Am I being too anal about copper fouling?

[TackDriver284]

After receiving a .308 Crusader from GA Precision two months ago, they sent me a break in procedure, as shoot one, clean, shoot one, clean 10 times or until no copper is present on the patch, then shoot 3, clean, shoot 3, clean three times, then shoot 5, etc. BUT, during the shoot one, clean procedure, I only shot up to 6 rounds before no copper was present, so I did not need to use the shoot 10 times method,,,,as of this morning I did the same procedure for the new .300 Magnum with 180 Nosler Ballistic Tips pushed by VV165 as a mild load. After shooting the first round and cleaned with Bore Eliminator which turns blue on the patches if copper is present in the bore, same solvent I used for the .308

So after going through 5 rounds, there was still copper present, but I used like 15 or so patches through the bore after each shot and it was pissing me off because the copper would not just go away easily as on my .308. So I continued the procedure up to 10 rounds and still copper was present, so I cleaned real good and shot 3 rounds and cleaned, and two more 3 rounds / clean procedure. I used up the whole bag of damn patches and 2/3rds of a bottle of Bore Eliminator. Am I being too anal about the presence of copper during the break in procedure or should I just ignore it. Winds were howling 35 to 40 mph today, so I was not able to try the 212 ELD X / H1000 load work up yet.

Should I keep on with the break in procedure or should I just stop? on the other hand, the previous break in two months ago, the .308 had no presence of copper at all after the 6th round, even after the shoot 3 / clean three times and shoot 5 and clean twice, no traces of copper at all. Your opinions please.

 

[lefty315]

My Rem .30-06 would shoot best when there was so much copper in the barrel you could almost start mining it. If the gun shoots accurately I wouldn't over think it.

 

[hunt127588]

You're overly worried. Any custom barrel really just needs to be cleaned at the end of a shooting session. Make sure you use a bore guide and you'll be good to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dwh7271]

Some barrels actually shoot better with a little in them. I think that's why with some it takes some shots before they settle in again.

 

[Billyram]

Copper fouling in the barrel is not good. That's why you fire a shot and clean a new barrel. If you don't remove all the copper the next round will just add more copper and the barrel will take longer or never break in. Some bullets foul more than others do so use standard bullets like BTs and stay away from bonded or solid copper while breaking in a new barrel.
Billy

 

[TackDriver284]

Just used a plastic jag to make sure the brass jag is not the culprit, plastic jag, still, pushed out copper fouling patches. So I used a nylon brush 20 passes twice and several passes with wet patches, copper presence is still there, so I squirted some Wipe Out foam through the breech thru a bore guide and excess foam out the other end, letting it sit an hour,,,,

 

[rodell]

If I'm not in a hurry, I've left the foam in overnight a couple of times. It really shows you that things might not be as clean as you think!

 

[IdahoCTD]

I've never cleaned a rifle that much. I don't break them in even. I take them out and shoot them 15-20 shots the first g,o working on loads and sighting them in, and then clean them. Then I shoot them until they don't shoot. If accuracy is a issue and it is copper fouling that much then I would contact the manufacturer but if the copper doesn't effect the accuracy then keep shooting. A friend of mine just sent a barrel back that copper fouled horribly and didn't shoot. The manufacture replaced it.

 

[Blkram]

Rifle barrels are as individual as people(; some smoother and clean quickly, while others ate a little rougher and take a little more effort to clean. I have read and heard numerous reports on break-in methods and their effectiveness. I've tried a couple of different methods, as well as not using a break-in regimen, and cannot say that I saw a real difference in either of the methods. I do not use a lot of monolithic bullets, or use them exclusively in any rifle.

In the end, I believe you should do what your rifle tells you. If it shoots better with a clean cold barrel, clean thoroughly before putting away. If it shoots better with a fouled bore, clean and the fire a fouling shot before putting away.

