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Practically Shooting

Barnes CR-10 Bore Cleaner


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We are leaving for SD to shoot prairie dogs soon. I picked up some Barnes CR-10, which is a copper and lead fouling remover.

I have always heard that ammoniated bore cleaners would corrode barrels. To the contrary, this is a quote from Barnes' website;

Quote:
We have had calls asking if CR-10 will damage your rifle bore. The answer is, no. Let me explain. CR-10, along with most other copper cleaning solvents, contains ammonia to remove the copper. Ammonia attracts moisture, which in turn causes the clean steel to rust very quickly. We have tested barrels submerged in it for 18 months without any damage to the barrel. An oil patch is also recommended after cleaning to prevent the rust process. Using CR-10 will NOT damage bores.

Anyone use Barnes CR-10 or similar products? How well do they remove fouling? Is there a better way?

Thanks,

Wayne

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Jeez, that reads just like the advertising crapola from a motor oil maker. They say it was submerged for 18 months. Most likely, submerged in the fluid there was little to no oxygen available to form the rust. I've not used the product but I don't leave any ammonia products in my barrels more than an hour tops. Normally, I don't use any ammonia products to remove copper fouling. I use non chlorinated brake cleaner. While it is a great solvent and removes all of the powder residue instantly, the cold and the dissimilar metals makes the copper fouling get loose. A real tight dry patch after spraying removes any lead or copper fouling. Caution though, the cleaner can soften and remove the finish from a wood stock.

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I've used Shooter's Choice copper solvent. It's similar to their bore cleaner but you can tell right away it has a much higher ammonia content.

It must work because when used on previously "clean" barrels, the patches come out blue-green.

I do admit to being a little nervous about using it due to the alleged metal erosion possibility. I don't know enough chemistry to know if I should or not. Experience with their regular bore cleaner tells me it can only work for so long before getting "full" and stopping or at least slowing down.

Per the instructions, a followup pass with their bore cleaner neutralizes it, but I have serious doubts about that. I have some of the old WWII oily bore cleaner I hit it with also. That might not do anything, but it makes me feel better.

I never leave it in for more than ten or fifteen minutes and set a timer so I don't forget.

It doesn't always help. Sometimes it hurts.

I've used it in barrels that were pretty tired, and they shot worse for a while. My theory is the cleaner took out copper fouling that had been filling in all the rough spots. After some use, they returned to normal, and I attributed that to copper "grouting" up the rough spots.

Something I like that is perhaps more controversial is JB Bore Paste. I've used it quite a bit.

I also like my Outers Foul Out electronic bore cleaner. It's especially good on lead fouling. I always seem to out of the solvent for it, though. I wonder what it really is, so I can buy a big jug of both kinds.

One of these days I'll buy an ultrasonic cleaner for general cleaning. I came close in a Harbor Freight store last winter. I'd have to think a 50-60 dollar ultrasonic tub filled with a couple dollars worth of Simple Green would clean a frame and slide a lot faster than me with an old toothbrush and solvent or Ed's Red.

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I've tried Sweet's 7.62. Jury is still out. It didn't touch the copper in a stainless Ruger revolver. In fact PB Blaster did a better job. That said, it could the operator and I notice my .357 SIG barrel is getting some copper, so I will soak that bugger as a test.

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I used Shooters Choice for years. I now use Montana X-treme Copper Killer and Aero-Kroil. I learned this from a friend that shot .50 BMG's in competition @ 1000yds and is a very good gunsmith.

My 300 RUM and .257 Weatherby are pretty hard on barrels and seem to leave a considerable amount of copper behind after just a few shots. The Copper Killer works better than anything I tried before and the Kroil is getting the carbon out for a very clean barrel. The Kroil can be left in the bore without harming the barrel.

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