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copper fouling
- Thread starter NHSHOOTER
- Start date
603Country
New member
You should be able to take a flashlight and shine it into the muzzle of your rifle barrel. Copper streaks would show up there. That said, I'm pretty sure you are going to see exactly that, but the copper streaks don't necessarily indicate that you have TOO much copper.
I would say that if you've run a lot of bullets down your barrel over time, and that standard cleaning (Butch's Bore Shine for instance) doesn't bring your accuracy back to where it was or should be, then maybe it's time to take some copper out. For that purpose I use Boretech Eliminator, though there are other choices out there. I've gotten away from the ammonia based copper removers, since I don't think that they are very effective. For example, when I got that first bottle of Boretech, I cleaned the barrel of a rifle that already had a clean barrel (or so I thought). I found that I had a lot of copper in a barrel that I had thought was clean.
Just to say it, my thinking on copper now is that I want some copper in the barrel of most of my rifles for best accuracy, so I don't clean with Boretech every time.
I would say that if you've run a lot of bullets down your barrel over time, and that standard cleaning (Butch's Bore Shine for instance) doesn't bring your accuracy back to where it was or should be, then maybe it's time to take some copper out. For that purpose I use Boretech Eliminator, though there are other choices out there. I've gotten away from the ammonia based copper removers, since I don't think that they are very effective. For example, when I got that first bottle of Boretech, I cleaned the barrel of a rifle that already had a clean barrel (or so I thought). I found that I had a lot of copper in a barrel that I had thought was clean.
Just to say it, my thinking on copper now is that I want some copper in the barrel of most of my rifles for best accuracy, so I don't clean with Boretech every time.
If you run a cleaning patch lightly soaked with Hoppe's No. 9 bore cleaner, leave it there for 5 to 10 minutes, then push a clean patch through the bore and it comes out blue-green in color, there's copper fouling in the bore.
Bore surfaces a little bit rough scrape jacket material off bullets as they go through it. Too much copper build up usually hurts accuracy. A little bit that's even all the way around in a slightly rough bore will help accuracy get better. After enough copper wash is deposited in the bore, very little more gets laid in and accuracy stays good for several dozen (sometimes hundreds) of shots. After the bore's cleaned and all that copper jacket material chemically or mechanically removed, you get to start over again shooting a few shots to deposit enough copper in the bore to make it shoot accurate again.
Bore surfaces a little bit rough scrape jacket material off bullets as they go through it. Too much copper build up usually hurts accuracy. A little bit that's even all the way around in a slightly rough bore will help accuracy get better. After enough copper wash is deposited in the bore, very little more gets laid in and accuracy stays good for several dozen (sometimes hundreds) of shots. After the bore's cleaned and all that copper jacket material chemically or mechanically removed, you get to start over again shooting a few shots to deposit enough copper in the bore to make it shoot accurate again.
603Country- Are you sure about that? Recently I ordered myself up a bottle of that Butch's to clean up a couple of old 03's and a 1917. The patches- well they came out as blue as india ink. Now, it could be that the jar I got has been adulterated or something- but blue is blue.(Butch's Bore Shine for instance) doesn't bring your accuracy back to where it was or should be, then maybe it's time to take some copper out.
603Country
New member
10-96, I wasn't trying to say that Butch's doesn't work. It just doesn't remove copper like Boretech Eliminator does. For general bore cleaning I usually use Butch's, unless I want to do what my wife would call "deep cleaning", which would be serious copper removal. For a time, I used Boretech at each bore cleaning, but eventually decided that the rifles (most of them) shot better when they had some copper laid down.
I shine a flashlight just inside the muzzle and insert a Q-tip about an inch or so inside and look. the Q-tip acts as a light reflector and you'll see copper if it's there. There won't be any question about it.
If I find any, and in some rifles more than others, I go through a procedure of running Bore Eliminator with patches followed by a nylon brush then dry patches. Those patches will be a bluish-green color if copper is present. Then I go to the copper cleaner with muscle, KG-12. None finer for getting out copper. If you still have copper after that you're in trouble.
