Copper solvent test results

[Texas10]

I ran across this website where various brands of copper fouling remover were tested by a gun store. Results were not what I expected! The method they used was to weigh a particular copper jacketed bullet before and after submersion in the fluid being tested for a number of hours to see how much weight in copper was stripped off. One, and only one clear winner! :o

http://www.laniganperformance.com/kg12testresults.html

I make no claims as to the veracity of their testing methods, so please don't flame me for simply posting it. I just found it interesting.:rolleyes:

[Robinhood]

KG is in your home state. It is more expensive to buy direct from them and you would pay state sales tax, however often they will send you a sample pack of thier products including the copper remover and about three other products. Good stuff.

[LongRange]

I ran across this website where various brands of copper fouling remover were tested by a gun store. Results were not what I expected! The method they used was to weigh a particular copper jacketed bullet before and after submersion in the fluid being tested for a number of hours to see how much weight in copper was stripped off. One, and only one clear winner! :o

http://www.laniganperformance.com/kg12testresults.html

I make no claims as to the veracity of their testing methods, so please don't flame me for simply posting it. I just found it interesting.:rolleyes:

i found this same test a few years ago and bought the KG12 package then gave it away after the second time i used it. i wasnt impressed at all with the big bore cleaner and if i remember correctly the oil was real thick and smelled like gear lube. personally i use and really like the sharp shoot R products for copper and slip 2000 carbon killer to get the carbon out and the slip 2000 EWL oil. and its funny they have montana X-treme listed like 27th...if you ever have a lot of copper build up try some montana X-treme(DO NOT use it in the house and dont leave it in your barrel for a long time)then you to will ask yourself why its ranked 27th in that test.
ive tried several different cleaning products over the years and the only ones ive never given away are the sharp shoot R,montana X-treme and the slip 2000.

[Robinhood]

and its funny they have montana X-treme listed like 27th

The list is alphabetical not rating of effectivness. It looks like it ties for 6th place. However, I use Montana X treme

[D.ID]

+1 Montana extreme.
" DO NOT use it in the house".............yep.......... Learned that the hard way and the wife still gives the bottle a dirty look every time she sees it.

[yobuck]

A few of years back and maybe more there was a very indepth article in the precision shooter about bore cleaning.
First off it stated the only way to determine the effects of bore cleaning was to use a bore scope. And it also said most
owning bore scopes didnt know what they were looking at. Just repeating, not saying lol.
Anyway the test took 2 years due to the number of products plus the new ones coming along during the test.
It talked about the cause of fouling and related it to 2 major causes. One being copper and the other carbon.
Both can affect accuracy of coarse. It went on to specifically name various well known cleaning products.
In conclusion it point blank stated that (ALL) the products tested were essentially useless for the intended purpose
including the very strong smelling ones like Sweets. Except two products, which are Bore Tec eliminator for removing
copper, and Slip 2000 for removing carbon. Now its entirly possible that since that article there have been others that
have been brought to market. I was told by Bruce Baer just a few weeks back that he prefers Wipeout over Bore Tec eliminator
for both copper and carbon. I had never even heard about Wipeout but i will probably try it.

[D.ID]

Whipeout is the easiest if your done shooting for the day. I have used it extensively for overnight cleanings and it does a great job.

[JTCrl]

I also saw that report a couple years back. Tried the KG-1 powder (carbon) solvent and the KG-12 copper solvent and have used them ever since. It's also nice that you can use them in the house (practically no odor). I do have a match grade barrel and clean after every session so not a lot of copper to contend with in the first place but I have also used them on moderately fouled hunting rifles with very good results.

I have not tried their other products.

[LongRange]

A few of years back and maybe more there was a very indepth article in the precision shooter about bore cleaning.
First off it stated the only way to determine the effects of bore cleaning was to use a bore scope. And it also said most
owning bore scopes didnt know what they were looking at. Just repeating, not saying lol.
Anyway the test took 2 years due to the number of products plus the new ones coming along during the test.
It talked about the cause of fouling and related it to 2 major causes. One being copper and the other carbon.
Both can affect accuracy of coarse. It went on to specifically name various well known cleaning products.
In conclusion it point blank stated that (ALL) the products tested were essentially useless for the intended purpose
including the very strong smelling ones like Sweets. Except two products, which are Bore Tec eliminator for removing
copper, and Slip 2000 for removing carbon. Now its entirly possible that since that article there have been others that
have been brought to market. I was told by Bruce Baer just a few weeks back that he prefers Wipeout over Bore Tec eliminator
for both copper and carbon. I had never even heard about Wipeout but i will probably try it.


Whipeout is the easiest if your done shooting for the day. I have used it extensively for overnight cleanings and it does a great job.

both are sharp shoot R products and like i said for heavy copper montana X-treme and for carbon slip 2000 carbon killer...the best carbon remove EVER was GM top engine cleaner which is long since past as they stop making it...ive tried a few engine treatments with no luck but have heard sea foam works well but dont try it until i post back with results.

