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SUCCESS at Last - Carbon in throat removal

CLR doesn't work for me. I've also wondered if it has etched some of my barrels. They're all SS, but after using it, my patches don't seem to slide down the more as smoothly.... Not doing that again.

When I'm in the regular cleaning regimen mood, I like to put a patch or two of hoppes 9 through, then mop the bore with hoppes 9, then bronze brush about 20 times wetting the brush once halfway through, then wet patch w hoppes then dry patch. Then I'll run some sharp shootr accelerator through with a patch, then spray in wipeout and let soak for awhile. Then I'll dry patch and look w scope. It usually takes a 2nd round of wipeout to get everything out.

If I use that process every range trip (25 rounds) the. It stays really clean with hardly any carbon buildup.

When I don't feel like cleaning and would rather spend time loading to shoot again, I'll do nothing for several hundred rounds.

When I feel guilty due to my "clean the gun after shooting" upbringing and the chems won't get the carbon out, I use an undersize bronze brush (7mm for 308 bore) with a 2 3/4" square patch wrapped around it and thick JBs and PB Blaster on the patch. Stroke it til it feels good, then I clean it up. If it needs it, I'll do it once more. That always works.

But, I can't shoot worth a crap and the smith cut a crap chamber, so I will probably just neglect this barrel until my wife lets me spend some more money for a new barrel ;)
 
Update on Free All.
The first time I used it, it didn't seem to do much.

Today, I'm working on a carbon ring. First multiple patches with Iosso around a worn brush. Tough ring.
For yucks, I tried Free All on a worn bronze brush. 10 cycles - bunch of black on a patch.
Tried a patch wrapped around a Parker Hale - maybe 20 short cycles in the throat. Charcoal gray patch. Repeated this a few times, still charcoal gray. Borescope shows ring is 80% gone. Let a patch soaked in Free All wrapped around a jag sit in the throat for an hour. More black; ring 90% gone.

Net: Free All seems to, with no abrasive added, actually dissolve the hard carbon!
 
Get a foam bore swab, the ones molded on a strip and soak it with Bore Tec carbon remover. Push it into the neck ( no bore guide) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then use a bronze brush to remove the softened carbon. Repeat if necessary.
 
To my knowledge, you cannot reverse a properly fitting bronze brush of the correct caliber in a rifle bore. How often do you replace your brushes? In a couple of cases where I have helped fellows with severe hard carbon issues, we came to the conclusion that they had been using worn out brushes, for extended periods of time. On a lighter note, I looked up the MSDS for Free All and in addition to the usual petroleum distillates and oil, it has a fair dose of oleic acid. This caught my eye. I believe that olive oil can be as high as 80% oleic acid. Perhaps we have another experiment to do, sourced from our kitchens :)
It also contains a type of ketone gentlemen. Its a neurotoxin!! vapors are dangerous and can be asborbed thru the skin. Gloves and ventilation are your friends with free all
 
I've found that it takes more than just patches. I've had good luck with some CRC GDI IVD intake valve cleaner and a bronze brush. Makes quick work of it. For really neglected carbon buildup, I follow that with some Remington 40X bore cleaner, which is akin to JB paste suspended in oil, and a bronze brush to knock loose the remaining crud. In either case, follow up with a good bore cleaning solvent and a few patches. Midway had the Rem 40X on sale for about a month. Looks like they still do.

Link

You can also make your own slurry with JB compound and some light oil. I have used Kroil as the carrier.

Hoot
But Kroil smells so bad.
 
But Kroil smells so bad.
It took a long time getting used to the smell of Kroil but it came highly recommended by shooters better than me. Not at all like the friendly smell of Hoppes but then Hoppes and I go way back to my childhood. I was the family shoe shiner and gun cleaner.

Hoot
 
It took a long time getting used to the smell of Kroil but it came highly recommended by shooters better than me. Not at all like the friendly smell of Hoppes but then Hoppes and I go way back to my childhood. I was the family shoe shiner and gun cleaner.

Hoot
Oh I use Kroil weather permitting outside.
Great stuff.
As for Hoppes,there are far better products now days .
John H
 
FWIW: After I use my firearms, I clean them with Hoppes and a bore brush. Therefore, I do not have carbon rings in the throats of my firearms. Never have!
 
FWIW: After I use my firearms, I clean them with Hoppes and a bore brush. Therefore, I do not have carbon rings in the throats of my firearms. Never have!
A few months ago, a young man brought me a 303 Brit he said he cleaned with Hoppes until he got clean patches out. I scoped it and there was so much carbon that no rifling was visible. I scrubbed it out with KG2 and flitz to find a nice bore. I surmise that 308 bullets were shot in it and he tossed the Hoppes. He also had a 03 full of carbon and we did the same process. started with a 30 cal brush and it got loose quick. Then went to 33 cal, it also got loose, went to a 35. It loosened slightly and when we scoped it, no rifling at all, just pits end to end. Its getting a new barrel as we speak. He now understands the difference between powder fouling and carbon also. Everyone has their own regimen and favorite products. TETO
 
My regimen.

FWIW: After I use my firearms, I clean them with Hoppes and a bore brush. Therefore, I do not have carbon rings in the throats of my firearms. Never have!
 
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Works great in my rifles. Always has.

FWIW: After I use my firearms, I clean them with Hoppes and a bore brush. Therefore, I do not have carbon rings in the throats of my firearms. Never have!


LOL! After six years in the Corps, one war where a dirty weapon could cost you your life, over half a century of maintaining firearms I don't need a freaking "pic" to confirm a clean weapon.

Sharing this with some old Corps guys...we agree. "A pic"?....what a hoot!
 
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Do you use the free-all with success? I haven’t tried it yet.
I've been using it for a couple weeks. So far, it appears to remove hard carbon. I've been brushing a bit with it on a nylon brush with bronze wool wrapped around it [short stroking]; then, letting it soak for a couple hours, patching out until the patches come out with just a little black and repeating.

I am flabbergasted at how much black stuff comes out after there is no apparent black in the barrel.

The most recent barrel I cleaned was brand new with 67 shots. It took four cycles of the above before there was a noticeable reduction in the amount of black that came out just after brushing with the Free All.

At the same time, this barrel is much cleaner than what I have been doing using C4 => so, I still need to work out the level of cleaning needed for the needed accuracy.
 

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