Copper Fouling - Fact or Fiction?

[Sir Henry]

……worrying about the spin of the earth for anything under 1000 yds. It's just not a variable I have any concern with.

Hey this is a big problem for those of us shooting Standard Velocity.

[GunnyGene]

……worrying about the spin of the earth for anything under 1000 yds. It's just not a variable I have any concern with.

Hey this is a big problem for those of us shooting Standard Velocity.

You obviously need a longer barrel.

[markiver54]

That is some eye opening information. Thanks Paul.

[The Happy Kaboomer]

I clean my rifle bores at the end of deer season. I foul it with a couple of shots to check zero and never clean the bores till deer season is over.......Unless they get wet.........Read what bench rest rifle shooters do.

[BigAl52]

Leverguns are not benchrest guns. Benchrest shooters are so anal about stuff they make me sick. Just my .02 cents worth

[GFK]

Like a lot of things, the best approach is probably somewhere in the middle.

[Mags]

Read up on galvanic corrosion. Copper in contact with iron.

[Ozarkwoodswalker]

Ha ha ha.... never an end to any debate. Im lucky as life is simple for me now.... im old enogh my guns will outlast me (with or without copper fouling) im shakey enough that with or without fouling, they probably shoot better than me anyway.... bullets are expensive enough that i will never shoot enough rounds through any one gun to wear another barrel out anyway.... so i can travel on out of the shooting world in the enjoyment phase of shooting.... just point, attempt to aim, pull the trigger, and see what happens ..... it is interesting to hear of the technical points of weaponary.....i dont have enoigh actual brain pan to debate stuff, and im too lazy to research a topic really deeply, but i do enjoy this site cause there is lots of interesting useful information discussed.... its sort of like attending a college class on an audit basis... just show up and listen to the presentation... and then no homework or tests... what a great deal!!!

[JEBar]

while I have no doubt that with some barrels it can be an issue, I've never had a problem with copper buildup in any of our rifles or revolvers .... the only one we own that generates really high muzzle velocities is chambered for 300 Weatherby Magnum .... over time its fired untold hundreds of rounds and as of the last time I pulled the trigger, its accuracy is far better than mine .... while for me copper buildup is a nonissue, a lead buildup is a major concern .... so much so that I will not fire them from any rifle or revolver

[clovishound]

I have a Savage that is chambered in .223. I started cleaning it with a bore snake instead of a brush. After a while accuracy started to suffer. I cleaned it with a brush, and started getting strips of copper out of the bore. It took quite a while to completely remove the copper. Afterwards, accuracy was back to snuff.

I have a Weatherby in 30.06 that builds up copper near the muzzle. It completely plates the end of the bore. I've never let it get too bad, so I can't say whether or not it will continue to build up, but the plating covers more and more area the more rounds I put through it before cleaning.

My take is that copper fouling is a problem in some barrels, perhaps not that many, but it does exist. I've experienced it.

I also take exception with his contention that copper pipes don't corrode through. I had to re-plumb the supply in my house because the copper pipes in the slab started corroding through and leaking. And yes, that was in multiple places.