I'm a typical scrounge. When I get done with my current supply of cleaners I might be willing to take a look at the new stuff. If something is truly worth having I'm definitely all ears and can be persuaded to give something new a shot. Two of my newer to me cleaners are Sweets 7.62 copper solvant and Butches Bore Shine. I'd say both were worth the purchase. Yes I've read the instructions and understand that i don't need a bronze brush, but if I want to get something cleaner quicker I'll use one.
Nope. Still burning military surplus IMR 4895 and a keg of IMR 4320. I have newer powders mind you but I usually burn my old stock first. Sometimes I clean with solvant and patches and sometimes the bronze brush comes out. I have a 280 that's horrible for copper fouling. The 35's only need a little maintenance and light oil to protect the bore. 30's are easy to clean as well.
Sounds like your .280 needs a DBC treatment.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Dyna-tek bore coat. Just read a article from Barsness from Shooting Times regarding his experience with this in saving a 338WM barrel. Great read. I may need to get some. My 280 rem mountain rifle is fun to shoot but tough to clean so it doesn't get used much.
It has been around since about 2007. It was originally developed for military use for automatic weapons by a company in Kansas that did a bunch of research involving silica-based compounds that reduced friction. The product, now known as Dyna Bore Coat, combines a quickly-drying liquid glue with the silica. When spread inside a clean, dry bore, then fired with a few "curing" rounds (which melt the silica) it results in a very thin, slick surface coating that reduces fouling of any kind by at least 50% (usually more), so also results in much easier cleaning of the little fouling that results.
One of my first experiments was with a .338 Winchester Magnum, where the Sako barrel had increasingly fouled worse over the first several hundred rounds, despite fine initial accuracy. Eventually the bore became essentially copper-plated within 20 rounds, and I was considering replacing the barrel until trying DBC--which reduced fouling so much that the barrel would shoot accurately for 80+ rounds without cleaning--and then would clean up with one application of an oil-based solvent, such as Wipe-Out or Montana X-Treme.
Have used it a bunch of times since then, most often in varmint rifles that get shot a lot at prairie dogs. Generally it results in no need to clean for 200+ rounds, and even then the cleaning is very easy--as in one application of a solvent like those mentioned above. Sometimes it results in bores that almost never need cleaning, especially with newer powders, to maintain the same level of accuracy.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Just curious here- are we discussing bore cleaning because someone tripped and plugged the barrel of their gun, or because accuracy has gone to pot or something, or exactly what ? Just me, but, I never put a rod down my bore unless it's full of rain, or the projectiles start flying off in unintended directions. I can't see scrubbing it strictly for the sake of scrubbing when it shoots great
Dyna-tek bore coat. Just read a article from Barsness from Shooting Times regarding his experience with this in saving a 338WM barrel. Great read. I may need to get some. My 280 rem mountain rifle is fun to shoot but tough to clean so it doesn't get used much.
Gaschekt; That Barsness guy and Mule Deer agree so much it's uncanny... Always solid advice from either of them though... lol... By the way, You might also try the 50 round barrel break in trick on that 280, I use the savage arms method and it worked very well for me on a hopelessly copper fouling win 70 fthrwt (also a 280)... I followed the instructions to the letter (it's a bitch of a job), but i abandoned the brush and old school solvents and used KG12 to get that copper out, and using a clean burning powder in the break in ammo will make the job easier... No more copper fouling and accurate too...
Thanks for the help guys and to Mule Deer for sharing your experience and solutions. First shot accuracy is of Supreme importance as a hunter and consistent results will happen with a barrel that stays in consistent condition. Therefore I'd have to disagree with Ranger99 on how to treat a barrel. I like running a barrel like running a cast iron skillet. Cleaned oiled and maintained they're super easy to keep in good condition and when I'm done with it I still have a desirable product. Sounds like I have a 280 that's up for a DBC treatment session.
I would hope Mule Deer will chime in on this subject, especially in relation to a rifle that has been properly cleaned down to bare steel and then Dyna Bore coated.
I believe he has stated in the past that while the company used to say no phosphor bronze bore brushes they then said it was ok, their dyna bore coating could withstand it??? Of course they have no customer service/support anymore so you can't find out from them.
And as stated above bore scope is the way to go in accurately judging how clean your barrel is.
I waited until this thread went down several apparently inevitable rat-holes to comment:
Haven't used bore brushes of any kind very often for years now. The biggest use I get out of them is wrapping one with a cotton patch to measure rifling twist.
Between excellent oil-based bore solvents such as Wipe-Out and Montana X-Treme, have never seen much need to brush bores. This includes not just to remove copper fouling but powder fouling--what little there is from today's cleaner-burning powders.
Also, my experience is that Dan Lilja's opinion that attempting to remove ALL powder-fouling is detrimental to accuracy. Dan came to this conclusion after lots of testing. And in my nearly 20 years with a Gradient Hawkeye bore-scope, he's exactly right.
Thanks for the response Mule Deer. I was just curious more than anything as to wether you could use a phosphor bronze brush without damaging the coating. I myself have not seen a need for any brush, was just curious. Unfortunately, even mention Dyna Bore Coat in a thread(even if it's not applicable to what the thread was originally asking), the thread seems to go right down the toilet depending on the responders.
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I've pretty much gone BACK to this process and only occasionally use copper solvents like Wipeout...
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
MD, please tell me where in my post I claimed that traditional techniques work as well as newer products. Folks on this forum seem to love to read things into my posts that were never said.
If you are NOT using bronze bristle brushes, carbon is building up in your barrel.
Clean patches do NOT equal a clean barrel!
Carbon will get so hard that it will not even show grey on a patch, must less black.
Teslong bore scope is the best money you can spend on your reloading/shooting career. Teslong will teach you to become an expert with your own cleaning technique/chemical choices.
Not a Gun Writer - but as has been discussed at length on the forums - chemicals remove carbon.
Some chemicals work better than others. Good carbon remover needs little to no brush strokes to remove it.
On the occasion that I do use brushes - they are nylon.
My guess is that as more shooters buy bore-scopes, like the very affordable Teslong, the Campfire will see far fewer posts on what "works" for cleaning rifle bores.
But maybe not.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck