Green Patches

[TXGunNut]

New (to me) rifle, first new bottle of Hoppe's #9 in ten years....yep, used to buy the BIG one. ;-) Here's the question, what would make a patch come out dark green after letting Hoppe's #9 sit in the bore all night? I've gotten all the powder fouling out, Wipe Out doesn't touch it. Only had a little lead, it's gone. Just can't figure out what's in that bore that would turn a patch dark green. Ideas?

[JWFilips]

Copper Fouling

[Mal Paso]

Yep. Ammonia turns it green.

[fryboy]

double ditto the above post , best keep cleaning until the patches come out clean

[cbrick]

#9 is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing . . . Dissolving the copper. Keep at it, get that nasty stuff out of there.

Rick

[JWFilips]

Well If I were cleaning a "Lead" shot bore & I got "Green" ( actually blue) I would give it a Sweets 7.62 treatment to make sure all the past "j-words" fouling is removed. Once green free ( blue free) then I only have to worry about fouling & fired lube ....( hopefully no lead deposits):-o

[TXGunNut]

Wonder why the Wipe Out didn't get it? Didn't know Hoppe's would dissolve copper, just use it for smokeless & lead. Been using it for 30+ years...wow! Thanks!
Tried some KG-12 but I have some Sweets around here somewhere. I'll get that silly stuff out of there yet!

[williamwaco]

A badly copper fouled copper bore can take two to three weeks of daily swabbing with Hoppe's to come out "white" but it will get you there.
There are other solvents that will remove copper faster but Hoppe's will do the job.

Getting the copper out will usually improve accuracy.

[TXGunNut]

Every copper solvent I've used has come out a shade of blue, this is an intense green.

[fryboy]

you using a brass brush/jag ? that can also color it as the solvent will also pick up some brass/copper there


i also have to ask what kind of j-words were you shooting ? some , such as barnes , are more copper than guilding metal while others may lean more towards the brass edge of the spectrum , any of these can also umm enhance color , copper , while working ok for a jacket isnt as hard as say bronze or guilding metal and so will often foul faster ( and worse ) leading to what you're doing now ( more work )

[Mal Paso]

I don't remember the original Hoppe's #9 being Ammoniated. That might have come later.

[texassako]

I have noticed whatever is in Hoppe's makes for a green patch with copper removal, not the blue of something like the Gunslick foam.

[uscra112]

A badly copper fouled copper bore can take two to three weeks of daily swabbing with Hoppe's to come out "white" but it will get you there.
There are other solvents that will remove copper faster but Hoppe's will do the job.

Getting the copper out will usually improve accuracy.

What he said. I've cleaned up several old milsurps in the last year or so, and every one took that long using Hoppes or Sweets.

Only thing that will speed up matters is Barnes CR-10, but that stuff is very hard on wood finishes, and has to be thoroughly swapped out after use or it will eat the steel. It seems to be a 50-50 mix of ammonia and anti-freeze. The vapor will take your breath away. I dare you to ask how I know.

Keep at it. It'll eventually come clean.

[MtGun44]

Hoppes has always had blue or green tint with centerfire rifles of mine (.22 RF was all lead in
those days, at least what I shot was). My experience started in about 1967 with centerfire
rifles and jbullets that left copper.

Bill

[Mal Paso]

Hoppes has always had blue or green tint with centerfire rifles of mine (.22 RF was all lead in those days, at least what I shot
was). My experience started in about 1967 with centerfire rifles and jbullets that left copper.

Bill

Ah. That was it. A 22 RF Pump was my only charge in the mid 60s. Thanks

Still like the smell of #9!

[ShooterAZ]

The great thing about #9 is that it CAN be left in the bore to soak overnight. I would not try that with Sweets or any other product for that matter. If I have a very fouled bore as in rough bored Mosin Nagant, I will leave it there for a week or longer...laying the rifle flat on the floor. Butch's Bore shine the patches are usually blue, with Hoppes they are usually green. Not sure why the color difference.

