Cleaning

[Kingman]

Ok, did a search and am not sure what to use. There seems to be so much of the stuff on the market. I am looking for a really good copper solvent as well as a carbon solvent. I would like to use the same solvent for all my rifles.

Also what brushes are best to use etc, bore guides.

Give me some help and pointers here.

[MarkCO]

Jerry M is sponsored by Gunslick, and the foaming bore cleaner was on sale at Midway, so I figured what the heck and bought some and I love it.

http://www.gunslick.com/

Most people overclean and the reduction of mechanical instrusion into the bore with Gunslick was very appealing, and the stuff DOES work.

[KentG]

God,, if this thread doesnt go 5 pages I will be suprised.

Now, having said that I am old school somewhat. I like Hoppes 9 and BreakFree gunblaster, and even some cheap brake cleaner for metal parts that are really yucked up. Plus some elbow grease as needed.

BUT the NUMBER ONE item that makes gun cleaning easy is,,,, TA DA,,, an air compressor. Same for cleaning the dashboard on your car.

For free Im adding my lube of choice. The uber new and exotic,,not,,CLP Breakfree. Or pretty much what ever is on hand. I think folks spend to much time mentally masterbating over the little things. But I am guilty of it for reloading issues.

Edited December 11, 2010 by tnek

[Alaskapopo]

Ok, did a search and am not sure what to use. There seems to be so much of the stuff on the market. I am looking for a really good copper solvent as well as a carbon solvent. I would like to use the same solvent for all my rifles.

Also what brushes are best to use etc, bore guides.

Give me some help and pointers here.

I like Shooters Choice. But if you need a strong copper solvent Sweets is very good.

Pat

[Graham Smith]

For an AR, just BreakFree PowderBlast and CLP. A chamber brush and an Otis pull through cable.

For a precision bolt action, a Lucas bore guide, Dewey coated rod and jag, a metal and a nylon brush, Sweets 7.62, Butches Bore Shine, and CLP.

[MarkCO]

You can take this for what it is worth...

I've sectioned and microscopically inspected rifle bores that have been cleaned with Sweets (as compared to other bore cleaners) and I will never use it due to what those bores looked like.

[Corey]

Boretech Eliminator is what i use as a good all around solvent and it works great. they came out with some specialized formulas for Carbon and copper if you have a problem getting a rifle clean too.

[kennygss]

You can take this for what it is worth...

I've sectioned and microscopically inspected rifle bores that have been cleaned with Sweets (as compared to other bore cleaners) and I will never use it due to what those bores looked like.

Arghh! Thats allot of info in a few words from a Forensics guy!

[jaredr]

You can take this for what it is worth...

I've sectioned and microscopically inspected rifle bores that have been cleaned with Sweets (as compared to other bore cleaners) and I will never use it due to what those bores looked like.

any feedback on KG12?

[MarkCO]

You can take this for what it is worth...

I've sectioned and microscopically inspected rifle bores that have been cleaned with Sweets (as compared to other bore cleaners) and I will never use it due to what those bores looked like.

any feedback on KG12?

Never tried it or tested it, sorry.

I did read their test data however.

There are four ways to "remove" copper fouling.

1. Physical: This involves solid or fluid energy to errode away the copper. Ultra-sonic and brass brushes fall into this category. The energy levels need to be below the energy required to open up microfractures, grain boundaries or round edges.

2. Electrical: Create a proper potential and you can get mass transfer to occur. This is the method used by Foul-Out.

3. Corrosion: While most people won't tell you this, the blue, black or brown material the comes out on the patches using a copper solvent are corrosion products. The bright blue is usually ammonia. If it is not pure copper, it is a corrosion product. Just because a company says they don't use ammonia, does not necessarily mean the oxidizer they chose is benign to the barrel steel. In most cases, crevice corrosion cracking (CCR) is what occurs at the small grain boundaries of the steel. As they grow, these turn into pits.

4. Treat the bore with a material to seal the grain boundaries and other imperfections and then use 1, 2, or 3 with a method that won't affect the coating.

Deposition coatings and microsurface treatments are nothing new, but based on what I have been reading in the coatings industry, there are some new exciting treatments that are relatively inexpensive that should make their way to gun barrels in the military shortly and then into the consumer based market. They look to offer many of the same benefits of chrome lining, with more consistent thicknesses and with much less friction.

