Copper fouling in .17HMR?

[lord-humungous]

Hi all, first post.  I'm waiting on a gently used NEF 17HMR (and can't wait to get it).  Now reading around the board, and I did search this, I can't figure out if copper fouling is going to be an issue shooting these jacketed rounds?  Reason I am asking is that I have a relative idea of how often and the process that I would use to clean this rifle if it were a .22LR, but the .17HMR may be different.  I don't know whether to use the regular Hoppe's #9 solvent or the Benchrest Copper Solvent or both.  Any advice greatly appreciated as I want to keep this rifle tip top.

Thanks in advance!

[jls]

I normally run #9 through to get any powder fouling out/ there won't be much. Then any good copper solvent on a patch, let it soak for a while and brush or patch it out. The important thing to remember is use a quality brush and rod. I found out cheap don't cut it when it comes to a .17 bore let alone the others.

[Guy Pike]

I decided to clean my custom stubbed 17hmr with 1.06" Lilja barrel after 1500 rounds. I was waiting for the accuracy to fall off. It sure did after cleaning! Took 100 plus rounds to get it back. There was just the faintest hint of copper blue on a patch after soaking with Butch's Bore Shine for an hour. My Marlin 917V on the other hand has never been accurate enough to warrant any thing but trading in! You'll have to judge for yourself about barrel cleaning but chamber cleaning is very important for good functioning. A lot of 17 caliber wisdom comes from 17 Remington experience where a lot more powder and speed are involved. The Sportster that I had stubbed was a sub MOA gun to start with if I let it cool long enough between shots. Good shooting, Guy

[Keith L]

I have never had a trace of copper fowling in my HMRs (one Savage and two TC Contender barrels).  I agree with the previous post that the speeds etc. are not likely to put that much copper on the bore.

[Hopalong7]

     IF...the problem ever arises, I'll deal with it then.  After over four years with a Sportster and two TC's....NO problem.  I occsionally run a patch with a little Butch's Bore Shine with a plastic "pull thru" device and then pull thru a couple of dry patches and either go back to shootin' or pull thru a patch with a small amount of Ballistol on it.  No brush or bore rod has ever been in my .17 rimfire bores.
GOOD SHOOTIN', Walt   

[Sourdough]

I run an oily patch through the bore when I'm done shooting and ready to store the .17HMR.  When ready to take it out if I remember I run a dry patch through it to take out the oil.  If I don't remember I never notice it after I've shot.  So far cleaning has not been an issue, and it still hits out to 300 yards just fine.  I've shot 500 to 600 rounds through it now.

One more thing:  Our little red squirrels heads are about the size of your thumb.  I love hitting them at 80 to 100 yards, they never know where it came from.