How to get copper out of my Ruger pistol barrel...

NOTPARS

I have a Ruger P94 pistol in .40 caliber. I have put about 600 rounds through it. I clean it thoroughly after every firing. The other day I noticed an "orangish" color in the barrel grooves. My first thought was, "rust in this stainless steel pistol which has never seen moisture?" I took it to a gunsmith. He told me it was not rust but copper. Copper from the FMJ bullets was building up in the grooves. He told me I would have to use an amonia based cleaner (Sweet's No.7?) to get it out. Hoppes No. 9 and Break Free did not work on it. He told me just to run patch after patch of the copper remover and then make sure I got all the amonia based cleaner out of the barrel as well. Any other ideas on this or does this sound like good advice?

coyote-man

Just do exactly what the man at the gun shop said to do.

groundhog devastation

It's Sweet's 7.62. Another one that I think is just as effective if not more is Montana Extreme.

MIKE WISKEY

BUTCH'S BORE SHINE WORKS WELL ALSO

He Dog

Butch's Bore Shine works well for me and I use it cleaning everything. To speed this up a little you can use some JB Bore Paste from Brownells. Put a patch on your jag, and use a bit of tape (masking tape works) around the rear edges of the patch to keep it on the rod. I also tape the tip of the jag as well, to prevent tearing the patch. Put some JB's on the patch, doesn't take much, but get it distributed all the way around. Then run it back and forth several times through the barrel. Finish with Butch's. JB's will not embed in the barrel nor abrade it, but it is good for cleaning and copper removal. I some times start the cleaning process with JB's after a lot of shooting.

JudgeColt

Although a bit difficult to use with a pistol barrel, Outers Foul Out will remove copper and lead electro-chemically with no scrubbing. Sometime ago, somoe posted directions for a home-made version of the Foul Out on these boards. (I think it was here.)

He Dog

So many boards, so little time, eh Judge? It was here. The link is http://www.storm.ca/~debin666/html/projects9.html Both store bought and home made are messy, may or may not work well (I have seen both reported) and you need to be careful with finishes.

25-06

Sir, you must be careful if you use Sweet's 7.62, if left in the barrel too long it will etch the metal. I like to plug the chamber end of the barrel with a rubber plug and fill with Shooter's Choice or Hoppes #9 and let soak for a couple of days. Pour out, run some patches through it until dry, if you still have copper, use some JB's paste on a wore out brush with a patch wrapped around it. This should remove any traces of copper. Also helps polish the bore. If you have a gun that fouls easily, you might consider firelapping the bore with cast lead bullets and abrasives. Neco Products sells kits for this purpose, and they do work.

leeblackman

I recently tried some Hoppes Bench Rest Copper Solvent, and I must say it works great, just follow the instructions.

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NOTPARS

Gentlemen thanks! I am using Butches right now and picked up some paste as well. While chatting at a gun shop, the owner suggested it might be the type of ammo since I never noticed these orange streaks before. Soooooooooo, I checked several revolvers and pistols. Those that I have shot Enforcer Ammo through all have the streaks (including my new Model 66 which has had maybe 50 rounds through it). Those that I did not shoot Enforcer Ammo have no such streaking. Anyway, I had not seen this in several years of shooting (and I always clean my firearms right away after shooting) so this seemed odd to me. I'll give your advice a try (I also have some foul smelling stuff by Benchrest and I can't remember the other...boy do they stink).

coyote-man

The jackets on Enforcer ammo might be a little soft, this might account for more fowling than from other ammo.