Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Copper fouling remover

it does not take much copper in a barrel before accuracy starts being affected.

KG12 is a good product. Some mentioned here in this thread works are poor performers.

Montana Extreme Copper cream on a plastic brush or patches will clean a gun in a hurry, it is similar to what you might describe as JB suspended in oil.

JB, of course, is a fantastic product to remove copper.

The only problem with JB is, it works mechanically so it removes not only copper but steel. I'd like to hear others' take on it, but personally I'm reluctant to use it in my barrels repeatedly, long-term. Whereas I don't worry about a product like Wipeout that removes copper chemically, without affecting the steel.

I have a couple copper fouling mutha' of 243's that get the JB treatment about once a year.

But like you, I use it sparingly.


Casey

Now you tell me about Accelerator........

Been using it with Patch Out for a couple years now, and occasionally soaking a bore. I don't have a bore scope, but haven't noticed any pitting--but then again one of those barrels is pretty rough so it's tough to see if there is any pitting.....

And yes, the vapors in Montana Extreme are a bit much in the winter with the windows closed.......


Casey

The test was quite a while ago, and I've lost the link, but basically a bunch of solvents were left in short lengths of the same barrel for a certain period, in controlled humidity. As I recall the period was 24 hours, though it could have been longer, and the test might have even been done over two different periods. Wipe-Out without Accelerant showed no pitting, but with Accelerant it did.

I will also note that bore pitting doesn't have to be large enough to be visible to the naked eye to affect fouling.

Will also note, on a slightly different subject, that Dan Lilja is convinced that regular use of JB Compound will increase fouling of bores, by making them too smooth. Dan has some very sophisticated equipment for looking inside barrels, and has performed a bunch of experiments on bore surfaces.

I became convinced he was correct about JB after putting together a .338 Winchester Magnum many years ago. The barrel (not a Lilja) proved to be very accurate, but something of a fouler, and back in those days there wasn't any copper solvent you could leave in the bore without risking pitting. I grew very weary of pushing a solvent-soaked patch through the bore every 15 minutes to get the damn thing clean, so started JB'ing it every time accuracy started to fall off.

But the fouling started building up quicker, even though the bore looked VERY smooth through my Hawkeye. Eventually the rifle would only go 20 rounds maximum before accuracy started falling off, and by then the bore was so copper-coated it just about complete filled the bore, and was very visible even at the muzzle. Cleaning with JB even took longer.

I was about to give up and rebarrel the rifle, when Dyna-Tek Bore Coat appeared. After some experimentation with other rifles, I tried it in the .338 barrel. One application definitely helped, and two reduced fouling to the point where I now only clean it every 75 rounds or so, with a "passive" application or two of Montana X-Treme, because copper build-up is minimal. In fact, those results are what REALLY convinced me of the worth of DBC.

I have been using Sweets for years and though I have tried some of the "newer" concoctions mentioned above I do not see changing. Yeah, it stinks.

Freddy,

Wipe Out is all I use anymore. In addition, I have treated all of my rifle bores with Dyna Bore Coat, and since, copper fouling, etc. have become very minimal.

As far as a mess with the Wipe-Out foam??? If you use a good bore guide that seals the chamber (Sinclair) there is no mess. I apply the foam from the muzzle until it starts coming out of the end of the guide, wipe it off the guide and the muzzle and let it sit overnight. Push what's left in the bore out with a few patches. Done. Sorry to butt in on the Writer's forum, but I just had to say how easy it is with Wipe-Out. And I don't use the accelerator.

Yeah, Wipe-Out's pretty simple. I just put a fired case in the chamber to keep it from oozing into the action.

I am sold on Dyna Bore Coat and I suspect, Bore Shield. The next couple of weeks will decide the latter. It sure leaves the matte stainless finish feeling like glass, clearly well "sealed". I shall see how durable it is.

For Wipe-Out, just use the tube that attaches to the nozzle. No mess at all.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/237658/sharp-shoot-r-wipe-out-applicator-spout

Ed,

Will be very interested in your report. Both on the gun stuff and the rest!

If you want to leave a cleaner in the barrel, Wipe Out is good; sometimes need something else after.

Or for quicker cleaning, Butch's to remove powder fouling & either KG-12 or Boretech Eliminator work well for me......I think the BTE is a little more effective than KG-12. Both are far more effective, IMO, than Sweet's.

I've not used Montana X-treme.

Butch's has a little smell; KG-12 & BTE, don't smell.

Dyna Bore Coat does help a lot but I've not found it to completely eliminate copper fouling on some guns.

MM

Re: "Bore Shield" do you mean "Gun Shield"?

MD,

Thanks for the info on the test.

I'll not be using the Accelerator overnight, not that I have found a need to yet. Mostly just the Wipe-Out.

Geno

Yep. I put the rifle in the barrel vise, with the muzzle tilted down slightly and a trash can under it. Then cram the hose right into the chamber, seals it tight. Give it a squirt until some foam runs out the muzzle, then stuff a big cleaning patch in the chamber to keep the liquid (the foam liquifies overnight) out of the chamber.

No muss, no fuss.

John,
Much obliged on the information on Wipe Out Accelerator. That being said I am using it akin to Chris Harris from Bullet Central and NOT leaving accelerator in the bore over night. I don't think he is leaving it in the bore long enough to damage anything(as in minutes). Take a look at his video and see what you think. I would be very much be interested in your thoughts...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOdeIUvmEEs

I bought a beautifully machined melonited BAT VR(integral lug & rail) and a Bix'n Andy Varmint Trigger from these guys and they really go above and beyond to make you happy with the sale. Nothing is cheap, however, service is superb, $17.55 S&H from North Dakota with $2200 of gear, and it arrived in two days including the day it was ordered. Not to mention NOT having to deal with Bruno's Shooter Supply. No more gouge...

Regards, Matt.

Matt,

From what it sounds like, WO with accelerant should be used like older water-based solvents: Pushing another patch through every 15 minutes or so keeps the solvent from oxidizing, which is when pitting starts. I'm just getting to be too lazy in my old age, so use solvents that can be left in the bore safely. Some of those work very fast as well, when I want/need to clean a bore quickly.

Sounds like a good deal! I order a lot of stuff on the Internet, but got such a case of sticker shock the first time I looked at Bruno's prices I haven't been back since.

MD-
"Copper solvent" covers a multitude of commercial concoctions. Some could certainly pit a bore if left in it for a while, back in those days. However, Hoppe's No.9 could be left in a bore almost indefinitely. I'm not sure whether it meets your definition of "copper solvent".

The copper solvent in No.9 used to be ammonium stearate, but nowadays it's ammonium oleate. (Both are derived from long-chain 18-carbon fats, with the stearate completely saturated and the oleate mono-unsaturated.) These aren't the fastest acting solvents, but they will eventually get the job done.

Old timers used to clean their rifles after hunting season, and leave some Hoppe's in the bore during storage, mostly as a rust preventative. After some months just before the start of the next season, when they ran a patch through the barrel they would be amazed at the gobs of green goo that came out of the bore on the cleaning patch.

Elmer Keith recommended rifle storage with Hoppe's in the bore.

No.9 Benchrest uses the same solvent, but it's augmented with one of the synthetic amines that also removes copper. It cleans somewhat faster than No.9 in my experience.

--Bob

Montana Extreme works well. It's very rarely too cold in NC to open a window and run a fan. Maybe try a respirator?