Carbon remover

[BoydAllen]

I disagree with your last statement. Friends who regularly and thoroughly clean their barrels using bronze brushes and up to date solvents have run into this problem. It seems to be strongly related to what powder is being used.

As an example, a friend, who shots a lot, has a bore scope, is a meticulous barrel cleaner and builds his own rifles, found that he got excellent accuracy and velocity in his .204 Ruger, shooting 32 grain bulletsin combination with VV 140, but he switched powders because it would carbon up so bad in the throat, in as little as 50 rounds.

Do you have a bore scope?

Also, there are reasons that I use cleaners like JB and IOSSO on an as needed basis rather than every time that I clean, and given the cartridges and powders that I use, that is infrequently. Having a bore scope has the advantage of being able to determine how often and to what extent things procedures and materials need to be used.

I agree that it is not a good thing to follow the if some is good more must be better approach. Often it is not. In many cases, less is better.

 

[JRS]

No Boyd. I no longer have a bore scope. Used it for a short time, and sold it. I realized I didn't need to see the entire length of the barrel. I ended up with something much more useful, with greater clarity. It also allows the freedom of both hands.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Bore Tech Eliminator gets everything

 

[snakepit]

Bore Tech Eliminator gets everything

I also use Bore Tech products but you get better results if you use the two step process using C4 Carbon Remover and CU+2 Copper Remover. I also use the Bore Tech Eliminator but only when I am in a hurry and want a quick cleaning such as at the range. If you go to the Bore Tech web site they have a chart that gives the effectiveness of their products:

C4: Excellent for Carbon
CU+2 : Excellent for Copper
Eliminator: Good for Carbon and Excellent for Copper

 

[Link]

No Boyd. I no longer have a bore scope. Used it for a short time, and sold it. I realized I didn't need to see the entire length of the barrel. I ended up with something much more useful, with greater clarity. It also allows the freedom of both hands.

May I ask what is more useful ?

 

[butchlambert]

No Boyd. I no longer have a bore scope. Used it for a short time, and sold it. I realized I didn't need to see the entire length of the barrel. I ended up with something much more useful, with greater clarity. It also allows the freedom of both hands.

May I ask what is more useful ?

A good cleaning regimen.

 

[hpshooter]

A high quality dental mirror and a strong focused beam flashlight will reveal a lot of information about the throat and leade of a chamber.

Takes a little practice to get the angles right. El Cheapo Harbor Freight mirrors have never worked well for me.

T W Hudson

 

[JRS]

No Boyd. I no longer have a bore scope. Used it for a short time, and sold it. I realized I didn't need to see the entire length of the barrel. I ended up with something much more useful, with greater clarity. It also allows the freedom of both hands.

May I ask what is more useful ?

A good cleaning regimen.

That also Butch

Link: The short version of the story is my hand surgeon upgraded to variable power loupes and gave his Heine HRP high resolution loupes to me 8) It included a removable LED light. Another huge benefit with the loupes is magnification.

 

[ShootDots]

One of the benefits of using my 'smith, Omar Alonzo, is he will use HIS Hawkeye to peer down the barrel for you whenever you want. I have him look in my barrels about every 400 rounds or thereabouts. Having a "local" 'smith is of GREAT importance to me, not just from the borescope aspect, but "problem-solving" too if it becomes necessary. I keep my barrels pristine with Bore-Tech Eliminator, JB Bore Polish and Iosso Bore Polish. I just am now experimenting with Iosso. So far I see no difference betwixt JB and Iosso.. They BOTH work to my expectations..

 

[dixieppc]

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/GunCleaning/borescope.php

 

[22DASHER]

I never thought about using my loupes.... Great idea. I will give that a try!

 

[amamnn]

Based on my observations through my borescope I now use the standard bronze bore brush as usual to apply Blue wonder bore cleaner and follow the directions TO THE LETTER. They recommend that you apply a bit of oil to preserve and condition after cleaning as the barrel will be squeaky clean. I follow up using a 2 to 1 mix of Shooter's choice MC#7 and Kroil to condition, which is probably overkill. This routine is also a good copper fouling buster.

