So! How do you guys clean lead and copper?

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cheygriz

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Removing copper and lead fouling from your bore has always been a pain in the neck. (Some of us have an even lower opinion of it :p)

I've tried them all, and settled for the "Foul Out" electro-chemical bore cleaning system.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/243419/outers-foul-out-3-bore-cleaning-system

This gets every last speck of leading or copper fouling out of the bore with almost zero effort.

If you're handy, you can make your own instead of buying, but the ready made system is very convenient.
 
For the most part, I don't. The only exception is once a year (which probably translates to 1,000 rounds or less) on precision long range rifles. I use sweet's, because I have a lot of it.
 
I made an electronic bore cleaner, and I'd be willing to bet it helped ruin at least one barrel. I'd use them sparingly, even the commercial ones. BUT at the same time I lack any real data to prove it.

Now I'm using foaming bore cleaner, but I clean after every outing just to keep my stuff from rusting.
 
I use foaming bore cleaner as well and also often. I have also been known to use straight mineral spirits too. That stuff seems to work a whole lot better than your average commercial bore solvent.
 
The old Home Remedy. Cut Janitor's ammonia @1:4 with water, brush it in, patch it out.
Then run pure Brown Vinegar, brush it in, patch it out. Then Dawn & water, brush it in, patch it out.
Run a couple dry patches to make sure you got it all. Inspect with bore light. Then lightly lubricate
with your favorite gwee.
 
I have been using the old Hoppes #9 GUN CLEANER and Hoppes #9 COPPER GUN BORE CLEANER as long as I can remember and buy it in the quart bottles. I also use a few other cleaners including those in aerosol cans. About maybe 25 years ago I did use the electro plating systems which were a rage at the time and while they worked well and did as advertised I found if I just scrubbed my bores with a brush and followed with clean patches the bores stayed clean. When it comes to copper fouling anything with ammonia including any of the home brew mixes mentioned works fine. :)

Ron

 
I can tell you that most of you are probably doing your barrels more harm by cleaning so much than you are just leaving them be. I’ve talked to many a gunsmith that has given me damn near the same statement. I might clean every 500-1000 rds depending on what kind of gun it is and what kind of ammo is being used. Clearly, if it is corrosive then you need to clean, if not, most modern ammo is signficantly different than the old recipes and do not foul up a barrel that much. In fact, on one of my precision rifles, I’m either not cleaning strong enough or Hoppes isn’t doing the job but I get very little copper fouling, most of it is lead and even then it’s not that bad.
 
My latest product I'm using is Butches. That stuff removes copper like I've never seen. Granted I haven't tried them all but Butches works very well.
I hate cleaning my guns so I'm only very serious about it when testing ammo in a new barrel just to keep the baseline the same for each load. After that only once in a while.
 
Lewis Lead Remover. I don't even worry about traces of copper in the bore on a handgun. Maybe on a precision rifle, but not on a handgun.
 
Ouch, that one's a mess. What combination did that? I did that with .38 Special lead bullets in a .38 S&W revolver once. .358 bullets in a .360+ bore. Don't know what the throats were. Cleaned it out almost instantly with wax gas checks and the same bullets.
 
Ouch, that one's a mess. What combination did that? I did that with .38 Special lead bullets in a .38 S&W revolver once. .358 bullets in a .360+ bore. Don't know what the throats were. Cleaned it out almost instantly with wax gas checks and the same bullets.

It is a Taurus 85 (my only Taurus , fwiw) , fed it a bunch of 158 gr lrn. I did a thread on it , here maybe , a while back. I got lots of good advice about checking w/ pin gauges and such. That thread is where I learned of 20180610_135515.jpg the Chore Boy solution. The 85 was a temporary carry ; I decided to restrict the diet to fmj. Haven't shot it much since my edc came back from the Mother Ship.

Note results.
 
I shoot lead and coated bullets almost exclusively. For lead I use Chore Boy around an old bore brush along with Hoppes #9 and wet and dry patches to clean the powder fouling. For coated I clean with just Ballistol wet patches
followed by a bore brush. I finish with one or two dry patches. I finish with a patch with Birchwood Casey Barricade.

For the few times I shoot jacketed or plated bullets I use Kroil and USP (?) bore paste on a patch. I clean out the bore paste with either Hoppes #9 or Ballistol on patches. Then a wet and dry patches to make sure all of the bore paste is removed. A patch with Barricade finishes the job. But I only clean copper fouling when it is very noticeable.
 
My God Waveski - it looks like you were shooting solder from that barrel. That's just nasty......
 
Kano Kroil works for me and a stiff bore brush on my revolvers and pistols.
Sweets7.62 for cooper fouling in rifles.
 
I've just upgraded from Montana XTreme's Bore Solvent to Copper Killer. I wet patch every hour or so until they aren't blue. Rough bores take 48 hours, well-broken-in takes 12 hours. Follow with oil and dry, and done.

Pistols get a brush, and Chore Boy if I hosed up my alloy selection or lube/coating.
 
My latest product I'm using is Butches. That stuff removes copper like I've never seen. Granted I haven't tried them all but Butches works very well.
I hate cleaning my guns so I'm only very serious about it when testing ammo in a new barrel just to keep the baseline the same for each load. After that only once in a while.

Don't leave that stuff in there for very long. Make sure to get it all! Don't ask!

Also in handguns, the best way to get rid of copper or lead fouling is to start using Hi-Tek coated as much as possible.
 
For bad leading, I mix peroxide and vinegar 1/1 ratio, put a small piece of plastic on an empty casing. Close the action and fill the barrel. 30 minutes later I'm done. Surplus rifle is treated the same using Hoppes 9. New rifles are swabbed, allowed to set for 15 min and patched until clean. This happens primarily when I'm doing load development and before sighting in for hunting season.
 
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