Copper streaks with new barrel

[[email protected]]

I am breaking in my first 'match barrel', a Kreieger. Trying to do everything perfectly: Dewey coated long rod, proper guide, nylon bristle (smith says bore scope shows damage when using bronze), jag with Butch's Bore cleaner. I have been pushing the first soaked patches straight out, then scrubbing with bristle brush/Butch's, soak time and patches's several times. I see copper streaks from muzzle so repeat the process adding JB's. Still streaks. Is there a better copper solvent than Butch's? h

 

[Guest]

Get some Sweet's 7.62--Butch's is not much better than Shooter's Choice. The Sweet's will take the copper out in ten minutes--use the nylon brush and scrub for 1 minute per the instructions. Good luck, CJ

 

[Ian M]

I believe that those streaks may or may not be significant. How is the barrel shooting is the primary concern. How easy is it to clean, other than getting rid of that discoloration?

We usually do not expect top accuracy until up to 200 rounds have been through a barrel, sometimes more, sometimes less. Some barrel makers cringe when they hear about all the cleaning during break-in (and after) that is being done, nasty potential for wear.

Some of our barrels (Lilja, Hart, Rock, Pac Nor, Shilen) show what some guys call copper wash. What the hell that is I don't care, I can't get it out and the barrel drives tacks.

Guess my point is that some of these things are not as big a concern as we tend to make them. If the barrel is fouled you will see a LOT of copper discoloration at the muzzle and probably a loss of accurace. You will also get lots of blue and blue/green discoloration on your patches when you use a strong copper solvent. When that diminishes to virtually not visible on a patch, you should have succeeded in getting rid of the copper fouling.

There are guys here who have much more experience than I do but I just don't worry about that faint discoloration, particularly if the barrel is shooting well. Also I stick with one brand of cleaning solvents (carbon and copper) and the same brand for oil and rust prevent, and one basic cleaning routine. This ain't brain surgery, you just have to let the chemicals do the job.

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you both...I will try the 7.62 The streaking is VERY noticible atr the muzzle end. The gun shoots very well...the first five shots anyway. That is all I have through it so far. My understanding is the first 10 shots require taking the barrel back to a point devoid of copper if the barrel is to be broken in properly. I am not trying to be overly anal on this, just trying to do it right. I'll get the 7.62 on the way. Thank you for your posts....I do't know why I bothered posting this on Accurate's website.

 

[Brent]

The Sweets will do it faster than anything by far. It will melt it off there like butter. My cleaning time is only ten to MAYBE twenty percent of what it used to be since I switched.

 

[PrimeTime]

I have barrels that copper up badly but still shoot well. Sweets will give me blue patches all day long but the copper is still visible. The ONLY thing that will get it out of my barrels is JB bore paste on a brush. Twenty strokes and then clean out with kroil and it is spotless. I wouldn't recommend doing it all the time though as it isn't the most gentle process. JB on a patch wouldn't get it out, dab some on a brush and you are good to go.

 

[BountyHunter]

Try Monazuma Extreme, and JB. Lot of 1000 yrd shooters have switched the Montezuma. Be careful, it will clear your sinuses out though if you sniff it. If you are using bronze brush, you will continue to get residual off that. Try nylon brush. Just borescoped by 6.5/06AI after 700 rds. Got a little copper in cracks that is difficult to get out and some say will increase coppering if you take it all out. Bore was clean other than that with no major pitting, erosion, throat clear of carbon etc.

 

[crittergetter]

What bullets are you shooting and is the fouling egually bad with all of them.

 

[Brent]

Primetime,
I use a J. Dewy jag with the patch wrapped around it and saturated with Sweets. It is tighter than other tips and has more surface area also so it works faster right from the start.

If your bore is leaving copper after all day ( a long time stroking ) while using Sweets that bore has got to be WAY, WAY fouled or VERY rough.

JB never worked all that well for me and it seemed like forever getting everything cleaned up after using the stuff anyway. I'd still be using it though had it worked better and faster but it just didn't for me.

 

[milanuk]

I've had to resort to using JB on a patch over a brush to get my .308 Win clean. After that, a few patches of Butches usually gets the job done. I'm about to try Sweets to speed things up a bit, though.

Monte