My 7x57 recently went very bad on me , and after some inspection I found the barrel is extremely fowled with copper . So bad that I cant even Determine how sharp the rifling is . I have used Forrest , Hoppes No9 , Shooters choice , but nothing can get the damn crap out . Please give some suggestions on a rougher cleaning procedure.

Regards
Rudie

Shooters Choice and let it soak. Run 2 wet patches 2 or 3 times a day for a few days. You could also try JB's.

Layering is a bitch! Try Wipe-Out if you can find it, if not, Barnes CR-10, Sweets as a second choice (follow instructions!). Even then, you may have to use an abrasive between treatments. I prefer Flitz metal polish, but use JB's in a pinch. HTH, Dutch.

rudie - Avoid over-scrubbing your bore. Find solvents which work specifically on copper fouling and let the chemicals do the work.

Here is a routine that works well for me on heavy fouling...

1. Start with Hoppe�s, a bore guide, a coated rod, and a bronze brush. Make 20 passes up and down the bore. Follow by a few clean patches. Do this one or two more times if you see lots of powder fouling.

2. Dry patch the bore.

3. Apply Montana X-Treme (available from Sinclair) with a nylon brush. Make 4 or 5 passes up and down the bore. Let sit for one hour and run a patch down the bore. You should see lots of copper fouling.

4. Apply a second soak (1 to 2 hours) with Montana X-Treme. Patch out.

5. Flush bore with Kroil or other oil and patch out.

6. If you are still seeing lots of copper/powder fouling, start at step 1 again. You will find that powder and copper fouling tend to layer up in extremely fouled bores. For very stubborn powder fouling, you may need to use JB Bore Paste. If you do, make long passes with JB and not short, scrubbing strokes. It is a mild abrasive and you can over polish areas if you short stroke.

7. Finish with a protecting oil for storage.

I like using Montana X-Treme for heavy fouling because it is safe to leave in your bore for long periods. Sweets and CR-10 should not be left in the bore for more than 15 minutes at a time. Accordingly, you will do more scrubbing with them in heavily fouled barrels.

For heavy fouled bbl's I run a brush with Kroil oil on it. Then go to a few dry patches.. If its realy bad ill let the Kroil sit in bbl for 24 hrs then run some more patches down through it in the morning..

6.5 Bandit

Wipe out would be what I would do or the outers foul out if you got em. You know a safe solution away from Sweets and Barnes would be Hoppes Benchrest. You can let that sit in there for a long time with no damage.

A heavily "fowled" barrel is exactly what I want on my upland shotguns...grin...

However, a heavily "fouled" barrel is a different story.

First you have to remove the residue of combustion.

If shooting lead bullets then you must remove the lead, and the best way is with elbow grease and a good brass brush (or a Lewis Lead Remover).

If it is fouling from jacketed bullets, then a strong sovent with a high ammonia content must be used (and DO NOT LEAVE IT IN THE BARREL FOREVER ... 20 minutes at a time is long enough).

Then you must use a neutral solvent to stop the action of the harsher one.

If there is still fouling, repeat the above steps until you are satisfied.

There are several thing to remember...

NEVER let any solvent come in contact with the wood or the finish on the wood.

When complete done with the cleaning, run a lightly oiled patch down the barrel.

Always use a one-piece rod (and not aluminum or brass), and always use a bore guide.

Remember, more harm has been done to firearms with improper cleaning or overdone cleaning than allthe fouling in the world!

Guys thanks for the advice , I will see what solvents I can find over here ..... Keep in mind that we only have 10 gun powders to work with for all calibres , so you know how frustrating that must be . I will give feedback after I have broken my elbow removing all the fowling

Regards
Rudie

Rudie,

If you can't find the "designer" formulas where you are, just put a stopper in your chamber and fill the bore with mercury. Let it set overnight and whatever copper was exposed to it will come out when you pour out the mercury. Then clean as usual. If you still have copper present, put the mercury back in. Sure mercury is toxic but so is lead. Just don't eat it.

This will save a heck of a lot of scrubbing if you can find mercury there. My personal favorite is the Outer's Foul Out unit with their copper acetate 'cause I don't like scrubbing gun barrels.

Paul

You could alway's do the Elmer Keith trick. Take the rifle out of the stock, get a rubber stopper to fit in the foward part of the chamber. Shoulder area. It should fit tight. Then at the muzzel end, fill with a 5% ammonia. Let sit for a day, dump it out and pour hot water thru the barrel from the camber to the muzzel. Use a good bore solvent like Hopp's #9, repeat till clean. You have use care with this . Also if you can only find hopp's # 9. you can fill a barrel with that and leave it for a week or so. It will take a good bit of the fouling out of the barrel , it just takes longer than Ammonia.

If you let a 5% solution of ammonia sit in your barrel for a day your problems are over. All that is left to do is select the barrel maker of your choice and purchase a blank because you have surely ruined the one you are working on.

