Cleaner patches in my 6 BR.

[Steve Ladino]

I am wondering why my cleaning patches are now showing almost no powder (black color) compared to past history of seven years using Butches Bore Shine. I have changed nothing but the primer and my Butch's cleaner is a couple of years old too. I have about 2000 rounds through the bore and get a little copper from the fire cracking area I'm sure but hardly any carbon. Any body experience this too? Always have used Varget.
Thanks........Steve

 

[LawrenceHanson]

Over the years I have used a number of bore solvents. I will buy a new solvent and use it for a while thinking it is the best solvent I have ever used. Months will go by and the new miracle solvent seems to lose its effectiveness. So I buy the next latest miracle solvent and find it works better than anything I’ve tried before. A few months later it no longer does the job as well as it did initially and I try something new again. This cycle has gone on and on for years with me. How can this be? I believe that many petroleum based solvents degrade over time and lose their effectiveness. Solvents tend to volatilize quickly, no matter whether they are stored in a sealed bottle or not, especially under warm temperature conditions. If you go through a lot of solvent in a short period of time, then you are getting the most use out of that chemical. But if you use that chemical sparingly over a longer period of time I believe the product becomes less effective due to extended evaporation/degradation. Some appear to “keep” a little longer than others. I have reached the conclusion that many petroleum based solvents are most effective when they are relatively fresh. In general, the older they get the less effective they become.