact on the carbon fouling at all. I have a bore scope, and have not found a better option that using a bronze brush to get the carbon loose.

 

[LHSmith]

+1 on cleaning when the barrel is warm.
I use Iosso on a tight patch and short-stoke it for carbon. I do use bronze brushes with heavy doses of BBS in my regimen for copper fouling.
Carbon is an element.....and therefore will not ""dissolve"....IMHO it must be removed by mechanical means, not chemically.

 

[pdhntr]

You guys are discussing two different types of carbon.

There is the type of carbon that is mixed with all kinds of other compounds, and usually cleans up quickly and easily.

Then there is the vitreous carbon that is carbon (compounds) that have been subjected to heat and pressure for possibly hundreds of times. Two good examples of vitreous carbon are the carbon ring just in front of the case mouth and the vitreous carbon that forms in the back of the AR bolt.

The two different types of carbon require different methods of removal. Vitreous carbon is almost pure carbon atoms that have formed extensive bonds with each other, and will require physical removal with a brush, etc.

Carbon compounds can easily be removed with many of our gun cleaning products before they become vitreous carbon.

Jim

 

[BigDMT]

I challenge all of you with access to a borescope to clean your barrel using a nylon brush and "Remington 40X" solvent with about 20 front to back strokes, then take a close look at how clean it is. You will be absolutely amazed. Plus it is non-amonia based so there is no odor.

 

[Raptor]

I guess I am not the only one having problems with carbon!! I was just thinking back years ago when I was a diesel mechanic and when cleaning injectors. They had a carbon build up that was so hard it was like steel!! Bendix made a cleaner that came in a 5gal can and it was damn strong but would clean baked on carbon off injectors. They would come out looking like new after a few hours of soaking. I wonder if something like that would work???

Also I remember years ago a friend told me about a top engine cleaner made for motors that worked well to clean carbon. What about "Black powder" Jell used to clean muzzle loaders any one tried that?? Thanks for all the replys and ideas!!

 

[tjtjwdad]

I've never had the displeasure of dealing with a carbon ring, I hear they are quite entertaining to get rid of.


BigDMT: I'll pick some of the Remington 40-x and give it a try.

 

[Bob3700]

Larry,

You probably know from using your scope that the most difficult carbon to remove is at the juncture of the lands and grooves.

It can be removed pretty easily (if you clean often) on the major surfaces of the bbl.

Being an element, carbon cannot be dissolved , you can only dislodge it. So that is what the various products attempt to do. Get under the carbon and break it loose. I have found that I really need a bronze brush and after brushing, letting the bore sit and soak. Once that is done, the carbon will really come out on a clean patch. The process is just repeated until the carbon is out.

You have found out , as I have as well, you do need to apply an abrasive to complete the process. It will get any copper and remaining carbon out of a bbl and leave it nice and smooth.

I believe that it is especially important to have the throat/lead area of the bbl polished with the abrasives. Smooth throats/leads provide longer accurate bbl life.

Bob

 

[Steve Blair]

Being an element, carbon cannot be dissolved , you can only dislodge it.

[br]
Elements can certainly be dissolved. A notable example would be oxygen dissolved in water, without which fish could not breathe.[br]
[SIZE=small]One of the methods to remove gold (Au, #79) from ore is using sodium cyanide (NaCN) dissolved in water. It oxidizes and dissolves gold when oxygen and water are present. [/SIZE]Carbon, like gold, requires an agent that oxidizes it to a form that can be dissolved in water.

 

[BigDMT]

Larry,

You probably know from using your scope that the most difficult carbon to remove is at the juncture of the lands and grooves.

It can be removed pretty easily (if you clean often) on the major surfaces of the bbl.

Being an element, carbon cannot be dissolved , you can only dislodge it. So that is what the various products attempt to do. Get under the carbon and break it loose. I have found that I really need a bronze brush and after brushing, letting the bore sit and soak. Once that is done, the carbon will really come out on a clean patch. The process is just repeated until the carbon is out.

You have found out , as I have as well, you do need to apply an abrasive to complete the process. It will get any copper and remaining carbon out of a bbl and leave it nice and smooth.

I believe that it is especially important to have the throat/lead area of the bbl polished with the abrasives. Smooth throats/leads provide longer accurate bbl life.

Bob

Abrasives and bronze brushes??? No way no how. Unh uh. Nope. Never gonna do it.

But seriously, if you have to use bronze brushes and abrasives after using your normal solvent, common sense should tell you that the solvent you are using ain't worth a damn at all.

 

[Webster]

Many people say you shouldn't leave a solvent with ammonia in the bore for any length of time because it will attack the bore. I looked up ammonia
compatibility on internet. The normal method of storing ammonia commercially is in a carbon steel tank. I wipe it out anyhow since it ammonia is always diluted in water. Play it safe.

 

[ddkearney]

Big DMT -
Your Remington 40X is just an abrasive suspended in solution - check into it.
Also, from an earlier post - Hoppes is no longer making the Black Powder Gel.
Don

 

[BigDMT]

Big DMT -
Your Remington 40X is just an abrasive suspended in solution - check into it.
Also, from an earlier post - Hoppes is no longer making the Black Powder Gel.
Don

Yeah I suppose, but it's not the type of traditional abrasive cleaner that will damage a barrel over time with excessive use. And no amonia. But I will say you are right about it being an abrasive.

 

[LHSmith]

Big DMT -
Your Remington 40X is just an abrasive suspended in solution - check into it.
Also, from an earlier post - Hoppes is no longer making the Black Powder Gel.
Don

Yeah I suppose, but it's not the type of traditional abrasive cleaner that will damage a barrel over time with excessive use. And no amonia. But I will say you are right about it being an abrasive.

So, just to be perfectly clear ...in your honest opinion - Remington 40X (with abrasives) = good
Bronze brushes, JB, and Iosso = bad