I have used this recipe for the removal of heavy lead & copper fowling, and I find that not only is it inexpensive but it's quick and will not harm the bluing or the steel. This involves making up a mix of 50/50 Hydrogen Peroxide & White Vinegar. This mixture is pored into the barrel (be sure the chamber is plugged) of the firearm and allowed to stand for 5 to 10 minuets, then rinsed out several times with water and a number of wet patches.

The method I use is as follows,
(The firearm has already been cleaned of all powder/carbon residue.)
1. Field strip the rifle and remove all the oil from the bore, absolutely bone dry. I use patches soaked with Lacquer Thinner and then Acetone for this, NO OIL MUST REMAIN INSIDE THE BARREL.
2. Plug the chamber. Modeling Clay, wax or a rubber stopper can be used.
3. Fill the bore with a 50/50 mix of common drug store Hydrogen Peroxide & grocery store White Vinegar.
4. Let stand for 10-15 minutes maximum.
5. Pore out the liquid and remove the chamber plug.
6. Then run a bronze brush through several times followed by 4 or 5 patches.
7. Pore some warm water through the barrel and run several wet patches through, as you do not want any of the solution to be left in the barrel.
8. Inspect and repeat steps 1-7 as needed.
9. When all the lead/copper is gone I take the receiver and barrel, apply a heavy coating of a rust preventing oil and allowed them to sit for about an hour or longer. I use a product called LPs-3 (available at Graingers Industrial supply) as it leaves a protecting film after it dries.
10. I finish up with my normal �pre-storage� thorough wipe down of the rifle with a rust preventing oil and clean cloth as well as run a dry patch or two down the bore followed by a lightly oiled patch or three.

Abe

I have heard, that if you send in your barrel to be reblued, that really cleans out the bore too.

Any truth to that?

No, the bore is plugged when gun is submerged in blueing solutions. But if the bore isn't plugged in the degreaser tank, the caustic soda might be able to eat away some lead, dunno about copper.

quote:

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I have heard, that if you send in your barrel to be reblued, that really cleans out the bore too

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Looks like somebody sell his Cadillac once the ash tray is full

Use Remmington bore cleaner it is a abrasive in oil that is to soft to cut steel but cuts copper like crazy. Wrap a patch around a old brush and stroke till your arm is tired then soak with any copper solvent while you rest. works real good for me on my Warbird and other barrel fowlers I have.

Austin

If you can't get a good ammonia cleaner, your druggist might just have something called "ammonia water". Up to 10% is serviceable, use outside, don't leave in too long, etc, etc, but it will eat copper in a hurry. HTH, Dutch.

Barnes CR10 is the best at removing that pesky copper fouling crap. I have a Model 70 in 7mm RM that has digested its fair share of the stuff. It really does work well though.

FWIW Fire Hawk

Plugging a bore when hot bluing is inviting real disaster in the form of an explosion...Bluing will surgically clean a barrel....

Three methods for cleaning badly fouled bores:

1. "Wipe Out", the easiest and best way I know of...i leave it in about 2 hours, but overnight seem to work for my friends.

2. Kroil and JB, its work but it will get the job done..follow with a cleaning.

3. A mixture of 25% Amonia and hydrogen peroxide, used to be called blue goop by the benchrest crowd.....1 Qt. of Amonia, with one cup of Hydrogen Peroxide...you can drop a penny or bullet in it to turn it blue thus "Blue Goop", but this is not necessary. Be carefull with this stuff it is mighty strong and should not be left in barrel more than 20 minutes, then clean bore and oil profusely.....

WIPE OUT: where is this product sold????

Bill,

You can get Wipe-Out direct from the SharpShoot R Precision at 27385 Pressonville Rd, Wellsville, KS 66092 or email at info@sharpshootr.com or from Sportsman's Warehouse if they are in your area. I paid $10.50 + shipping per 5 oz can from the company. But it is $9.50 at the Sportsmen's Warehouse in the Denver area.

It is the best and easiest bore cleaner I have ever used in 45 years as an active shooter who insists on having a clean gun. The real test is to take a gun you think is clean. Squirt this stuff into the bore and let set for at least an hour. You will be amazed at what comes out with a couple of patches.

Don Shearer

I did not work on the barrel this weekend ,cause I went hunting . Not all that much luck , only got a nice blesbuck ..... I was after a Impala trophy who was just too clever this time. I will work on the barrel quite a bit tonight and see if I can get the copper out .

Rudie

get powder fouling out use outers foul out 2 or 3 set back and let it do the work,use your time for loading,cleaning whatever,and read directions,again,it will save you a lot of work and B.S. Hell it might take 6 or so hours but you won't spend it shoving high dollar crarp upthe barrel. I have use one for 3 yrs,with no i'll efects and I shoot varmints every weekend withe shillen.douglas ect. no problems let the unit do the work

Rudie,

Just face it, your rifle is ruined and to save you from more heartache I will take it off your hands so you don't have to deal with it anymore. I'm a pretty generous guy, so I will even pay the shipping cost.

Forget what everyone said about how to get rid of copper fouling (except the guys who mentioned Wipe-Out). Just order a bunch of Wipe-Out, follow the directions, and you will not have any more problems. This stuff really works.

Tim

Letting your last shot be a reduced load will sometimes help.