Copper fouling question

[JamesnTN]

i just installed a new 30 cal barrel and began breaking it in. This thing copper fouls bad. Is there anything I can do to slow this down or stop it? Shots 1-3 looked like a copper mine. Shots 4&5 had copper and cleaned up a bit easier but geez this isn't fun. Today I shot 2 more rounds thru it using a different bullet and still it coppered. Again it cleaned out pretty easy using Montana extreme bore paste. This is my first ever barrel to do this right out of the gate so I'm just a bit worried. I have hopes it'll go away but just in case I'm looking for alternate solutions if it doesn't.

Oh I shot cleaned shot cleaned etc. no strings yet.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Id use some flitz or iosso in the throat to speed up the process. Rough chambering or dull reamers cause some ruff edges that atomize copper and deposit it all down the barrel.

 

[JamesnTN]

Id use some flitz or iosso in the throat to speed up the process. Rough chambering or dull reamers cause some ruff edges that atomize copper and deposit it all down the barrel.

Thanks Dusty, I have some flitz at home I'll give the throat area a good scrubbing tonight and see what goes tomorrow.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Let us know how it goes. Use it straight dont water down with oil and concentrate on the first couple inches. Do it til youre sick of doing it

 

[JimPag]

Let us know how it goes. Use it straight dont water down with oil and concentrate on the first couple inches. Do it til youre sick of doing it

Hey Dusty. I just put 2 new barrels on 2 of my rifles. One is a Hart which is button rifled and the other is a Krieger which is cut. My Hart copper fouls like crazy and my Krieger not a speck of copper on it. Does a button rifled barrel tend to copper up more, or is it just maybe one was lapped better than the other?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

One is lapped and finished better

 

[JimPag]

One is lapped and finished better

Thanks

 

[Joe Salt]

I guess I have to say it again, When ever I put a new barrel on a rifle. I us a bore scope to take a look inside, you can see the marks the reamer leaves. So now what you want to do is smooth them out buy scrubbing it with JB. Or Isso then when you get it looking good now use Flitz to really polish it up. This will keep the barrel from copper fouling. I do this with all my barrels and they clean up very quickly.
Keeps the tool marks from ripping jacket on the bullet!

Joe Salt

 

[JamesnTN]

I guess I have to say it again, When ever I put a new barrel on a rifle. I us a bore scope to take a look inside, you can see the marks the reamer leaves. So now what you want to do is smooth them out buy scrubbing it with JB. Or Isso then when you get it looking good now use Flitz to really polish it up. This will keep the barrel from copper fouling. I do this with all my barrels and they clean up very quickly.
Keeps the tool marks from ripping jacket on the bullet!

Joe Salt

I can relate to that but I don't have a bore scope I keep saying that's my next purchase but it just hasn't happened. Someday soon I'm positive of that.

 

[Joe Salt]

I believe the machine marks are what cause the copper fouling. Got to smooth them out before you fire a shot.

Joe Salt

 

[JRS]

This is an article I always refer to, especially post #13 by Gale McMillan.

www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel-breakin.asp

The link isn't working, however, using your google machine, type in [what does Gale McMillan say about breaking in a barrel] and you'll find the discussion.

For those unfamiliar with the late Gale McMillan, he was long recognized as the dean of American barrel making.

 

[4xforfun]

One is lapped and finished better

Are you sure? The reason I ask is that EVERY button BBL (Spencer, Hart, Broughton, Shillen, Lilga, etc.....) coppered up right from the get-go and always needed brushing/copper remover/Iosso, etc....and EVERY Kreiger/Brux I have only coppered up after the first , and sometimes the second bullet. After that they cleaned up with a couple wet patches soaked in Butches. Of course once they start to fire crack they start to copper some.

Now, maybe you are correct, and Kreiger and Brux simply do a better job getting their tubes ready. Also, I realize that you have forgotten more about this sport than I ever knew!!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Its just the nature of the beast. Its not that button barrel mfrs set out to have a rougher finish. You displace material with a button and look at it with a microscope then use a tool to actually cut the material away and it just starts out smoother. Used to be some magnified pics around of both types that showed what im talking about. Thats also not saying button barrels are not good so dont take it that way.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

It can go the other way too. I have a Krieger here that drove me nuts for the first 1000+ rounds. It finally smoothed out and quit making copper.

I agree about getting the throat smoothed out - makes a difference in my limited experience.

 

[JRS]

The button barrels I use are Broughton's. Each and everyone is hand lapped. Unlike a cut rifled barrel, a button rifled barrel leaves no machine marks.

The only downside to the button barrels is the limited available twist rates.

 

[jonbearman]

Hart laps their barrels and I have one that coppers but shoots good.

 

[JamesnTN]

Well I polished the crap out of the barrel last night focusing mainly on the throat and area in front of it. I'll shoot a few more single shot rounds and clean tomorrow to see if that helped any.
As for my barrel it's a rifle cut from a top barrel maker. I won't get into the name as I don't wanna start a stink of barrel makers.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Its not the barrels fault itll work like a champ now

 

[billlarson]

i just installed a new 30 cal barrel and began breaking it in. This thing copper fouls bad. Is there anything I can do to slow this down or stop it? Shots 1-3 looked like a copper mine. Shots 4&5 had copper and cleaned up a bit easier but geez this isn't fun. Today I shot 2 more rounds thru it using a different bullet and still it coppered. Again it cleaned out pretty easy using Montana extreme bore paste. This is my first ever barrel to do this right out of the gate so I'm just a bit worried. I have hopes it'll go away but just in case I'm looking for alternate solutions if it doesn't.

Oh I shot cleaned shot cleaned etc. no strings yet.

I would call the mfg....... explain the problem........ they`ll probably take the barrel back.......

 

[JimPag]

I would call the mfg....... explain the problem........ they`ll probably take the barrel back.......

Trouble is, if they find a problem they all are willing to give u a new blank for nothing, but they are not going to pay for the chamber job. I sent a barrel back to Rock Creek and they were nice enough to make me a new barrel blank and send it to my gunsmith, but I had to pay my gunsmith to chamber it again.