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Your Favorite bore and carbon cleaner

tommeboy

I know ask a question to 100 people and get a 100 answers.

I just got a teslong bore scope and went through most of my guns. All were pretty good as to no copper build up. BUT several had extreme amounts of carbon. I never realized it was that bad.

What I normally do is I take a foaming bore cleaner And fill the bore. Wipe it out after about 5 min then fill it back up and let it sit over night with the muzzle on a old sock. The sock lets me know how bad it was fouled by the colors that soak into the sock. I then fill it back up and leave it for another night. Then wipe out and apply a light coat of oil and that is it.

I don't like to use mechanical means to clean my barrels.
 
tommeboy said:
I know ask a question to 100 people and get a 100 answers.

I just got a teslong bore scope and went through most of my guns. All were pretty good as to no copper build up. BUT several had extreme amounts of carbon. I never realized it was that bad.

What I normally do is I take a foaming bore cleaner And fill the bore. Wipe it out after about 5 min then fill it back up and let it sit over night with the muzzle on a old sock. The sock lets me know how bad it was fouled by the colors that soak into the sock. I then fill it back up and leave it for another night. Then wipe out and apply a light coat of oil and that is it.

I don't like to use mechanical means to clean my barrels.
Click to expand...
The highlighted text is likely a good part of the reason for the extreme carbon fouling. Proper cleaning with a bronze brush does not hurt a barrel, yet the regular use of one is an effective deterrent to carbon fouling. There is no "safe" or "totally innocuous" cleaning solution that will completely remove carbon without the addition/inclusion of some mechanical action.
 
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Alex Wheeler said:
Montana extreme copper killer. Use with a bronze brush.
Click to expand...
I believe that's what a friend uses. It's too strong smelling to use in the house isn't it? It works Extremely well he says.
(see what i did there?!)

Ag1 with #9 (fave range use).
Bortech eleminator
butches, Cr10, losso, jb ,kroll, brass brush, nylon brush. Delrin jag, coated brass jag, ... About covers my arsenal.
Some i use regularly some i only use when scoping out stubborn spots.

Each person has their own thing/way. It's kinda like their dog ... Leave it alone or lose a friend.
 
Carbon is your worst so people could respond with a good carbon cleaner recommendation. That is a major issue with all the BR case variants, not copper fouling. There are a few good and purposeful carbon cleaners that work.

Bore Tech makes both a carbon cleaner and a couple combinations, like Extreme, that work well on carbon and also copper. For pure carbon one of the best is a product made to clean sinks, not guns. If you source the name be aware that id does flat out destroy carbon deposits. Patches come out dripping with a thick tar-like goo of carbon. The major problem is is destroys bluing. I mean takes bluing right off right now.
It could only be used on a full stainless product and then removed in a short time so there are no negative lingering affects.

Check out the Bore Tech products like Eliminator and C4. They work for carbon and are made to use on firearms.
 
Wipeout works fine on copper but does nothing for carbon build up that happens from the throat to about 6-8” past the throat. If you clean at the range while barrel is still warm with Bore Tech C4 or any other decent carbon remover along with a bronze brush you can effectively clean up that carbon. But if you don’t clean right away it hardens and it’s harder than barrel steel. At that point there is no carbon remover liquid that will touch it.

What I do is every 100 rounds or so I take an Iosso blue nylon brush in the appropriate caliber and rub Iosso bore cleaning paste on the brush covering brush completely. Insert this into bore guide and short strok back and forth from the throat to about 6-8” forward. Then I pull the brush back out of my bore guide. Next, I do a normal cleaning with lots of patches wet with Hoppes No. 9 mixed with Kroil and this gets all the Iosso slurry out of barrel. Also after using Iosso paste or any other abrasive I pull bore guide and spray it clean with brake cleaner.

This method keeps my barrels in good shape with minimal hard carbon. Wipe Out and patches will not cut it.
 
Fuj said:
Going to question the use of a bronze brush because of
the ammonia in the solvent. it's possible to have a bore
free of copper, but a bronze brush breaking down in the
solvent can give you a false reading on your patch. I use
stiff nylon brush's with Sweets if copper is involved.
Click to expand...
Yes it eats the brush. Brake clean after every use and you will get 2 or 3 cleaning sessions out of the brush. Buy the dozen packs from Brownells. You have to know that right after you brush there will be blue patches. Patch that out then let it sit 15 minutes and check for blue. About the only thing I find a nylon brush good for is polishing carbon, not removing it. Thats why I use nylon brushes inside my case necks.
 
