Velo Dog
AH legend
After a hunting trip, I clean it lightly. We all have different experiences. I have never ever had a POI shift from copper fowling.
+1
After a hunting trip, I clean it lightly. We all have different experiences. I have never ever had a POI shift from copper fowling.
That is very interesting!This will sound like heresy to many, but unless accuracy is affected, why worry? The copper is filling irregularities in the barrel. I currently own several dozen rifles, and have owned many dozen others. I use only balistoil. Usually, only ballistol with a cloth patch - and not real often with that. I bet I haven't used a copper solvent in thirty-years or more. And virtually all of my rifles are MOA or better, and the perhaps three or four that aren't don't have copper issues - they are pre-WWI or WWII take-downs.
I learned that very hard lesson...... The copper is filling irregularities in the barrel. ........
+1This will sound like heresy to many, but unless accuracy is affected, why worry? The copper is filling irregularities in the barrel ... I bet I haven't used a copper solvent in thirty-years or more. And virtually all of my rifles are MOA or better ...
+1I learned that very hard lesson. I cleaned a barrel once to remove all the copper. It turned a fine shooting rifle into a shotgun. It took 20 shots to "foul" the barrel with enough copper to have it shoot properly again. That mistake has never been repeated.
Interesting statement. Do you care to explain why?if you really want to damage a barrel, use bore snakes.
bruce.
Well I finally got it clean after 6 hours of soaking in copper solvent and wiping. I’m still wondering if it’s the copper wash on the Hornady bullets that coming off and fouling the rifling. I’ve had green and blue patches from my other rifles when using the copper solvent, but never so bad that it was visible in the bore, and quite heavy looking by the looks of it. I understand the hesitation to use steel wool, but I’ve used 0000 on restorations to remove rust and that’s all it removes, it even leaves the bluing if done gently. I’ve got some Woodleighs I’m going to load so I’ll see if they also foul the barrel.
probably wasn't run in properly in the first place.
bruce.
Well... if pulling a soft nylon string from chamber to mouth a few times after shooting 20 to 40 rounds is going to "wear a bell shape" in a hardened steel barrel crown, I do not want to even think about what hard mono-metal bullets or steel jacketed "solids" or gilding zinc alloy jacketed "softs" passing at 3,000 + fps, under 60,000 + psi of pressure, and pushed by cutting torch-hot 3,300 + F combustion gases jetting between the crown and the bullet base as it exits the crown, will do to itthe problem with them is that however hard you try, they rub on the crowning and
a) wear a bell shape there and
b) the bell will in all probability not be even.
the soft string will contain abrasive material after a few uses.
this will destroy accuracy.
use of a good quality straight rod will minimize this.
bruce.
Totally +1 on that too. The voice of actual experience Been there too 20 years agoNo clue. I was too young when I got the rifle to know anything about "running in".
I've had the rifle my entire life and decided (at the urging of a friend) to use an electronic contraption to remove the copper. It worked. The result was not what was advertised.
I fixed it with some copper additive from some bullets.
Yep, to each his own...... We all have different experiences ...
I admire the attention to detail - I think it is crazy - but I admire it. And I know I am irritating to all of you who pay a lot of attention to this sort of thing, but I truly see no practical advantage to it. If the rifle is shooting and not rusting - I refuse to obsess over the real or perceived "cleanliness" of the barrel. I do not own a bore scope and never will. And I suspect I can hold groups within any practical range with anyone who cares to shoot with me.I would try my first shot with a wet barrel,MMO, Hoppe's #9 or some other light solvent that you have. Afterwards, take a good look-see down the barrel (unloaded of course) and check for copper. Your next shots will have powder fouling for a lubricant which MAY help with the copper fouling.
This next statement will surely stir a few opinions but unless you borescope after cleaning, you really don't know if it's clean. All a white patch means is you ran a patch through it and it was still white. Diagree? Ask ANY gunsmith if it's true.
Well... if pulling a soft nylon string from chamber to mouth a few times after shooting 20 to 40 rounds is going to "wear a bell shape" in a hardened steel barrel crown, I do not want to even think about what hard mono-metal bullets or steel jacketed "solids" or gilding zinc alloy jacketed "softs" passing at 3,000 + fps, under 60,000 + psi of pressure, and pushed by cutting torch-hot 3,300 + F combustion gases jetting between the crown and the bullet base as it exits the crown, will do to it
If Bore Snakes "will destroy accuracy" I guess that my Steyr SSG 69; Mk 11; Mk 12; and Mk 13 did not get the memo, because they continue to shoot 1/4 to 1/2 MOA groups out to 600, 800 and 1,200 yd (depending on caliber) day in, day out, despite years to decades (depending on how old the rifle is) of having a bell shape worn out of their crown every few weeks...
Note: I only attach pictures to document that I actually own the rifles and I am not making it up
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As to the "soft string will contain abrasive material after a few uses" my experience is that the embedded bronze brush pushes everything out of the barrel (you can actually see the bristles project forward a small cloud of powder residue when the brush section pops out of the crown). Beside, should the bore snake become really dirty, you can wash it...
Totally +1 on that too. The voice of actual experience Been there too 20 years ago
Yep, to each his own...
And the corollary is more barrels are sold because of borescopes.In a Lyman reloading manual I had probably 35 years ago it stated in there “ Bear in mind more barrels are ruined by over cleaning then by neglect “