But the job is done, well OK more or less done.
The SPS Varmint .22-250 I used last year so heavily had to have had as much copper as I've ever seen in a barrel before.
Man I've never seen patches come out so dark blue for so long when using Barnes CR-10 which I have found to be about the most agressive copper cutter I've tried so far. I lost count of the patches that came out deep dark blue then I decided to try the spray foam gel stuff I had picked up before the shoot last year. I let it sit an hour or so then pushed a brush down it 20-25 or so times as directed then back to patches. I ended up using JB Bore Paste also then back to Barnes CR-10 and very soon the blue was gone and the patches came out clean. That one was a chore.
Next up was the little Model Seven Predator in .17 Fireball I used at least close to as much as the .22-250. Wow was I surprised at how quickly and easily it cleaned up. That is one slick barrel. I began with CR-10 and then moved to JB then back to CR-10 and it was coming out clean very quickly after the JB treatment. For as many times as it had been shot with bulllets moving out at 4000 fps I was utterly shocked at how quickly and easily that barrel cleaned up.
Next up was my new and as best as I can remember unfired by me Model Seven Predator .223 Remington rifle. I'm not sure I've ever seen a barrel that dirty from the factory if as I think it is unfired by me. My best recollection is I adjusted the trigger down to about 2.5 pounds then scoped it with a Bushnell Elite 3200 10X tacticle scope and set it aside and have not yet fired it. Hey that's my story and I'm sticking to it unless someone can offer video evidence to the contrary.
I began using Hoppe's Number Nine and it just kept on keeping on coming out black and dirty like the barrel had layer upon layer of carbon fouling. I switched to a different more clear solvent and it didn't change anything so I moved next to CR-10 to check for copper and it had some oh yeah. I went thru a dozen or so patches with CR-10 then used JB and then back to CR-10 and again very quickly the patches stopped being blue but still had the dark carbon fouling for yet a few more. Finally tho it came clean and was in the middle of the three for level of effort needed.
I then pulled out the SPS Varmint .223 Remington I had at the PD shoot last year but did not fire. I was pleasantly surprised it had zero copper or powder fouling so apparently I had done a good cleaning of it prior to the shoot and since it has not been fired since then it is still spotless.
Lastly I pulled out the Remington R15 which I have scoped with a Mueller APV 4.5-14 for the shoot and realized I honestly had no clue how to go about taking the bolt out to get to the barrel. Yeah I could have gone and hunted down some written guidance and gone back and done it but I did not. I just closed it back up and put the pin back in and put it back in the case. I'll save it for another day when I find the dang instructions. Me and black rifles have never been friends and these three ARs I bought last year are my first experience with them and I'm still not comfortable with the things. I really wish I didn't feel like the day they are gonna be needed to defend my home and family weren't in the future.
So the cleaning job for the PD shoot is almost done but not quite yet.
I still need to take them all up to my range and shoot them again to sight in all but the little Fireball it I only need to verify nothing has changed since last year on. The two SPS Varmint rifles have had the scopes switched on them. I wanted the side focus Elite 4200 on it as I'll use it and the Fireball as my primary rifles this time so the AO Elite 4200 went onto the .223 which again this year likely will not come out of the case.
I expect to use the Fireball for anything inside of 300 yards until the wind really begins to kick up fiercely than I'll switch to the .22-250 as I did last year for the seriously long shots or very windy conditions. I'll give the R15 some bench time no doubt but it will for sure be third place to the others.
