That Dreaded Carbon Ring

[velocette]

The ring that few know about or care about.
Right where the case mouth ends is where carbon builds up in a ring. Its caused by bullet lubricant, gun oil, primer & gunpowder residue. It is hard to remove and can be difficult to see.
.22 rimfire is among the worst with their lubricated bullets and low pressure. The ring when it gets bad can and will cause high pressure by restricting the passage of the bullet. At the same time it can and does affect accuracy and not in a positive manner. All firearms suffer from this problem, jacketed bullets much less than lead bullets.
How to deal with the dreaded carbon ring? Normal cleaning does not remove it unless your cleaning regimen includes specific attention to the chamber just in front of where the case mouth resides.
What does work is carbon remover and a LOT of elbow grease.
Find a carbon remover solvent such as Bore Tech C4 Carbon Remover, (there are others, Bore Tech is just the brand I use), follow the directions and have patience.

 

[The Kingfish]

Use Mothers mag & aluminum or Flitz polish on a tight fitting patch and spin it on low to moderate speed with a drill.

I wrap the patch around an old worn out brass brush. It removes the ring and buffs/shines the entire chamber.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

A piece of Chore Boy copper scrubber wrapped around an old bore brush works for me.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Long ago my father always cleaned his cylinder in his single six. I asked him why? He explained about the carbon ring. And cleaning it after shooting keeps it from forming. I do the same too.

 

[Ru4real]

LOL carbon ring is not a thing.

Being lazy is, however.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

LOL carbon ring is not a thing.

Being lazy is, however.

Or shooting a heck of a lot of ammo in each session. I very rarely shoot more than one box of ammo between cleanings, and always follow up with solvent and a few passes with a brush through the barrel and in each chamber. Carbon and lubricant fouling doesn't get much chance to build up.

FWIW, I probably spend the most time carefully removing all traces of carbon from the front of the cylinder using Flitz and a toothbrush.

 

[trackskippy]

It is a thing, and more noticeable if you shoot a lot of shorter cases in a longer cased gun.

Its a lot less noticeable if you clean your guns on a regular basis.

I picked up an Model 65 S&W that when I got it, required a little effort to get all the rounds to seat on loading, and needed the empty cases beat out of the gun with a block of wood when you went to reload. Gave it a real good cleaning when I got home, and used a over belled 357 case to clear the chambers of crap the other guy apparently couldnt be bothered to do. After that, the rounds dropped right in and popped right out with just a wack of the palm during a reload.

I no longer shoot 38's in my 357's or 44 specials in my 44mags. That alone solves a lot of the ring problem.

22lr's are just dirty shooters as it is, and lot of that isnt as much a ring in the chamber as it is crap at the back of the chambers where the rim seats. Thats a big cause of misfires due to light primer strikes. Either way, they need to be thoroughly cleaned after every outing if you want them to work properly.

And llke Dave, Im anal about cleaning the front of the cylinder as well. You understand why, when its become an issue in the past.

 

[Hal]

I keep a handfull of spent Hyper Velociy .22Stingers in my cleaning kit.
They are a tiny bit longer than a .22lr case.
I push one into the chamber(s) - just as I do with a spent .357mag case after shooting .38spl & a .44 mag case after shooting .44 spl.

Also and more importantly - I clean my guns as soon as I get them home after I shoot them.
I tend to agree with the statement above about being lazy.

In my lazy youth, I ruined a few guns by not cleaning them quickly enough after a day at the range on a hit humid day in the Summer. The sweat and oils from my sweaty hands destroyed a nice case hardened frame.
I learned my lesson from that & it's never happened again.

 

[billybob44]

All GREAT ideas listed upthread. The over-belled case does work well to start with=BOTH from the rear and the FRONT of the cylinder. Mother's Mag Wheel polish to follow..
You can also use a caliber size up=On .22 caliber I use a .243 brush, on .357" diameter I use a .40 S&W brush. This on a cordless tool-Forward and Reverse, with solvent soaked patch+brushes works well for me.
I would guess?? that I do this probably every 300-400 rounds, or always for the SUPER Clean to show-off, or put up for sale..Bill.

 

[BobWright]

Never been too concerned with carbon build-up. I coat my guns, chambers and all, with my 50/50 blend of Three-In-One oil and automotive motor oil. The carbon that builds up in auto engines is the same stuff that builds up in guns. Motor oil prevents build-up.

Bob Wright

 

[gwpercle]

All you have to do is clean the revolver chambers while you are cleaning the rest of the gun ...
it isn't rocket science .

Those who don't clean their guns are lazy ... at my house , after a hunt , all the guns were cleaned and put away before you had supper and went to bed ... the "Old Man" was a stickler about gun cleaning !
Gary

 

[Walkalong]

A bronze brush on a drill with your favorite bore cleaner/carbon getter etc.

 

[Y-T71]

I shot nothing but .38 spl through my Security Six for 7-8 years, but,I
I cleaned it regularly.

When I did end up firing .357 mag out of it I had no problems.

Clean your guns folks.

 

[Ru4real]

Carbon ring is like saying if you shoot lead bullets, eventually your barrel groves will fill up with lead, accuracy will go away, and your bullets will begin key holing.

Both are true, eventually.

Unless of course, you do something about it.