If you can find out what the active ingredient(s) in KG12 are (ask for a MSDS) I can certainly run a compatability profile with 4140, Stainless and 6061, which you could then compare to ammonia.

[MarkCO]

I would like to use the same solvent for all my rifles.

Also what brushes are best to use etc, bore guides.

I went back and looked at what I use on various rifles, and what the oxidizers are. Using one on everything is probably not the best idea, depending on what you have and are using. Besides steel, we have aluminum, anodizing, polymers, coatings, etc. Some cleaners that work well on steel have compatability problems with some of the other materials. A stripped steel barrel is one thing, but all the other stuff around them can be harmed.

I've got about 5 bore guides. I like the JP ones for the ARs and I have a universal kit from Hoppes for the rarely used ones. However, the Gunslick, Tipton, Dewey and Hoppes universal ones all seem to be about the same to me.

[Powder Finger]

Ok, did a search and am not sure what to use. There seems to be so much of the stuff on the market. I am looking for a really good copper solvent as well as a carbon solvent. I would like to use the same solvent for all my rifles.

Also what brushes are best to use etc, bore guides.

Give me some help and pointers here.

For carbon Seafoam or GM top engine cleaner work well.

[teejay]

I just got a borescope for Christmas. I've scoped 20 different bores so far, mostly precision long range barrels and precision smallbore (Anschutz). My JP CTR02 18 inch and CTR02 22 inch as well as my DPMS AR10 .260, all 3 copper foul from the gas port to the muzzle. So spend extra time cleaning there. I've got a Les Baer 24inch Ultimate Varmint which is the best barrel I've ever scoped or cleaned. The Les Baer is hand lapped and looks like a mirror. It cleans up with no copper fouling on patches in under 10 minutes after a 500 round hunting trip.

I've tried Sweets 7.62, Butch's boreshine, Bore paste, Hoppie's #9. I use tipton nickel plated jags and nylon bore brushes to prevent false indication of copper fouling (not needed since I have the scope). If you want to get all the copper out use Butch's and let the chemical work over a few hours while you do something else. Don't leave Sweet's in for more than 10 minutes. I've seen my friend's corroded 264 win mag barrel. Patches quit showing copper fouling when the scope still reviles copper on the lands and in the groves.

My Les Baer will group 5 shots under an inch at 450 yards with 60gr vmax and just over an inch at 500 yards. My JP AR only has a 1-4 so, I don't worry about cleaning it perfectly. All the mentioned cleaners work similarly. The barrel quality and use will determine if you should try to hyper clean it.

[Graham Smith]

http://www.6mmbr.com/borecleaning.html

http://www.rifle-accuracy-reports.com/barrel-break-in.html

[joshua79109]

Butch's Bore Shine takes care of anything I've run into.

Sometimes I soak in a foaming bore cleaner first if it's exceptionally dirty.

[TXMXRACER]

We are supposed to clean them? crap

[Kyle O]

Bore snake, with a dab of slip2000 on the tail end.

[RH45]

I've yet to try anything, other than scraping, that actually takes carbon off.

[kurtm]

I am with Pat on this whole deal, Shooter's Choice, brush it, patch it repeat as necessary. I don't worry much about copper...heck it only has to hold 2 M.O.A. or better, and if you are patient Shooter's will do the job just as well as any solvent out there! and it doesn't stink up a room like Hoppes. I think most folks get WATY too wraped up on this cleaning thing

Diesel fuel is real good in a pinch as well! and if you are pressed for lube get it off the dip stick! If it's real cold cut it with diesel!

[gman1868]

Mil-Comm

Cleaners and lube. I also like Birchwood Casey solvents, Foaming Bore Cleaner and Synthetic Safe Gun Scrubber both used carefully. I also like Hoppes Elite foaming gun cleaner for the polymer bits.

One thing to keep in mind, liberal use of the TW25B grease and oil in the bolt, bolt carrier, chamber lugs will make cleaning it that much easier.

[SMSI]

I used to use a mixture of Kroil and Shooters Choice. Recommended by a very successful long range shooter. Seemed to work well but that Kroil is pretty potent. I am getting more and more sensitive to solvents (and perfumes, lotions, etc) as I get older. Raw throat and headache even in well ventilated area.

Lately I usually just use the Breakfree CLP (the one with some cleaner agent) and it does not bother me. Although I don't think it works nearly as well.

Anybody know of any kinder gentler stuff that works?