My .280 is drivin' tacks again : )

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TheNatureBoy

New member
All is right with the universe. My beloved .280 is performing up to my lofty expectations again : ) For the past year I've been trying to figure out why this rifle wasn't as accurate as it had been. I tried everything and checked everything twice. I ran this by one of the employees at Hyatts Gun Shop in Charlotte, Nc and he asked me how I went about cleaning my barrel. To make a long story short, he suggested I check for copper fouling. Bingo! I purchased the cleaning solution that he recommended, ran a patch through the barrel, and low and behold it came out blue and green. After a thorough cleaning, I went to the range today and left a happy man :D
 
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TheNatureBoy

New member
Yea, I know. I had about a 45 minute conversation with this guy (Hyatts employee). He's been reloading, and target shooting for almost 40 years. When the conversation ended it was a case of "class dismissed". Talk about a wealth of knowledge. I've only been at this for 3 years. I've learned a lot, and I still have a lot to learn. The more conversations I can have with people like him the better I'll be :)
 
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Kimbertron

New member
May i ask what cleaner you used? and how you checked for copper fouling? my .308 has been less then perfect this year despite not finding anything obviously wrong with it.
 
J

jimbob86

Moderator
and how you checked for copper fouling?
Click to expand...

Wet a patch with copper solvent and put it on a NON-BRASS jag and run it through your bore...... let it work a couple minutes, then run a clean patch though: if it comes out green or blue, you have copper in your bore....

Hoppes #9 will get copper out, but not very well..... at least it turns patches blue after I shoot a lot ..... there are better copper sovlents out there:

http://www.frfrogspad.com/cleaners.htm

Father Frog sez KG-12 is the right stuff ...... or 10% houshold ammonia and Ivory Soap ..... but be carefull with ammonia ...... it can cause rust in humid conditions..... clean the copper out, and the clean the ammonia/ ammonia based solvent out........

I've used Butch's Bore Shine before.... it did better on copper than Hoppe's #9..... which is really more for removing carbon....
 
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Kimbertron

New member
So i went and picked up shooters choice copper remover, its what my shop down the street had. Let it work for a few minutes like you said and acording to the directions and the patches came out a little bit blue. This is probably a stupid question but just rinse and repeat until clean? i usually clean my rifles after shooting with a bore snake and hopes 9. Maybe i need to add using patches to the mix so i can see how they come out more often.
 
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big al hunter

New member
I usually soak the barrel for a few minutes and then scrub with a brush. rinse and repeat until no blue, green. I only do this when accuracy falls off or I see a build-up of copper in the bore. Follow the copper cleaning with a regular bore cleaning agent ( hopes #9 or the like) to remove the copper cleaner out.
 
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ndking1126

New member
I remember when I was told about copper fouling cleaner by my uncle. I thought, "how did I not know about this?' I think I was 23, 24 at the time.

Now about 4, 5 years later, it still surprises me how basically every one knows to use solvent, but there are still a lot of people who don't know about copper fouling. Just interesting how some people who grew up around guns don't know about (myself included until a few years ago).

Glad it was easy fix for you!
 
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TheNatureBoy

New member
ndking, it was definitely one of those "I should have know this" moments. I went so far as to replace the scope, check mounting screws, etc. I considerd replacing the base and rings. I even thought about replacing the barrel. Hey...I learned something:)
 
J

jimbob86

Moderator
Now about 4, 5 years later, it still surprises me how basically every one knows to use solvent, but there are still a lot of people who don't know about copper fouling. Just interesting how some people who grew up around guns don't know about (myself included until a few years ago).
Click to expand...

I did not know about it ....... grew up shooting liteally thousands of rounds a year ..... of .22 rimfire..... Most people I knew never fired more than a box of centerfire rifle ammo a year.... I probably shoot my deer rifle more in a year than my Grandfather (the original owner) did in five or ten years..... shooting hundreds of rounds will accumulate some copper in your bore....
 
W

warbirdlover

New member
I fired a whole box of 7mm-08 reloads I handloaded with Barnes X-bullets. I spent two days getting the copper out of that barrel. And I could see the groups opening up more and more as I got to the last round. I don't know if Barnes has improved the composition of their X-bullet or replaced it but I won't go near them anymore. At that time Shooters Choice copper remover was the best product but I'm sure there are others now also.
 
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Kimbertron

New member
Before this post i had only heard of lead fouling. I ran some more of it through my rifle today and they came out a little bit blue for a couple patches then clean. Im probably going to be able to shoot it tomorrow to see.
 
C

Colorado Redneck

New member
Barnes bullets and copper fouling

Wardbird--I had a similar experience with my 270. I love to fool around with different bullets and powders. Had been using Hornady bullets for hunting, but got the idea that Barnes would be a good bullet for antelopes. Bought a box of 110 gr. MRX and went to work.

When I started testing the things, the velocity was great! But after a couple of rounds the group started to open up. By about the tenth round the group was about 6 inches.:eek:

After talking to some shooters I work with, it sounded like copper fouling was getting in the mix of things. I bought some Barnes CR-10. Use a nylon brush. Scrubbed the barrel good, and did get a lot of blue patches. Back to the range. Same thing. 3 shots or so and the POI started moving around. Scrub scrub scrub. Two or three rounds, same damn thing. Scrub scrub scrub. Scrub scrub scrub. Same thing.:mad:

Evidently there must be some machine irregularaties in my barrel. Back to Hornady.:D
 
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