Your Preference For A Copper Remover?
- Thread starter McStocks
- Start date
Years ago I bought a lovely BRNO .270 (I forget the model, but it had a little button back on the action. Push that button and a nice rear aperture sight appeared. Later BRNO didn't have this).
Anyway, I bought it cheap as it was quite inaccurate.
I could see the bore was entirely a copper colour. Had never been cleaned.
Hoppes No.9 wouldn't remove it (but I did get some lovely zombie green gunk out of the bore).
Went to the old WW2 Brit .303 trick. Plugged muzzle, propped up rifle muzzle down, bolt out, put a few drops of Ammonia (Ammonia 808 I think my chemist called it) down the bore. Put in a bit of boiling water, more drops of Ammonia, more hot water, etc...until the barrel and chamber were full.
(I don't think it advisable to try to make up a solution first in a jug or similar. Do it all a bit at a time direct into the bore).
I let it sit for about 20 minutes and removed the muzzle bung. Yuck...more zombie green, but lots more of it.
Flushed bore with boiling water, and plugged muzzle again.
Repeated as needed (a few more times) and no more green goop. All zombies dead.
Boiling hot water flush again. The barrel dries almost instantly with this.
Then an oil up and final pass of Hoppes No.9 again.
Reloaded some rounds with H4350 and 130g projectiles, and off to the range.
Sighted in and from prone at 100 metres it now shot 3 bullets into a very tight cloverleaf pattern. Just one hole in the target with the slightest suggestion of where the three projectiles had hit. It was a very tight group.
Problem solved and I now had a lovely BRNO .270 that I kept until a work injury forced me away from anymore hunting adventures.
Oh yeah...do NOT breathe the Ammonia fumes. Do this job outside. Wear rubber gloves, etc...I'm sure you folks know all the safety rules.
So...using Ammonia does work, and it works well.
Bear in mind that this was New Zealand 35+ years ago. We did not have access to much in the way of cleaning gear, etc. The modern stuff may be great, but have never used it. Kept my bottle of Hoppes No.9 though.
Anyway, I bought it cheap as it was quite inaccurate.
I could see the bore was entirely a copper colour. Had never been cleaned.
Hoppes No.9 wouldn't remove it (but I did get some lovely zombie green gunk out of the bore).
Went to the old WW2 Brit .303 trick. Plugged muzzle, propped up rifle muzzle down, bolt out, put a few drops of Ammonia (Ammonia 808 I think my chemist called it) down the bore. Put in a bit of boiling water, more drops of Ammonia, more hot water, etc...until the barrel and chamber were full.
(I don't think it advisable to try to make up a solution first in a jug or similar. Do it all a bit at a time direct into the bore).
I let it sit for about 20 minutes and removed the muzzle bung. Yuck...more zombie green, but lots more of it.
Flushed bore with boiling water, and plugged muzzle again.
Repeated as needed (a few more times) and no more green goop. All zombies dead.
Boiling hot water flush again. The barrel dries almost instantly with this.
Then an oil up and final pass of Hoppes No.9 again.
Reloaded some rounds with H4350 and 130g projectiles, and off to the range.
Sighted in and from prone at 100 metres it now shot 3 bullets into a very tight cloverleaf pattern. Just one hole in the target with the slightest suggestion of where the three projectiles had hit. It was a very tight group.
Problem solved and I now had a lovely BRNO .270 that I kept until a work injury forced me away from anymore hunting adventures.
Oh yeah...do NOT breathe the Ammonia fumes. Do this job outside. Wear rubber gloves, etc...I'm sure you folks know all the safety rules.
So...using Ammonia does work, and it works well.
Bear in mind that this was New Zealand 35+ years ago. We did not have access to much in the way of cleaning gear, etc. The modern stuff may be great, but have never used it. Kept my bottle of Hoppes No.9 though.
HandgunHTR
Gold $$ Contributor
FYI, Hoppes bought Outers (or the parent company did) and they now offer the foaming bore cleaner as a Hoppes brand. I can't tell the difference between it and the Outers stuff I used to use.
Won't say it is the "best" at removing copper, but it does a good enough job to keep my guns shooting well.
Boretech carbon remover also attacks copper. Was wondering why brass brushes weren't lasting very long when using the carbon remover. Took a new brush and put some carbon remover on it, and placed it on a paper towel, didn't take long for the greenish color to appear on the towel.
It would be nice to have a brush made without any copper to be used with any copper removing elixir without eating the brushes up. I've read the stainless "tornado brushes" are hard on the bore but I've not tried any. So, how about some non copper containing brushes that don't damage the bore. Maybe something made with stainless on perhaps aluminum that wouldn't be attacked by the solvent. Do the stainless brushes that are available now really harm the bore????
Chris
It would be nice to have a brush made without any copper to be used with any copper removing elixir without eating the brushes up. I've read the stainless "tornado brushes" are hard on the bore but I've not tried any. So, how about some non copper containing brushes that don't damage the bore. Maybe something made with stainless on perhaps aluminum that wouldn't be attacked by the solvent. Do the stainless brushes that are available now really harm the bore????
Chris
-AlI have heard mixed comments on the Hoppes replacement. Some folks say it is not the same product and nowhere near as effective. I have found that the Bore Tech is very effective so I will stick with that for the time being. Thanks for your comment!
You do NOT want to use stainless steel brushes just to get away from the "false" reading that phosphur bronze gives. Simply clean your brush immediately after using to neutralize the acid. I rinse with 70% alcohol. Also, even the quality bronze brushes are inexpensive and should be replaced when they start offering little resistance down the bore. Lastly, trying to clean the bore until the final patch comes out pristine will usually prove futile.
Just the smell of CR 10 should scare all the copper out !
wkdickinson
Gold $$ Contributor
Some people in previous responses have referenced Sweets. I used Sweets and RemClean for years (shooting across-the course), before there were better products. I thought they worked well (and I still think RemClean works good and use it periodically). The best test for those who aren't using Boretech Eliminator is to clean your barrel the way you do it now, until "you know it's clean". Then clean it with Eliminator as directed on the bottle and see what you patches look like. If that doesn't sell you on it's effectiveness, nothing will.
In my 50 + years of shooting/reloading I have to remember what an "OLD" timer told this youngster. If it ain't broken leave it alone! Is copper build up a problem or does one just want to have a clean bore? I have to give the Sweet's a big plus. When our son's Ranger unit deployed to the sandbox I gave our son many bottles of Sweet's along with an Otis kit for him and his men. Our son was an E5 @ the time he deployed, and the Sweets came in handy after a fire fight! Sweet's was also great @ killing rats around his A.O
Sweets on a VFG felt pellet, work it into a nice foam and let her stand a couple minutes. Patch out and have a beer.
Not to hijack, but thoughts on CLR for carbon ring removal? TBAC uses it for cleaning their suppressors. I've seen videos of others plugging the barrel at the lands, injecting CLR and letting it set for 15 minutes. Remove standing CLR with paper towel, then flush with Boretech to neutralize. Seems to work well.....................?
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