wheres the copper?

sniperman

since ive got the 223 ive cleaned it twice,i use kg copper and carbon remover,with a pull through system,when i look up the barrel,its mirror clean, i cant see any traces of copper,so its gone right?(had a hmr for 12 months,used the same system,and never lost zero,never used rods etc,so i must have been doing something right)

Rimfire Shooter

KG manufacturer recommends using brushes. Bronze with KG1 & plastic with KG12. KG relies on the brush to do most of the work unlike others that rely on chemical action to do the work.

Thing with gun cleaning............ask 10 lads & you'll get 10-12 answers

Witcher

You won't see copper fouling in a barrel by just looking. Copper will show on patches as a blue/green colour; use the copper solvent, leave it in the barrel then pass a patch through it after a while. and it will most likely show.

What pull through system are you using?

Cass

As said above you won't see the copper. It's minute particles.

Also if you don't remove all the carbon first the copper removal won't be as effective.

Lastly, and i'm not lecturing, but don't skimp out on cleaning. I've seen lads with rifle sworht thousands and scopes worth thousands then they use a bore snake and think it's fine. It's not. Ditch the snake and buy a good quality rod, jag, mops, brushs (nylon not brass) and a sh*t ton of patches. 1/2" ones work best on 223.

For cleaning i use this.

I use KG, and Forest Foam products mostly. KG 1 for carbon removal, and Forest Foam or KG 12 for copper removal. I also have wipe out for the deep cleans. It's important to remove the carbon first otherwise when the patches come out clean you think the barrel is. It's not. It's only the carbon cleaned out. The copper will stain the patches a blue/green colour. When the copper solvent patches are running wet, and clean then the barrel is clean.

My routine would consist of the following:

1. KG/Forest Foam for regular barrel cleaning. (Wipe out/Butch's Bore shine now and then for heavy cleaning.)
2. Run a KG1 soaked patch through the barrel. This is a carbon remover to get the grime out first.
3. Leave to sit for a few minutes.
4. Run another wet patch with KG 1 through the barrel to moisten the fouling, and remove the first lot of carbon..
5. Run a nylon brush up and down the barrel about a half a dozen times. Clean the brush each time with a spray oil to prevent a build up of gunk on it.
6. Run another KG 1 patch down the barrel to remove fouling while treating the barrel again.
7. Leave to sit for a minute or two.
8. At this stage have about 15 or so oiled patches at the ready.
9. Start running them down the barrel one after the other until they run clean. The patches need to remain wet to prevent dry carbon sticking to the bore.
10. If they come clean before the 15 great. If not use more or repeat steps 2-9 again.
11. When they run clean and wet, then start using the dry patches.
12. Run as many as is needed until there is no more oil on the patches coming out.
13. Now repeat steps 2-9 using the copper solvent instead of the carbon remover. You are looking for wet, and clean patches. If there is any hint of blue or green then there is still copper in the barrel.
14. Use KG 12, Forest Foam or in the case of heavy fouling Wipe out. In the case of Forest Foam you simply fill the barrel and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes or so. The KG 12 can be left to sit for a little while also, but make sure you use wet patches when patching.
15. When you are all done and have dry patched the barrel use the mop and run it up and down the barrel again about a dozen times. The Mop should be clean throughout this. Any sign of dirt and the barrel is not clean.
16. On the last run leave the mop half protruded from the muzzle. Wipe around the muzzle and clean any fouling on the crown. The mop will prevent anything running back down into the barrel.
17. Remove the bore guide and use a tooth brush, patches and bore brush to clean out the chamber, breach, etc.
18. If you have it use a shotgun mop/nylon brush to clean the chamber thoroughly as a fouled up chamber can cause stiff bolt lift and ejection problems.
19. Wipe down the rod, brushes, jag, and bore guide. Never leave them up dirty.
20. If the rifle is being stored away for a few weeks i roll up a soft cloth and place it into the chamber up against the breach and store barrel up.
21. On the off chance that i have somehow missed some residual this will collect it.

Most will have there own method. Its as personal as ammo choice, rifle choice, etc. One small tip though. Each time you run the rod up the gun have a cloth in hand to wipe the rod. This prevents any residue or gunk from the barrel sticking to the rod, and being run up and down the barrel like a paste.

sniperman

Strider wrote: »

You won't see copper fouling in a barrel by just looking. Copper will show on patches as a blue/green colour; use the copper solvent, leave it in the barrel then pass a patch through it after a while. and it will most likely show.

What pull through system are you using?

ah just a home made set up,using weed whacker line,copper never shows up on the patches using the kg stuff.

sniperman

Cass wrote: »

As said above you won't see the copper. It's minute particles.

