Copper removal from used gun

Just a hunter

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Okay, so I don't know if this is the right place to post this but if it isn't will someone please move it for me?

I bought a used 338 RUM off GunBroker. The listing said it appears to have been barely used. The pictures looked to me like that was a fair statement. I received the rifle and brought it home a couple weeks ago but haven't really messed with it until tonight. It appears that it has never had a scope mounted on it and I don't see any signs of wear on the bolt face or anything obviously worn anywhere on the rifle as far as that goes. When I removed it from the stock it looks like it has never been out of the stock until now and it doesn't appear the trigger has been adjusted or replaced.

I always start cleaning the bore as soon as I get a new rifle but I have never bought a used rifle until this one so I am not sure what to expect. I cleaned the carbon with KG carbon remover until I couldn't get anything else out. I switched to KG Big Bore Cleaner and nothing showed up on the patches even after letting it sit in the bore for several minutes. I was excited at that point. I dried everything out good and ran some oil down the bore and was thinking I was done. Well, I tipped the barrel to an angle and looked at the muzzle and lo and behold it appears every single rifling at the muzzle end is coated in copper.

I have now run everything I have here except Sweet's down the barrel and can't get it to come out, I can't even get any color on the patches. I think the strongest thing I have tries so far is CR-10.

What do I do now? I have only brushed it maybe 5 strokes total so far. Do I brush more? Try a different solvent? Assume it is never going to come out? Give up and shoot it and forget it?

It's a 700 stainless that hasn't been made in several years. It was in the factory box and honest to goodness doesn't appear to have ever been shot hardly any, maybe even just the factory firing? Would it being left for a long time with the copper in it make it harder to get out?

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
 
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I couldn't get my camera on my phone to focus too good but you get the picture, no pun intended. Every single rifling has a coating on it. I have some JB's but I think I am going to do exactly what you said and shoot it a few times and then clean it again. I wonder if getting it warm by firing it will make it turn loose better? I've just never run into this before.
 
Phos. bronze bristles with brass core, Pro-Shot or J. Dewey from Brownells will get rid of it. A guy can take a Q-tip, bend it like an L and hold it down in the bore at the muzzle, then a little penlight reflex off the bore for close copper check.Have used J-B bore cleaning compound from Brownells for years and relly like it. Barnes CR-10 they say use a nylon brush but a bronze bristle works well just spray off the brush with little brake cleaner afterwards. worse case scenario shoot it and take the cleaning toys with ya to the bench, then clean it while the barrels warm and ya got wait for it to cool anyways.Hey,good luck.
 
Phos. bronze bristles with brass core, Pro-Shot or J. Dewey from Brownells will get rid of it. A guy can take a Q-tip, bend it like an L and hold it down in the bore at the muzzle, then a little penlight reflex off the bore for close copper check.Have used J-B bore cleaning compound from Brownells for years and relly like it. Barnes CR-10 they say use a nylon brush but a bronze bristle works well just spray off the brush with little brake cleaner afterwards. worse case scenario shoot it and take the cleaning toys with ya to the bench, then clean it while the barrels warm and ya got wait for it to cool anyways.Hey,good luck.
Thank you very much. I'm going to work on it just a little more before I shoot it and have time. I have two different JB bore pastes. One I think is a little less aggressive than the other. Do you use the Kroil oil with the JB's? I am out and need to order some more. Good oil for that and really good oil if you have a rusted bolt somewhere around the house so it gets used for both.
 
Yep, 100% the Kroil is the last thing on a patch wrapped on a brush. Dry patch around a fat brush for the chamber N good to go.The red J-B's barely does much but, sure they know it helps in there. The white J-B's does the most work time wise. If a dime will cover the groups pretty much figure keepN er well enuff foe Elk huntN. If they don't shoot tight group, don't really end up keepN that rig long. That J-B's next time around cleaning just gets easier and groups cinch up too.
 
Go to Ace Hardware and buy a bottle of industrial ammonia. Wet the patch with that and run it down the barrel. Keep doing that until it is gone then make sure the ammonia is gone by using some other bore solvent. Ammonia is the quickest and cheapest way I have seen to get heavy copper fouling out.
 
I would give Sweet's a go. Leave it in once foamed up with a LOOSE patch or nylon brush, for 15 minutes. Do this several times if blue keeps coming out.
Follow by JB to get any remaining carbon under where the copper was.
Always swab out with alcohol based solvent like Methylated spirits after using Sweet's.
Always swab out with a Petroleum based solvent after using JB. I like Carbie Kleen or Brake Kleen.
Follow with a LIGHT coat of oil, but NEVER shoot a rifle with an oily bore/chamber.
Swab them out before shooting.

Cheers.
 

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