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copper solvents

14K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  03mossy 
#1 ·
I use hoppes elite for all my cleaning needs, seems to work fine for my guns. But my father in law was talking with a gun smith friend of ours and he said that we need to be using barnes cr-10 to get all the copper fouling out since we shoot barnes bullets in our deer rifles. my ? is is hoppes elite good emough or do I need a stronger cleaner?
 
#2 ·
If what your using works for you, then keep using it.

Everyone has their own pet bore cleaner, guaranteed to remove all powder/copper fouling in less than five minutes. And thats not all-- your rifle/shotgun will shoot better than ever, less than 1 MOA/ 90%paterns at 70yards.

Most of what the makers are selling is smoke and mirrors. Everyone cleans their guns in a different way, just as long as they get clean.

If you bought everything on the market you'd be broke, most of the cleaners work two ways, dislove the copper/fouling or by solvent action getting under the fouling.

By the way CR-10, Sweets 7.62 , and Shooters Choice are all very agressive cleaners.
 
#3 ·
Even regular Hoppe's will take copper fouling out. It just takes a very long time. The other cleaners, as noted, are more aggressive. Throw Butch's Bore Shine in the list too.

Sometimes you have to alternate cleaning methods to get through a particularly tough spot of fouling. Brushing, JB bore paste, Foul Out, etc. - they all have their uses.
 
#5 ·
With Montana X-treme, Butch's Bore Shine and Sweets 7.62 (maybe others too) don't leave the barrel soak long and I think some if not all state to run a light gun oil through the bore after you clean and before you store.
 
#6 ·
Hoppe's Elite "gun cleaner" works great on powder fouling but If you're used to Hoppe's Elite, Barnes CR-10 is going to be an olfactory shock. The stuff is stronger than cat urine. I've not yet found a copper remover that is easier to use as either Break Free's foaming bore cleaner or Gunslick's version- they're also stink-free. Spray it in, let it sit for 30min to a few hours (depending on how bad the fouling is) and swab it out with a patch...no more copper.

I've had to do several treatments back to back on a particular 30-06 that seems to copper foul just from being stored next to ammo but most of the time it it only takes one treatment to get all the copper out.
 
#7 ·
There seem to be several levels of aggression. Lowest would be Hoppe's #9, next up would be the ammonium oleate cleaners, like Shooter's Choice, next up the ladder are the ammonium hydroxide cleaners like Sweet's, Butch's, and CR-10, then there are the newer generation non-toxic orderless super copper eaters that chelate the copper, like Boretech Cu++ and Eliminator, which work so fast you can't use a brass jag because it turns the patch blue before you can get it through the bore. KG-12 is yet another chemistry that is super aggressive, but which doesn't turn green or blue, so it is harder to tell when it is done without a bore scope unless you are willing to flush it out and try one of the cleaners that does turn blue to serve as an indicator.
 
#8 ·
It takes patience and time, I'm purdy fond of the "flooding the bore method" myself! I let the chemicals do the work. Hoppe's #9 takes most of a week in my 6mm. Remington. Get's the job done though!

Playing with a "boresnake" for 30 caliber right now. Not impressed so much as to recomend it yet.

I love cleaning good firearms!

Cheezywan
 
#9 ·
Love the flooding method, I use a glss hypo syringe to inject the cleaners just as I insert the brush.

I also like using windsheild deicer in the spray can, that with a brass/bronse brush will get out much of the powder fouling. I let the stuff dripping out of the muzzle fall onto a sheet of printer paper, you should see the crud comming out.

Then to the copper removers using a nylon brush. The syringe makes handling all the solvents so much easyer.
 
#12 ·
I use the Gunslick brand foaming stuff for copper fouling.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat603834&hasJS=true

Works as good as anything i've tried and you spray it and come back half an hour later to run some patches/brushes through the bore. If any copper is left, you repeat.

Very simple & effective compared to regular solvents.
i agree with Ole. I use Outers foaming copper cleaner. It does not seem to be as harsh as the other non foam ones, but it works pretty well.
 
#11 ·
I love cleaning threads, there must be a best "solution" for every guy who ever cleaned a gun.:)

One thing not mentioned is that the more aggressive solvents need to be removed from the barrel much quicker than Hoppe's No.9, (which can stay in for quite a while without a problem). Learned that the hard way letting Shooters Choice sit over night.
 
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