Also if you don't remove all the carbon first the copper removal won't be as effective.

Lastly, and i'm not lecturing, but don't skimp out on cleaning. I've seen lads with rifle sworht thousands and scopes worth thousands then they use a bore snake and think it's fine. It's not. Ditch the snake and buy a good quality rod, jag, mops, brushs (nylon not brass) and a sh*t ton of patches. 1/2" ones work best on 223.

For cleaning i use this.

I use KG, and Forest Foam products mostly. KG 1 for carbon removal, and Forest Foam or KG 12 for copper removal. I also have wipe out for the deep cleans. It's important to remove the carbon first otherwise when the patches come out clean you think the barrel is. It's not. It's only the carbon cleaned out. The copper will stain the patches a blue/green colour. When the copper solvent patches are running wet, and clean then the barrel is clean.

My routine would consist of the following:

1. KG/Forest Foam for regular barrel cleaning. (Wipe out/Butch's Bore shine now and then for heavy cleaning.)
2. Run a KG1 soaked patch through the barrel. This is a carbon remover to get the grime out first.
3. Leave to sit for a few minutes.
4. Run another wet patch with KG 1 through the barrel to moisten the fouling, and remove the first lot of carbon..
5. Run a nylon brush up and down the barrel about a half a dozen times. Clean the brush each time with a spray oil to prevent a build up of gunk on it.
6. Run another KG 1 patch down the barrel to remove fouling while treating the barrel again.
7. Leave to sit for a minute or two.
8. At this stage have about 15 or so oiled patches at the ready.
9. Start running them down the barrel one after the other until they run clean. The patches need to remain wet to prevent dry carbon sticking to the bore.
10. If they come clean before the 15 great. If not use more or repeat steps 2-9 again.
11. When they run clean and wet, then start using the dry patches.
12. Run as many as is needed until there is no more oil on the patches coming out.
13. Now repeat steps 2-9 using the copper solvent instead of the carbon remover. You are looking for wet, and clean patches. If there is any hint of blue or green then there is still copper in the barrel.
14. Use KG 12, Forest Foam or in the case of heavy fouling Wipe out. In the case of Forest Foam you simply fill the barrel and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes or so. The KG 12 can be left to sit for a little while also, but make sure you use wet patches when patching.
15. When you are all done and have dry patched the barrel use the mop and run it up and down the barrel again about a dozen times. The Mop should be clean throughout this. Any sign of dirt and the barrel is not clean.
16. On the last run leave the mop half protruded from the muzzle. Wipe around the muzzle and clean any fouling on the crown. The mop will prevent anything running back down into the barrel.
17. Remove the bore guide and use a tooth brush, patches and bore brush to clean out the chamber, breach, etc.
18. If you have it use a shotgun mop/nylon brush to clean the chamber thoroughly as a fouled up chamber can cause stiff bolt lift and ejection problems.
19. Wipe down the rod, brushes, jag, and bore guide. Never leave them up dirty.
20. If the rifle is being stored away for a few weeks i roll up a soft cloth and place it into the chamber up against the breach and store barrel up.
21. On the off chance that i have somehow missed some residual this will collect it.

Most will have there own method. Its as personal as ammo choice, rifle choice, etc. One small tip though. Each time you run the rod up the gun have a cloth in hand to wipe the rod. This prevents any residue or gunk from the barrel sticking to the rod, and being run up and down the barrel like a paste.

thanks for all that cass,think i need to get a few extra bits other than a pull through

Cass

Do lad. No point in having the best gear and leaving it dirty.

You won't believe the dirt that can remain in your bore. You need tight fitting attachments to really get into the grooves and give the lands a good scrubbing. Copper build up can be slow, but it will happen.

Keep the rifle clean, and pay special attention to the last 3 inches of the barrel. I've bore scoped my rig after cleaning, thinking it was spotless only to find copper residue in the last few inches. As everything is inserted from the chamber a lot of the solvent and cleaning material is "gone" by the time it gets to the last 3 inches.

Now that doesn't mean to EVER insert the rid from the muzzle, just make sure the products you use are good, and the bore is well soaked.

Lastly two piece of advice. Only use nylon brushes to avoid false positives, and never run the brush back forth. Take it off each pass through the bore, remove the rod, wipe the rod shaft, and re-attach the brush, then repeat. This way you don't collect dirt on the brush and cause an abrasive effect on the muzzle. Also a good idea to spray the brush every few passes with oil to clean of some fouling.

Rimfire Shooter

I too use KG & have followed this regime from KG for years & find it seems to keep my rifle clean.

http://www.gb300m.com/articles/KG%20Rifle%20Cleaning%202006.pdf

I found this video useful too