Huuuge groups today, what's going on?

[twm134]

I usually swab the bore out intermittently when I have some time with whatever I have lying around but I have found that when the round count gets high enough the barrel is eventually going to need to be copper cleaned more thoroughly.

I've also had various 55gr stuff start to open up more at times while more expensive precision loads maintained their groups longer, but still benefitted from a good cleaning.

I haven't been able to identify any regular round count for when it will happen.

[Wake27]

Hopefully got it figured out. I couldn't actually get the bore snake to drop through the barrel because it was so dirty so I figured I'd push a rod through once or twice. The rod got stuck maybe two inches in and my wife and I had to fight it for about 10 minutes before we finally yanked the sucker out. We had to straighten a paperclip and tie it to the brass weight at the end of the bore snake with dental floss to get it to drop through the end of the barrel and be able to pull the snake through. I'm kind of impressed at how much effort it took and I'm hoping that's why the rounds were flying all over the place. I didn't realize how dirty UMC is but almost ten passes later it looks pretty good. I should be able to shoot this weekend to confirm and I was able to get some PMC which should be a little less shitty.

[ggammell]

Hopefully got it figured out. I couldn't actually get the bore snake to drop through the barrel because it was so dirty so I figured I'd push a rod through once or twice. The rod got stuck maybe two inches in and my wife and I had to fight it for about 10 minutes before we finally yanked the sucker out. We had to straighten a paperclip and tie it to the brass weight at the end of the bore snake with dental floss to get it to drop through the end of the barrel and be able to pull the snake through. I'm kind of impressed at how much effort it took and I'm hoping that's why the rounds were flying all over the place. I didn't realize how dirty UMC is but almost ten passes later it looks pretty good. I should be able to shoot this weekend to confirm and I was able to get some PMC which should be a little less shitty.

Jesus man. Well done. Not on getting it clean, on getting it that filthy.

[AndyLate]

You said you were using an ammo can under the rail, next time pad it with a towel or something.

I would recommend you clean your barrel more thoroughly, with copper solvent, one piece rod, nylon brush and patches.

Good luck!
Andy

[MegademiC]

You said you were using an ammo can under the rail, next time pad it with a towel or something.

I would recommend you clean your barrel more thoroughly, with copper solvent, one piece rod, nylon brush and patches.

Good luck!
Andy

I'm going to second the copper remover. If it was that dirty, there is likely a good bit of copper smeared all over.

[Hammer_Man]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but can you guys recommend a good copper solvent? Hopefully one that won't turn my fingers/skin green

[Kdubya]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but can you guys recommend a good copper solvent? Hopefully one that won't turn my fingers/skin green

Personally, I use Butchs Bore Shine and have been very satisfied. FWIW, there's another thread going on here debating if solvents with ammonia will harm a chrome lined bore. I've not experienced any issues using it, and one of the top barrel makers recommends Butchs for their barrels (although I don't believe they chrome line any of their tubes). Others have stated you can even leave it in the barrel overnight. Still, it's something I've been following. But I'll keep using it in the interim.

Sweets 7.62 gets mentioned fairly frequently. It also contains ammonia. I believe it's a higher concentration than Butchs, as some warn that you can do damage if you're not careful with how long you leave it in the bore. Those that do use it seem to really like the results.

There are other options. For more info, I'd recommend visiting some of the benchrest forums. Those guys can get really serious about cleaning.

[mic2377]

If you want a serious cleaner, perhaps the most potent is Barnes CR-10. This will clean EVERY trace of copper from the barrel, and actually works pretty well on powder fouling too. It even puts Sweets 7.62 to shame. I have not experienced any untoward effects from its aggressive cleaning action.

Another more gentle option is to soak the bore in a gentler cleaner for a longer time, IE Butch's or WipeOut foaming stuff.

After an aggressive cleaner like CR-10, expect the barrel to need a number of fouler rounds before the barrel settles down again.

[MegademiC]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but can you guys recommend a good copper solvent? Hopefully one that won't turn my fingers/skin green

I wouldn't think so. The green/blue is due to an oxidation state of the copper while in solution. Cleaners dissolve the copper and put it into slution so that it comes out easily. Nearly all aqueous copper solutions have a green/blue tint to them.

[Krazykarl]

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https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-Bore-Cleaners