I tried many chemicals and none totally removed the carbon without extensive brushing. In this context, Free All required the least brushing and used in conjunction with Iosso even less. Brush and/or abrasive, mechanical action is required.
 
Alex Wheeler said:
About the only thing I find a nylon brush good for is polishing carbon, not removing it. Thats why I use nylon brushes inside my case necks.
Click to expand...
My method is to use the bronze brush and "Piston Kleen" for
carbon first. Once I'm satisfied there, I patch out with alcohol
then switch to Sweets on a patch to test for copper. If there is
copper, more Sweets on a nylon brush, and some elbow grease.
And yes, a nylon brush does the inside neck chores for me also.
but I use a softer variety. The nylon bore brushes I got from Shiraz
years ago, are pretty rough. I wish I knew the brand. The ones sold
on Grizzly do not work as well.
 
This topic had been beat to death - but that's alright - if you have a question don't be afraid to ask it.

Here's the problem with the topic - there are so many opinions and approaches, claims and counter claims. That in itself should tell you something - there is no absolute answer but many theories. The advent of bore scopes only magnified the issue and expanded the debate.

After 50 years of shooting, reloading, hunting, and of course cleaning rifles I don't have any definitive answers either. I've done the full range of procedures - old days: using just Hoppe's 9 with a bronze brush. Seems to work pretty good in those days but I wasn't a precision varmint hunting per se. Oh, I hunted varmints for sure, but 150 to 200 yards was the norm shot in those days.

In my shooting journey, I, like a lot of poor souls, read gun magazines and in the new age read numerous articles on the internet relative to this subject and tried a bunch of approaches, using different procedures and solvents, etc. reading all the horror stories about "copper fouling" and how you must use aggressive methods to remove it or else!

All the solvents I tried seemed to produce the same performance results until I began aggressive copper removal. That's when I ran into trouble with first shot flyers and having to "season" the barrel to obtain sight in POI. For a year around varmint / predator hunting this became problematic especially when this component shortage BS started. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the range and shoot a bunch of "seasoning" shots.

So, I stepped back and went back to basics focusing on performance results to tell me if my cleaning procedure was working for me. My performance standards (1/2 - 5/8 moa) are modest compared perhaps to benchrest and long-range F class shooters so take that into account.

After much experimenting and analysis, I went back to basic carbon removal with a bronze brush (which I always used regardless on the procedure) and my performance results came back in line. I also moderately extended the cleaning frequently based on test results.

What I use now is just Bore Tech C4 with a bronze brush. It does an excellent job of removing carbon and removes "some" copper, much like Shooter's Choice did which incidentally I never had any performance issues with. Then why did I switch to Bore Tech C4? Only because the odor became offensive to the family. I do believe that the mechanical action of a bronze brush does the best job of removing carbon and preventing carbon build up but that just my experiences and opinion.

BOTTOM LINE: Use performance results to tell you if your cleaning procedure is working for you. I personally believe too much is made of this issue especially relative the type of solvents. There are things you should do regardless of the procedures or solvents you use such a using a quality rod, rod guide, appropriately sized bronze core brushes with looped ends, proper fitting patches, etc.
 
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I have found that when it comes to carbon there is no substitute for cleaning at the range, as soon as you are done shooting, while the barrel is still warm. I like either Bore Tech eliminator or good old Ballistol on a bronze brush. The cleaner you use doesn't even matter that much. It's not letting the carbon set up that definitely makes removal easier.
The only problem I have with this method Is that I usually stay too long at the range and I'm in a rush to leave so I fail to do it.
I gotta start practicing what I preach.
 
One Eye Pete said:
I have found that when it comes to carbon there is no substitute for cleaning at the range, as soon as you are done shooting, while the barrel is still warm. I like either Bore Tech eliminator or good old Ballistol on a bronze brush. The cleaner you use doesn't even matter that much. It's not letting the carbon set up that definitely makes removal easier.
The only problem I have with this method Is that I usually stay too long at the range and I'm in a rush to leave so I fail to do it.
I gotta start practicing what I preach.
Click to expand...
^ This practice works well for me! Letting the bore wet with the cleaner on the drive home makes completing the final cleaning quick and easy…
 
I agree the marketing only makes you spend more money for "the next best thing" there is no easy way.
Use quality, tested, products and do your part. Watch your scores.
Anyone that professes absolutely.... This is it .. Instead of this is my opinion... is trying to convince themselves.
I use to shoot to clean.
Now i clean to shoot.
(Less cleaning, more shooting)
 
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