Centerfire Rifle Cleaning Techniques

[Pdvdh]

The KG1 is amazing on carbon, I have used just about everything from top end engine cleaner, Brake clean and various solvents to clean muzzle brakes and on my most used rifle the brake had some carbon that just would not come off so I didn't worry about it; the KG1 wiped it of with ease which really surprised me after hammering it with every thing including brushes.

I've been really interested in throat maintenance, I've watched with a bore scope as I shot a barrel out without any attention to the throat and the current one I've given the throat attention when I clean and it's maintained a much better throat and accuracy has been much more even through it's life.

Rhian,
I have no bore scope, but KG1 is what I use for carbon removal also because its proven so effective for me. I even use it to remove the carbon from the outside of my fired case necks prior to resizing. The carbon comes off quickly and relatively effortlessly.

Since you're employing a bore scope, when you talk about cleaning and maintaining the throat, are you primarily referring to carbon removal? Or both carbon and copper removal? I've never used a bore scope so I'm wondering what I don't know, that I should know.

By the way, without the benefit of a bore scope, I thought KG-12 was also very effective on copper removal. But not as effective as Bore Tech Eliminator's Cu++ copper removing solvent. I went through a process of cleaning my bores overkill for the application of Gun Juice (a laborious and repetitive shoot once-clean to bare steel process), and during those applications I experimented with KG-12, BTE, and BTE Cu++ extensively. I'd use KG-12 until I thought my bores were completely copper free. Then I'd apply BTE Cu++ and obtain some blue staining on my patches following the initial Cu++ application and soak period of time. That's how I've formed my opinion.

After watching the video above, I may just focus on carbon removal now with my custom after-market barrels and leave the minimal copper fouling in-place. The after-market barrels don't copper foul very much anyhow. And if I'm headed in that direction, I'd like to know what you've learned about carbon removal and throat maintenance through bore scope observations.

Paul

 

[SidecarFlip]

Bore scopes aren't all the common probably because people think they are expensive and they are, but no more than a middle of the road optic.

I've found many uses for mine besides peering in barrels, especially around the shop. and the farm.

I just used it the other day on a farm tractor that had a hydraulic connector leaking. I could have replaced it with a nrew one but I used the Hawkeye to look inside the bore of the connector (after I removed it) and found a tiny sliver of metal was not allowing the check ball to seat. The sliver was wedged between the seat of the ball and the bore wall. I just used a pair of tweezers to remove it, something I'd never be able to find without a borescope. I would have replaced the assembly for a couple hundred. With the scope, it cost me about 15 minutes.

Got a leaky pipe inside a wall? Use a borescope. Not sure if the missus, dropped her wedding ring down the drain? Use a borescope. Want to look inside a cartridge case to check to see if the base is seperating from the walls or if the flash hole is clear and unobstructed? Use a borescope.

Ex-Tech instruments also makes a small diameter electronic bore scope with a handheld minature CRT screen that costs less than the optical image, mirrored transmitting Hawkeye. Problem is, the camera isn't quite as small of a diameter that the Hawkeye is. I believe you can go down to a .17 HMR with a Hawkeye.

I believe Harbor Freight also offers a minature CRT based bore scope, again, it's electronic so camera diameter will be greater than the Hawkeye and I'm not sure about picture quality but I imagine it's cheap, like all Harbor Freight stuff is....

One of the best tools I've ever bought.