Bore Solvent for Neglected 1911

Unless the barrel cleans up fairly easily, have you considered just replacing the barrel? I assue the rest of the gun is not too bad.

Jeff

Sweet's 7.62 is the strongest bore cleaner I have ever used. Don't leave it in the bore too long. Shooters Choice MC #7 is a good bore cleaner. It's what I use on my guns.

Cleanzoil, Shooter's Choice and Hoppe's have all worked well for me over the last few decades. If it is truly that bad, take several patches, soaked in solvent and leave them in the barrel for a few days.

I saved a "pretty disgusting" bore one time with Sweet's 7.62 and J-B bore cleaner. It was a lot of work but it was a nice shooter when I was done.

Hoppes elite works real good. I been on a project with my millsurps. The elite is getting them clean. I have the green/blue patches coming out from copper. Also had slivers of lead come out. And grey/blackish patches from carbon. I thought my mosin was pitted. The pits are gone. I have some high spotting of fouling that im after. My Mauser has some high spots that are coming along too. Both bores have some shine to them now.

Slip 2000 Carbon Killer http://www.slip2000.com/slip2000_carbon_killer.php

"pretty disgusting" how?

Lead, rust, copper, spider webs, ear wax.....

I'd go at it first with a brush, some very hot water and pine-sol just to see what ya got's .

Todd.

AlFarkle said:

. . . described by local gunsmith as "pretty disgusting".

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I've never seen a .45 ACP pistol barrel copper foul to any remarkable degree, so I can't imagine you'll need nuclear powered copper solvent. I expect you're more likely to find carbon (soak in any carbon solvent), lead (scrub with copper chore boy), or rust (clean, test, fit a new barrel).

frogfurr said:

I saved a "pretty disgusting" bore one time with Sweet's 7.62 and J-B bore cleaner. It was a lot of work but it was a nice shooter when I was done.

Click to expand...

I've used this combination on several milsurp rifles, but it would be a lot less work, and not terribly expensive, to just replace the barrel.

Let it soak with some brown vinegar for about an hour. Then clean it with some Dawn &water, and see what it looks like.
Stronger options, automatic transmission fluid, and or brush solvent. Soak it for a while, in the ATF. Only run the brush
solvent for a couple minutes, it's pretty strong.

If the barrel is really that far gone, I'd also recommend a replacement.

I have a tall olive jar full of what was then called "benchrest blend" 1:1 Kroil and Shooter's Choice. Three DAYS soak has gotten out all the fouling I could put in a 1911 barrel.
Years of neglect? Etch the barrel? You probably have more damage than the most aggressive solvent would do, but it doesn't hurt to try.
I got a lot of kidding when I mis-diagnosed a bad looking barrel that cleaned up when done right. But the owner won.

I have probably half a dozen cleaners ranging from light to severe. Personally I would just start with the lowest strength I have and work up. Using a borescope to check the cleaning as I move from product to product. Sweets 762 is the strongest stuff I have and there have been very few things that hasn't cleaned.

Standard GUNK Carburetor Parts Cleaner.
Soak it overnight.
Dry patch it.
Walk away.

Go to Harbor Freights and buy an inexpensive sonic cleaner and drop the parts in it with the Hornady's One Shot sonic cleaner, it is what I use on my 1911's.

I would make a little trough out of aluminum foil, drop the barrel in it then pour Break Free CLP in there completely submerging the barrel and leave it for 24 hours. I would try cleaning it then. If still bad, dump a little CLP out, add some, resubmerge for another day then see what you’ve got.

Don't let mere appearance get you too far down. I've seen some pretty disgusting-looking bores (rifles, though it should be said) that shot just fine after I did what I could. So, just do the best you can as far as what's reasonable and practicable and then if the gun shoots just fine, be satisfied with it. But if not, the barrel in a pistol is easily replaced, though not without some financial pain.

AlFarkle How is the 1911 coming along?

Ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Greens Professional, which is safe for metal. 120 degrees for half hour and it will be clean.

JB Bore paste if it's bad
https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...mbedding-bore-cleaning-compound-prod1160.aspx

Other places as well, just linked Brownells.

The big question is did she shoot corrosive primers?

A new barrel is relatively inexpensive but may require fitting by a competent gunsmith.

Depends on what it really is, there are so many different guns CALLED "1911" these days.
If USGI 1911 or 1911A1, he could probably run down a field replacement barrel by High Standard, Flannery Bolt, or a post war contractor that would drop right in.

Or it could be like the prewar National Match my gunsmith got in. The original barrel was apparently rusted by chlorate primed ammo not wet cleaned and a replacement barrel was obviously hacked up by Bubba. He properly fitted a new barrel.