One More Question about Ammonia Based Cleaning Solvents

[pdh]

Guys I am a worry wart I guess.Just one more question pertaining to this subject.

Is it necessary after cleaning your barrel with strong based ammonia cleaners such as Sweets that you need to swabb out the barrel with alcohol to neutralize the ammonia?

Was told if you do not do this step,your barrel will pit.Looks like to me the manufacture of these cleaners will tell you to do this,if it is a necessary step!

 

[hps1]

After using Sweets, I dry patch the barrel and run a wet Hope's Bench Rest patch thru it and let it sit a while, then dry patch again & check for any traces of copper (Usually find none), then apply coat of oil if rifle is to sit a while before shooting. Never had any problems.

Regards,
hps

PS Have heard that one should not follow Sweet's w/Shooter's Choice or vice versa due to some undesireable chemical reaction between the two but have no first hand experience in that regard.

 

[dakotasin]

my routine is similiar to hps1's...

clean w/ hoppes, 2 dry patches. clean until copper appears to be gone w/ barnes cr-10 or shooter's choice. 2 dry patches. 2 patches w/ hoppes. 2 dry patches. 1 hoppes patch and store overnight if i am not satisfied gun is clean. if gun is clean, 1 oil patch followed by 1 very loose dry patch. store.

i have used alcohol in the past, but felt the step was unnecessary. do not worry too much about ammonia solvents. i usually let my barrels soak for 15-20 minutes w/ ammonia solvent in it. when you are done w/ the ammonia, just dry patch the gun, then run a patch or two of hoppes down the tube.

another note, i highly reccomend a bore guide. it really helps keep solvents in the barrel and not all over everything else.

 

[pdh]

Big thanks fellas.That is pretty much the way I clean.
Paul