What do you use to remove fouling caused by Cupro-Niccol bullets?
What do you use to remove fouling caused by Cupro-Niccol bullets?
R.D.M.
Sweets and if that doesn't get it, JB Bore cleaner.
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
I believe hoppes 9 was put out to combat smokeless powder and jacketed fowling? It warns about leaving it on a nickeled firearm. I haven't had to deal with cupronickel fowling though.
What have you been shooting that is CN?
These were used in a 6.5x55 Mauser by my son. He loaded some that I got years ago at a gun show and he could not find the copper ones I regularly load. I am leaving this morning to go hunting and will be AWOL for a couple or three weeks so I will likely not be checking in here for awhile. When I get back I will catch up.
R.D.M.
If'n you want to remove the fouling "Old School" ...
The following is from pages 139 – 140 of the U.S. Marine Corps Score Book and Riflemans Instructor for the new Springfield Rifle, THIRD EDITION, Revised for Use Under the 1913 Firing Regulations
REMOVAL OF METAL FOULING.
Formula for Ammonia 'Dope":
Ammonia persulphate - 1 ounce
Ammonia carbonate - 200 grains (about 1/2 ounce)
Water - 4 ounces
Aqua Ammonia (Commercial 28%) 6 ounces
Thoroughly pulverize the ammonia carbonate crystals. (A wedge wood mortar and pestle is usually used for this.) Then place the carbonate and persulphate in a 12-ounce glass bottle with rubber stopper (ordinary magnesia bottles obtainable at drug stores) and ad 4 ounces of water (the bottle is now a little over 1/3 full). Shake until all crystals are dissolved. The persulphate dissolves readily, the carbonate slowly. Then ad 6 ounces of aqua ammonia, almost filing the bottle, and keep bottle tightly corked. This will 'dope" about seven rifles.
A rounded, not heaped, tablespoon or haversack spoon of the crystals is about an ounce.
The carbonate and persulphate act on the cupro-nickel fouling and dissolve it, coloring the "dope" deep blue. They will also attack the steel of the bore unless ammonia gas in the aqua ammonia is present.
The ammonia gas rapidly escapes unless the bottle is kept tightly corked. The "dope" becomes stale and loses the ammonia gas even when the bottle is kept over night; it should not be used after it has been mixed several days.
It should not be placed in a hot or warm barrel because the heat drives of the ammonia gas. When not convenient to wait for the barrel to cool of, it can be cooled by pumping cold water back and forth through the bore by means of a cleaning rod and rag.
The "dope" should not be allowed to remain in the bore over ten minutes, because the ammonia gas rapidly escapes. Five minutes is long enough, and then if fouling has not disappeared use fresh "dope”.
Remember that if the ammonia gas is not present in the "dope" by reason of "dope" being stale, or put in a warm barrel or allowed to remain to long in barrel, the barrel will be instantly ruined. The steel will be vigorously attacked and eaten out by the carbonate and persulphate.
The "dope" should be made and its use supervised by a careful, experienced man. Bottles of stale "dope" must be emptied and not left carelessly around. It should not be mixed in larger quantities than the 12-ounce bottles.
To put it in bore, place a No. 2 cork in the chamber stopping up the breech end of the barrel, and place a piece of 3/8-inch rubber tube about 2 inches long over the muzzle. Then pour in "dope," being careful not to let it overflow. After pouring "dope" from rifle, be careful to thoroughly clean and dry the bore so that no carbonate or persulphate will adhere to the steel. Then if no more firing is to be done with the rifle during the day, oil the bore.
If the "dope" is spilled on the metal parts of the rifle, remove it immediately and oil, otherwise it will quickly cause rust.
"Doping" a rifle for metal fouling also removes the sticky acid fouling.
PB
I believe the old solution was a mixture of Hoppe's and elbow grease.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
Cupro-nickel is mostly copper any of the good modern copper solvents will get rid of it. I have a bunch of very old 8x57 with cupro-nickel. Copper solvents like Sweet's, Hoppe's BenchRest, others work fine.
Ive used sweets with a bit of 0000 steel wool. I could feel the patch loosening as I scrubbed.
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 |