A man reads a lot about this everywhere, and the more I read, the more I worry. I honestly can't say that I have ever removed all of the copper fouling from any rifle I own - there always seems to be some "blue" on the patch. However, my accuracy does not seem to suffer. In this regard, should I just keep on doing what I am doing? Or, should I try to remove ALL of the copper fouling? Does copper fouling damage a barrel over time? How much JB Bore Cleaning Compound is too much? Should you use JB every time you clean, or only in bad fouling situations?
I'll appreciate the help. Thanks.

PH - Yes you can over clean your barrel and cause a great deal of barrel wear. Here is the quick and dirty on cleaning:

1. Use only the best cleaning supplies. One piece coated rod, bronze brushes, nylon brushes, cotton patches, bore guides.
2. Use Sweets for your heavy copper removal. Follow directions exactly. Do not mix solvents. Do not use bronze brushes.
3. Use JB sparingly. It is not necessary each time you clean.

Cleaning:

Start by covering your stock with a towel. Using a bore guide soak a cotton patch with a powder solvent like Butch�s Bore Shine. Push 3 or 4 patches down the bore - one direction. Let sit for 15 minutes. Push 2 more solvent patches through the bore. A lot of the powder fouling in coming out by now. Push 2 or 3 dry patches to remove the Butches. Use a patch of Kroil to ensure the Butch�s is gone.

Take your nylon brush and glob some Sweets on the brush. I like to push the brush out of the muzzle first and then apply the Sweets. This keeps the dripping to a minimum. Push back and forth several times ensuring a good coating within the barrel. Let stand for 15 minutes. Scrub with 1 or 2 tight patches through the bore. Repeat this until no copper indication is coming out.

If your bore is severely fouled and you are still getting blue patches after 4 or 5 applications. It is time to break out the JB Bore Paste. Wrap a patch on an old bronze brush and make 10 passes with the brush. Make sure you start with a solvent free bore and flood the barrel with Kroil to push out the JB. Push a few more clean patches through.

Go back to the Sweets. You should find clean patches soon. As a final step - flood the bore with Kroil and a lot of patches. You do not want to leave any Sweets in the bore. Protect the bore with BreakFree. Store muzzle down for a few days to ensure nothing migrates back into the action.

Remember, you can damage your bore by over cleaning. Use chemicals the proper way and limit abrasive contact and scrubbing. Some factory barrels will only come right after a few hundred rounds. IF you are still getting a lot of fouling, the only answer is lapping. You can fire lap with Tubbs Final Finish or take it to a gun smith to slug/lead lap.

Some other things to remember - keep your strings down to 10 to 15 rounds between cleaning. I like to use Butch�s Bore Shine at the range between strings. I run some Butch�s in the bore after the last string before I head to the house. By the time I get home and unpacked, the Butch�s is well on its way to removing most of the copper fouling.

Premium barrels release copper much quicker than rougher factory barrels. Some barrels just like to hold onto copper more than others (rough bore). A little color in the barrel is OK, however, to avoid pitting, make sure you tackle a complete cleaning every other shooting session. I have found that by using a �little� Butch�s Gun Oil in the barrel before I shoot helps to reduce fouling. The operative word here is �little� - just a very light coat.

[This message has been edited by Zero Drift (edited 03-22-2002).]

If you really want to get the copper out and not harm your barrel, get a small rubber bottle or test tube stopper that fits the bore of your rifle. I have fashioned them from pencil erasers. Just make sure you leave enough hanging out to get a grip on later. Plug the muzzle and fill the bore up with Hoppes #9 and let it sit in the corner for about 2-3 days with the muzzle in a plastic bowl or jar (in case it leaks). Pull the plug and let the green goo flow out. Push out the rest with a few patches soaked w/Hoppes.

You can use a bullet of the appropriate caliber to plug the barrel. Just gently tap it into the muzzle.