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Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:47 am
by ovenpaa
I was copper stripping a rifle yesterday, I used my normal Forest Bore Foam, KG and Hoppes Elite combo in sequence and still struggled to remove it and ended up spending a lot of time using a brush and Copper terminator and even then a final inspection revealed some residue copper left. Is it me or are the modern copper removing treatments slowly but surely being sanitised, gone are the days when a quick sniff of the bottle had you reeling and nowadays manufacturers proudly announce the 'xyz' is environmentally friendly.

I want something nasty that has me coughing and is a hazard to life and limb, does such a thing exist or am I going to have to face up to more time with a brush moving the stuff mechanically?

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:04 am
by johngarnett
Sweets is pretty good at messing up the nasal passages if sniffed :o

Oh yes, good for getting copper out

JohnG :cornwall:

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:23 am
by DOGGER2UK
Sweets is the stuff. Graeme has just got some more in
http://www.sportingservices.co.uk/index.asp

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:42 am
by DOGGER2UK
Sweets shifted this Cu fouling in my 30-338
copper.JPG

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:58 pm
by dromia
Household ammonia and Ed's red patch and patch about. Cheap and highly effective.

You pay through every orifice for proprietary bore cleaners and the active copper cleaner in most of them is ammonia, so cut to the chase, save money and get the job done.

I only use a nylon bristle brush to "foam" up the amonia a bit as it needs oxygen to work. Tight patches and the liquids do the cleaning.

I think most labeled cleaners are a con.

I do have Wipe Out Patch Out and Accelerator for really gunged up old bores.

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:34 pm
by Meaty
I have recently read a bit about a low voltage electrolysis barrel cleaning method that has/is been used in the States with remarkable results (apparently!)-has anyone heard or know anything about this method? I keep meaning to make up a test rig and see how well they work but I am buggered if I am going to knacker a good barrel testing the theory any????

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:14 pm
by dodgyrog
Meaty wrote:I have recently read a bit about a low voltage electrolysis barrel cleaning method that has/is been used in the States with remarkable results (apparently!)-has anyone heard or know anything about this method? I keep meaning to make up a test rig and see how well they work but I am buggered if I am going to knacker a good barrel testing the theory any????
I have done this electrolysis method on a SMLE barrel - it took out the copper but revealed a matt/pitted barrel (not caused by the electrolysis.

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:32 pm
by Blu
Like I said on the thread about the Enfield I bought from a pawn shop, it looked like the barrel had never seen copper solvent in it's lifetime and it took a couple of days to get it clean. I use Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner. It gets rid of the copper and the powder gunk no problem. Now that the Enfield is clean and when I clean it after shooting, keeping clean and copper free won't be a problem.

Blu :twisted:

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:01 pm
by essexboy
When I finish shooting I give the barrel a squirt of bore foam ( this is rubbish at getting anything out but it keeps fouling soft) when I get home it's out with the bore shine 2wet patches and a 24hr wait, swab out and wet brush, more wet patches and another 24hrs then dry patches, out with the bore guide to get to the carbon ring with some stuff that hps sells that always seems to empty the whole can with the first press of the top ( it's now in a glass jar) more dry patches then mentholated spirit to clean all the crud out, job done. I think I've had a go at most cleaners over the years, most that were good are now crud. As I only shoot match grade barrels copper is never a real problem, but carbon, ****

Steve

Re: Copper fouling

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:40 pm
by Gaz
I have a 1980s vintage bottle of Sweets in my cleaning kit. I had to buy a sealable ammo box to keep it in because the smell of the stuff was impregnating my shooting gear and making me high every time I got it out!

Haven't used modern Sweets but I'd expect it to be less potent. Frankly I'm surprised the ammonia hasn't melted through the old bottle yet. Might try just buying the stuff neat and using that if it works out cheaper, cheers Dromia for that tip.