Shooters Choice mixed with Kroil, (Walt Berger's invention, as far as I know) to push out loose crud, then foam cleaner. Works perfectly, as shown by the Hawkeye. Follow the foam with the same mix, dry patch, and good to go. I've seen barrels with layers of carbon and copper, so bad you couldn't hit the doorway, and it took multiple overnights with Wipeout, scrubbing with J. B.'s, to get to the bottom. As mentioned, w/o a borescope, you are pretty much guessing at what goes on in a barrel.
Best cleaning solvent to use
- Thread starter ReloadKy
- Start date
No such thing as best; just slightly better.
My first pass and soaking solvent is; Mineral Sprits
My BP favorite, is; Ballistol
My most used is still,; Noppe's-9
My metal preservation, is; StrongArm
Be Safe !!!
Through the years I've seen and used "the latest and greatest" and to answer you question, there is no best, only some "slightly better than others. It's easier to state which is the more expensive, than which is the best. .....
My first pass and soaking solvent is; Mineral Sprits
My BP favorite, is; Ballistol
My most used is still,; Noppe's-9
My metal preservation, is; StrongArm
Be Safe !!!
I will disagree. CK2k and Bore Tech Eliminator are the two best I have seen and by performance.
There may be others that equal them, I doubt any better.
One stop cleaning, no mixing two chemical, no three chemicals in the mix, no odor, no haz. It does not get any better than that.
Confirmed by boro scope.
About 3 x cycles of 5 strokes with a nylon brush each followed by a dry patch.
Two on the last to make sure there is no residue in the barrel.
While I think there are other brand names out there that use the same chemistry to do the job, I have yet to hear of anyone that beats the minimum amount of work that the two listed do.
Old very dirty barrel takes longer. Once clean its simple maintenance.
There may be others that equal them, I doubt any better.
One stop cleaning, no mixing two chemical, no three chemicals in the mix, no odor, no haz. It does not get any better than that.
Confirmed by boro scope.
About 3 x cycles of 5 strokes with a nylon brush each followed by a dry patch.
Two on the last to make sure there is no residue in the barrel.
While I think there are other brand names out there that use the same chemistry to do the job, I have yet to hear of anyone that beats the minimum amount of work that the two listed do.
Old very dirty barrel takes longer. Once clean its simple maintenance.
Me too!
FrankenMauser
New member
My assortment has been narrowed down to Bore-Tech Eliminator (carbon and copper), Slip-2000 Carbon Killer (hardened/baked carbon), and Hoppe's #9 for general purpose use.
I do keep some Montana Extreme copper remover on hand, but it has been eight years since I used any.
No one asked, but...
Once done, I use FP-10 for standard oiling, Slip-2000 EWL for things where I want a thicker oil, and a moly axle grease for greased parts. (...Rem-Oil or Slip-2000 wipes, if in the field.)
I do keep some Montana Extreme copper remover on hand, but it has been eight years since I used any.
No one asked, but...
Once done, I use FP-10 for standard oiling, Slip-2000 EWL for things where I want a thicker oil, and a moly axle grease for greased parts. (...Rem-Oil or Slip-2000 wipes, if in the field.)
Yep, my wife needs another chemical smell to try out.
I think I will stick with what has proven to work and work fast. But that is just me, better to ignore proven performance over an opinion any day of the week.
Back in the day when I was traveling the US in my Alaska Plated truck (we could not pump our own gas back then) the attendant would come out, ahh, Polar Bears, live on a glacier in an Igloo, no sun, cold all the time.
ME: No, Polar bears are about 700 miles North, glaciers are in the mountains, we have farm land, great potatoes, cabbage as big as the truck, we live in houses on solid ground, nice in the summer, good 6-7 month of the year very nice.
Attendant: You have no idea what you are talking about, how dare you tell me what its like up there, I know perfectly well what goes on up there, I have it by very good 4th hand sources.
ME: (after almost getting into 3 fights over what I didn't really know):
Yea, you are right, some nights we invite the Polar bears in so we all can get warm and go our own way in the morning. ahh you think you can put that gas in the truck for me, I have a hot date with a lady Polar bear up North I don't want to miss.
I think I will stick with what has proven to work and work fast. But that is just me, better to ignore proven performance over an opinion any day of the week.
Back in the day when I was traveling the US in my Alaska Plated truck (we could not pump our own gas back then) the attendant would come out, ahh, Polar Bears, live on a glacier in an Igloo, no sun, cold all the time.
ME: No, Polar bears are about 700 miles North, glaciers are in the mountains, we have farm land, great potatoes, cabbage as big as the truck, we live in houses on solid ground, nice in the summer, good 6-7 month of the year very nice.
Attendant: You have no idea what you are talking about, how dare you tell me what its like up there, I know perfectly well what goes on up there, I have it by very good 4th hand sources.
ME: (after almost getting into 3 fights over what I didn't really know):
Yea, you are right, some nights we invite the Polar bears in so we all can get warm and go our own way in the morning. ahh you think you can put that gas in the truck for me, I have a hot date with a lady Polar bear up North I don't want to miss.
