copper remover

[savagelover]

What are some of you finding to be the best
copper remover? My barrel rarely got copper
until I started shooting Hornady bullets...Now
I have lots to get cleaned out,befor going back
to the Bergers i normaly use..
I used to love Butch's Bore Shine. But,it does
not seem to be working very well now..I wonder
if it gets weaker as it ages ?Well,thanks anyway.

 

[Tony k]

My Savage 111 in .270 is the same way. It will show visible copper in the rifling near the muzzle after less than 20 rounds. I recently use it in a match, and after 48 rounds it was pretty bad. A friend mentioned that it was likely caused by using hornady bullets. Yo uare the second person I've heard mention that hornday bullets can cause more copper fouling than other bullets. Anyone else have that experience?

Anyway, I've use quite a bit of that foaming stuff that comes in a blue can. I can't remember the name, but it seems to everywhere. It works pretty good and is pretty easy to use.

I've got some Sweets 7.62 that I haven't tried that much. For some reason that big warning about only leaving it on there for 15 minutes max makes me a little leery of using it too much.

I've most recently tried Hoppes copper fouling remover. It seems to work well, and I like that you let it sit overnight.

Haven't tried bore shine.

 

[witchhunter]

I have noticed that they all lose potency with age. Sweets has been the favorite, but the last bit in the bottle doesn't seem to get it done anymore. I have some Montana Extreme, it seems to be working great while it is still fairly new. I shoot a lot of Vmax bullets through my pdog rifles and they will show copper every time I clean them. I will usually soak Hoppes in the bore overnight, then get it cleaned up the next night.

 

[MtnCreek]

KG Big Bore. Works good and not dangerous like sweets. Start with Carbon, then move to Copper. I run another Carbon patch after the first Copper/Dry patch.

IMHO, a parker hale jag shortens the work.

 

[Rule3]

The best and only 1 of maybe 2 that actually remove copper is KG 12.

You can search the tests, or read anecdotal replies. It actually works unlike most snake oils. I have a Savage Varmint and use it. I own about every toxic snake oil product made so have tried them all.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/144092/kg-kg-12-big-bore-cleaning-solvent-4-oz?cm_vc=ProductFinding

 

[USSR]

While I started out using Butch's Bore Shine, I quickly found that Montana Extreme's .50BMG (I believe it has a different name now) to be a much better copper remover.

Don

 

[osprey176]

I have been using Barnes CR 10 for a couple years now and have been very happy with the results I get with it.

 

[itsa pain]

My Savage 111 in .270 is the same way. It will show visible copper in the rifling near the muzzle after less than 20 rounds. I recently use it in a match, and after 48 rounds it was pretty bad. A friend mentioned that it was likely caused by using hornady bullets. Yo uare the second person I've heard mention that hornday bullets can cause more copper fouling than other bullets. Anyone else have that experience?

Anyway, I've use quite a bit of that foaming stuff that comes in a blue can. I can't remember the name, but it seems to everywhere. It works pretty good and is pretty easy to use.

I've got some Sweets 7.62 that I haven't tried that much. For some reason that big warning about only leaving it on there for 15 minutes max makes me a little leery of using it too much.

I've most recently tried Hoppes copper fouling remover. It seems to work well, and I like that you let it sit overnight.

Haven't tried bore shine.

Stick with the foam it works the best for me and added benefit of never having to scrub the bore and damage it. I have ruined a couple of very accurate guns with Sweets 7.62

 

[230RN]

I have noticed that they all lose potency with age. Sweets has been the favorite, but the last bit in the bottle doesn't seem to get it done anymore.

Whenever you smell something, it means there are vapors coming off it. I would assume the "usual" active ingredient in copper removers is ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) and that goes away pretty quick every time the container is opened. However, other "actives" might also go away when the container is opened.

I doubt that it's some kind of internal chemical reaction which goes on in a sealed container that reduces its potency, but it's possible.

