Barrel Cleaning Products

[RL338]

Over the years I’ve tried several products and learned what works and what doesn’t.
Hoppes was the first many years back. Without a borescope one thought it was doing a good job. When I got my 30-378 thats when barrel cleaning became more rigorous. At the time I bought one of those cheap borescope cameras (before Teslong came along) and learned about carbon buildup. That’s when I started the Kroil soak and followed with JB bore paste. It worked but with a lot of work. Then I started using BoreTech Eliminator , great for copper removal. I’ve found that Wipeout and Thoroflush all do the same with copper fouling. Carbon is another subject. They all get some out but not completely. FreeAll works fairly well if applied when the barrel is still warm from shooting and allowed to soak. The ultimate carbon cleaner is CLR. This is for stainless barrels only or you’ll remove the finish.
The worst I’ve tried is BoreTech’s carbon remover , after soaking a barrel overnight it does nothing to remove carbon.
Like to hear other’s opinions.

 

[Joec7651]

Seafoam fuel additive makes pretty quick work of carbon. Great injector cleaner too
Kroil works too. It does great on lead fouling. Being a penetrating oil, it gets under the smeared lead and releases it from the bore.

 

[clearwater]

Remington 40x bore cleaner (or similar diatomaceous earth based cleaner)with a bronze brush for powder, lead and carbon. May take several times to get carbon or lead out. Alternate it with wipeout with accelerator and a nylon brush to form a foam for copper.

Leave wipeout in overnight if copper is persistent. There will be a pool of blue as the cleaner drools out the barrel. Don't get wipeout on older gun stocks with tongue oil finish.

 

[flyingagg]

Seafoam fuel additive makes pretty quick work of carbon. Great injector cleaner too
Kroil works too. It does great on lead fouling. Being a penetrating oil, it gets under the smeared lead and releases it from the bore.

I keep some at home for my bikes. I will have to try it....thanks

 

[superdrupal]

The worst I’ve tried is BoreTech’s carbon remover , after soaking a barrel overnight it does nothing to remove carbon.

That's not good to hear - I just picked up a bottle last week

 

[highoctane]

Ive been using Sweet's 7.62 and JB paste for years. Works great. There's no sense in changing horses mid-stream for me.

 

[300WSM]

Shooters choice...mc-7

Combination of bronze brush and nylon brush in combo with patches

finish with a bore mop

Mirror finish.

Yay!!

My mirror finish is more about my procedure than any one component

BUT...

The components I listed definitely help

 

[TackDriver284]

I used Hoppes, Butch Bore Shine, Wipe Out foam and some Sweets for many years before I settled with Bore Tech products, I currently use Eliminator for normal cleaning, Carbon Remover for tougher carbon and Copper Remover for copper. I don't really need to vigorously clean my bores unless accuracy falls off. I have been cleaning my bores less and less than I used to. I shoot more than cleaning, once accuracy starts to diminish, i start cleaning. I saturate the bore mop first with Bore Tech Eliminator, and snug it up inside the throat area and let it sit about 15 minutes, then I remove the mop, and twirl a nylon brush with several rotations in the throat area and run wet patches of Eliminator through the bore, and I remove the jag and put a nylon brush and once i push it in the bore guide, and once it contacts the throat, i give it more twirls and then run the brush in and out about 20 times, and clean out with more wet patches and some dry ones after. I run several wet patches and continue the nylon brush twirling in the throat to remove the carbon ring, several passes with the nylon and run the wet patches out and dry ones out again. I put in my Teslong borescope and scope that bore, if it still has the carbon ring, I'll repeat my method and run a bronze brush several times in repetitions along with wet and dry patches. I try to get most of the carbon and copper out. I use Carbon Remover and Copper Remover as a last resort to get the gunk out. My rifles has been shooting great even with the streaks of baked in carbon in the lands. I have very minimum traces of copper. Nothing to fret about, as long as my rifles are banging steel at 800 yards in tight consistent groups. I used to clean my bores each time I get to the range, but learned that it was not necessary to clean after 20 or so rounds from the previous range trip. Carbon is pretty tough to get out, unless you run nylon and bronze brushes in the bore, it helps than using just the patch alone.

 

[xphunter]

I use the liquid form of Wipeout (More concentrated) for copper.
I use CARB OUT and or Holland's Witches Brew for for Carbon

 

[RL338]

I bought the BoreTech carbon remover to try to clean the carbon build up in the 338 WM. I bought the rifle used and it had a layer of volcanic black glass. I even left a wet patch in it overnight and hit it with a bronze brush the next day , didn’t budge. I lent up soaking a patch of Kroil for a day then hit it with JB.