Hunter Customs
New member
The best I've used was AccuBore, a custom rifle builder/gunsmith told me about it 30 plus years ago. Brownell's used to carry it but discontinued it a few years back, as with anything Brownell's carries I should of bought a lifetime supply. It's made in Canada maybe that has something to do with Brownell's not carrying it anymore. I have four bottles left and wished I had a hundred!
It had nothing to do with not being happy with what was available; the problem was what was available for cleaning the bore, I made a bore cleaning system that had not disappointed.
Hoppies #9 has always reminded me of John Wayne toilet paper, but if that is all you got that is it.
F. Guffey
mapsjanhere
New member
Chloroform for the old oil, nitrobenzene for the carbon deposites, mercury for copper.
And yes, I'm a chemist.
And yes, I'm a chemist.
Hoppe's used to have nitrobenzene in it when I was a kid. It originally had 9 ingredients, which is where the 9 in the name came from. Regulators have seen to it that only 5 remain now, and the efficacy has, alas, been reduced.
The modern chemistries really are better. If you want to just remove copper, KG-12 is about the fastest I've seen. Way faster than Sweet's or any of the other ammonia-based bore cleaners. The only problem is it doesn't turn green or blue, so you have to depend on inspection to be sure it's done working. Like Bore Tech Cu++, it is a chelating copper remover. Cu++ was not as fast in my test (dissolving 2 mils of copper plating off a steel jacketed ball bullet), but it does turn very blue and is also way faster than ammonia. Bore Tech Eliminator has some of the same stuff as Cu++ in it along with some of the same stuff that is in their C4 carbon remover. It just isn't as strong as either one is alone.
All those products are water-based and low odor. They have corrosion inhibitors that are very effective. I've let them dry out in a barrel in humid conditions with no sign of rust.
Slip2000 Carbon Killer is the fastest acting on old carbon cake. I have made the mistake of letting it sit on some Parkerizing for a number of hours, and it thinned it out, so I don't put it there.
This article on two of the above products is an interesting read, though it's a dozen years old, now.
Gunzilla is interesting stuff. I left some in a tired old '03's bore for six weeks one time and it dissolved not only all the old carbon that was glazing some hidden ancient pitting, but also the rust in those pits came completely out leaving shiny bare steel. The carbon and rust was a sludge at the bottom side of the barrel that wiped out with one dry patch. It takes longer than Slip2000 Carbon Killer, but can do an impressive job. The original formula does not attack copper very aggressively, but I haven't tried their copper removing formula.
For lead, Sharpshoot'R, makers of Wipe-Out foaming cleaner, make a product called No Lead. You put it in the gun for about an hour and the lead converts to a sort crumbly gray-black material that just patches out. No brushing required.
The modern chemistries really are better. If you want to just remove copper, KG-12 is about the fastest I've seen. Way faster than Sweet's or any of the other ammonia-based bore cleaners. The only problem is it doesn't turn green or blue, so you have to depend on inspection to be sure it's done working. Like Bore Tech Cu++, it is a chelating copper remover. Cu++ was not as fast in my test (dissolving 2 mils of copper plating off a steel jacketed ball bullet), but it does turn very blue and is also way faster than ammonia. Bore Tech Eliminator has some of the same stuff as Cu++ in it along with some of the same stuff that is in their C4 carbon remover. It just isn't as strong as either one is alone.
All those products are water-based and low odor. They have corrosion inhibitors that are very effective. I've let them dry out in a barrel in humid conditions with no sign of rust.
Slip2000 Carbon Killer is the fastest acting on old carbon cake. I have made the mistake of letting it sit on some Parkerizing for a number of hours, and it thinned it out, so I don't put it there.
This article on two of the above products is an interesting read, though it's a dozen years old, now.
Gunzilla is interesting stuff. I left some in a tired old '03's bore for six weeks one time and it dissolved not only all the old carbon that was glazing some hidden ancient pitting, but also the rust in those pits came completely out leaving shiny bare steel. The carbon and rust was a sludge at the bottom side of the barrel that wiped out with one dry patch. It takes longer than Slip2000 Carbon Killer, but can do an impressive job. The original formula does not attack copper very aggressively, but I haven't tried their copper removing formula.
For lead, Sharpshoot'R, makers of Wipe-Out foaming cleaner, make a product called No Lead. You put it in the gun for about an hour and the lead converts to a sort crumbly gray-black material that just patches out. No brushing required.
Yep, both product listed have proven to work.
I use the Eliminator as I don't have much copper and there is alwyas some carbon in the layers (old guns)
While my approach is a bit different, what helps a bit more is a warm barrel so I do it at the range when I am done shooting that gun.
Regardless the old stuff was toxic and brute force approach.
You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself or making family sick or gloves with the new stuff.
And with a bore scope its proven to work not an look through the barrel opinion.
Frankly it would be like someone made a reasonable cost shaft drive bicycle with full suspension. It would not be any better.
I use the Eliminator as I don't have much copper and there is alwyas some carbon in the layers (old guns)
While my approach is a bit different, what helps a bit more is a warm barrel so I do it at the range when I am done shooting that gun.
