Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada I'm soaking my barrels

In Hoppes.

I'll finish them tomorrow, but I have found this is the best way to clean everything. Having them soak helps loosen some of the crud, but most importantly, forces me to finish everything up properly.

Single shot barrels are super easy to clean this way. I have a 223, 7.62x39 and a 30-30 barrel rubber corked on one end and the tube filled with Hoppes.



The corked end sits in an old plastic container, in case the cork fails.



This is a pick of the 223 Wylde filled to the top.

Best way ever to deep clean a barrel.
How long do you leave them?

I leave them for a day and start cleaning. You can leave them longer, but I will only leave it longer because I want the Hoppes to work more, and me, a little less.

Steve,

I do the same with Hoppe’s Benchrest Copper Remover. Through trial and error, saturating the barrels, but leaving air in them seems to produce better results than completely filled with liquid.

Hi Jeff et al - I leave the barrels soaking for a few days ( last time was 3 days ) and leave the rod and patch in situ, running it up and down whenever I pass by This is with a 308 I just bought that had lots of copper showing in the grooves. After 3 days it came out clean and then I ran some liquid rubbing compound ( TurtleWax brand- all I had available - Bass-P## here has few selections-POS vendor!!) Anyways, the barrels came out very 'Shiny and Clean' I'll update when I go out nest week to 'fire for effect' - New gun & scope , still getting used to it. Rem SPS Tac .308 w/ 4-12 Viper. So far only about 3MOA at 200 yds. Range is only 200 yds long
[img][img]https://i.postimg.cc/k53sjQmQ/Rem-700-SPS.png[/img][/img]
[url=https://postimages.org/]Rem SPS .308[/url]

Steve,

The soaking may not be give you the results you are hoping for. Some solvents need oxygen to work Not sure about Hopes. But most ammonia based solvents work better with 0xygen present.


Lefty

I do the same thing but use Gun Slick. Works like a charm!

Is it safe to leave ammonia based products in a barrel for a long time?

There was a time when I did that at the clays range by dunking the barrel in a 4" PVC pipe filled with Hoppes. Let them sit for about 5' and they were done. It became a very popular hangout.

I prefer Kroil for rifle barrels addressed in a manner similar to Steve's approach.

Or you could just use Wipe Out.

I like this type of thread. I say Hoppes. Others chime in with the cleaner they use. It reminds me of a "which bolt action rifle is best" or "which bullet is best" thread.

The commonality is the soak. I do it because I'm lazy. The soak does the majority of the work.

This is where the thread shifts to which cleaner is better and why. Oh, don't worry. Use what you want.

I'll start. You shouldn't be using anything other than Hoppes. It's cheap, and it works. Like Madge told all her clients in the Palmolive Commercials, "You're soaking in it."

Your turn.

Any opinions on using laundry ammonia in this manner?
It's something I've done in the past to get copper out of rough old barrels.

Laundry ammonia has ammonia in it. I wouldn't soak with it, even diluted, for an extended period.

Why not? Do you think it would cut the steel appreciably?

I believe it will.

I haven’t written any books, don’t live in Canada.. but if you used a bore cleaner worth a chit you wouldn’t have to soak your barrels in hoppes for 3 days.. If you were truly lazy like you say buy some wipeout run a wet patch down the barrel and walk away for several hours and repeat if desired..

Thanks Steve.
Not arguing with you but, I think Hoppe's has ammonia in it as well.
Anyway, I also like to let cleaners do their work.

No problem. It has ammonium hydroxide in it, which is a weak base solution of ammonia and water (called ammonia water by many). There is an acid additive, whose name I forget, which counteracts much of the negative effects of the ammonia water.



But I like the smell.
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I think Kroil is a better perpetrator is all...and I have a fair supply on hand. Don't think you can get Hoppes in gallon quantities anymore. They both smell like heaven to me.....from a distance.

Live and let live. If it works for you, it's golden.

Well, I have to draw the line with Remington 700s.They are odd, and smell like cabbage.😂

Perpetrator?? Freudian slip?

Yes far easier and faster.

Dunno about that. Hoppe's was improved a few years ago (as Steve and I have discussed recently on the Campfire) and now dissolves copper much faster. And since it's always been oil-based, there's no problem with soaking....

Perpetrator, as in active agent. Or spell check, your call.

To me Hoppe's smells like fun.

Dinner in about 10 minutes. I had 30 minutes to clean three barrels, earlier this afternoon. Here are the results of the 2 1/2 day soak for two of them

6 patches for each. No brushes. Done!

223 Wylde



7.62x39mm

I called the shop at one of today’s favorite barrel manufacturers. The shop foreman answered. We had a discussion about cleaning and he used pretty much the same method Steve is talking about. He shot lots of matches. He soaked with Hoppe’s #9 and left it in until the next match. His only difference was that he placed the rifle muzzle down and used an eye dropper to squirt the liquid around the chamber and then let it run down. He did this several times to be certain to hit all the surfaces. Wait a few days or until the next match and then run some patches. No brush ever! No strong copper removing solvents ever!

Steve, I noticed those are Encore barrels. I have no problem cleaning my Encore barrels. However , I have problems with junk getting into the frame and varnishing up the springs and stuff. Have you had any problems like this? If not, do you try to get in there and clean in there by the trigger and springs? I just took my Encore frame to the gunsmith , he charged 48 dollars to take it apart and clean it all up. I thought something in there was broke or rusted. Perhaps the problem may be from my muzzleloader . Even the black powder substitute seems dirtier than smokeless. I told the guns smith I use Hoopes #9 and said it is good but must be clear of any or you get varnish. So I guess my question is , do you have problems with the springs gunning up and if not, do you do anything in there to clean them?

Hi. These are Contender barrels, but I use spray and compressed air to clean the hard to reach places.. For other rifles, I remove the action from the stock.

Hi. Sorry that I didn't respond yesterday. Soaking is a great way of dealing with a number of rifles, unless you need to shoot them again within a few days. As Dan and a few others have mentioned, shotgunners have been doing this for a while. I believe I mentioned competition shooters at my old club left their rifle barrels to soak for a week and then returned for a group clean. It was as much a social event as a maintenance one.
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I didn't have time to post this yesterday, but I use these bottles to do my bolt and autoloader rifle barrels. This is the Cdn amazon link, but I am sure that amazon sells these world wide, as would Walmart and a bunch of other stores.

8 oz bottles - 2 pack

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These are 8 oz bottles that can be used for a number of different things around the shop. What I like about them is that the cap and nozzle screw onto my Hoppes bottles. The bent nozzle makes it easy to add solvent into the barrels without spilling. You simply watch the breech end to ensure your Hoppes doth not runneth over.