[Sweetpea]

Kroil wouldn't be a bad idea, either...

That stuff works its way UNDER the junk...

[John Allen]

As everyone has stated it is Copper. I like the Butchs bore shine or Montana Xtreme if it is really bad

[cbrick]

Geez guys, how much copper can a gas check leave in your bore? If it's all that bad there's always plain base.

Rick

[TXGunNut]

I've only fired lead in it, previous owner must have poured a few boxes thru there a little fast, maybe. I dug out the CR-10, tired of messing with it. Followed the instructions on the bottle. Copper gone. Done deal. :-)

[10x]

For a fast copper removal household ammonia will take it out. Ammonia will not harm steel but it will take off all the oil and remove the oil finish from a stock.
Just remember to rinse with hot water after and then make sure the metal is coated in a layer of light oil

[captaint]

What ShooterAZ said about Sweets. It'll etch your bore if you leave it in too long (overnight)..
I love my Hoppes 9... Mike

[10x]

What ShooterAZ said about Sweets. It'll etch your bore if you leave it in too long (overnight)..
I love my Hoppes 9... Mike

Or maybe it just cleans the crud out of the pits, gouges, and scratches that are already there and covered up by the fouling?
If Sweets did damage iron and steel it would not have lasted on the market for as long as it did.

[Norbrat]

Or maybe it just cleans the crud out of the pits, gouges, and scratches that are already there and covered up by the fouling?
If Sweets did damage iron and steel it would not have lasted on the market for as long as it did.

My understanding is that Sweets is water based, so leaving it in the bore overnight will encourage corrosion to start.

[10x]

My understanding is that Sweets is water based, so leaving it in the bore overnight will encourage corrosion to start.

Cleaning corrosive fouling with an oil based cleaner leaves corrosive salts in the bore. Even a layer of oil over corrosive salts allows corrosion to happen.
It has been my experience with effective bore cleaners that they clean all of the crud out of the bore that have hidden and masked corrosion and damage that was already there. A case in point is a 1944 Lee Enfield long branch that appeared to have a beautiful bore. Inspection showed copper fouling in a number of places in the bore. A good cleaning with an electronic cleaner showed the copper fouling covered frosting from rust, scratches and pits. The cleaner did not cause the damage but exposed it.
Twenty or so shots with jacketed bullets and an oily patch and the bore looked very good - yet close inspection showed that copper fouling once again masked the damaged part.

A test of Sweets would be to drop a small piece of iron into the solution overnight and see if it corrodes, leave it a week and see if there is corrosion.

[ShooterAZ]

Geez guys, how much copper can a gas check leave in your bore? If it's all that bad there's always plain base.

Rick A good many of my rifles were acquired from CMP, several M1 Garands, a couple of 1903 Springfields, and a couple of M1 Carbines. ALL had a LOT of copper jacket material still in the bores. I used Sweets and Bore Shine to remove it. Now that I am shooting cast, I only use #9 to swab the bore a couple of time...clean. No more copper fouling, even from gas checks. :lovebooli:

[cbrick]

ALL had a LOT of copper jacket material still in the bores.

Oh yeah . . . Full length gas checks. Do they still make them things? :roll:

Rick

[ShooterAZ]

Yeah, they still make em'. They are hard to find now, cost an arm and a leg, and leave the bore smeared with copper fouling.

[TXGunNut]

I think Sweet's instructions say not to leave it in the bore over 15 minutes, or was that another copper solvent?

[John Allen]

You have to be careful with sweets. I actually only use the copper solvents once in a great while to get the previous owners copper out. Years ago, I did have an old military rifle that I ended having to scrub rust out of after letting sweet's sit in it too long at least that is what I think happened.

[wallenba]

Strange that copper does that green thing. Hold a copper penny to a propane torch, green flame. Copper nitrate wood preservative, green. Patina on copper sheet, green.

[MtGun44]

Characteristic of the metal. This is a test for copper, the flame color is definitive.

Bill