I'd like to know anyone's experience with this copper remover.

1) Is it fast?
2) Is it safe ?

My application is on a stainless steel barrel.

Regards,

Gustavo,

I use it on very fouled barrels and/or barrels that are very prone to copper fouling.

I clean out the powder fouling first, then use the Sweets, using a NYLON/PLASTIC swab. I then brush, using a NYLON brush. Don't leave the Sweets in for more than a few minutes. The use a jag (NYLON again if you can get one) to clear the bore.

The reason for all the Nylon it to prevent false signs of continued copper fouling form the use of bronze tools. The Sweets will eventualy eat the bronze tools as well.

If you still have fouling, repeat until clean.

Make sure to follow up the Sweets with a cleaning sequence of standard solvents to remove traces of Sweets.

I haven't had a problem by using the sequence above. And it's fast.

That being said, I have drifted over to using Wipe-out now. But I haven't tried it on a badly fouled barrel yet.

Take Care,

-Steve

[ 08-22-2003, 19:37: Message edited by: Steve ]

Steve, tks for your prompt and nice reply!

Some more questions:

Do you think that I can use Hoppes' No.9 (the standard remover) before and after Sweet's ?

What could happen if Sweet's is left in the barrel over the night ?

Following your advice, I intend to use it on my .300WinMag which foules bad after a couple of shots with high speed loads.

Tks!

Gustavo,

No Problem.

Don't leave it in overnight! You really shouldn't leave it in more than 15 minutes, if I am recalling the directions correctly.

I'm not a chemist nor a metallurgist, but I belive that the ammonia will start grabbing other molecules, once it runs out of copper. So there's a possibility it will pit your bore if left in over night.

I would think that Hoppes would be fine to finish off with. I use Shooters choice, though.

Take Care,

-Steve

In barrels that copper foul, I always push a wet patch of Hoppes #9 through with a jag first, and then go back with a bronze brush wet with Hoppes to remove all carbon fouling. After wet patching again with Hoppes and following with a couple of dry patches, I grab the Sweets for copper removal. I don't leave the Sweets in for more than 5-10 minutes before scrubbing with a nylon brush. Then I finish with Hoppes. It won't hurt to leave Hoppes in the bore, but you're better off just swabbing the bore with a good oil designed for that purpose.

I actually called SC about this and they told me they used sweets for many years before inventing their own formula. Their tech dept told me that sweets doesn't eat the metal,..but as you may or may not know,..it attracts water/moisture. The ammonia content cleans the metal so thouroughly,..it will pit or surface rust due to the unprotected metal being left in contact with the moisture (which in the air has metals and acids in it). Just don't leave it in too long.

Also,...SC has fine protective oils in it,..which were developed while the sweets was used,..so it will protect the barrel which has been exposed to sweets. I took that as an endorsement for both products, even though they don't produce the sweets.

[ 08-22-2003, 22:51: Message edited by: JustC ]

Have any of you folks tried GM Top Engine Cleaner? Some of my friends tipped me off about it being nearly the same as Shooter's Choice. TEC contains mineral oil among other things. It does work. Have shot about 200 rounds thru my 6 BR with cleaning every 20 rounds. Had a bore scope job; no fouling found.
Ron

SST's method is exactly the same method I use on my rifles. Sometimes I'll use an aerosol brake or carburetor parts cleaner to assist with the carbon removal.

I like Sweets Copper Remover and Barnes as well. I get all the regular crud out with Butch's Bore Shine and dry out the barrel. Then on my rifles that copper foul I go in with Sweets and a nylon brush, usually brushing non stop for about a minute and a half. Then I wipe it out and finally go once through with Butch's again. I finish it up by running Rem Lube through the tube.
I only use copper remover in those barrels that I know copper foul. You never want to use it just for the hell of it. The same applies to JB Bore Compound. I firmly believe that more bores have been ruined through agressive cleaning than shooting. I decided last year to eliminate the bronze brush, using instead only jags and patches. After about 5 cleanings I went at it with the bronze brush, and you wouldn't believe the crud that had accumulated. Maybe we can't really eliminate the need for the bristle brush. It can be quite frustrating. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I like Sweet's, but it's sooo damn messy!!
I have switched to Barnes and love it.
But beware...DO NOT leave Barnes in the barrel for very long!!..sakofan..

