How to tell difference between copper, lead, and carbon fouling?

If you shoot jacketed bullets then you will have copper fouling.
If you shoot lead bullets then you will have lead fouling.
If you're shooting shot shells then you'll have plastic fouling.
If you shoot rifled slugs then you'll have lead fouling.
Carbon fouling comes from the burnt gunpowder and is present in all types of ammo.

If you look into a dirty bore it will probably all look black due to the carbon.
If you wipe that off then copper fouling looks like streaks of copper.
Lead fouling looks like streaks of white but if it's thick then it can look like flakes of metal.

If you look down the barrel from the muzzle end and you see blue streaks you have copper fouling.
Other then the type of solvent used you clean the barrel the same, soak with solvent, bronze brush, clean patch then repeat lots of times.

Koginam

I was reading somewhere(can't remember due to ole age) that a copper solvent would eat a bronze brush. I don't know this to be fact tho I just bought some nylon brushes just in case it's true.

Anyone know if this is true or not?

Copper

Hey there:
A good bronze cleaning brush and most copper solvents will clean your barrel. Some take longer then others but thats not a big deal. Faster is not always better. If there is copper your rags will turn blueish green . Clean until it is gone. That may take a whlie no matter what you use. Many many strokes with the brush will be needed. Harsh chemicals are just that "Harsh" and not always the best answer. Depending on how many rounds have been put down the tube, cleaning may be fast or could take a while. You do not have to get it all. Some guns shoot better slightly fouled anyway.
The copper solvents on the market today usually remove lead fouling also.
Plastic fouling is most common in the Muzzle Loaders and most of the time only with Magnum loads. Brushing will get it out. Don't be shy . 50 or 60 trips down the barrel is not too many, with the brush. Nylon brushes do not work as well as bronze.

Some of the stronger copper solvents will eat up a bronze brush if you don't wash it carefully with soap and water before you put it away. Sweets 7.62 will for one. No problem if you just wash it out good before putting it away.

tazmajazz: A "lead-away" cloth works really well to clean the black off of the face of a cylinder.

http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/product174.html

A "lead-away" cloth works really well to clean the black off of the face of a cylinder.

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It will if it's a stainless gun.

If it is a blued gun, it won't be blued after you use a "lead-Away" cloth on it.

It will take the bluing off just as fast as it takes the lead off!

No, Brass bore brushes will not scratch a gun. Go for it!

rcmodel

A blued finish actually looks black... if your gun is shiny, smooth, and black, it's most likely blued. If you hold it at a certain angle to the light, you can see the blue tint.

If it's black and not shiny smooth, it could be any number of finishes. Different handgun manufacturers use different processes to finish their guns. Bluing isn't very durable, so it tends to rub off from holster wear or if you try to polish it.

so the 'lead away' should only be used on stainless steel?

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That's correct - it's actually an abrasive cloth that scrubs off the marks on the cylinder and frame. Since stainless steel is the same color all the way through it doesn't show where you scrubbed. Blued steel has a black shiny finish, but if you scrub it down it will show the plain steel color underneath, and will be prone to rusting. If it's black and has a texture, it's another type of finish but you still don't want to scrub it off.