Tried a new (to me) Bore Cleaner

Most of you know I’m a fan of the regular Bore Tech Eliminator bore cleaner, it’s the most effective copper remover I’ve ever used. Much more effective than Sweets or any other ammonia based solvent. No smell and will wash away with water.  But, it does not remove the hard carbon deposits. 

My routine cleaning is done with Hoppes 9.  Over several days, I patch out the bore using a PH style jag with Hoppes and let soak all day, patch out with clean patch and reapply the Hoppes. For a barrel that is in good condition, this works fine, slowly dissolves a light amount of copper. 

The Eliminator is the best thing for breaking in a new barrel and removing moderate to severe copper fouling. Apply per instructions on the bottle.

But, you will see with a borescope that the hard carbon is left behind, and under that could be more copper. Carbon/copper ironed on layers. I’ve been removing hard carbon with JB Bore Paste which is effective, but it’s abrasive (which is how it removes the carbon) and it will lengthen the throat if applied too aggressively. C4 does it chemically. 

I tried the C4 product yesterday in the No. 4 T which had been completely cleaned to bare steel with JB only 30 rounds prior. I then did my usual Hoppes 9 routine to clean after the 30 rounds were fired last Friday.  After soaking and reapplying Hoppes in the morning and evening for two days, I dried it out and inspected with the borescope. Looked quite clean, free of all powder fouling, but in just 30 rounds, there was evidence of carbon starting to build up with very faint streaks of copper. You can see it in the grooves and down the center of the lands. This amount is of no concern, but it will continue to build up.

Now after using the C4 as directed on the bottle.  Just one application. Seems to have removed all the carbon quite effectively.  A few minutes to apply with a patch, brush out with nylon brush soaked in the solvent and let stand for 10 minutes, dry out with clean patch. 

To those who notice something odd about the rifling, this is a Long Branch made barrel with 6 groove, RH twist rifling used for the BREN. The barrel is in excellent condition except for about a 6 inch length in the area of the  sling swivel band with light pitting, likely from not fully cleaning after firing corrosive ammunition. Dad had fired some Berdan primed Cordite loaded Mk 7 back in the 1960’s which likely had potassium chlorate primers. 

I’m not affiliated with Bore Tech in any way, but I can tell you this stuff really works.  

Where did you buy it from?

Thanks

Zed, I’m a believer in clean bores shoot better. I’ve proven this to myself numerous times when a “deep” clean restored accuracy again.  Now, if a barrel is shot out or badly pitted, no amount of cleaning can fix that. 

One of the things that significant fouling build up can cause is increased barrel vibration as the bullet passes over the fouling. This translates into larger groups.  A smooth bore shoots better and fouls less. 

This is pretty Much paralleling what I've discovered with the M-PRO. Bore cleaner working for carbon & the copper remover getting the metal fouling out.

The bore scopes are brilliant or stuff like this. I'll bet both of those bores would look shiny clean with then old light down the bore & squint methods.

Now I finally got a fully-functioning borescope (thanks for all your help BTW) I've done a survey of my No4 Mk2 & the '41 Lithy SMLE bores.(These two I know the entire history on, all the others its  crap-shoot.)

I clean both with a dual action set of ammonia free solvents just as he describes. Just a different brand.

Interestingly the No4 Mk2's  bore which has had 2212 rounds total fired through it is considerably "brighter" than the SMLE's which has had less then 200 rounds through its tube!

Both show good smooth unpitted, clean bores, clear-cut sharp rifling & overall excellent condition. There's some very slight copper fouling in both, & around machining marks (dings & gouges which every bore has when viewed at high magnification of a scope) otherwise squeaky clean.

The "new" bore-scope they sent me to replace the "Old" one I had, which wouldn't accept the side view mirrors allows a much better view. Matching the mirror diameter to the bore makes for a huge improvement!

Oh, britrifles a tip I discovered with the flexible ones. slip one of those cheap plastic bore guides from a cleaning kit over the fiber optic before fitting the head!   Now you have a centering adapter for the optic when viewing inside the barrel! Just slide it in up to the rear of the receiver when coping the bore from the breech end!

Hopefully get time to test it this weekend.

Quite expensive here in France. 28 Euro a 4oz bottle.

I will use this product first, then a copper remover, then second pass with the C4. Then inspection. 

Let's see how it goes!

After watching this thread I thought I would switch to Bore Tech after yesterdays range day as I still had half a container left after my switch to KG.

Not a scientific test by any means but I came away with the impression that KG was the slightly more efficient carbon remover.

This does make me wonder how Youngs .303 compares after all these years?