Outer's "Foul Out"?

[Kraschenbirn]

Anyone had any experience with an Outer's "Foul Out" electronic bore cleaner? I acquired an incomplete set-up (power supply, power leads, and a couple bottles of electrolyte compound) among a box of miscellaneous shooting supplies from an estate auction and am wondering if it's worth investing in the necessary electrode rods and guide rings to make it functional.

If it's not all that useful...no sweat. The rest of the stuff in the box...a couple of really nice military rifle slings (needing only some saddle soap, neatsfoot, and TLC), about 20 unopened boxes of pre-cut cotton cleaning patches (assorted calibers), a shotshell box of new bore and chamber brushes, and a dozen or so bottles/tubes of various lubricants and solvents...are well worth the 10 bucks I paid for the lot.

Bill

[crazy mark]

They work good if you follow instructions. An 1/8" SS rod and O-rings of various sizes and breech plugs of various sizes are all that is needed. I have one of the first ones that is battery operated and it works great to get lead and copper fouling out of barrels. The solutions are harmful however and make sure you wear proper personal protective equipment. Mark

[imashooter2]

SS welding rod will work for the electrode and you can get a hell of a lot of it for the price of one of the genuine FO rods. You can get any number of O rings and rubber stoppers from the local hardware store.

I have an old FO II that I bought used on eBay. Best money I ever spent on cleaning equipment. Absolutely love it for removing lead.

Better living through chemistry!

[walltube]

Nothing to add to the other posts except you may find a better selection of "O" rings at an auto parts supply dealer; NAPA comes to mind.

From your limited description of the FO I'm guessing you have the Mk. II version?

Regards,

W'tube

[versifier]

I like my homemade version just fine, works the same as a FO, is the same as a FO. I just use a regular 1/8" iron rod from the local hardware store, and clean it with OOOO steel wool after each use. The same store lets me buy rubber stoppers in all sizes and the all-important 1/8" O-rings in bulk which our local NAPA stores only sell singly for 2-3x the price. Shop around for them and get a bag of 100 at a time. I also make my own electrolyte solution out of white vinegar (acetic acid) and household ammonia. They work fine, not as fast as the toxic solutions they sell, but they're safer to handle and dispose of after use, and the cost is minimal.

[Charley]

I use cold rolled steel rod for my electrode. Buy heat shrink tubing, and you don't need to worry about buying specific size O rimgs. Electronic cleaners, wherther store bought or homemade, work well.

[Texasflyboy]

I like my homemade version just fine...

I, for one, would like to hear more about your homemade solution. Could you post more details?

In response to the thread, I purchased the Outers Foul-Out last year out of necessity. The combination of WWII USGI M2 .30 AP ammo and a Remington 03A3 2 groove barrel proved to be problematic. After about 50 rounds, the end of the bore was plated with copper for about 4 inches from the muzzle back.

It took about three weeks of using the Outers kit to completely remove the copper fouling. I followed a cycle of leaving the solution in for a few hours, removing the rod when it was completely coated with copper, scrubbing it clean, and then reusing the solution until it was contaminated (it usually turns a yellow color when used up).

It worked, but it was a long time coming clean. I also get spare O rings from the local hardware store. Spare solution is expensive, which is why I want to hear about a homebrew version.

[Boz330]

ME TO! I'm just using Ammonia right now.

[versifier]

I have a good article on making them in Adobe PDF format. PM me edresses and I will email it to anyone who would like a copy.