Terry, 230RN

More if desired: "Gun corrosion and ammunition developments" in Hatcher's Notebook, p. 334 ff.

 

[hoghunting]

I mainly use Hornady bullets and haven't noticed any more fouling than any of the other brands I've used. The foaming cleaner Wipe-Out is the easiest and best carbon and copper cleaner I have tried. No need for brushes, just spray the foam into the barrel, let it set - I usually leave it in overnight as it does not contain ammonia - then patch it out the next day. 2 or 3 patches is all it takes, doesn't get much easier than that.

 

[Bruno2]

Most rifle barrels will start to foul after 12-15 rounds and accuracy heads downward. I used to by a product called copper melt. It was the best stuff there was. The guy that was making stopped for whatever reason. I wuld like to find something else as well.

 

[UKWildcats]

I shoot mainly hornady and it does seem to show cooper quick.

I use boretech eliminator
- I have tried everything and it seems to work best
- it has no smell so basement friendly
- it works on carbon, might not be best at carbon but does work

UK

 

[Ankeny]

KG 12 seems to work with mild copper fouling. The best stuff I have ever used is Witches' Brew, but it is mildly abrasive so use it with a brush and not on a tight fitting patch.

 

[moxie]

Hoppe's Bench Rest Copper has always worked well for me.

 

[SunnySlopes]

I was actually just talking to my gunsmith about this very issue.

He lamented the fact that more people do damage to their firearms than ever caused by copper fouling. He said that even if you successfully remove all traces, it's going to come back as soon as you fire copper bullets.

Bruno said,

Most rifle barrels will start to foul after 12-15 rounds and accuracy heads downward

Sorry, that's not my experience. That sounds like a) defective ammo or b) a really sensitive barrel?

YMMV.

 

[Rule3]

Scroll down a bit for the results of but one test. If you can find concentrated ammonia it is cheap and works but you need to be careful.

http://www.frfrogspad.com/cleaners.htm

 

[denton]

At Ace Hardware, you can buy 10% janitorial ammonia. Mix it 50-50 with liquid detergent, and you have a close approximation of Sweet's. It works, and it's about $.25 for a Sweet's size bottle.

I generally use Wipe Out.

 

[wddodge]

Gunslick foaming bore cleaner works great. Have the bore sitting slightly downhill, fill with foam and look at the puddle of blue stuff on the floor in about an hour.

Denny

 

[PabloJ]

I eat organic, Kosher, and use BoreTech Eliminator to clean rifled barrels through which copper jacketed bullets were shot. Was I dreaming or do ammonia containing copper solvents turn chromed bores black?

 

[mugsie]

You clean your rifles?

 

[PabloJ]

I used to when I had a few and was avid reader of Precision Shooting. Having bought one recently I'm back in rifle shooting business.

 

[HankB]

After working a brass brush through the bore a few times to remove any surface soot from the powder, I've found that corking up the barrel at one end and filling it up with Hoppe's #9 for an overnight soak works pretty well - and Hoppe's is one solvent that won't hurt the bore with an extended soak. In fact, the label says it ". . . cleans bores and prevents rust . . . "

I haven't noticed a problem with Hornady bullets, but Barnes X-bullets were terrible when it came to both copper fouling and accuracy in my rifle.

There are some powders on the market now which are advertised with formulations to reduce or eliminate copper fouling - has anyone here tried them yet?

 

[50 Shooter]

Been using Boretech Eliminator for years, its also 100% safe for you and the environment. Cleans copper and carbon out of your barrel better then most other cleaners on the market.

Now after years of being on the market, they have made a new better cleaner called CU2. I guess I'll give it a try when I run out of my current stock of Eliminator.

 

[Speedo66]

"New" doesn't always mean better. New sometimes means they were forced to remove the chemicals that actually worked, but were on EPA's ban list.

 

[bullzeye8]

I use wipeout and it works good. It doesn't hurt your barrel like ammonia ones and you just spray it down the barrel it foams up let it soak overnight and then run a few patches through and the barrel is clean