Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

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Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Gun-nut » 28 Sep 2017, 2:43 pm

I'm wondering what sort of cleaning products are best for removing copper fouling from the bore of a center-fire milsurp rifle. And whilst we're on the topic, what cleaning products do you recommend in general. I'm always looking to hear from other people's experiences, so any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. :)
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Oldbloke » 28 Sep 2017, 2:59 pm

Using Sweets 7.62 for copper. Not cheap but a little goes a long way. Good for residue too.

Ed's Red for all other cleaning. Cheap and cheerful. But not as fast as Sweets.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by No1Mk3 » 28 Sep 2017, 3:04 pm

G'day Gun-nut,
I still like Sweets for copper. For carbon I use a non-ammonia Ed's Red due to needing to keep the costs down. and for lead, the Lewis Lead Remover. I don't use ammonia in my Ed's, as I like to leave it sit for an hour. Hoppes Copper remover is lauded by some in the club but personally haven't used it, Cheers..
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Wm.Traynor » 28 Sep 2017, 7:11 pm

I too, use Sweet's but be advised that some (ornery) rifles need some help from a bronze brush :)
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Gun-nut » 28 Sep 2017, 7:20 pm

Cheers for the recommendations guys, I'll definitely check em out.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by albat » 28 Sep 2017, 7:46 pm

Neulons airtake foaming cleaner for bore soot and inox as a protector
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by marksman » 28 Sep 2017, 8:19 pm

wipe out patchout for carbon and general copper cleaning but for hard to get out copper bore tech eliminator
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Mitch » 29 Sep 2017, 4:58 am

Bore tech i find heaps better than sweets.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Daddybang » 29 Sep 2017, 11:10 am

I use this stuff on my cf's and inox on my rfs. At 70 bucks for the three it's a little expensive but I get about 12 months use. :drinks:

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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Chronos » 29 Sep 2017, 8:48 pm

albat wrote:Neulons airtake foaming cleaner for bore soot and inox as a protector


So you leave the copper in there?

I like the Boretech products. I find the Cu4 miles better than anything else, smells better and won't damage your barrel like sweets

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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by albat » 30 Sep 2017, 8:30 am

Chronos wrote:
albat wrote:Neulons airtake foaming cleaner for bore soot and inox as a protector


So you leave the copper in there?

I like the Boretech products. I find the Cu4 miles better than anything else, smells better and won't damage your barrel like sweets

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No chronos i remove the copper just a couple of products i use for cleaning which i find work really good and you dont get ripped off with gun shop prices
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Gun-nut » 25 Oct 2017, 1:55 pm

After doing quite a bit of research I've narrowed down my choices to the boretech eliminator (could someone enlighten me with the differences between the eliminator, the cu+2 and the c4? I suspect the latter 2 are for copper and carbon fouling respectively) and wipe out bore cleaner, as recommended by some of you. The reason I'm deciding between these two is I want an ammonia free cleaner that won't harm the barrel. Whilst reading about the wipeout they stated their product is safe in use with chrome lined bores, and because the rifle I intend to use the product in, isn't chrome lined I was wondering if I'd be better off with the bore tech?

I know its been ages since this thread was active, I've been incredibly busy for the past few weeks and this has completely slipped my mind. And I thank you all for your advice and recommendations.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by marksman » 25 Oct 2017, 3:12 pm

here is a photo of patches after I cleaned a stainless barrel that I thought was exceptionally clean before using wipeout patchout
Image
the rusty looking patches is carbon and the blue is copper
I did this as a test thinking it was a futile exercise but seeing is believing, wipeout patchout and accelerator can clean both carbon and copper but I do use the boretech eliminator for the copper after wipeout patchout and accelerator
my boretech eliminator bottle dont say anything about cu+2 or c4?
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Apollo » 25 Oct 2017, 3:40 pm

Boretech have a number of products, Eliminator is just one. The specific Copper are something like Cu+2 or whatever. Haven't used those one's BUT.. a long time ago after being not real happy with Sweets I tried Boretech and have not even thought about Sweets ever again... Especially after having Bore's checked by my Gunsmith who showed me the difference.

Run Sweet's down there until the Cows come home... then run Boretech down there and see how much more copper is removed.

Here come's the catch.... A lot of shooters do not agree that a perfectly clean bore is the most accurate, nor a good thing. Personally I do not keep cleaning until the patch comes out perfectly clear of blue with Boretech. I can leave Boretech in the bore for days and still bring a tinge of blue... good enough but...a mile better than using an Ammonia based product. It does a good job with carbon but not prefect, not a bad all round product.

Ballistol works great on carbon and a good protective oil.

The patches above.... Gee, the first patch I run down a Bore comes out completely Black. Hence why it only gets pushed through once and the second is rather dark grey then they progress in the next couple to blue then nothing really to speak about.

