carbon buildup in my .45 chambers

[bubbadawg59]

anyone got any easy methods of removing carbon buildup from .45 chambers? im shooting 185 gr. swc over 5 gr. unique. i would like to try a wilson combat .45 chamber brush but havent had time to get one yet. im cleaning with hoppes #9.

[KYCaster]

Dawg, my old Lyman book shows 5 gr Unique is a start load for a 185 SWC...795 fps.

I doubt very much if it generates enough pressure to expand the brass to seal the chamber. That results in dirty chambers and dirty brass.

I'd recommend increasing the powder charge till you stop getting sooty brass/chamber or go to a faster powder to maintain the low velocity with more pressure. Hodgden Clays should work well.

Good luck.
Jerry

Edit to add: Best way to clean the chamber is to avoid the situation in the first place. A good chamber brush and lots of elbow grease is a distant second.

[canyon-ghost]

Shooting lead and cleaning with Hoppe's #9? There is an easier way. Hoppe's is a good copper solvent but if you shoot lead try mineral spirits. When it comes to stubborn carbon, get a can of Kano Kroil, you will love it for loosening up deposits.

Then there are recipes for 'Ed's Red' all over the net, must admit I haven't used it yet. Mineral spirits paint thinner for lube and powder, Kano Kroil for soaking stuff loose. Oh, and be careful, both are high in hydrocarbons (fumes, galore).

Ron

[bhn22]

Eds Red is a mighty carbon solvent.

[That'll Do]

Ed's Red takes the cake. I let it soak for a while (15-20 minutes), and out comes all the carbon. For any leading that I get in my 45's (usually a wee little bit at the chamber end), I use a bit of copper scrubby pad wrapped around a bore brush. It takes care of the leading quick and easy.

[44man]

Mostly you do not have to do anything. I shoot revolvers for a year or more without cleaning until the cylinder gets stiff. I might not do anymore then clean the pin and add more STP.
But if you want to clean carbon, M-Pro 7 and a brush will take it all out to bare steel.
I have Eds Red and it does not work as good as Hoppe's.
M-Pro 7 will even take the rings off the cylinder front with a suede brush. You can rinse with hot water.

[Intel6]

I use my Lewis Lead remover with a fresh patch and it works great.

[Catshooter]

Some good advice here.

My two cents is; get away from Unique. It's a great powder, but very dirty. Universal Clays burns very like it and you'll be amazed at how much cleaner it is. I was.


Cat

[Moonie]

Some good advice here.

My two cents is; get away from Unique. It's a great powder, but very dirty. Universal Clays burns very like it and you'll be amazed at how much cleaner it is. I was.


Cat

Unique has been reformulated and is much cleaner burning now that it was in the past. That said, I find Clays to be cleaner than Unique, but I still use alot of Unique.

[mike in co]

there are lots of carbon cleaners in the gun cleaning business...but automotive carbon cleaners work as well and are cheaper...try your local gm dealer...top engin clener(TEC) IN A 15/16 OZ CAN.
subaru haqs one too.....watch out for newer smaller containers.....

mike in co

[44man]

Consider that when powder burns, it creates carbon! It only takes one shot to put back what you removed after much work.
I see no sense in making a gun pretty after each shooting session.
Do I have to report all of you to the government for global warming? :kidding:

[Char-Gar]

After 50 years with the 1911, this is the first time I have heard about carbon buildup in the chamber being an issue. I just use any good bore solvent and a brass brush. I have used Hoppe's, Military Bore Cleaner, Shooters Choice, and now Ed's Red. Clean the bore from the breech end, and the chamber will get as clean as it ever needs to be.

[44man]

After 50 years with the 1911, this is the first time I have heard about carbon buildup in the chamber being an issue. I just use any good bore solvent and a brass brush. I have used Hoppe's, Military Bore Cleaner, Shooters Choice, and now Ed's Red. Clean the bore from the breech end, and the chamber will get as clean as it ever needs to be.
True, clean if you get failures. Even a .22 auto will fail if too dirty but most is on the bolt face or behind it gumming up the action. I am willing to bet if you clean all but the barrel, the gun will run fine.

[bubbadawg59]

its not an issue, i just noticed this after cleaning my kimber .so i looked at my other 45s and they also had this build up of carbon in the chamber. im trying to burn up my old supply of unique .so i can move on to the new batch. its just a pita to get this stuff out. and yes i like my guns clean ,especialy my everyday carry gun. someone suggested gm top enginge cleaner, i checked on that also , seems that gm has toned the formula way down on it. im gona try some sea foam next time i have to clean throughly and see what it does. thanks guys !

[Moonie]

For carbon I like Ed's Red, the original formula, with lanolin and all the solvents, works great on carbon.

[44man]

I use 296 in my revolvers and it is DIRTY! 2400 is FILTHY!
When I use 4759 in my 45-70 revolver, the gun and brass is so clean it is unreal. Even primer pockets are clean.
But Unique is a great powder too and as long as a gun functions, don't bother with a little carbon.
There are cleaner powders, I know, but I can't afford to try them all.

[Char-Gar]

If you want to make life easy for yourself, do what generations of 1911 shooters have done. Pull you barrel and put it in a pan of water on your stove. Put in a little soap and boil for a minute or so. Remove the barrel with tongs and hold it under the hot water tap. Flush from the chamber with hot tap water. Blow through the barrel and it will dry in a couple of puffs.

When the barrel is cool, just a couple of passes with a bronze brush and any solvent will remove any and everything that is left. Most often a dry brush will do as well. Follow by a patch or two and you are done. If the barrel is carbon steel, a tight patch with a little oil is a good thing to end with.

I have loaded over 250,000 rounds of 45ACP ammo for various 1911 autos. 99% of these rounds have been loaded with cast bullets and either Bullseye or Unique powder.

I clean my guns, but I do not understand the need of some to make them look as if they have never been fired. There is a major difference between the two.