Chemical color change significance reminder ~ !

Bright Blue generally means copper fouling.

Dark Grey or black is generally powder fouling.

There is another color for lead fouling, but since I never shoot anything that involves lead fouling I can't help you there.

This of course assumes you are using a cleaner that doubles as a copper solvent / cleaner (like Sweets 7.62 or shooters choice). If not, then you'll only see the grey/black from podwer fouling.

JeffVN

Thanks Jeff.

Yes I have tons of blue, a little greenish but mostly bright sky looking blue.

I was using Shoote's Choice. 8)

By the way what do you use for lubricating your bore on your Hammonds and your Patriot. I use Militec one for some stuff but Firepower FP-10 for the bore. I've been podering using Militec-1 for my bore.

Suggestions, comments, testimonials. I'm all ears. 8)

If you are getting lots of bright blue, keep at it, it'll eventually come out clean. If you are using shooter's choice regular solvent it gets out the copper too, but you need to be sure you get out all of the powder fouling then start looking for the blue - it'll be there even if only in trace amounts.

The more rounds you get through your 700P, the less copper you'll be finding - until you get to probably 600 or so then mine seemed to level out.

If you are using Shooter's Choice copper solvent make sure you aren't using a bronze brush when you try to get the copper out (the brush reacts with the solvent and gives a false positive for the presense of copper fouling.) Then make sure you run either the regular solvent or a different solvent through the barrel to deactivate teh copper solvent. Leaving that stuff in there too long is BAD for your bore.

JeffVN

OOOPs - I forgot about the bore lubrcant part.

I use FP-10 on the Patriot and the Hammonds, and use Militech-1 on my 45.

I also use Tetra gun grease on the bolts of the rifles (same thing Jered uses).

JeffVN

I'm not familiar with Tetra gun grease.

Is it like the Grease that Militec-1 ships out with their samples? I got a little cup of grease which seems okay, like a thick concentrated version of their more liquid form and some big ol "Dynamite stick" size tube of Multiple purpose Lithium-complex grease.

I haven't really used the Lithium tube just because I don't want to find out too late that its not good. The other grease is okay. Nothing has rusted or even shown signs of it and I don't have any dehumidifying stuff either.

Need to get some of those rust-inhibitor tabs from Brownell's.