Is this rust or copper fouling?

[sobi1998]

It's my gramps old model 700. I got some birchwood/Casey 2 in 1 liquid bore cleaner and did the steps and still noticed this in the barrel. The patches came out blue/green/black. Is it rust or copper? Would it affect accuracy? Should I just keep repeating the bore cleaner process?

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[gll]

I'm no expert, and I don't know the composition of the bore cleaner, but I'm going to hazard a guess... The green and blue on your patch suggests copper, the black suggests carbon, but the pits on the lands suggest rust. Probably a combination of all.

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[Maverick44]

The blue/green color definitely suggests copper. Are those pits, or just debris in the bore?

What is that gun chambered in? That's quite a bit of copper fouling if that's what it really is.

 

[sobi1998]

The blue/green color definitely suggests copper. Are those pits, or just debris in the bore?

What is that gun chambered in? That's quite a bit of copper fouling if that's what it really is.

.30-06, I think there's a lil debris and a lil pitting. I've read that shooting a lot could clear it out?


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[Maverick44]

.30-06, I think there's a lil debris and a lil pitting. I've read that shooting a lot could clear it out?


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The pits shouldn't hurt anything. I've got a few guns with a pit here and there, and they still shoot better than I do. With the copper fouling, it's not going to shoot out. Your basically going to have to soak it and scrub it out. Get some Hoppes, let it soak overnight, and clean it out. You may have to do this a few times to get it completely out. If you use something more aggressive than Hoppes (Like Sweet’s 7.62 or Barnes CR-10), make sure you follow the directions on how long to leave them in your barrel. They can pit your barrel if you leave them in too long. Good ol Hoppes No. 9 will not harm your barrel.

 

[dee]

Unless accuracy is poor leave it alone. Just clean the carbon out with hoppes. Run a light patch of oil down if it will be stored for a long while otherwise shoot it and enjoy it.

 

[Dawico]

Unless accuracy is poor leave it alone. Just clean the carbon out with hoppes. Run a light patch of oil down if it will be stored for a long while otherwise shoot it and enjoy it.

I agree.

 

[ROGER4314]

As usual, my opinion differs. That bore hasn't been cleaned in a long time and my concern is what is under that copper fouling.

Put the rifle in a rack/ holder and use a powerful copper solvent like Butch's Bore shine. Apply wet patches and let the rifle sit for an hour or two. Hoppes will work but it takes much longer. Repeat as often as necessary until the patches don't show green color. It may take several days. You can't scrub copper fouling out! Let the chemicals do the work. Color of the followup patches will tell you when you're done.

When the copper is removed, then you can evaluate what corrosion occurred under the fouling. I agree totally that minor pitting won't harm accuracy, but that copper has to go!

Flash

 

[Younggun]

Remember that if you do scrub using a brass brush and something like butches it will eat the brush too. Use a cheap one or one with plastic bristles is you do.


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[WyoTex]

I would suggest using foaming bore cleaner such as Wipe-Out. Let it sit until the foam turns blue, then run a patch thru. With the amount of copper in there, you will need to do it several times. Once you get it all out, you will be able to see the extent of the pitting.

 

[dee]

Keep in mind if you are going to fully remove the copper that some copper cleaner/removers are toxic and will cause more problems. Read the instructions carefully.

 

[hoghunting]

I would suggest using foaming bore cleaner such as Wipe-Out. Let it sit until the foam turns blue, then run a patch thru. With the amount of copper in there, you will need to do it several times. Once you get it all out, you will be able to see the extent of the pitting.

I've been using Wipe-Out for about 10 years and it's the only cleaner I use for copper fouling. I spray Wipe-Out in the barrel, leave it overnight - doesn't contain ammonia so it won't harm the barrel - patch it out the next day. Usually 2 or 3 patches is all it takes, but yours will probably take 3 or 4 cleaning cycles to remove all that fouling.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Barrel needs to be lapped.

2¢

 

[Younggun]

Pretty strong measure to take for copper fouling.


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[grasshopperglock]

It's not for the copper wash. It's for what's underneath it grabbing the copper.

 

[gll]

It's not for the copper wash. It's for what's underneath it grabbing the copper.

Introduced in 1962, if it's an early one, Gramp's 700 might have even seen some corrosive primers. We only got to see just barely inside the muzzle. Likely to be rust pits that caught that copper. Right?

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[Maverick44]

It's not for the copper wash. It's for what's underneath it grabbing the copper.

Don't you think that maybe you should remove the copper and actually see what's under it before you assume it needs something as drastic as lapping?

 

[ROGER4314]

Don't you think that maybe you should remove the copper and actually see what's under it before you assume it needs something as drastic as lapping?

That's a winning plan!

Worst case, have it rebarreled if you don't like what you see after the bore is clear. They rebarrel those Rem 700 actions every day and it's no big deal. A friend had a Krieger barrel installed on his Rem 700 25/06 and turned it into a tack driver! The rifle owner and I took it to the Beaumont range and we ran it through accuracy tests from 200-600 yards. We used the same point of aim and backed it out all the way to 600, checking the drop and the group size. It was pretty amazing!

Chances are very good that the barrel will shoot just fine, but that copper has to go! Removing the fouling is the logical place to start.

Flash

 

[Younggun]

I agree with Roger and Maverick in the same thread at the same time? Yikes.


I better go to church or somethin.


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[ROGER4314]

Snicker...................

Flash