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Thread: Dry paper patches to reduce copper fouling?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Dry paper patches to reduce copper fouling?

    My bore absolutely loves copper! After just a few rounds I have bright orange lands and am getting tired of cleaning it. Tried Sweets, Hoppes, M-Pro 7 and a few others. They work well enough but I'd like to spend less time applying and then removing copper solvents.
    Has anyone shot a handful of dry PP boolits to reduce a problem like this?
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  2. #2
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    It will work. Even a lightly lubed paper patch boolit (I use BAC) will accomplish the same thing, but probably take a few more rounds to do it. One word of caution I would give if you don't lube the patch, the barrel will get extremely hot after just a few rounds. Ask me how I know...

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Thanks!
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

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    At risk of going off topic here...What in the world causes copper fouling anyway?

  5. #5
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    One thing I forgot to mention in my first post, I assume you are use smokeless powder? This is the BP Patching section.

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    Traffer, copper fouling is caused by not using Cast Boolits...lol. Seriously, it can be caused by a rough bore...machining marks, etc.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master semtav's Avatar
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    Had a barrel that would lead up terrible. tried some copper bullets to try to burnish the lands. it too turned copper. so I cleaned it best i could and went to paper patched bullets. Shoots great and all the copper/lead is gone, but I'm not going back to anything else with this gun. well, maybe in about 10,000 rounds I'll try it again.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShooterAZ View Post
    One thing I forgot to mention in my first post, I assume you are use smokeless powder? This is the BP Patching section.
    Yeah, I shoot both smokeless and Holy Black but don't have a mold for this rifle (yet).
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    My vote goes to rough machining of the rifling. I had minor copper fouling with my Ruger M77-MKII when I first got it. I took the time to stroke it out with J-B bore cleaning compound. It has a mild abrasive in it and it did wonders. It totally eliminated my copper foul issue. It might be worth a try.

    redhawk

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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Redhawk,

    I've used Iosso on other bores with good results, haven't tried JB yet but lots of folks seem to love it.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JSnover View Post
    Redhawk,

    I've used Iosso on other bores with good results, haven't tried JB yet but lots of folks seem to love it.
    Same in reverse...I've heard Iosso works as well...but I don't have any personal experiences with it.

    I guess there are at least two brands the OP could try. It's worth the $7-10 just to see if it helps with the problem. I know JB worked for me...but I didn't have severe copper fouling...my patch would come out green with a few flecks of copper on it using Hoppies Copper cleaner....the JB made that go away.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Cool, I'll give it try. The Iosso was nice in other bores but seems to take forever with this one.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JSnover View Post
    Cool, I'll give it try. The Iosso was nice in other bores but seems to take forever with this one.
    Hahaha...just realized...you are the OP.

    Give the JB a try...but it isn't quick. It could take you 30min to an hour of scrubbing if you're really rough. But in the long run...if you get all the rough spots out...you'll be ahead of the game.

    Do you have a good bore light?...can you tell if one section of the bore is worse than any other?...if so...concentrate on that area first...then then once that area is smoothed out...run the entire bore to make sure its all smooth.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I have access to a pretty decent borescope, just keep forgetting to borrow it from the shop.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  15. #15
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    FYI, I have a Mosin Nagant that had a really rough bore. I put a tiny dab of JB Bore on the paperpatches, and fired 20 rounds through it. That smoothed it up considerably, and now it's one of my better CB shooters. Sort of like a PP firelap. I just wish it had a better trigger, but it is what it is.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by JSnover View Post
    My bore absolutely loves copper! After just a few rounds I have bright orange lands and am getting tired of cleaning it. Tried Sweets, Hoppes, M-Pro 7 and a few others. They work well enough but I'd like to spend less time applying and then removing copper solvents.
    Has anyone shot a handful of dry PP boolits to reduce a problem like this?
    Yes, that will work. Just throw the copper bullets in the trash and shoot paper patches all the time. Your bore will never turn orange again and Sweets will be out of business.

    Pretty easy actually.

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy Huvius's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrentD View Post
    Yes, that will work. Just throw the copper bullets in the trash and shoot paper patches all the time. Your bore will never turn orange again and Sweets will be out of business.

    Pretty easy actually.

    I tend to agree.
    I'm something of a collector of British black powder express rifles and it is simply amazing how so many heavily used rifles still have such excellent bores!
    With a clean almost mirror finish, the bores are inherently easier to keep clean and I think they resist corrosion to a degree.
    I also shoot paper patch bullets in nitro guns to clean up the bores and it works quite well.

  18. #18
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    G,day,
    Best solvent I have found during the past 40 odd years of shooting is Sweets for copper fouling,once removed oil with sweets oil.Has never failed so far!!

    Cheers Hahndorf1874. Mal.

  19. #19
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    Sounded like you were planning on getting a mold. In the meantime, you might be able to buy some precast boolits. Didn’t catch what caliber you were shooting. Normally they can be found at a quite reasonable price. Some people claim PC boolits help clean out copper and lead too. Fortunately, I’ve never needed to try it. Good luck.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    It's a 9.3x74R. I'm looking into commercial cast boolits and/or a mold but with 325 grain jacketed bulletss, accuracy is good @ 2100 fps and I'd like to have the option to shoot either.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check