What is this stuff on my patch?

[Bernie Lomax]

Maroon spots. Was cleaning my rifle today after leaving it to sit around dirty for about a month and one patch came out with these weird maroon-colored spots. I don't know if it's dislodged copper fouling or rust. I doubt it's rust because I only shoot non-corrosive ammo, have a chrome lined bore, and live in a very dry climate. On the other hand, I don't think it's copper fouling either because it looks like no other copper fouling I've ever seen. (copper fouling that's been dissolved by solvent comes out blue and copper fouling that's dislodged by a jag and patch presumably comes out copper-colored, which isn't maroon.)

Suggestions?

ETA: it was only one patch that came out like that and it came out near the end of the cleaning after many passes had been made. This is what leads me to believe it's some kind of fouling and not rust, because one would think that rust is fairly easy to dislodge, unlike copper fouling. If there were rust in the bore, one would think it would start showing up on the patches right away.

 

[JellyJar]

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-397298.html

This old link says that blue color is probably lead. Could your maroon color be really blue?

Pictures?

Edit: See the answer from MCMXI.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Could your maroon color be really ...m sure you don't have a serious problem here.

 

[GRIZ22]

What kind of solvent are you using?

 

[Bernie Lomax]

What kind of solvent are you using?

Butch's bore shine

What did the OTHER patches look like ?

Like they always do: the early ones had black staining, indicating carbon fouling, then they started coming out blue, indicating copper fouling.

Could your maroon color be really blue?

No. IIRC, At first it was a vivid red-orange. Then, when I looked at the patch later on, after whatever the residue was in the solvent soaked patch for a while, it looked maroon. THis is what leads me to believe it might be rust, because copper that's been dissolved by Butch's is blue, not maroon.

Pictures?

Sorry, don't have a camera phone.

This old link says that blue color is probably lead.

I was shooting copper jacketed ammo only, so I seriously doubt there's any lead fouling in the bore.

 

[Jackal]

Primer sealant.

 

[Bernie Lomax]

Primer sealant.

Dingdingdingdingding! We have a winner! I was shooting a lot of the cheap-ass wolf with the red sealant. I bet that's it. Thanks for your help in solving this mystery, all!