Thread: Pressure issue resolved 7mm08

I'm a convert to BoreTech C4 carbon remover. It pretty much just 'melts' hard carbon.
Wet a wool bore mop with the stuff, work it through the bore and then let it sit in the chamber to soak for 10 - 20 minutes. Whip a bore brush through and usually that's enough to do the job.
May need a second dose for a bad build up of carbon.
The new brew of Hoppes is not the old tried and true brew we all knew. It's a shadow of it's former self (but probably has less ingredients that 'may' harm you long term).
I've done a few barrels for fellow club members with their target .22 rimfires. Huge carbon rings in them, and accuracy was gone.
Showed them with my borescope what the lack of cleaning was doing. So many people have been told 'you don't need to clean a .22 rimfire, etc, etc'. Yes...you do need to clean it just as you should a centrefire.
The C4 is dear, but it works quickly and safely (and won't hurt your rifle).
I usually finish up with a light patch of Kroil to sit in the bore overnight, then a dry patch or two to get any rubbish the Kroil has loosened (and yes...Kroil is great stuff too).
Lightly oil the bore (with Ballistol) when I'm happy it's clean.

Originally Posted by Grey Kiwi

I'm a convert to BoreTech C4 carbon remover.
Wet a wool bore mop with the stuff, work it through the bore and then let it sit in the chamber to soak for 10 - 20 minutes. Whip a bore brush through and usually that's enough to do the job...
...I usually finish up with a light patch of Kroil to sit in the bore overnight, then a dry patch or two to get any rubbish the Kroil has loosened (and yes...Kroil is great stuff too).
Lightly oil the bore (with Ballistol) when I'm happy it's clean.

How regularly would you clean this way out of interest?

Originally Posted by earplay

How regularly would you clean this way out of interest?

With my CZ (rimfire) target rifle I would clean every couple of weeks (so maybe 50 rounds of .22 target ammo).
If I didn't then I would need to fire a few 'warmers' to get the rifle to shoot to POA. Then I discovered C4.
By regular cleaning I could simply set the rifle up and fire a couple of sighters...just in case 'something' had been knocked or moved since the previous week.
The sighters were always sitting there at the POA...no actual warmers needed or time taken to fire shot after shot and watch as the bullet holes 'walk' their way into the target centre.
Now this is a rimfire, and they probably don't generate as much heat/carbon as a centrefire. I'm no scientist on this matter.
I only know what the results show me on the target.
My thoughts? A centrefire having 40 or 50 rounds through it will be developing a carbon ring already (plus hard carbon all through the bore). Not good for accuracy or the barrel.
Although most of you are only interested in 'minute of deer', and not trying to hit a 2mm dot at 25 yards.
Use C4 after every time you shoot? Yes, why not? Once you have the barrel clean why would anyone want to let a carbon ring develop again...and then spend more time getting it all clean again.
Although, to be fair the average hunter (centrefire)...maybe once or twice a year would probably be fine.

Originally Posted by Grey Kiwi

I'm a convert to BoreTech C4 carbon remover. It pretty much just 'melts' hard carbon.
..

Glad it works for you but my experience has been far from satisfying as it has also been for many FO team mates. I guess your idea of hard carbon build-up is different to mine. I have a C4 container still sitting 80% full.

Originally Posted by 6x47

Glad it works for you but my experience has been far from satisfying as it has also been for many FO team mates. I guess your idea of hard carbon build-up is different to mine. I have a C4 container still sitting 80% full.

That's strange. I would have thought that carbon was carbon.
I've used it (C4) for about 2 years now, and no problems.
Literally...the carbon just 'melts' while I go and have a cup of coffee.
How many shots would you do before using the C4 (back in the day when you tried it)?
What do you use now?

Comp shooting sessions use anything between 24 and occasionally ~80 rounds.

My current regimen depends on the number of rounds fired and what has gone on before. If I've fired over 40 rounds, it'll get the full treatment, namely a wet patch of Eliminator, wiped out then another left wet. It then gets a good 20 strokes of an Autosol-soaked tight patch, focusing more on the first 150mm where the carbon is always worse. Copper is the least of my worries. The bore gets wiped out and I have another look with the borescope. If it needs it, the Autosol is dragged out again and the process repeated til I see what I'm after. I don't obsess about minor smears of carbon but solid stripes aren't ignored.

The only reliable way to remove genuinely hard carbon is with abrasive on a tight fitting patch. Short stroke the problem area to bring it back to bare metal.

As a follow-up, I ran the borescope down the barrel again to check status of carbon ring after another 30 or so rounds down range. Interestingly the carbon ring area was fairly pronounced again, and was starting to overlap with the case mouth (I had rotated a nylon brush with solvent in this area before looking with the borescope, however it didn't appear to have touched it). It wasn't causing pressure issues as yet, but I did want to make sure my cleaning routine was actually working on this area.

I ended up using an oversize nylon brush, wrapped in a patched with a small bit of autosol, and then rotated slowly via a drill to target this area (around 30 second s). This approach seemed to work well, as the size of the patch/brush meant it couldn't really be pushed any further than it needed, and carbon ring was removed relatively quickly, although it did require a couple of goes.