[eddiesindian]

both are sharp shoot R products and like i said for heavy copper montana X-treme and for carbon slip 2000 carbon killer...the best carbon remove EVER was GM top engine cleaner which is long since past as they stop making it...ive tried a few engine treatments with no luck but have heard sea foam works well but dont try it until i post back with results.

funny you should mention that. Ford has a cleaner thats specifically used for de-carboning certain gas and diesel engine components. I tried it on one of my L1A1 gas guns and found out it works great. The down side?...its as toxic as toxic can be. Needless to say?....I wont use it again.

[sixonetonoffun]

I use B-12 diluted 1:2 with Eds Red (Panther Piss) seems to work well for regular carbon & minor copper.

Overnight soaking for heavier deposits.

B-12 is a little cheaper then SeaFoam.

[Texas10]

Thanks, Robinhood. I looked them up and they're 10 minutes away!

Interesting about the automotive carbon cleaners, I always kept a bottle of Hopps #9 in my tool box to de-carbon aircraft engine fuel injectors. After a few hours soak, the carbon was gone and the brass body was bright and clean. worked miracles.

I've used slip2000 carbon Killer. After many hours soak, multiple strokes with a mop, still black with carbon. I even filled the barrel and left it overnight. Never got a bore that passed the video borescope test. But it did remove some​ carbon.

[jonbearman]

Slip 2000 is garbage and wouldn't dissolve any carbon on 3 barrels I tried. KG <huh isn't it interesting that is all the testor sells.

[LongRange]

Slip 2000 is garbage and wouldn't dissolve any carbon on 3 barrels I tried. KG <huh isn't it interesting that is all the testor sells.

ive heard this from several ppl about slip but i like it...i dont think it will remove heavy carbon like in gas guns...i know it smells just like simple green lol.

[Salvo]

I tried something weird the other day, and got outstanding results on carbon removal.

After cleaning with Hoppe#9 and getting slightly grey patches, but mostly clean, I had a wild hair and wetted a patch with some foaming thread-cutting lube intended for pipe threading that had found its way to the bench.

By the time I ran that patch back and forth through the bore four times, it was as black as ink with carbon.

I've never seen anything break up carbon like this stuff!

Note that I then followed up with Hoppes#9 to get the thread-cutting oil out of the bore. When I did, I started seeing green from copper that the carbon had apparently covered up.

Pipe-threading oil... Who would have thunk it?

[yobuck]

Hoppes solvent has certainly been around longer than most if not all the others. Not sure about now but originally it was made in Philly.
Having lived in the suburban area of that city for 65 years i got to see Frank Hoppe on a fairly regular basis at smallbore rifle matches in the 50s.
Just a regular guy who happend to earn his living making gun cleaning products. I think id rather be married to a woman who wore Hoppes than
most of the obnoxious perfumes i smell some wearing. Bore TEC is also made in the Philly area at Telford PA. And yes G M top engine cleaner also
did a good job of carbon removal. I suppose the gubmint might have found out about that and when they took over G M they stopped making it. lol.

[gumbo333]

Isso paste works good too. Wet bore first with Kroil or a copper solvent. Remove with Kroil. I apply the Isso on a old worn bronze brush wrapped with a strip of cotten cloth. Or use a brush a caliber smaller. I still think an occasional swipe with the bronze brush is good to clean the groves. Thats the way old farts learned. Also think we learned 40 years ago to clean barrels way to often. Jusy my one cent worth.Keep warm.

[stomp442]

I have always found the gun slik foaming bore cleaner to work very well. Run your brush a couple times then spray full of foam and walk away for a couple hours. No harsh smells and no hard work and it will pull copper like crazy.

[fgw_in_fla]

For carbon removal I have always used Hoppe's. Saturate a patch with Hoppe's, drag it thru the barrel, wait a minute, repeat. Since it's petroleum product based it works fine.
For copper removal, 10% janitorial strength ammonia with a few drops of dish soap or soap flakes to help it stick. Wet the patch, run it thru the bore 5 to 7 times, comes out bluish purple.
Once you get past the smell & remember to vent the area, works great.
Here's some more good info. If you're not familiar with Father Frog, take a moment to peruse his site. Lots of good stuff there.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/cleaners.htm

Happy swabbing...

[yobuck]

I suppose there are all sorts of concoctions that will clean barrels.
But cleaning them without damaging the barrel could be another matter.
I have an old friend who at one time earned a good living as a machinist/gunsmith.
He was also at one time an active Williamsport shooter and had served as president there.
He ruined a new barrel of his own he had used a home brew mix on which he had left soak overnite.
He never said at least to me, but that might have dashed any plans he had for entering into the solvent business.