Butch's Bore Shine - Regular Use???

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Werewolf

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I AM IN NO WAY NOW NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANUFACTURER OF BUTCH'S BORE SHINE

A problem I've had for years has been the removal of copper fouling from barrels. Over the years I've tried copper removing solutions from hoppes, sweets, birchwood casey and a number of others that I can't remember.

Invariably if they worked at all it took a good soak and multiple scrubbings. It was a real pain to do though. So I usually ended up with most of the copper out and a streak or two left in the barrel.

I never bothered with Butch's Bore Shine because all the ads and articles I read about it just sounded too good to be true and in my 52 years on this earth it's been my experience that things that sound just too good to be true usually are.

Well - I placed a pretty large order with MidwayUSA last weekend and figured what the hell - why not try some. So I got 4 oz's worth.

In typical Midway fashion my order shipped on Monday and it was in my hands on Wednesday. Bored while waiting for thanksgiving dinner I decided to try out the Butch's on a fouled up CZ75 and my Sig P220.

Butch's is my new bore cleaner (maybe). The copper came out in just minutes on both weapons. On the Sig I swabbed some across the breach face (which looked clean to me) just for the heck of it and couldn't believe the amount of black crud that came off of it.

I'm a believer - this is good stuff. Maybe too good.

It works so well and so fast I'm concerned it may be removing barrel metal.

Anyone else that uses Butch's Bore Shine regularly have any problems with it over the long run? Is it the kind of stuff you should use just every now and then or can it be used regularly?
 
Plug one end of the barrel. Stand the gun vertically. Fill the bore with garden variety household ammonia. Let it stand an hour or two. Clean it the way you regularly do.

I don't doubt there are additional worthy ingredients in Bore Shine, but have never encountered copper fouling that could stand up to ammonia. Smells good? No. Effective? Yes.
 
Werewolf,

Since you have used both Butch's and Sweets 7.62, would you make any comparison comments about which is better and why. From your post I presume you prefer Butch's over Sweets.

I'm a big fan of Sweet's 7.62. It works extremly well on any heavily copper fouled barrels I might have. Its hard to imagine that Butch's might be significantly better, but if so I'd like to hear why.

TIA,

Rob
 
If your seeing black on the patches it could be metal that your removing. If it's anything like JB compound that says it micro polishes the barrel it's removing metal. You don't want to remove metal as your damaging your barrel.

If you want the absolute best try 28% aqua ammonia, be sure to wear gloves and use in a very open space. You can find it at a pool supply store or a place that has copier supplies. Mix in about a cap full of dish soap into about 8-12oz so that that it sticks to the barrel. When you finish be sure to put a light coat of oil in your barrel.

I recently started using BoreTechs "eliminator" copper solvent, doesn't have any ammonia and works really well.
 
Generally I only do a copper removal every third cleaning or so when I can actually see the orange-copper build up along the edge of a land - i.e. long copper colored stripes running down the length of the lands. To see this I shine a bore light into the muzzle end of a barrel and look at the lands and grooves within an inch or so of the crown - you cannot see copper in a barrel by shining a bore light into the breach and looking in the muzzle or vice-versa (at least I cannot).

Sweets generally took me 15 to 20 minutes of work to get a bore free of copper. I had to use multiple patches and usually a scrubbing with a phosphor-bronze brush (nylon didn't work).

With the Butch's amazingly it only takes 1 or 2 soaked patches, let sit a minute or two and then a quick scrub with a nylon brush... less than 5 minutes.

There were however white stipes left where the copper was. This was quickly removed with a quick application of Breakfree CLP and a patch (I tried Hoppes #9 too and it also removed the white streaks). Then a dry patch to get out the CLP and then a patch lightly oiled with Hoppes oil for storage.

The major difference between sweets and butch's was the time and physical labor required. Butch's took a lot less time and effort.

Some of the stuff I've tried doesn't work at all. For example Pro-Shot Copper Removal Formula IV might as well be water. CLP is supposed to work on copper - it doesn't (not for me anyway). Birch Wood Casey Bore scrubber works but it takes mucho physical labor and time (3 or 4 cleanings over a period of a week).

IMO Sweets runs a 2nd to Butch's in ease of removal now that I've used it.

Of course that's just been 1 day on 3 different guns now (CZ-75B, SW 1911 - done since 1st post - and a Sig P220). I have yet to try it on a rifle. My M1 Garand is especially prone to copper fouling. Only time will tell if my initial enthusiasm for Butch's is deserved.
 
Werewolf - thanks for your comments about Butch's vs. Sweets. I think I'll have to try some when I come upon a bottle. From your comments its seems to be clearly better than the Sweets I've been using for copper fouled bores.

I'm not sure where you heard that CLP is supposed to be able to remove copper fouling but in my experience with the stuff I've never heard that.

I've used CLP/Breakfree as my standard cleaner/lubricant since it was adopted by the US Army in the 80's. I probably have a gallon or so of it sitting on a shelf.

I like the *overall* performance of CLP. But for lots of powder fouling its not very good - that's when I break out the Hoppes #9. As for copper fouling, like you experienced, I've never seen that it has any effect on it at all.

Regards,

Rob
 
I used BBS in my varmint rifles for several years. It worked well for 20 - 40 round wipes, and for thorough cleaning at days'end.

I still use BBS to wipe out my bores every XX rounds to keep the carbon build-up down.

For "days end" thorough cleaning, I've switched to "Wipe-Out" foam. Talk about "Too good to be true!" :D Apply, let soak overnight, patch out. Clean :eek: A really funky rifle might require multiple treatments, but I don't let my rifles get that dirty ;)
This is the best stuff I've seen in the last half century... :what:

Tom
 
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