Rifle fouling and removal thereof

August 11, 2022

We are all aware of the impact a dirty rifle can have on the accuracy, the most common forms of rifling fouling and
remedies are listed below:
1.) Brass- or copper fouling from bullets – requires special cleaning formulas usually with ammonia as the active ingredient. Ammonia is a harsh chemical and removing it from a barrel after cleaning is difficult. Schütze does not use any ammonia in its Firearm Cleaning Care range of products. Schütze is of the opinion that brass or copper fouling is best addressed by manual abrasive cleaning with a good quality bore paste.
2.) Lead and plastic fouling – requires special cleaning formulas for best results. Schütze does not currently have a specialised cleaning product for this type of fouling but Schütze CLP is effective in removing plastic fouling with regular use.
3.) Carbon fouling – Carbon fouling in firearms is common and a result of burning nitro-cellulose-based powder as a propellant. Schütze PCS and CLP are formulated to specifically address this type of fouling.

Background on carbon fouling.

What cleans carbon fouling? Carbon can only be dissolved by certain acids, molten metal or oxidation at very high temperatures.
Do not believe any marketing material/hype that states that a certain firearm cleaner will dissolve carbon and soot build-up in a firearm.
How do firearm cleaners get rid of carbon build-up? The short answer is: with difficulty!
Luckily for us shooters the carbon that builds up in our firearms are not very pure due to powder composition, oily barrel surfaces and other contaminants. The carbon in our firearms are full of gums and resinous materials. This is good news for us.
A well formulated and developed cleaning oil will attack the gums and resins in the carbon in our firearms. By attacking, weakening and dissolving this impurities in the carbon, it is possible to clean carbon from a firearm.
However, due to the fact that the carbon is such a difficult to remove item from a firearm, good cleaning agents and solvents is not enough. Abrasive scrubbing and lots of it is required. The best results is obtained by rigorous scrubbing with a bronze barrel brush and/or bore scrubbing compound. Bore scrubbing compound should not be
overused, the safest way is by scrubbing with a good quality bronze. Also know that because carbon is tough, a lot of scrubbing will be required. Therefore, use a premium product like Schütze CLP or PCS and continue scrubbing with a bronze brush. Remember, bronze brushes cannot harm barrel steel.

The 4 Schütze products currently on the market is:

  • Schütze CLP (Cleans, Lubricates & Protects).
  • Schütze PCS (Pre Clean & Soften)
  • Schütze CDB (Cleaning & Degreasing Blaster)
  • Schütze LPO (Lubrication & Protection Oil)

Aanpaksels in geweerlope en die verwydering daarvan.

Ons weet almal watter nadelige impak ‘n vuil geweer kan hê op akkuraatheid. Die algemeenste vuilheid en aanpaksels in geweerlope, asook die oplossings daarvoor word hieronder gelys.
1.) Koper- en geelkoper aanpaksels in groewe veroorsaak deur koeëls – benodig spesialis skoonmaak middels wat normaalweg ammoniak bevat. Ammoniak is ‘n baie “harde” chemiese middel wat geweerlope kan beskadig as dit nie reg gebruik word nie, en is moeilik om te verwyder uit die loop na skoonmaak. Schütze Geweer Skoonmaak Produkte bevat geen ammoniak nie. Schütze is van die opinie dat koper aanpaksels die beste verwyder kan word deur skuurmiddels soos ‘n goeie kwaliteit “bore paste”.
2.) Lood en plastiek aanpaksels – benodig spesialis formules vir die beste resultate. Schütze het nie tans ‘n spesialis produk hiervoor nie, maar Schütze CLP is met gereelde gebruik effektief in die verwydering hiervan.
3.) Koolstof “carbon” aanpaksel – Koolstof aanpaksels in ‘n geweerloop is baie algemeen aangesien die hitte met die verbranding van kruit, koolstof vorm en aan die metaal laat vasbrand. Schütze PCS en Schütze CLP is spesiaal geformuleer om hierdie spesifieke aanpaksels skoon te maak.

Agtergrond oor koolstof aanpaksels.

Wat maak koolstof aanpaksels skoon? Koolstof kan slegs opgelos word deur sekere sure, gesmelte metaal en oksidasie teen baie hoë temperature. Moet dus nie enige bemarkings foefie glo wat daarop aanspraak maak dat ‘n sekere produk koolstof kan oplos nie.
Hoe raak skoonmaamiddels dan ontslae van koolstof aanpaksels? Die kort antwoord is, met moeite!
Gelukkig vir ons wat skiet, is die koolstof wat in ons wapens aanpak nie baie suiwer nie a.g.v. kruit samestelling, olie neerslae op groewe en ander onsuiwerhede. Die koolstof in geweerlope is gom-agtig en bevat hars-verbindings. Dit is goeie nuus vir skuts.
‘n Goeie en wetenskaplik ontwikkelde skoonmaak olie hoef nie die koolstof op te los nie. Al wat nodig is, is dat die skoonmaak produk die gom-agtigheid en hars-verbindings in die koolstof aanval en sag maak, en die verbinding tussen die koolstof en staal afbreek. Dan kan die koolstof verwyder word. Die feit dat koolstof so moeilik is om uit ‘n vuurwapen te verwyder, veroorsaak dat selfs die beste skoonmaak middels alleen nie voldoende is nie. Die koolstof moet verwyder word totdat die geweerloop se naakte metaal sigbaar is. Die koolstof moet afgeskuur word deur ‘n middel wat sagter as geweer staal is sodat die loop nie beskadig word nie. ‘n Goeie kwaliteit “bore scrubbing paste” werk goed, maar kan ook nie te gereeld gebruik word nie. Die beste metode is om van koper geweer-borsels gebruik te maak. Weet ook dat omrede koolstof so hard is, dit heelwat werk met ‘n koper borsel gaan verg om tot op die
staal skoon te maak. Koper geweer-borsels kan die die geweerloop se staal beskadig nie. Gebruik dus ‘n premie produk soos Schütze CLP en PCS en hou aan werk met die koper borsel.

The 4 Schütze produkte tans in die mark is:

  • Schütze CLP (Cleans, Lubricates & Protects).
  • Schütze PCS (Pre Clean & Soften)
  • Schütze CDB (Cleaning & Degreasing Blaster)
  • Schütze LPO (Lubrication & Protection Oil)
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