Also, after using CR-10, you gotta put some Hoppe's No. 9 down the bore, or the ammonia in the CR-10 will rust the bore very quickly.

Just to add to the good information already posted here . . . once a barrel is pitted, the copper tends to fill in the pits and the gun will shoot better fouled than clean. When those electronic cleaners first came out, the gunsmith re-barreling business really started booming. Lots of guns out there, that had never beenthoroughly cleaned down to bare metal, suddenly started shooting very poorly. With all the copper removed, all those pits made for a very rough barrel. Some folks shot them enough to get the pits filled with copper again, in which case the barrel started shooting better - but never great. The pits are created, over time,by a chemical reaction that takes place between the copper fouling and the steel of the barrel.

Best advise I can give is to first break the barrel in properly when it is new. Then get it completely clean every 50 or so shots - and store the gun with a light film of some sort of corrosion resistant oil, like Sheath or even Break Free, in the bore. When I do that, I hang a tag on the rifle that says "Oiled Bore" in big letters. Store the rifle muzzle down so oil doesn't creep back into the chamber. You must get that oil out before you shoot it again - usually by running several patches soaked in Shooter's Choice and following it up with several dry patches. Shooting a rifle with an oiled bore will literally change the way it air gauges - and not for the better.

Every two or three hundred rounds, I like to give the barrel a little JB paste (or USP Bore Paste) treatment. After giving it a thorough cleaning with solvents and brushes, I wrap a patch around a slightly undersized bore brush and evenly smear the paste on the patch. Use a bore guide. And put a block of wood in front of the muzzle so the brush can't come all the way out.You want to work back and forth, in six inch or so strokes, giving the area just ahead of the throat the most attention; and the area just back from the muzzle the least. Working a barrel for 20 minutes or so is about right. Then thoroughly clean the paste out with Gun Scrubber; follow with Shooter's Choice and then a dry patch.

For general cleaning, I use Shooters Choice at the beginning and again at the end of the cleaning session - and Sweet's 7.62 for applying to the brass brush. Don't leave the Sweet's in the barrel for more than about 20 minutes without a couple of patches of Shooter's Choice in between. You can leave Shooter's Choice in a barrel for an extended period. It's real good for an overnight de-coppering treatment.

I know there are lots of other solvents on the market that are designed for these purposes. But these have worked for me for the past 20 years and I see no reason to "experiment" with anything else.

Most shooters only do a halfast job of cleaning the copper out of the barrel. It can sometimes take days - particularly if the barrel is a little rough to start with and also if youshoot the original Barnes X bullets.

Never use Moly bullets - not even one - unless you are only going to use moly for the rest of the barrel's life. And even then, be prepared for big cleaning job every three or four hundred rounds.

Roskoe, have you had any experience with the bore foam? If not, what is your opinion of it?

Sounds as thoughthis was the first time you used a dedicated copper remover, so you have exposed the imperfections in the the bore by striping it down, therefor the need for some fouling shots to get things smooth again. Bare in mind hoppes, Shooter choice, etc slovents maysay they remove copper but not fully rather traces. You need a dedicated CR solvent which should be used after the powder/lead solvent. How those imperfections got there could be during manufacturering or even leaving the copper in the barrel to react and form pits. I don't agree with Brutal Attacks information and have always felt more harm comes from leaving copper unattended then by cleaning it. With proper tools and technique I see no problem with clean routinely (Ie proper tools:a bore guide, coated 1 piece rod, for caliber jags/brush and patches). Choice is yours.

My regiment is as follows andI haven't noticed any degrade in barrel life or accuracy b/c of it.

I clean after every range session which is usually a min of 20 shots. I start with Shooters Choice MC#7 saturated patches to remove lead and powder fouling. Follow with dry patches to remove the excess solvent. I then run saturated patches of Sweets 7.62 or Barnes CR 10 until the blue is no more, copper residue.(Follow the directions of your copper remover to the process suggested.) Once I have finishedI run a saturated patch of gun oil down the bore and store. Prior to firing I run 2 dry patches to remove any excess oil. For hunting season I don't touch the bore unless it will be sitting unused for extended periods,subjected to heavy moisture or seen a number of shots. Some of my rifles shoot great out of the hop and others like a little fouling so I let them dictate how they are come opening morning.

As mentioned JB bore paste via hand lapping may help, 50 strokes may work though you may require more so if you deceide to go this route take it slow and use caution as it removes metal being an abrasive! May be worth stripping it down and taking it to a gunsmith to have it bore scoped. They should be able to tell you if it shows reamer marks, pitting, etc and suggest a possible course of action.

Skeeter, you have the same cleaning regiment, as me.

Do you ever use any brass brushes?

Chantecler - I have not, so far, tried the foam. It sounds pretty good from the advertisements, though. Sweet's 7.62 has worked for me so well over so many years that it would be tough (although not impossible) to switch at this point. Does the foam have the very strong ammonia smell?

I would suggest that you completely clean your rifle with an abrasive cleaner then go through the break in procedure again.

Here is a quote from Krieger:
There are two basic types of bore cleaners -- chemical and abrasive. The chemical cleaners are usually a blend of various ingredients including oils and ammonia that attack the copper. The abrasive cleaners generally contain no chemicals and are an oil, wax, or grease base with an extremely fine abrasive such as chalk, clay, or gypsum. They clean by mechanically removing the fouling. Both are good, and we feel that neither will damage the bore when used properly.
So what is the proper way to use them? First, not all chemical cleaners are compatible with each other. Some, when used together at a certain temperature, can cause severe pitting of the barrel -- even stainless steel barrels. It is fine to use two different cleaners as long as you completely remove the first cleaner from the barrel before cleaning with the second. And, of course, never mix them in the same bottle.

Dan Lilja as a borescope video of a factory Remington 700 barrel 7mm Mag i think. Just for FYI
http://riflebarrels.com/

I clean my bores and use Birchwood-Casey SHEATH in the bores and on all metal surfaces every time I shoot them. But I don't take them apart and clean everything unless I've had them out in the rain or something.

I personally, quite using the foam, in favor, of more conventional cleaning methods, like Hoppe's No. 9, and Barnes CR-10, the foam, did lack the smell of ammonia, but, it did seem to dissolve copper very good, when left in the bore for an hour or more.