Some of y'all might remember that I wrote a product review for something called Hunters Extreme CopperMelt a couple of weeks back. While the stuff works like magic at quickly removing copper and powder fouling (about five patches using an Otis kit and not their recommended method of scrubbing with a patch wrapped around an undersized nylon brush), I found that not all of their claims were completely accurate.
In particular, they claim that after cleaning with their product you don't need to use oil to protect the bore except for long term storage. However, I found this not to be the case. A week ago, I went to the range and cleaned Brigid's brand spankin' new Barnett barrel at the range right after shooting. As advertised, I was able to clean the bore in about ten minutes and get clean white patches after two wet patches and three dry patches. I didn't use anything else in the bore and let Brigid go to bed dry.
The next day, after cleaning the bolt, bolt rails and op-rod rail, I decided to run a wet patch down the bore to test to see if it was as clean as I thought it was. Well, the patch came out free of carbon or copper, but with red traces of rust!
:x Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I cleaned the bore again with the Coppermelt, then ran a bronze brush with Miltec oil down the bore about ten times, then a couple of dry patches until there was no sign of rust. Then I ran a wet patch of Hoppes down the bore and put Brigid away until this last Sunday.
This last Sunday, when I ran a couple of dry patches down to get rid of the Hoppes, I found some trace amounts of rust on the patches again. :-? This of course is unacceptable and even more distressing since my wife had to save up for quite a while to get this barrel for my birthday the other week. So, I decided to do a much more thorough cleaning of the bore this time.
I again cleaned it with CopperMelt to get the fouling out from Sunday's match. I was suprised not to see any more traces of rust and that it cleaned up much faster and easier than the previous two times I'd used the CopperMelt after shooting (they claim that the initial cleanings with CoppeMelt should take longer than subsequent cleanings, so at least two of their claims seem to be true). Still, I wanted to be sure that I got rid of any traces of rust, since rust is like metal cancer and just the smallest amount will spread rapidly (a chemistry grad student told me it has something to do with changing the charge of the Iron molecules so that once one becomes oxidized all the others become more susceptible). I got some Kroil from the local gunstore, and ran bronze brush with Kroil on it ten about ten times down the bore, then ran a couple of dry patches, then another wet patch.
Then I broke out the ol' Dewey rod and some JB Bore Paste and gave it a double dose of the JB. Then more wet patches of Kroil, followed by more passes with a bronze brush, more dry patches and a wet patch with Kroil to soak over night. Then today, I did a couple of more wet patches, followed by a couple of dry patches, ten passes with a bronze brush soaked in Kroil (oh yeah, I also used a chamber brush and Kroil after the the dry patches and before using the bore brush, and a chamber brush with a patch around it to get the Kroil out of the chamber), followed by more dry patches. Then I cleaned it with CopperMelt again, and this time the patches came out pristine from the get go, so after two dry patches I ran another wet patch with Kroil and am letting it soak some more.
Did I go over board, or do I still need to scrub it some more?
In particular, they claim that after cleaning with their product you don't need to use oil to protect the bore except for long term storage. However, I found this not to be the case. A week ago, I went to the range and cleaned Brigid's brand spankin' new Barnett barrel at the range right after shooting. As advertised, I was able to clean the bore in about ten minutes and get clean white patches after two wet patches and three dry patches. I didn't use anything else in the bore and let Brigid go to bed dry.
The next day, after cleaning the bolt, bolt rails and op-rod rail, I decided to run a wet patch down the bore to test to see if it was as clean as I thought it was. Well, the patch came out free of carbon or copper, but with red traces of rust!
This last Sunday, when I ran a couple of dry patches down to get rid of the Hoppes, I found some trace amounts of rust on the patches again. :-? This of course is unacceptable and even more distressing since my wife had to save up for quite a while to get this barrel for my birthday the other week. So, I decided to do a much more thorough cleaning of the bore this time.
I again cleaned it with CopperMelt to get the fouling out from Sunday's match. I was suprised not to see any more traces of rust and that it cleaned up much faster and easier than the previous two times I'd used the CopperMelt after shooting (they claim that the initial cleanings with CoppeMelt should take longer than subsequent cleanings, so at least two of their claims seem to be true). Still, I wanted to be sure that I got rid of any traces of rust, since rust is like metal cancer and just the smallest amount will spread rapidly (a chemistry grad student told me it has something to do with changing the charge of the Iron molecules so that once one becomes oxidized all the others become more susceptible). I got some Kroil from the local gunstore, and ran bronze brush with Kroil on it ten about ten times down the bore, then ran a couple of dry patches, then another wet patch.
Then I broke out the ol' Dewey rod and some JB Bore Paste and gave it a double dose of the JB. Then more wet patches of Kroil, followed by more passes with a bronze brush, more dry patches and a wet patch with Kroil to soak over night. Then today, I did a couple of more wet patches, followed by a couple of dry patches, ten passes with a bronze brush soaked in Kroil (oh yeah, I also used a chamber brush and Kroil after the the dry patches and before using the bore brush, and a chamber brush with a patch around it to get the Kroil out of the chamber), followed by more dry patches. Then I cleaned it with CopperMelt again, and this time the patches came out pristine from the get go, so after two dry patches I ran another wet patch with Kroil and am letting it soak some more.
Did I go over board, or do I still need to scrub it some more?