gun cleaning question

[schoolcraft]

Just got a LH Rem. 700 XCR. These have what Remington calls a "trinite" finish on the barrel and receiver.
I talked to a local gunsmith and he was expressing some ideas of what the finish actually is. He used a term that was WAY too long for me to remember, but it had "nickle plating" or "ionized nickle"...(something with the word NICKLE) in it.

I was just about to clean the barrel for the first time with Hoppes No. 9 and happened to look on the bottle. It says it's not for nickle finishes. I've always thought of a nickle finish as something used on handguns to give them a high polish.

So, my question is...is Hoppes No. 9 safe to clean my gun with or should I be using something else?

Thanks in advance

[Wingbone]

I doubt the bore has a nickle finish. Clean the bore with Hoppe's anduse a little oil on the surface. By the way, the #9 is a powder solvent. It won't remove the copper fouling from shooting. You'll need something different, like Butch's, to do that.

[Rifle Loony]

Found this......

As is the case with practically all current weather-resistant rifles, the 700 XCR boasts a stainless steel barreled action. The chromium in stainless steel puts the brakes on corrosion but can"™t stop it altogether, so manufacturers typically coat the metal for a further level of protection. Nickel plating is a preferred coating, and that"™s how Remington top-dresses the XCR"™s stainless exterior.

The difference"”what ultimately gives this rifle its superior durability"”is yet another protective barrier, one Remington calls its "œTriNyte Corrosion Control system."� As a finishing step the company applies zirconium nitrate, a compound traditionally used to coat cutting tools like drill bits. It is hard enough yet ductile enough to withstand serious shock, abrasion and heat, yet possesses a natural lubricity that facilitates the work of moving parts. Remington uses a vacuum process called physical vapor deposition to ensure that a thin, perfectly uniform layer is bonded over the barreled action"™s surface. Though I can"™t explain how zirconium nitrate manages to be so impervious to the forces that effect other metallic compounds, nothing I"™ve done so far has dinged, scratched or corroded the rifle even slightly.

John Zent---American Hunter

Yes it's a nickel based coating but it's top coated with zirconium nitrate, pretty tough stuff. If you can't get Remington or Hoppe's to answer your question, (I'd call 'em on the phone),then I would take the rifle apart and test the Hoppe's on a smallhidden area under the reciever or barrel to see if it will affect the finish...

Probably the only way to really find out the answer....

I'd find hard to believe though, thatan all weather corrosion resistant finish would be applied to a popular rifle if one of the most common gun cleaners on the market would hurt it in any way........

[Rifle Loony]

ORIGINAL: Wingbone

I doubt the bore has a nickle finish. Clean the bore with Hoppe's anduse a little oil on the surface. By the way, the #9 is a powder solvent. It won't remove the copper fouling from shooting. You'll need something different, like Butch's, to do that.

I'd like to meet the man who at some point, somewhere, somehow,didn't accidentally get any bore cleaner on the exterior finish ofhis firearm. We've all done it, be it a small drop or a big sloppy mess.Schoolcraft is probably thinking along those lines......