 

[longrangehunter]

I’ve used most of my life Shooters Choice MC-7, until I switched to BoreTech back in 2018-‘19? What I found was BoreTech’s chameleon gel really gets rid of the carbon similar to JB Bore paste and Kroil I’ve used for 25 years and MC-7, CR-10 too with copper bullets. Both of those the off chemicals and ammonia were very strong, but they worked.

But I switched to BoreTech because of the fumes from MC-7, and CR10, or Sweets.

 

[300WSM]

I’ve used most of my life Shooters Choice MC-7, until I switched to BoreTech back in 2018-‘19? What I found was BoreTech’s chameleon gel really gets rid of the carbon similar to JB Bore paste and Kroil I’ve used for 25 years and MC-7, CR-10 too with copper bullets. Both of those the off chemicals and ammonia were very strong, but they worked.

But I switched to BoreTech because of the fumes from MC-7, and CR10, or Sweets.

MC-7 is definitely strong aroma...
But...



I'm used to it by now so that no longer matters to me.

 

[300WSM]

On the cleaning front...

I believe technique supersedes any magical potion.

I do believe the MC-7 i use is better than others but I can't call it the best. I also can't say brand X or brand Y are the best...

Once you use a decent product you can tell a difference over a weaker product but in the end what you do with it and how you do it is king.

I firmly believe that.
There's some weak ass products out there and you definitely have to work harder than a better product to achieve the same result.

BUT.....

There's many o'shooter out there who simply put a patch on, or through a jag, and run it through a few times and say all good.

it took me a long time to get my routine perfected.
What once took me nearly an hour now is a 8-10 minute ordeal no matter the amount of fouling

 

[NYDAN]

After using a number of different products over the years, I have settled on the original "Wipe-Out" foaming cleaner. It works for me.

I don't seem to have a problem with carbon build up. Maybe because I clean my barrels every 20 rounds or so with Wipe-Out carbon does get a chance to build up.

After using Wipe-Out I run a few patches with G96 through the bore and then a dry patch.

 

[JD338]

I used Butches Bore Shine and Sweets 7.62 copper cleaner for years. Started using Boretexh 3 years ago with great results and no stink.
During the rifle season, I might splash a dash of Hoppe's #9 behind my ears if I'm feeling lucky.

JD338

 

[longrangehunter]

I forgot to mention Isso Bore paste, which I’ve had, and have it sitting around, but have never used it.

Frank Green at Bartlein Barrels, and a few others had started using it will wear down the rifling if used aggressively or often enough. That said that it will clean a barrel very quickly vs JB Bore paste. He prefers the latter to Isso though.

There’s one thing that I’d like to mention. Carbon fouling can be useful for filling in the fire cracking in the first few inches of the barrel that can be beneficial, that if removed eventually will brake off unless it’s polished away with products like Isso, and/or JB.

Frank and a few other barrel manufacturers have mentioned that they’ve seen people ruin a barrel with their cleaning technique and they would not warranty their claim for that reason.

I tend to not worry about getting my own barrels spotless. I’m usually having to foul them out before a match, and during a two or three day match I’m shooting them 150-200 times and have never seen the accuracy degrade. But I have had scopes go bad far more often than what you’re trying to remove from a barrel.

Here’s something worth mentioning.

I have a 50 cal Black Powder Browning Mountain Rifle with the worst possible outcome of any weapon…. A pitted rusty bore! I bought it used and ran a lot of JB through it and maroon Scotch-Brite pads wrapped around a jag to help polish out most of the rust. It’s still far from perfect, it never will be, you can’t fix this problem. If you peered down it with a bore scope you’d probably be inclined to replace it!

That gun will out shoot a brand new Green Mountain barrel by such a wide margin that I only use the other gun as my back up for the 2nd shot if needed! Yes, I carry two muzzle loaders so I’m not having to reload.

So if that rusty heavy pitted pig can out shoot most pristine and highly crafted barrels what does that tell you?!?

 

[grry10]

It isn't what I use today, but a bottle of Hoppes #9 sets on the shelf next to where I work on and clean my guns. The cap gets opened every now and then, just for that nostalgic smell.

 

[RL338]

It isn't what I use today, but a bottle of Hoppes #9 sets on the shelf next to where I work on and clean my guns. The cap gets opened every now and then, just for that nostalgic smell.

So true.
Kroil will freshen up a room too , not to most likings.