I have recently picked up a 100# original Remington Mod.30 30-06, wearing stith mounts and a Redfield Bear Cub scope. It's in about 80% condition and is more accurate than any other rifle that I own. But it suffers from a bad case of copper fouling. I dont seem to be able to get it clean. I have used a bronze bore brush, Hoppe's #9, Hoppe's copper remover, Shooter's Choice Copper Remover, and all kinds of elbow grease but it will not come clean. Is this a common problem with vintage firearms? What will get this copper out? And what can I do to keep it from fouling so badly?

You might try Wipe Out. I've used it (as well a lot of other members here) and it works quite well on badly fouled barrels. It may take more than one application. Some barrels are rough and will "refoul" after only a few shots. The copper fouling stays behind and sorta fills the roughness in the bore. Heck, if it shoots as well as you say it does, clean it normally and don't worry too much about the fouling. Somes barrels shoot better properly "fouled". I'm sure you've heard the first round fired from a clean barrel referred to as a "fouling shot".

Try JB Bore cleaner Paste.

If it hasn't been cleaned, there will be "layers", which makes it harder. Using different bullets, with different jacket materials, makes for a mess. The biggest problem I can see, though, is that the cleaners you have used are basically "mild" and "milder".

I'll second the use of Wipeout; leave it overnight, as much as three or four times. If you see hard work and breathing fumes as a good thing, use Barnes CR-10 or Sweets, in combination with a nylon brush. Read the instructions. HTH, Dutch.

"" Heck, if it shoots as well as you say it does, clean it normally and don't worry too much about the fouling.""

Not only does this make sense but if you follow all the cleaning advise you've been given here and get it super clean it may just loose what you are calling accuacy.

Back in the 50s and 60s I'd shoot something ( game, paper tin cans,or far away rocks) come home run a patch or rag saturated with military bore cleaner or Hoppees #9 when I could afford it through the rifle. I'd let it sit till I remembered it, than ran a couple rags thru it and finished up with a light oiling.When I picked them up and fired it at something with a cold barrel the bullet went where I aimed. Silly me I thought that was accuracy. If I needed a second shoot it hit pretty close.

Than in the 70s I started to get Sooofistycated and as more cleaning stuff became available I was really launched into rifle cleaning. Today it really is a rifle cleaners dream; you shoot for a couple hours and clean rifles with wonderfully over priced, in thing cleaners for six hours, hoping you got it right so that after that fouling, first shot you than start to shoot itybity groups.And if you are shooting paper and that's what you like ---OK.

Maybe I'm nuts but the 30-06 is a hunting rifle now days.Most all long range target work is done with rifles that shoot flattttter.

I haven't seen a bench rest 06 in a long time and I don't do much paper work with my 06 anymore.Can't take the continuous punching at my age.

So if the 06 is for hunting it is the first shot that matters and if it hits where you want it to hit #*you are there^&.I've got quite a number of dark bore mausers I just can not get real clean but they all shoot good with open sights. Have a clean life roger

While I love the smell of Hoppes #9, I'm generally underwelmed with the various Hoppes products abilities to get a barrel well and truly clean. If you want to get down to bare metal, alternate JB compound and Barnes CR-10. You may have to invest a few hours, and lots of elbow grease, but when you no longer get blue patches, be asured the barrel is truly clean. Also make sure you clean out the CR-10 and oil the bore afterwords.

With that said, if a gun shoots well, and shoots well clean or dirty, don't get overly anxious to scrub the bore each shooting session. I generally only scrub out a barrel after 100 or so rounds. I figure I'll do more harm then good over the long term with more frequent cleaning sessions, and find my groups seem to be just as good after 100 rounds then from a clean tube.

I guess I'll have to pick up some stouter cleaning products. Someone told me that the older rifles were made to shoot lead, and that this is the reason for the excessive fouling. Personally I have a hard time believing this. Wasn't the 06 designed with jacketed bullets in mind?

As craigster said, just use WipeOut. Spray it in the barrel, come back in the morning and run a couple or three dry patches, then run a couple of patches of Hoppes or whatever your favorite powder solvent happens to be, dry patch and you're DONE! No scrubbing, no cursing. Five minutes and you are D O N E.

Geronimo