using Iosso Bore Cleaner

O

old_dood

Guest
I've noticed that, even on a clean bore, using Iosso bore cleaner will show black patches. It does the same thing on a spoon from my kitchen. The question is, how do you know when you've used it enough?
 
I use a bore scope. There's no other way, that I know of, to see how much carbon is in the bore.
 
not what I was hoping to hear. Would it be a bad idea to make a blanket statement along the lines of "ten strokes on a brush would most likely take care of any carbon". I'm a casual shooter. I won't be buying a bore scope.

thanks,
Al
 
Iosso would be used to get carbon out. Carbon is typically worse in the first 6 to 8 inches. You can learn to "feel" the bore using the rod and patches fairly well. It would be tighter at the breach end of course. I use the return pull to feel for, since you have to kind of push the patch past the neck where it reduces in diameter. But coming back, you're pulling back through nothing but barrel.

Short stroke a patch with Iosso for the first 8 inches, clean it out with a soaked patch or two, then start feeling how the drag on the rod feels.

How it shoots on paper is the final test. Adjust accordingly. We got along well before everyone had bore scopes.
 
For carbon I have been using Kano Products Penephite 3 or 4 patches flipped over with no brushing and the last one comes out clean as an unused patch and it also leaves a light graphite film as a pre-lube. It is the best product that I have found for carbon removal.

J.Louis
 
Out of curiosity, I have cleaned new barrels which had never seen powder or bullet with both J&B and IOSSO. You are correct
patches will come out black. Prove this to yourself, on the outside of a barrel. Some very bad factory barrels in hunting calibers
which I have cleaned come out clean ( using a borescope) with as few as 10 strokes using J&B or iosso on a brass brush. It
works, the question is, Is this excessive for a good match barrel, and does a match barrel need to be taken down to
bare metal with each cleaning, or just held at a light level.
 
The term solvent

I hate to mention this but most of the solvents we clean our barrels with are not solvents for carbon. A solvent puts the solute into solution. Bore solvents (with the exception of something like sweets which will dissovle copper but has no effect on carbon) only break the surface tension adhering the carbon to the steel. Put a little carbon into a glass jar and add some solvent. Shake well and in an hour the carbon will be on the bottom. It never went into solution. I will sometimes wet a patch with carbon tetrachloride which is a solvent for carbon and patch out the barrel. Then it only takes a few strokes with a regular brush to have the barrel really clean. Checked with a borescope because there is no other way you can see inside a barrel.
Andy.
 
Dunno about using IOSSO in factory or non-lapped bores, but it doesn't take much time to get carbon out of lapped throats with it. I used to use IOSSO paste at very short intervals (less than 100rds), but have decided that using it that often can actually polish a lapped custom bbl. to the point where copper fouling becomes more of a problem than before. IOW, polish a bore to too fine a finish, and copper will adhere & built up more rapidly. Use of a Hawkeye borescope over the past seven years supports this theory.
 
I've used J-B and Iosso for years and the black on the patch has nothing to do with carbon. Not thinking your spoon has much carbon on it. Both of those cleaners will produce a black to dark gray patch all day long and all night, too. One application, short stroked through the bore with special attention to the throat area every time you clean, and the barrel is clean. Oily patch followed by couple clean patches and you've cleaned it.
 
Cleaning with Varget

I have a Kreiger SS 6.5 mm barrel w/1:8 twist. I fireform 6.5mm 130 gr. Berger & JLK VLD's with 35.5 grs. of VarGet.

When I clean, I get 3/5 very dirty patches using Butch's. Is this normal with VarGet or will it get lighter with greater amounts of powder, i.e., 36.0, 36.5 grs., etc.?

I know this happens with N133, but not sure with VarGet.

Thanks

Roy
 
wow, a lot more responses to this question than I thought I'd get. thanks all.

Al
 
I've noticed that, even on a clean bore, using Iosso bore cleaner will show black patches. It does the same thing on a spoon from my kitchen. The question is, how do you know when you've used it enough?

You'll see the same thing with JB too. The barrel feels smoother, in the places that feel rough, after I've used 3 to 5 tight fitting patches with either cleaner.
 
But....if that "black" patch bothers you...run a patch through with "Sweets", wait a few seconds and wipe it dry. Voila! No more black.
 
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