I use Sweet's. It is messy, gooy and it works!
Now the difficult part of using Sweet's is "following the instructions on the bottle". It's a concept I know!
I use Sweet's for everything from pistols to my double rifle. I have better things to do than to wait on my bore solvent to work! Just my opine!

Rusty
We band of brothers!

I don't want to reiterate Steve's posting to much, but I've been using Wipe Out for about a year now, with excellent results. If you have had enough scrubbing and brushing, try the brushless and scrubless Wipe Out way. If Wipe Out doesn't work for some reason, you may always go back and try the tried and true methods of the past. Best-o-Luck

To all posters,

As usual I received much more than asked! Great forum and great people!

Tks!

I am eagerly awaiting my first shipment of Wipeout...

It feels almost as good as the anticiaption of a new rifle on the way.

I can't wait to quit brushing and swabbing

Since using WIPE OUT I haven't touched my bottle of Sweet's. This stuff is simply amazing and does away with brushing.

Good Shooting,
Ben H

Okay guys. I'm convinced. Wipeout it is. It certainly won't hurt to give it a try. I'm always ready for something new. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Where can you buy Wipeout? Could not find in Sinclair or Nachez?
Ron

http://www.paulcousa.com/wipeout.htm
There a link for info on Wipe Out, I also ordered from them. I love it.

I bought a can of Wipe-Out today off the shelf at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Missoula. Same price as mail order without the shipping.

C210, the GM Top Engine cleaner is a long-held highpower tradition. As far as I can tell, it IS Shooter's Choice! I use it a lot for general cleaning and use other products (JB, Sweets, Kroil) for specific applications that require them.

Redial

I go along with all the above. I have wipeout and sweets. Rarely use the sweets unless I know I'm in for a heavy duty clean up. Best way to apply sweets that I've found is to get a caliber specific wool bore mop. I made a cradle that resembles a wood saw horse that holds a gun pointed to the floor. I pour a little sweets down the boreguide and swab away. Then let it sit 5 minutes and swab some more. Repeat if necessary. I catch the "blue foam" that winds up coming out the barrel in a small pan. the wool boremop can be washed under any kitchen faucet and reused many times.

Re the wipeout. I've seen it work quite good in just one application but sometimes it needs 3 depending on the smoothness of the barrel.

ALSO--if an accuracy problem came up on a normally dependable gun I would have to say put the wipeout back on the shelf and give it a real good "mopping" with sweets to make sure any "pocket" of deposit is taken out.

Just my humble opinions.

Try Shooter's Choice and let it set overnight. Clean until normal.

Hot Core;
Here's what I've seen in regards to improper cleaning techniques; cleaning from the muzzle end instead of from the chamber. This practice can damage the crown. Using an uncoated steel cleaning rod in a hap-hazard manner, such as runnning in up and down the bore at a fast pace and driving it into the sides of the throat. This usually occurs when not using a bore guide. Also rapidly pulling a jag tip or bore brush back in to the bore in such a manner as to ding the crown. A person can certainly achieve excellent results with a steel, uncoated rod and by cleaning from the muzzle end....if the person pays attention to what he's doing. One of the benefits of Wipe Out is it does away with repeated passes through the bore to achieve the same results. You simply spray it in, walk away and come back later to patch out the bore.

Good Shooting,
Ben H

Rusty, I will apologize up front if I offend you, but I have seen you use the word "opine" lately where the word "opinion" should have been. Opine is a verb and opinion the transitive noun. You have an opinion and to express the opinion is to opine. Same as you shoot, but you took a shot, you would not say you took (or have)a shoot. Sorry, just thought I'd say something.

About Sweets, I too have gone mostly to Wipe-out for the ease of use. I have a large straw that fits the end of the can perfectly that I use to insert it into the barrel from the breach end. The straw is exactly the 264 size I use for most of my shooting. For the larger 30 and 35 caliber stuff, I turn the straw around and have wrapped electrical tape around the other end to make it fit the larger calibers. I then can plug the bores without mess. When I use Sweets, I use it sparingly and quickly to avoid problems.

Hey Ben H, Thank you! Never crossed my mind someone would clean from the muzzle without a "Muzzle Guard". Also agree with your other "cleaning errors".

I guess I've been doing it too long the correct way to even think of how people could hose it up.

Thanks again.

Larrys: Breech, not "breach". One of my pet peeves.

Carry on sir.

Gear

Interesting,,, how many weeks of reading fossilized posts did it take you to get to this one?