Carbon build up / copper build up. Cold bore shift.

[ShootnMathews]

Well I've noticed the accuracy falling off a little in my 6.5-284 but what I noticed the most was a POI shift between the 1st and next shots. The first shot on a cold bore would be an inch away from the rest of the shots which grouped fairly well. If the barrel stayed warm the shots grouped decent. But as soon as I let the bore cool to ambient temp it would throw the first shot again. I use BoreTech Eliminator for regular cleaning but I guess it doesn't do as well on carbon. So based on what I read here before I bought some JB bore paste. First I cleaned the bore fairly well with the BoreTech and got a little copper out. Then I ran a patch of JB and scrubbed it about 7 strokes or so and could feel a noticeable difference in how the feel changed on each stroke. This patch came out showing a little copper and a little carbon. Then I switched back to the BoreTech and the amount of copper that came out then was unreal. I was blown away. The copper seemed never ending. I'd scrub it a few strokes with a soaked nylon brush and let it set 10 minutes and then when I ran a patch it looked like blue Koolaid pouring out the end. Then I'd scrub and let it set 10 and repeated this over and over. It's like the carbon was covering the up the copper because at first I wasn't getting all that much copper out. I spent about an hour cleaning copper out until the copper thinned down to just slight blue streaks showing. Then I ran a patch of JB again and it came out solid black with carbon! So I ran 2 more which both came out solid black. With each patch I stroked it back and forth twice. I ran one more which came out slight gray and I decided to call that good. I ran a few wet patches of BoreTech and a brush to clean any JB out and then dry patches. In the end the patches were just barely showing any copper or carbon. I went back out to my home range and shot two fouling shots which actually were only about 1/2" apart. I gave the rifle about 30 minutes to cool down and Then I shot this group. And a few others. I'm happy with those results. All the cold bore fliers seem to be gone for the moment.

So has anyone had this before? It's almost like the carbon and copper were layered in the barrel like some fancy cake

 

[ShtrRdy]

That's interesting. Seems I might need to be doing some additional cleaning.

 

[WapitiBob]

JB always comes out black even on a clean barrel. I used to clean with a plastic brush but eventually had to go to bronze. Hard carbon required an abrasive.

 

[ShootnMathews]

I

JB always comes out black even on a clean barrel. I used to clean with a plastic brush but eventually had to go to bronze. Hard carbon required an abrasive.

I didn't know it always comes out black. The last patch was more gray looking. The first ones were as black and nasty as old bearing grease.

I always use a nylon brush. That may be my problem.

 

[WapitiBob]

I have stainless barrels, that could be a reason also.

 

[dcloco]

Every barrel is different. Some like clean, cold bore, ....and some like the other end of the spectrum. Have to find out from the barrel that you are dating, what it likes. Not being funny either.........

 

[Bob Wright]

Good job! After my rifle gets about 30 rounds it starts to show on paper.
I can believe the barrel can have layers of carbon/copper. My friends bring me green bore guns every now and then. These do require scrubbing like you did.
I also think SS barrels clean up easier than carbon steel.

 

[QuietTexan]

Level up and use VFG pellets with the JB Paste. I soak a pellet in Kroil then load it up with paste and scrub the bore down. Patches come out clean pretty much right away after that.

I do run patches with BoreTech at first to push out any loose/particulate crud.

 

[DoneNOut]

Try this: I shoot Savage barrels, so I know how to remove copper!

1. Shooters choice foaming bore cleaner. 3 applications on top of one another every 10 mins, then let sit overnight. (The foam stays foamy longer on last application doing this)
2. Dry patch one time the next morning to admire the rainbow of fouling colors.
3. Flush patch bore with 91% alcohol. Bore still soaked with alcohol, do 15-20 passes with bronze brush also soaked in alcohol.
4. Flush patch bore again with alcohol to remove the gunk the bore brush provided. Dry patch till patches come out dry. (3-4 patches)
5. The above process will rid 95% of the fouling with much less work than you indicated in your post. (Check with Borescope if you have one)

Nail the carbon ring with a 30 cal brush, trying to keep the brush from entering into the throat. Micro brushing in out and some spins of the rod. (Iosso, or whatever gun oil)

First Round Consistency steps:

6. Degrease the bore with some type of degreaser. K&N oil filter cleaner works great. Soak a patch and short stroke it the length of the bore. Patch dry. Maybe 3 patches before they get too hard to pass through the bore.
7. Embed dry graphite into a patch. Case neck graphite till you buy bulk graphite from Amazon. Short stroke the patch through the bore.
8. Wrap a brush with large patch and remove graphite from chamber. (Leaving graphite in bore)
9. Go shoot

 

[QuietTexan]

Try this: I shoot Savage barrels, so I know how to remove copper!

Ain't that the truth If a Savage shoots... never look in the bore. It'll only make you sad.

7. Embed dry graphite into a patch. Case neck graphite till you buy bulk graphite from Amazon. Short stroke the patch through the bore.
8. Wrap a brush with large patch and remove graphite from chamber. (Leaving graphite in bore)

I do basically the same thing, except instead of a patch I keep a bore mop in a little bottle of graphite mixed with BBs. Shake it up, screw the mop onto the rod while it's still in the bottle. Run it back and forth in the barrel, then mop back into the bottle. I only do this in benchrest 6.5s though so one mop size works for me. Straight up the bore guide.

 

[DoneNOut]

Ain't that the truth If a Savage shoots... never look in the bore. It'll only make you sad.


I do basically the same thing, except instead of a patch I keep a bore mop in a little bottle of graphite mixed with BBs. Shake it up, screw the mop onto the rod while it's still in the bottle. Run it back and forth in the barrel, then mop back into the bottle. I only do this in benchrest 6.5s though so one mop size works for me. Straight up the bore guide.

Holy smokes that bore mop/bottle idea is the ticket! I can already see how much cleaner that would be. This graphite is like Anti-seize!

 

[QuietTexan]

I had bought a set of little bottles from Amazon, I wanted needle applicators to put Kroil on pellets and very carefully dole out Sweets 7.62. These have held up for several years. The bottle is squeezable so the mop pops up and out of the bottle to screw on to the rod, no trying to dig it out with fingers.

Needle Applicator Squeeze Bottles

 

[DoneNOut]

JB always comes out black even on a clean barrel. I used to clean with a plastic brush but eventually had to go to bronze. Hard carbon required an abrasive.

A bronze bore brush will also "forever black" or grey in a clean bore. One will never experience a perfectly white patch when it immediately follows a bore brush scrubbing with any kind of oil/solvent.