Regardless the old stuff was toxic and brute force approach.
You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself or making family sick or gloves with the new stuff.
And with a bore scope its proven to work not an look through the barrel opinion.
Frankly it would be like someone made a reasonable cost shaft drive bicycle with full suspension. It would not be any better.
You're doing what I do. Carbon deposits harden as they sit, so the sooner you get a solvent on them, the easier they come out. I bought a travel-size pump sprayer at Wallyworld for less than a buck and put Eliminator in it. I also got some silicone stoppers from Amazon. At the end of a range session I spray about three pumps into the chamber with the muzzle pointing down and then plug both ends. By the time I get home, pretty much everything comes out with one patch.
Gunzilla is also good for that and will knock out the carbon really well (and it is sold in a pump sprayer at the low end of the purchase quantity range). It just doesn't clear all the copper out the way Eliminator does.
Gunzilla is also good for that and will knock out the carbon really well (and it is sold in a pump sprayer at the low end of the purchase quantity range). It just doesn't clear all the copper out the way Eliminator does.
Can't agree with that simplistic and borderline insulting assessment. Using the best cleaners and giving them time to work can get you down to just three or four patches to a completely clean bore and avoids brushes entirely. That may not seem important to someone whose never had a problem barrel, but I've had a couple that shot poorly when fouled and that took hour after hour with Sweet's to get clean. Not intollerable at home, but in the middle of a class or when there are successive match days and you have to skip beers with friends after dinner to get the thing ready for the next day, it takes its toll.
The other factor, as mentioned in the test article I linked to, is that a borescope reveals a lot of the old cleaners never actually do get a barrel clean unless it's a smooth, toolmark-free hand-lapped bore.
The other factor, as mentioned in the test article I linked to, is that a borescope reveals a lot of the old cleaners never actually do get a barrel clean unless it's a smooth, toolmark-free hand-lapped bore.
Centuriatior:
Sorry guy, you are plain wrong.
The family Sako 270 was cleaned as consistently over the years as monks pray. Hoppe 9 , back when it was the real thing.
When I went on my mission to see if it really could shoot the way we remembered it shooting, the first thing I did was clean it with the Combo of Bore Tech Eliminator and CK2k. That's basics 101. Like working on an engine. Are the valves right (back in adjustable valve days). If they are not nothing is going to make it run right.
It took me a while as I tackled it over a few days with cleaning, letting it soak in with a wet bore, cleaning again, repeat. Then shot it and cleaned it.
Why?
I could see a LOT of carbon with the bore scope. I could see when it was getting de-carboned. I did not stop until it was clean. It looked nice and shiny down the barrel, the bore scope said NO - all you are seeing is the lands, deep carbon and a bit of copper in the groves.
And yes I had loaded for that gun before and I got it BETTER, but not great. 1.5 inches with hand loads and 3 shots. More than good enough for hunting.
After? Try 5 shot groups at a tad under 1 MOA.
This is a gun with a trigger I am not used to (very nice one but its not a Savage Varmint Acu Trigger) and a heavy hunting cross hair scope.
My guess is I shoot it enough and a bit more load tweaking (not going to do that, its still a hunting gun and its a family keeper) I think I could get under 3/4 MOA.
Sorry guy, you are plain wrong.
The family Sako 270 was cleaned as consistently over the years as monks pray. Hoppe 9 , back when it was the real thing.
When I went on my mission to see if it really could shoot the way we remembered it shooting, the first thing I did was clean it with the Combo of Bore Tech Eliminator and CK2k. That's basics 101. Like working on an engine. Are the valves right (back in adjustable valve days). If they are not nothing is going to make it run right.
It took me a while as I tackled it over a few days with cleaning, letting it soak in with a wet bore, cleaning again, repeat. Then shot it and cleaned it.
Why?
I could see a LOT of carbon with the bore scope. I could see when it was getting de-carboned. I did not stop until it was clean. It looked nice and shiny down the barrel, the bore scope said NO - all you are seeing is the lands, deep carbon and a bit of copper in the groves.
And yes I had loaded for that gun before and I got it BETTER, but not great. 1.5 inches with hand loads and 3 shots. More than good enough for hunting.
After? Try 5 shot groups at a tad under 1 MOA.
This is a gun with a trigger I am not used to (very nice one but its not a Savage Varmint Acu Trigger) and a heavy hunting cross hair scope.
My guess is I shoot it enough and a bit more load tweaking (not going to do that, its still a hunting gun and its a family keeper) I think I could get under 3/4 MOA.
My Mom and two brother would agree on the beer (I am more inclined to ice cream unless is Mexican of Pizza!)
I do have one pretty well lapped barrel (two actually). Still would not fully clean up with Hoppes and or the Hoppes Kroil mix.
Bore scope, yep, carbon still stuck in there and no matter what would not come out.
Post Bore Tech and CK2k? 3 cleaning cycles and its gone.
Many people want to believe their Urban Legends, they are not interested in Science or fact.
Best put: "The beauty about science is its still fact, whether you want to believe it or not.