Copper Fouling

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miamivicedade

miamivicedade

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Hello. I have a 1 year old Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 and have shot it 3 times, for a total of 100 rounds, or so. I clean it ever time, lube it properly, and every month run a patch down the barrel and wipe the gun down.

During the cleaning process I have used Kleen Bore, Hoppes 9, Pro Shot all in one cleaner, but there appears to be copper fouling still in the rifling. How the heck does one get this out?
 
Keep cleaning till it's gone.




Several copper cleaners, like Barnes CR10, have specific instructions on the label for best results. Be sure to follow directions.




Are you sure you're still getting copper? If you use a bronze cleaning rod, the blue patch is due to the copper cleaner disolving the rod.
 
What else would the coloring be on the rifling? I know it's not rust. It's way too smooth and has never not been lubed. I do use a bronze brush, and when I look down the barrel it looks clean as a whistle, bust I can see copper in the rifling.
 
The copper is gone when a patch does not come out blue (assuming you are using a real copper solvent, not a plain powder solvent that says 'Good for copper').

Are you sure that's copper? What makes you think so? Carbon and lead also fill the grooves. And rust.
 
the color makes me believe it's copper. I am using pro-shot solvent that has copper listed.
 
Instead of Hoppe's #9. Use Hoppe's Benchrest #9. It is a copper solvent. Or Butch's Bore Shine. Make sure you run an oil patch after removing the copper. Make sure you run a dry patch before firing the weapon...
 
Leave it alone unless it is really thick and affecting accuracy.
Some copper in the bore isn't going to hurt anything.
The harsh chemical copper-removers can really screw up a barrel, though. They should be used sparingly and only when truly necessary.
JMHO, others will disagree.
 
I recently purchased a Browning X Bolt .270 which started out copper fouling. After several internet seaches is decided to try KG 12. It worked real well. It work best with a little patience. Mop it in, let it set a few minutes then patch it out. A lot of times i just slide the mop back and forth and let it gently dissolve the copper. Then patch it out again. I didn't use a barrel break in. I typically shoot 20 to 40 rounds each time out. Came from the range this weekend after shooting my 140th round and for the first time, absolutely no fouling and the rilfe is shooting better than ever. With cheap ammo i'm grouping 3/4" @ 100 yd.
 
After many years experience cleaning with various products, KG12 is the best. I had to order it online (Midway) as the local shop guys didn't even know what it was.

If you can't find it then CR10 or Sweets7.62 are good products.

But the KG kicks copper butt, and quickly.
 
I've used Sweets 7.62 for quite a while but for stubborn copper JB Non embeding bore paste works great. Also I haven't tried it but the testing I've seen show KG12 to be far superior to virtually all products.
 
Make sure you aren't using phosphor bronze brushes. Copper solvents will eat them, and leave blue oxidized copper residue in the bore. Your patches will come out blue, but its coming from the brush. Use nylon brushes or just tight patches with copper solvents.

Also, copper fouling in the bore is not a bad thing. It tends to fill in the tiny imperfections in the steel and usually makes for a more accurate barrel. Benchrest and longrange shooters shoot fouling shots prior to shooting for score. As with everything else, moderation is key.
 
Hummm...I've been using "phosphous bronze" brushes for well over 50 years. Copper removing solvents may have an adverse reaction to the brushes, but they are cheap and what other brush will you use. Stainless? Synthetic? Right...Next?
 
"phosphous bronze" brushes are the way to go. Yes, the strong copper solvents are rough on them, but they work the best. I won't put a SS one in my bore, and plastic is a waste of time.

Use something like carb cleaner etc to spray down the rod (You are using a one piece rod, right?) and especially the brush every time to get the solvent off so it won't keep eating at it. Wipe the rod off with a clean rag every time it comes out of the bore.
 
LaserSpot said:
J-B paste works well when solvents don't do the trick. It's kind of like using toothpaste to brush your teeth
Click to expand...

Another product that works well is Nu-Finish Car Polish. I was reading an article about j-B Bore Paste and then got to thinking. I use the Nu-Finish when polishing my brass and thought I'd try it in my Remington 700SS 5-R Mil Spec. I had just finished cleaning the bore with some Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner. The foam was blue when it was removed from the barrel after a thirty minute soak. Also lots of black powder residue. After final cleaning of the bore with hoppes and numerous clean patches I thought I was finished. The last patches were clean and white. THEN, I took a patch, moistened it with some Nu-Finish and wrapped it around a brass jag. Started working it through the bore, using the same instructions that Brownell's sends with the J-B. The first patch looked like it had come from the bore of a freshly fired black powder rifle. This was AFTER I thought the bore was spotless. A couple more patches with Nu-Finish and they came out clean. The bore I THOUGHT was clean now sparkled and looked like it had been chromed and polished.

My first (cold bore) shot at the next range session was dead center of the target. The next 4 rounds were within 1/4", all shot at 100 yards.

The polishing compounds in Nu-Finish are designed to not damage Clear Coated car finishes which are far softer than the interior of a rifle barrel. Coupled with the cleaning solvents, they sure did a great job on my rifle with no effect on accuracy other than positive.
 
You're not going to get the barrel so clean that you can't get something to show up on a patch. Relax. More guns are ruined by bad cleaning habits than by anything else.
 
Last edited:
If fouled barrels were more accurate, then why waste time cleaning?
Click to expand...
Because, if you don't clean your gun, it might jam or get rusty. A rifle with light fouling may be more accurate than when it was freshly cleaned because the condition of the bore is more consistent.
 
Also by the time you get your rifle sighted in the barrel is fouled. Most hunters will usually fire three fouling shots just before season opens.
 
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