Copper remover

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Looking for a recommendation on the most effective of the copper jacket fouling removers of the current crop for my '03 Springfield, Krag and few other that haven't been cast friendly due to fouling. TIA!
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Foam-Out foam is effective, fast and messy. Not cheap either.
 
Last edited:

Longone

Active Member
Sweets is good only if you follow the directions, get side tracked and expect to replace the barrel. Butch’s is more user friendly and works well, JB bore cleaner if you like to be safe and don’t mind a little excersize.
This stuff is gaining popularity for being effective and safe. https://www.boretech.com/products/btck-40002
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
I've been using Foam-Out as well. At least when I shoot jacketed bullets, which isn't very often at all.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I use Pro-Shot because I dropped my bottle of Butch's on a concrete floor about ten years ago and I could find Pro-Shot on a store shelf but not Butch's. Worked out for the better.

Still have most of 8 ounces left but it works with some soaking and waiting. I like it because it isn't so aggressive that I can be distracted and come back an hour later instead of fifteen minutes. Surpasses Hoppe's #9 in copper removal by a long way.

Both Butch's and Pro-Shot seem to react with the plastic in the lids, which become very brittle - which is how I dropped Butch's on the floor.

Currently, I have a lid from a water bottle on the Pro-Shot and it seems to be holding up better. Lid's not marked with a recycling logo, so I don't know what material it is.
 

JSH

Active Member
Wipe out is what I use.
Don't expect one time to clean down to the bare metal. Layer after layer may take some time, BUT may or may not be worth it.

The now clean bore may be in worse shape than the layered up fouled bore. There are ways to nurse some life back to a clean pitted bore. I myself would rather deal with a rough clean bore.
Jeff
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I use the foamy can stuff too, then follow it up with a couple of patches of Sweet's 7.62 to make sure the copper is gone.
sometimes the foam really takes down a bunch of layers of grunge and doesn't get to the copper on the first soaking.
you'll know when it does though it will pop out the barrel a bright blue instantly.
 

JSH

Active Member
Brad, I take it that is a water/alcohol based solvent then? How bad is it on wood finish or Tupperware stocks.

I have come to prefer solvents that are not aggressive and may need to work over night. Rather than having to run a bunch of patches through and still not be clean.

Had a bad experience with Barnes copper cleaner years ago. Won a bottle of it at a match. Used it in a rifle and did not get it all out of the front of the action, you guessed it. Put it in the safe and it froze the bolt up in the action, had to beat it open. The to top that had mysterious rust on some other guns, I suspect the gas from the ammonia.
No more for me, thank you.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Brad, I take it that is a water/alcohol based solvent then? How bad is it on wood finish or Tupperware stocks.

I have come to prefer solvents that are not aggressive and may need to work over night. Rather than having to run a bunch of patches through and still not be clean.

Had a bad experience with Barnes copper cleaner years ago. Won a bottle of it at a match. Used it in a rifle and did not get it all out of the front of the action, you guessed it. Put it in the safe and it froze the bolt up in the action, had to beat it open. The to top that had mysterious rust on some other guns, I suspect the gas from the ammonia.
No more for me, thank you.
Not alcohol or water based. Largely made from triethanolamine, think a mild form of ammonia.
I believe it does mention keeping it off stocks but I do that with all solvents.

I like it for most gun cleaning duties.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I use electricity most of the time, it minimizes putting rods through the bore.

Shooter's Choice is ok but slow, if you have a week to do it and put one wet patch a day through the bore. Same with Hoppe's benchrest 9. Hoppe's copper remover is pretty close to useless.

Idk about Sweet's but know several gunsmiths that detest it and zero who like it.
 

Rex

Active Member
I've always heard that ammonia would ruin a barrel but before I knew any better I took a Eddystone Enfield that was terrible plated and plugged the breach end of the barrel, poured it full of the strongest ammonia our chemical lab had and let it set all night. That rifle is as accurate as any I own now. Got lucky I guess.
 

Chris

Well-Known Member
Sweet's and Wipe Out. The foam really works well but will take several applications to clean a really fouled bore. Years ago Precision Shooting magazine reported a test by a guy who had a company that made precision mirrors for industry. He polished stainless barrel steel to a certain finish and applied Sweet's and let it set. Later examination of the finish using some fancy inspection equipment showed no damage. The details escape me, but the results were compelling. I use the stuff without hesitation and it works well. How much harm is a little ammonia going to do to a rough fouled military bore?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Chrome-moly steel is the one that gets eaten up from what I understand. Maybe people leave it in too long or don't rinse it out well enough before storage.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Well I like collecting ( & shooting) Old WW1 & 2 .32 acp pistols. Many a times I have pluged the bores and "Sweeted" them over night. Next day poured out blue green syrup! Never ruined a bore & They cleaned up fine afterwards. I would like to hear a legitinate Sweet's 7.62 disaster on normal gun steel ( not exotics)
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Thanks muchly for the suggestions guys. I was actually off the farm yesterday in the big city and found out Gander Mtn had reopened. Walked through and got sticker shock, but didn't see anything in the way of a copper solvent there or at Wally World, so I figured since I was going to be ordering something I'd ask for opinions since I haven't had to deal with copper fouling in years.