Can This Crap Be Removed from Rifle Bore (borescope image attached)

[ddjchemist]

I decided to borrow a borescope from my friend to take a look inside one of my rifles. I was convinced this rifle had very clean bore. I was wrong. I always clean rifles after every range trip, but now I am realizing that most of cleaning products are useless "snake oil salesman products" that do not remove carbon buildup. Can this carbon buildup cleaned? So far I tried multiple products and bronze brushes, but no luck. This barrel is about to be replaced with a custom barrel, but I want to use it to experiment finding best cleaning products, so in the future I know what cleaning products are good. Montana Extreme Copper Removal is #1 for copper removal, but it could not do anything for carbon buildup. Birchwood Bore Scrubber, Hoppes 9 and Lucas Bore Solvents are useless for carbon and copper fouling.

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[66PonyCar]

I have no personal experience with this product but it claims to remove carbon.

Carbon Remover Solvent | Find the Best C4 Carbon Cleaner for Guns - Bore Tech

Cutting through carbon fouling on your firearm is a breeze with C4 Carbon Remover from Bore Tech. Even the most stubborn baked-on carbon is no match for this carbon remover. For the best carbon removing chemicals for gun cleaning, you have to choose Bore Tech. Shop our entire collection of bore...

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[A Savage]

Jb bore paste

 

[ddjchemist]

Jb bore paste

Seems you are correct. No solvent can do anything about carbon deposits. I am trying to find some JB Paste online, but can't find it available. I will check in a couple of local gun stores.

 

[ExPiney]

Soak with solvent (C4, Hoppes, whatever) and let the barrel sit for a few minutes. Then apply bore paste (JB, Iosso, etc.) to a nylon (or bronze) brush. Work this into the bore. I reverse directions (this takes some elbow grease on some bore/brush combos) and pay particular attention to the first 1/3 of the barrel. Clean with solvent & dry patches. Check with your scope and repeat if necessary. Go down the rabbit hole and you'll see there are quite a few methods/opinions. Check out this link to get you started.

Good luck.

 

[bionic knees]

Seems you are correct. No solvent can do anything about carbon deposits. I am trying to find some JB Paste online, but can't find it available. I will check in a couple of local gun stores.

Brownells say they have some, $5 for 1/4 oz.

 

[Ura-Ki]

OK, you asked for it, my super secret sauce for cleaning out the nastiest chunky barrels ever!

Get ya a tin of this stuff, tear off a chunk and wrap TIGHTLY around a smaller caliber nylon brush and work it through the barrel both directions, keep at it till it's spotless! Helps to heat the barrel with a heat gun, do it out of the stock and try to get the heat as even as you can, almost too hot to touch is just about right! Careful this stuff is amazing and will polish things you didn't think could take a polish, must be used in a vented room or outside!

 

[po18guy]

The site below seems to champion acetone. BUT, you would have to fill and cork the bore. The longer it remains liquid, the better it dissolves the carbon.

Best Solvent for Removing Carbon in 2024 |Extreme Effective

The best solvent for removing carbon is one that can be used safely, for the shortest time possible....

www.landroverbar.com

 

[Capn Jack]

Have you tried, "Spray Brake Cleaner?" It does a bang-up job on AR parts.

Just don't get it in your eyes.

 

[po18guy]

Was going to suggest Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride), but it evaporates very quickly and some say it causes cancer - but I don't believe them.

 

[ddjchemist]

It funny that I am a chemist and have access to any chemical you can think of. Acetone and DCM (Dichloromethane) might be to strong for rifle. I will first try JB paste and then Metal Polish product that Ura-Ki suggested above (can't heat the barrel since I live in an apartment). This barrel is going for a replacement at the end of tis months, but this time I want to learn, so I can keep my barrels clean. Copper removal is easy, but this carbon removal is very tough. Interestingly, I bore-scoped all my rifles this evening and the only two that had a lot of carbon buildup and fire-cracking were both Tikka's.

 

[ddjchemist]

OK, you asked for it, my super secret sauce for cleaning out the nastiest chunky barrels ever!
View attachment 1132009
Get ya a tin of this stuff, tear off a chunk and wrap TIGHTLY around a smaller caliber nylon brush and work it through the barrel both directions, keep at it till it's spotless! Helps to heat the barrel with a heat gun, do it out of the stock and try to get the heat as even as you can, almost too hot to touch is just about right! Careful this stuff is amazing and will polish things you didn't think could take a polish, must be used in a vented room or outside!

 

[ddjchemist]

Thanks for the advice. Since I can't heat the barrel in my apartment, I am thinking doing this at my range. Take 10 shots to heat the barrel, and then keep cleaning with the polisher.

 

[JuglansRegia]

If that is the breach end l wouldn't worry about it. You can get it squeaky clean and the first shot you take will foul it again

 

[8x68s]

Wipe-out, Patchout... does not harm the bore

 

[ddjchemist]

I will post an update after I try a couple of methods suggested here.

 

[Nosferatu]

Seems you are correct. No solvent can do anything about carbon deposits. I am trying to find some JB Paste online, but can't find it available. I will check in a couple of local gun stores.

BROWNELLS J-B® NON-EMBEDDING BORE CLEANING COMPOUND | Brownells

The original, time-proven formula developed by Jim Brobst and produced under exclusive license. J-B has been getting burned-on, caked-in powder residue and copper jacket fouling out of gun barrels since the 1960’s, and hasn’t damaged an inch of ri...

shop.brownells.com

 

[po18guy]

I would lean toward plugging the barrel, filling it with acetone and allowing a good soak. Acetone cannot harm the metal and any non-abrasive method of removing fouling will preserve the lands and grooves.

 

[TTSX]

Been a pretty big fan of Barrett heavy bore cleaner. But I'm not looking for factory new levels of clean. They come out black, then blue, then white. Good enough for me

 

[Cavedweller]

If you always clean after every range trip, why is carbon buildup a problem?