Some rifles will require a number of shots down the barrel before breaking in and providing the best accuracy, while others may take a few hundred rounds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Blkram]

Rifle barrels are as individual as people; some smoother and clean quickly, while others ate a little rougher and take a little more effort to clean. I have read and heard numerous reports on break-in methods and their effectiveness. I've tried a couple of different methods, as well as not using a break-in regimen, and cannot say that I saw a real difference in either of the methods. I do not use a lot of monolithic bullets, or use them exclusively in any rifle.

In the end, I believe you should do what your rifle tells you. If it shoots better with a clean cold barrel, clean thoroughly before putting away. If it shoots better with a fouled bore, clean and the fire a fouling shot before putting away.

Some rifles will require a number of shots down the barrel before breaking in and providing the best accuracy, while others may take a few hundred rounds.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TackDriver284]

Just cleaned it up real well last night, just need to see how it shoots when the winds calm down.

 

[mjcmichigan]

I guess I'd call GA precision. Start with, I followed your break in procedures... I'm still seeing lots of copper fouling. It is (or is not) shooting how I would expect. Should I be concerned with the fouling?

What GA Precision should know is what is normal for their barrels. If you got one that's not normal, would be good for them to step up. Quality is everything in a barrel.


I think Nosler publishes a procedure like you described for their M48's.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[TackDriver284]

Sorry I believe you may have misread, i mentioned I first did fine with the .308 from GA and fouling stopped after 6th round, but this rifle is the .300 Win Mag, (not from GA Precision ) with copper fouling after 10th round plus two more 3 round groups.

I guess I'd call GA precision. Start with, I followed your break in procedures... I'm still seeing lots of copper fouling. It is (or is not) shooting how I would expect. Should I be concerned with the fouling?

What GA Precision should know is what is normal for their barrels. If you got one that's not normal, would be good for them to step up. Quality is everything in a barrel.


I think Nosler publishes a procedure like you described for their M48's.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[5shot]

I had a factory 700 Sendero that looked like you copper plated the bore after every trip to the range...what a PITA!

I feel your pain.

 

[bdbrown66]

I have an uncle, retired Green Beret sergeant major, 2 tours in 'Nam, been to practically every hotspot in the world between the late 50's and early 80's. He's probably owned and/or shot more rifles and other weapons than most of us on here combined, and at 75+ years old is still a crack shot. I asked him a year or two ago what his standard break-in procedure was for a new rifle. I had read the various procedures that folks put forward regarding shooting x times, then cleaning y times and all that. His advice to me was, "Just go shoot it." He said he didn't follow any special procedure to break in a new barrel. Given his experience, I wouldn't bother worrying about it, if I were you. Nor would I kill myself to get every last molecule of copper out of the barrel. Unless you are experiencing noticeable accuracy degradation, can you say with reasonable certainty that a little copper in the barrel is going to have a bigger affect than, say, a slight twitch in your trigger finger or a barely perceptible cross wind? Probably not.

 

[TackDriver284]

Just called my gunsmith, he said not to be anal about it and just shoot it. I will leave my Dewey rod and patches at home when I go to the range. I guess its a force of habit and too much coffee. :lol:

 

[bdbrown66]

Sounds like a plan, brother. Have fun!!

 

[kraky1]

Let me add this..... I thought I had a pretty good grip on Barrel cleaning until I got my Lyman borecam off eBay for about $190.
It has really taught me a lot in a short while anout cleaning and barrels in general.
I was pretty bad at over cleaning barrels that didn't really need it is what I found out.
And believe it or not some of the roughest looking barrels I have don't necessarily collect a lot of copper fouling in the rough spots.
Not everybody has $190 to throw around but if you love The Sport and think you're going to be at it for quite a while I really recommend it!

 

[preacher]

I have done many barrel break in methods, and finally found one that works for me. A brand new barrel, or a new to me used rifle will get first cleaned to bare metal with WipeOut. then I really wet the bore with EezOx. Let dry overnight. I go to the range, shoot one, use wipeout/patch, then more EezOx, wipe out, shoot another. I will do that five times. Then I will shoot 15 to 20 rds, run some EezOx and a Bore Snake. If I'm using different powders in load workup, I will also clean before the next powder/loads are tried.