As a former FLL and gunsmith, I can say “don’t overthink this.” Use Hopps #9 if you like the nostalgic smell, Remoil if you like a spray product that is cost-effective or CLPs break free. M-Pro 7 is a good product if you want to go the odorless route.
When I had barrels with significant leading, I used diesel fuel, brushes and a cleaning rod attached to a drill (go slow). At 4cents per ounce, it’s a great bang-for-the-buck and is a good cleaner.
Remoil, CLP and diesel all have a protectant effect, so if you use those, you should be fine. Some of the Hopps produces are also great protectants. I personally use Remoil on all of my firearms. I do use Bore Butter on my black powder firearms (and Remoil on the actions). I have former clients who have used nothing but high-end synthetic gun oils, which is fine if the extra cost provides peace of mind. My outfitter friends who make their living by guided hunts in extreme cold, heat, sand, etc…use Remoil. I am sure if a sponsor came to the table, they would change.356 thanks. What about a lube for storing? I have cleaned the bore with hot water patches then wiped down with dry patches.
I have typically used Bore Butter on the barrel after cleaning on my muzzleloader and a gun oil on my rifles. Are there better products out there?
Most every cleaning solution that brags about removing copper fouling has some form of ammonia in it. Just don't leave it sit in the barrel for long periods of time. Swab your barrel let the chemical reaction go for 5-10 minutes then clean it out with some Gun Scrubber rinse and repeat until your patches come out clean (no blue coloring)I use several different things. Shooter's cleaner, shoter's copper fouling, and shooter's lead fouling for 22's. Hoppe's #9 at times too.
I use remoil to lubricate most things. I have the old 1980's formula hoppes #9 for blackpowder patch lube on caplock guns. Soap and water followed by WD40 for blackpowder guns.
A gun or two with nice wood like my CZ 22lr gun, I use furniture wax on the wood and metal. 6 years so good so far.
One thing I am for a loss for is removing copper fouling on stainless steel barrels. Ammonia isn't good for the barrel I hear. For now, it's only my 450 marlni I don't shoot much and my modern muzzleloaders, which only see plastic fouling. I use the shooters on that. That stuff removed plastic fouling well on my shotguns when I did trap/skeet alot.
I don't recommend it, but mercury will take lead fouling out of a barrel.As a former FLL and gunsmith, I can say “don’t overthink this.” Use Hopps #9 if you like the nostalgic smell, Remoil if you like a spray product that is cost-effective or CLPs break free. M-Pro 7 is a good product if you want to go the odorless route.
When I had barrels with significant leading, I used diesel fuel, brushes and a cleaning rod attached to a drill (go slow). At 4cents per ounce, it’s a great bang-for-the-buck and is a good cleaner.
Most every cleaning solution that brags about removing copper fouling has some form of ammonia in it. Just don't leave it sit in the barrel for long periods of time. Swab your barrel let the chemical reaction go for 5-10 minutes then clean it out with some Gun Scrubber rinse and repeat until your patches come out clean (no blue coloring)
At some point in time, most precision rifles will benefit in accuracy from removing part of the copper fowling. However, most people overdo it. I believe in letting the rifle tell me when it is time to clean the bore, but even then, it is counterproductive to remove all of the copper fowling.I have not used a lead or copper remover. Should I?
Back when I was getting a degree in bird shooting and beer drinking in North Dakota and burning through a bunch of cases of 12 gauge every year we started to avoid rem oil because it gummed up worse in cold weather and the autos got sluggish.
Edit to add: breakfree clp was the alternative.
I'm going to have to add an edit to my above post. This bad weather has had me inside doing a bunch of gun maintenance and bore cleaning. I said in my earlier post that I used Bore Tech products and Shooter's Choice for bore cleaning. Well, after today, I have decided to go strictly with the Bore Tech Eliminator for my bore cleaning. Until today I had not tried it on a badly fowled rifle, but after seeing how well it worked, I am completely sold. Before I had only used it on lightly fowled bores and had doubts about how effective it would be on a harder job. Here is why I like it so well:
1. It has no smell but seems to cut copper and carbon just as well (if not better) than the stinky stuff I have used in the past.
2. I don't know exactly what is in it, but they advertise it as completely biodegradable, and completely 100% non-hazardous.
3. One of the guns I cleaned today was a neglected 243 that had not had the bore cleaned for decades. The Eliminator made short work of it with only a nylon brush and patches.
It feels nice to do a lot of gun cleaning and not come out smelling like a chemical train wreck.
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