wipeout is it all you really need?

[Craigyboy]

do you think wipeout is all you really need to clean a barrel? I discovered wipeout a few months ago and its all I use these days, my regime with it is usually five wet patches with wipeout accelorator to take out the worst dirt, then put in the foam and leave it too sit for a few hours and patch out until clean, it usually patches out clean after about 15-20 patches. The first two patches after the foam are usually pretty dirty and the rest are only sightly dirty. I very rarely get the blue of cooper fouling, though i did get some on saturday after about 3 applications of wipeout to the bore though it was only slight and it could have been a reaction from the jag I am not sure. Do you think wipeout is really getting the barrel clean? without a bore scope it is very hard to know, it just seems too easy to get the bore clean with this stuff.

 

[Forum Boss]

I use it the way you do, but after about 40-50 minutes dwell time I will re-apply the Wipe-out from the muzzle,others prefer to go in from the breech). So far, that is all my 6BR with PacNor barrel has needed to maintain 1/4 MOA accuracy.

Jason used a similar procedure, but started to see carbon build-up in the throat after 500 or so rounds. Jason was also running RL15,vs. Varget for me) and using GM Top Engine cleaner.

Is Wipe-Out enough? I'd say it depends on the barrel.

I can say one thing... with a no brushing routine I've seen almost no throat erosion in 600 rounds.

 

[chino1969]

Is Wipe Out all you really need? My answer to this question would have to be no. I use Wipe Out, own a borescope, and examine every barrel after cleaning. I have rough factory barrels and hand lapped custom barrels and I have yet to find a product that does everything. My bench consists of every cleaning product on the market; some are very good and some not so good. Wipe Out does a good job if you have enough time to apply several applications and let them sit for long dwell times. I still have to use JB or other products to get the carbon and use a brush when necessary. Since getting a bore scope, my cleaning regimen is more efficient and every barrel is different. The other aspect to cleaning is that the bore does not have to be spotless and copper free after every shooting session. Efficient cleaning consists of removing detrimental material that tends to build in layers; detracting from accuracy. A slight copper wash left in the bore will not affect accuracy as this is the purpose of fouling shots. I'm very skeptical of anyone who says they only use one product that does everything. My experience tells a different story.
Chino69

 

[Hipshot]

I agree with Chino but I like to get the carbon fouling out, first before going after the copper. I'll run wet and dry patches of a good carbon cutter; I currently like Mpro-7, until there are only small signs of powder fouling, then I'll do the Wipe-Out treatment, once. Then more Mpro-7 for the layer of powder that might have been under the copper. If there was noticeable carbon then I'll do another Wipe-out.

IF you want to get the barrel squeeky clean,I used to want that but after learning from the good folks on this forum, I've become much less anal about barrel cleanliness) then get the carbon out, and use an Outer's Foul Out to remove copper. After each cycle, clean the barrel to remove the powder that's released when the copper plates to the rod, Clean the Foul Out rod completely and run another overnight cycle. I've had one barrel so coppered that the rod was not able to plate all the copper on the first go. In fact, I've read here where some people have had to go through 3 or 4 cycles of copper, powder, copper, powder cleaning.

This is an interesting topic and one where there are quite a few campfire stories and techniques to share.

 

[ArtinNC]

If you really want to know what gets the copper best, do the penny test. Put your solvent on a penny and every day wipe it off and put new on it and only one will remove it in eight days.
But I don't think you always need a strong solvent in a good barrel all the time. Art

 

[chino1969]

More info. with regards to cleaning:

As mentioned earlier, I don't believe any one cleaning solvent works on all barrels in all cases as every barrel is different. For example, match grade hand lapped barrels tend to foul less than a factory barrel. Looking through the bore of a hand lapped barrel with a borescope shows a nice surface finish going with the lay of the lands. After the barrel is seasoned or broken in, several cycles of Wipe Out are all that is required on the bench at home. Now if I'm shooting at the range and want to clean between groups, I'll use Bore Tech's Eliminator or Montana Extreme BMG 50 because of their quickness in eating up copper fouling. With match grade barrels, I'll occassionally use Mercury Silver in the throat area first to get the carbon and then go after the copper with a different solvent. I'd like to point out that anytime there is a solvent change, I use denatured alcohol on several patches to get all of the solvent out and to prevent mixing different types of solvents. This is not hard and fast; inspection with the borescope tells me what to do and what solvent is required. Factory bores are rough with plenty of tooling marks going perpendicular to the lay of the lands, providing plenty of traps for copper fouling to become entrapped. Factory bores require a more vigorous cleaning regimen, use of JB, and there is a point where you have to stop because it is clean enough. Barrels do not have to be squeaky clean to shoot well and if you try this, you'll wear your barrel out from overcleaning instead of shooting. Again, a borescope will open your eyes to a world you would normally never see and a little common sense is required. Whether a custom or a factory bore, the objective is to remove fouling before it has a chance to build up in layers and solidify; similar to creosote in a chimney. If the boundary layers are removed on a routine and consistent basis, you won't get to a point where accuracy begins to suffer.
Chino69