You will not believe the snot that BW will get out of your barrel, but be warned--it still takes some elbow grease to work it right.

I've also noticed that my match barrels on bolt guns don't really need to be examined often to full length. But I do shoot a couple of factory barrels that I look at from time to time, especially the ARs to be sure that the copper streaks out past the gas port are cleaned out. A light and a mirror will not show anything but shiny barel there. BTW, there are a lot cheaper borescopes than the hawkeye. Check out the ones that auto mechanics use. You may have to hunt around to find one that is has a skinny enough probe to use in 6mm or .22 barrels but they exist-- I have one. Brands and such have changed since I bought mine so it would do no good to mention my scope brand and model here.

 

[captn t]

SEAFOAM IS AAAA PLUS
Can be found at waleyworld 8.00 or 9.00 .
Also works great to wipe necks on fired rounds before leaving range and while case is still wearm.
Captn T

 

[butchlambert]

SEAFOAM IS AAAA PLUS
Can be found at waleyworld 8.00 or 9.00 .
Also works great to wipe necks on fired rounds before leaving range and while case is still wearm.
Captn T

Seafoam is available at Autozone also.

 

[LawrenceHanson]

Seafoam is ubiquitous, that much is certain. But what does it have to do with removing hard, burnt-on carbon from gun barrels? Is this something that will dissolve carbon from gun barrels, or emulsify and lift it off the bore surface? For our collective edification, please enlighten us.

That was sarcasm. But seriously, I have never tried Seafoam and am curious about what it will actually do…no BS. Can anyone verify with actual borescope experience? This does pertain to the original question.

 

[butchlambert]

Seafoam is ubiquitous, that much is certain. But what does it have to do with removing hard, burnt-on carbon from gun barrels? Is this something that will dissolve carbon from gun barrels, or emulsify and lift it off the bore surface? For our collective edification, please enlighten us.

That was sarcasm. But seriously, I have never tried Seafoam and am curious about what it will actually do…no BS. Can anyone verify with actual borescope experience? This does pertain to the original question.

I have never used Seafoam, but know where they sell it.

 

[BoydAllen]

I have seen videos that demonstrated the use of Seafoam in which the car being treated exausted a large cloud of black smoke, which was taken to be the carbon that was being removed. Sometime later, I read of a test in which the same sort of treatment was done to a brand new motor. The same sort of black cloud appeared during that test as well.

Engine deposit removers generally have a hot, high pressure environment that would seen to accelerate any chemical reaction, in many cases, when the material is mixed with fuel, it has a long time to do its work. This is very different from the conditions and time frame involved in cleaning a barrel.

There is no real problem getting powder fouling, which is often referred to as carbon fouling, out of a barrel. What is difficult is the removal of so called hard carbon, and to establish that it is what has been removed would require the use of a bore scope by someone who knows how to determine that that is what he is looking at. Absent documentation that firmly establishes that what was cleaned was hard carbon, I continue to believe that no liquid cleaner will dissolve it, with or without brushing. Many good people who do not possess bore scopes will continue to chime in on this, as is their right, but I believe that anyone that uses one regularly will probably agree that any statement about what is inside of a barrel that has not been scoped is a guess.

 

[deadwooddick]

Wondering whether LiquidMoly cleaner (for diesel injectors) might also work ?

 

[JRS]

I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but the late John Adams, and also Skip Otto used oven cleaner to remove the carbon ring
Oven cleaner is a liquid Boyd…. in an aerosol can

 

[LawrenceHanson]

I just skimmed through my Tony Boyer and Mike Ratigan books…neither one mentions using oven cleaner for bore cleaning.

Yeah…yall might want to do a little research on the reactivity of oven cleaner products with metallic objects before hosing down your finest barrel with Easy Off.

Oven cleaner is some very basic stuff…caustically speaking.