 

[mcb]

Maybe with traditional lubricated lead bullets and fast dirty powders this might actually be an issue. That said I have shot a heap of ammo through a variety of revolvers and never had an issue with a carbon ring forming in a cylinder bad enough to cause issues. This includes running more that 1200 rds of 38 Short Colt in a 357 mag using hot loads of Titegroup and poly coated bullets without cleaning. I also did over 1200 rd of molly coated lead bullets and bullseye in a 45 ACP revolver.

Is a carbon ring a real and possible thing? Yes, but in my experience you have to be using some filthy awful ammo and/or completely neglecting the revolver to form a carbon ring bad enough to cause problem.

 

[cfullgraf]

I've never had a problem with the carbon ring building up in any of my revolvers until I got an S&W Model 610. I shot a box or two of 40 S&W reloads in the gun. Then the 10mm rounds would not chamber until the chambers were cleaned.

I routinely clean my guns and chambers anyway.

For the last 8-10 years, I've had revolvers chambered in the shorter version of magnum rounds (38 Special and 357 magnum, 44 Special and 44 Magnum, 32 Fed mag, 32 H&R Mag, and 32 SWL) So, I keep the shorter cases for the revolvers chambered for the shorter cartridges.

 

[243winxb]

"Chamber" brush = No carbon issues.

carbon ring is not a thing.

I agree for the most part.

One day, i had a bright idea. Save my 243 Win barrel by not using a bronze brush. In a very short time, i could not run a cleaning patch in easly. Getting blocked by something?

Using the bronze brush again, fixed it.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/carbon-in-barrel.1383/

 

[Jonesy814]

I shoot revolvers all the time and never had a problem with the carbon ring, probably because I clean my guns after each use. I tend to use an oversized bronze brush for cylinder charge holes. A.40 caliber brush works great for 38/357. If you clean your revolver I don’t see why you wouldn’t clean out the charge holes too. That’s part of the job and those holes are dirtier than the barrel

 

[Russ57]

For me, it wasn't carbon but lead. I was shooting .357" Remington 148 grain HBWC's in a Colt OMM. The Colt's chambers needed a .359" bullet.

When I cleaned the gun, the solvent left the lead the same color as the chamber, so I didn't notice it. It became obvious when I was trying to determine chamber size. At first, I thought I needed to ream some of the tight chambers (LOL!).

Brownells sells a stainless chamber brush that makes quick work of the job. Works best for me with a cordless drill and a totally dry chamber.

 

[Tallball]

I shoot 38's through my 357 magnum revolvers way more often than 357's.

My K22 is the handgun I shoot the most.

If I shoot a box of ammo (or pretty close) through a revolver, I clean it. The cylinders generally just get a pass with a brush and a pass or two with a patch. That's it.

I've never ever ever had a carbon ring.

 

[Pat Riot]

Like @Jonesy814 I clean the chambers of my cylinders with oversized brushes. My chambers gets as much attention as the barrel. I also clean the face of my cylinder.

A little trick that helps a lot with the outside of the cylinder is I wipe my gun down with a silicone rag after cleaning before storage. I also do the same when putting them away just after shooting at the range as I may not clean them right away. This little thing helps a lot with cylinder face and that hard carbon on the outside of the cylinder where the flash from the bullet exiting the chamber into the bore meets the frame and deposits carbon right near the end of the cylinder.


Years ago a bunch of fellow CAS shooters convinced me that they never clean their “pistols” (SA revolvers, to be clear) and they claimed their guns worked just fine. I tried that for a few matches. We shot 10 stages at every match. One day I got to a match and forgot my ammo. Ten-X (cowboy ammo brand) was at the match and he was out of .38 Spl but he had .357 loaded yo .38 specs. I bought 5 boxes and life was good again…Until I went to load my revolvers. I couldn’t. A quick trip to the truck and a fast vigorous cleaning got me going again…until about stage 8 when things got sticky again. Also, my rifle gave me trouble as well. Had to clean that chamber. Sitting in the hot sun on my tailgate. With a crappy brush with a twisted metal shaft. Ever clean a Winchester 94 pistol caliber rifle with a bent shaft brush on a 100 degree day in the sun?
Anyway, that “I don’t need to clean my guns” BS ended that day for me.

 

[savagelover]

I shoot lots of 38s in my 686 and never noticed any carbon ring. Not sure if it matters or not. But I use a pretty heavy crimp with my cast bullets.

 

[ChiefTJS]

The carbon ring is a thing but only on a neglected firearm. If you keep your gun clean you will never have a problem. Shoot the gun a lot and never run a patch or brush through the cylinder and guess what, carbon ring. Shoot a lot of shorter rounds Spl Vs Mag and don't ever run a patch or brush through the cylinder and guess what, carbon ring and the longer rounds won't chamber. It's not rocket science, clean your guns.

 

[Riomouse911]

The carbon ring is a thing but only on a neglected firearm. If you keep your gun clean you will never have a problem. Shoot the gun a lot and never run a patch or brush through the cylinder and guess what, carbon ring. Shoot a lot of shorter rounds Spl Vs Mag and don't ever run a patch or brush through the cylinder and guess what, carbon ring and the longer rounds won't chamber. It's not rocket science, clean your guns.

This says it all, there is nothing more to add.

Stay safe.

 

[SteadyD]

I’ve seen it happen, but never personally had an issue. The culprit in said incident was filthy cheap ammo and absolutely no cleaning.