If I find any, and in some rifles more than others, I go through a procedure of running Bore Eliminator with patches followed by a nylon brush then dry patches. Those patches will be a bluish-green color if copper is present. Then I go to the copper cleaner with muscle, KG-12. None finer for getting out copper. If you still have copper after that you're in trouble.
Colorado Redneck
New member
Wipe-out Patch-out
This stuff is easy to use and works well. You can soak the bore overnight and run a few patches thru the barrel the next morning without harming the bore. Be careful if you have an oil finish stock. This stuff will damage wood stocks. I just throw a small shop rag over the stock when cleaning my guns with wood furniture.
When you mop the bore with this, and then push a patch or two thru the bore, if you have copper (and you probably do) it will come out dark blue. I had a 270 that I tried to work up a round using Barnes solid copper bullets. It took a few days to get the bore cleaned from all of the copper. Now it shoots better than before. (I quit on the Barnes solid copper bullets)
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/11...t-brushless-bore-cleaning-solvent-8-oz-liquid
This stuff is easy to use and works well. You can soak the bore overnight and run a few patches thru the barrel the next morning without harming the bore. Be careful if you have an oil finish stock. This stuff will damage wood stocks. I just throw a small shop rag over the stock when cleaning my guns with wood furniture.
When you mop the bore with this, and then push a patch or two thru the bore, if you have copper (and you probably do) it will come out dark blue. I had a 270 that I tried to work up a round using Barnes solid copper bullets. It took a few days to get the bore cleaned from all of the copper. Now it shoots better than before. (I quit on the Barnes solid copper bullets)
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/11...t-brushless-bore-cleaning-solvent-8-oz-liquid
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myfriendis410
New member
I had to get a "graduate degree" in copper fouling removal out in California due to the fact we have to shoot copper. My Browning A Bolt in 7mm magnum will go about 30 rounds before accuracy falls off drastically. I started using the Barnes CR10 solvent and that particular rifle would take 2 hours of concentrated cleaning--wet brush, wait 10 minutes, dry patch and repeat.
Recently I tried Hoppe's Bore Venom copper fouling remover and the same job took about 20 minutes. I was really quite impressed.
I finish every cleaning session with a wet patch of Hoppe's No. 9 and a dry patch, no matter what solvent I start with.
Interestingly, I have two other rifles--both 700's--that I can run 100 rounds through without needing cleaning. Neither one of those takes long to clean, no matter what solvent I use.
Recently I tried Hoppe's Bore Venom copper fouling remover and the same job took about 20 minutes. I was really quite impressed.
I finish every cleaning session with a wet patch of Hoppe's No. 9 and a dry patch, no matter what solvent I start with.
Interestingly, I have two other rifles--both 700's--that I can run 100 rounds through without needing cleaning. Neither one of those takes long to clean, no matter what solvent I use.
I think a lot has to do with the condition of the bore. My Sako .222 will NOT develop those copper streaks like my Winchester 270 even when shooting twice as many rounds. I bring it home, run good ol' Hoppes through it followed by a nylon brush and several dry patches and peer into the bore and zero copper...not so with the Winchester. It takes many patches of Bore Eliminator and KG-12 to get it out.
NHSHOOTER said: How would one know if his rifle had copper fouling? Is it visible or is it just a matter of poor accuracy?
If you have fired bullets with a copper jacket you have copper fowling. It takes several hundred rounds, sometimes a lot more before someone takes notice. It took me about a thousand before I noticed and decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, because I went so long I had to really work get my barrel clean and restore it's accuracy.
I had to plug my barrel and let Hoppe #9 Copper Solvent soak overnight to get it clean. Now I use KG-12 periodically to clean it. I've also bought Wipe Out with Accelerator to test it out, see if that makes the job any easier. Lots of choices out there.
The books I've read, recommend cleaning copper every couple hundreds of rounds or less, but I think it depends on many factors: the barrel, the caliber, the velocity, the quality of the bullet, etc... So you'll have to just see what works for you.
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