can't get copper out of new remington

[Curator]

New guns often copper foul badly until they're broken in. There is an easy way to get all the copper out without using 100 patches over several days. You can't scrub copper out it has to be chemically disolved. Ammonia hydroxide is the most common chemical that will do this without attacking the barrel steel. Actually Ammonia will "etch" steel if allowed to become too concentrated. This is why copper solvents like Sweets #7.62 warn against leaving it in the bore for too long. As the volatile carrier evaporates the Ammonia becomes more concentrated. At one point (about 20% solution) it will cause micro-pitting over time.

Here's how to use Ammonia solutions effectively without risk to your barrel's rifling. First throughly clean the bore with a good "nitro solvent." This will remove ironed on powder granuals. Next, throughly degrease the bore using acetone, denatured alcohol, or automotive brake cleaner. Once this is done, find a rubber cup or plug that will seal the muzzle. Remove the bolt or open the action. Stand the gun on its muzzle and using a turkey baster fill the bore up to the chamber with regular household (2%) Ammonia cleaner. Allow the gun to stand overnight. The next day remove the muzzle plug and watch the blue disolved copper pour out. Really badly fouled bores moght require another overnight soak.

Since the Ammonia can only evaporate a very small amount where it is exposed in the chamber, its concentration cannot change much. Also, ther are millions of hungry Ammonia ions in the bore just waiting to combine with the copper. I occasionally use "Janitorial strength" (10% solution) Ammonia when cleaning old Mil-surp rifles using this method. My borescope shows no sigh of micro-pitting or any damage, but a clean bore with no copper.

 

[gdesloge]

Interesting. Thank you, Curator.

gd

 

[sansone]

curater- I will try that immediately. Got amonia, and I can use your method without further cleaning rod abuse. thanks

 

[blackwalnut]

Re: copper in my remington....

You may not get all of it out and be careful with these chemicals and your cleaning rod. I have a couple Rems that shoot great and I can never get all the fouling out. Sometimes its just a fact of life. the writer John Barsness wrote alot about this subject along with all kinds of crazy barrel break in procedures. He said and I say just clean it with a quality cleaner like Hoppes Benchrest 9 for instance (one of my favorites) per directions until the patches come clean. Some Rem barrels are a little rough from the manufacturing process and will always copper foul to some degree but shoot well. Clean it and dont obsess over it. have fun shooting !

 

[_N4Z_]

You got a fever to get the copper out???

The prescription is KG-12.


Sweets7.62, Barnes CR-10... Those both work pretty well, but KG-12 in my experience is better/quicker. I liked the way it worked so well I went and bought a bigger back up jug.

 

[BrocLuno]

+1 on the KG12.

I do agree on regular household ammonia with a plugged muzzle.

But for field use (deer camp?), KG12 works great on patches. Sweets works too. KG12 does NOT have any ammonia in the formula, so the concentration does not change.

All the high power copper cleaners will attack stock finishes, so be careful like cleaning the rifle upside down from the action end so it can drip onto the ground w/o touching wood

 

[rscalzo]

Sweets 7.62

Smells like hell but it works.

 

[Kilgor]

Seems like a lot of over analyzing for something that doesn't make much of a difference in the shooting experience. Run a few patches through, oil it, shoot it. Rinse, lather, repeat.

 

[LeonCarr]

Every Remington 700 I have ever owned had a barrel that fouled heavily. After "breaking in" the barrel using JB Bore Cleaner on a patch for 100 strokes, the dry patches slide through the bore much easier and subsequent cleanings are much easier.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Float Pilot]

CopperZilla, Just follow the instructions. It cleared up a 100 year old rifle right down to the shiny metal.

 

[redbullitt]

Why are you removing the copper? I mean is it shooting poorly?

I mean I have about 600 rounds down my 308 since my last cleaning (Not counting an occasional bore snake slither). When it starts to shoot bad, then I do it. Otherwise, I haven't seen a reason to yet.

 

[Coal Dragger]

Removing all copper all the time may not be strictly needed, but if you want to clean and get the copper (and everything else out) without much scrubbing try one of the foaming bore cleaners. Just spray the foam in, and let it work over the course of 30 minutes (an hour works better in my experience) go drink a beer, mow the lawn, check your e-mail whatever. Come back run a nylon brush back and forth about 10 times, and then a few patches on the end of a jag. The liquid that comes out will be a very dark blue/black. Keep patching until they come out clean, if needs be hit it with more foam. I have yet to need to do it more than once. I finish up with an oiled patch to neutralize any left over solvents, and then a dry patch.

 

[FlyinBryan]

there is some great material in "the m1 garand owners guide" by scott duff, on the difference between copper "removers" and copper "solvents"

he pretty much says the way to tell a good copper solvent is to wet a patch and run it through the bore. let the solvent stay in a few hrs and run another patch through.

if it comes out green its probably a pretty good solvent....................................................................... if its still wet and comes out green after an extended period, like over night, its probably a very good solvent.

if it doesnt it probably works by principle of abrasion (read sandpaper)