It's all fun cleaning a Bore... Not!!
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by marksman » 25 Oct 2017, 4:08 pm

the black I get on the first few patches is powder fowling, this rifle I cleaned with the patches above was in my impression extremely clean so it already had the powder fowling some carbon and copper out but obviously not all with the solvent I had been using, the carbon and copper can have a sara lee effect (layer upon layer) so you don't get all of the carbon with the first few patches
I don't go with the clean till the patches come out clean and usually look down the muzzle and until all the copper I can see is gone I soak and clean
after using the wipeout patchout the bore of this rifle that has over 2000 shots through it felt smoother to push a patch through it, especially at the throat and I assume that is because it took out the carbon streaks at and after the throat
I'm glad you mentioned the ballistol as I use ballistol to clean my hunting rifles as the hunting rifle I am using at that time will only get a thorough clean when I am storing it, while I am using that rifle for maybe 3-4 months I will when I get home from a hunt clean it out with ballistol to preserve it and take the powder fowling out but to keep the copper equilibrium so it shoots to the same POI, but that's a whole other post
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by brett1868 » 26 Oct 2017, 11:50 am

Best I've found so far for copper removal has to be Robla Solo MIL100 made by Ballistol. I've tried all the others mentioned elsewhere in this thread but they're not as good in my opinion. It's a very potent ammonia based cleaner so use outdoors and wear eye protection. Many will say that ammonia will destroy your barrel and it's evil but it takes a lot of ammonia and long exposure to cause any damage. Use the product according to the directions and you won't have a problem.

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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Wm.Traynor » 26 Oct 2017, 1:14 pm

sungazer wrote:Iv got some stainless in the shed, Im gonna put some sweets on it a leave for a few hours to see what does happen, if anything. Sweets is what I use at about 500 shot intervals I use the Hoppes Bench Rest copper removal the rest of the time often leaving in overnight or just patching every couple of hours as I walk past sort of thing.

I tried that, with Sweets, on the outside of a SS barrel and it did not touch it. Would be interesting to hear your results.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Oldbloke » 27 Oct 2017, 5:06 am

Doubt it will do anything. They cart ammonia in steel tankers. SS is mainly nicle though.

Try some on plain mild steel too.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Die Judicii » 27 Oct 2017, 2:41 pm

I gather (without reading all these posts) that you are worrying about the effects of Sweets 7.62 on a stainless barrel.

I use it all the time on both stainless and carbon steel barrels.
I have not noticed any ill effect on either. (however, I don't leave it in for extended time) only keep patching till no more blue appears,, then flush with inox,, then dry patch.

For what it's worth tho,,,,,,, I have dribbled a bit on a stainless sink once, and it was about 1/2 hr before I mopped it up,,,, and noticed that it was like acid etched.
You can still see where it was.

The big but is,,,,,,,, a stainless sink is almost guaranteed to be of 304 grade (pretty low grade sh!t),, and certainly not the same grade as a rifle stainless.

Hope the above helps allay any fears you may have about Sweets 7.62

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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by marksman » 27 Oct 2017, 5:12 pm

sweets will not pit your barrel as some say, will not
what happens is that sweets takes all the oils ect that protect your bore out of the bore like it should
after cleaning the user is supposed to oil the bore to protect it but some don't leaving there bore unprotected
so they get pits and blame the sweets, sweets works very well for what it is supposed to do and can be left in your bore for extended periods
( I mean a few hours will not hurt ) as long as you oil the bore after use there will be no damage
while I am at it you will get the most out of sweets by thrashing a brush loaded with sweets back and forth with the sweets,
when it appears white and frothy it works best
not trying to be funny there :thumbsup:

it is not ammonia that hurts stainless it is bleach
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Gamerancher » 28 Oct 2017, 8:10 am

Just don't use a bronze brush, most of the "copper" will be coming from the brush not the bore. Use a nylon bristled brush.
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by Oldbloke » 29 Oct 2017, 5:37 pm

"Nothing to see on the SS. So the 20 min on the label is conservative and I needn't have worried the last time when I got interested in a TV program and went a half hour or so."

No the 20 minutes is correct. You use MORE that way. Great for business. Better for us to leave it about 1 hour. :thumbsup:
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by marksman » 29 Oct 2017, 7:46 pm

Oldbloke wrote:"Nothing to see on the SS. So the 20 min on the label is conservative and I needn't have worried the last time when I got interested in a TV program and went a half hour or so."

No the 20 minutes is correct. You use MORE that way. Great for business. Better for us to leave it about 1 hour. :thumbsup:


spot on Oldbloke :thumbsup: :drinks:
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Re: Best cleaning product for copper fouling?

Post by albat » 03 Nov 2017, 7:13 pm

Ok fellas after listening to you blokes i thought i should start getting serious on the crud so was passing the q store in brisbane today and being one of the few places who have boretech in stock i grabbed a newly arrived 16oz bottle for $56 and a nylon brush afer a couple of bottles of the amber stuff im ready to attack the bore :lol:
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