Sweet's cleaning solovent
Has anyone ever used this cleaning solovent. It is the first thing that i have ever used other that hoppes #9. i decided that i needed to get a good copper remover. this stuff will make you pass out and light headed it your head is over the bottel when it is open. i was wondering if any knows of a good copper cleaner that won't make me see double when i am done cleaning a rifle.
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Sweets is GOOD stuff. It will remove the copper fouling from the barrel and some of your nose hairs if you are not careful. Do not leave it in your barrel for more than 5 to 10 minutes, I am told it will pitt your barrel.
Also if you do not clean off your brushes you can kiss them good bye. Harsh stuff but it will take care of the job.0 -
Best stuff there is! Been using it for years. As mentioned before, don't leave in bore more than 15 minutes, and don't sniff it!!
SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI0 -
The "heady" stuff is ammonia. I use Sweet's for the hard to clean bores, and like ContacFront, I don't leave it in for more than 15 min. maximum. You're right about Hoppe's #9--what a great old product. But, it doesn't do that well on copper. On the other hand, I've soaked bores in Hoppe's for several days without ill results, and it will eventually attack the copper. The formula for Hoppe's is sort of secret, but I believe that the basic component is kerosene, and that it also has just a touch of ammonia. I also believe that, were you to phone or write Sweet's maker they would say that their formula is harmless to your bore under any circumstances. But--I like to err on the side of caution with my rifles. 0 -
I have used it for years, I clean good with hoppes, dry the barrel and run a patch of Sweet's let stand 5 Min then another wet patch and let stant 5 min then one more and then reclean with hoppes, DO NOT LET IT STAY IN BARREL OVER 15min. 0 -
Sweets is not as dangerous as the label states,..but use at your own risk. It is the fastest copper solvent on the planet. I have gone to "wipe out" bore foam which is left for 24hrs,..and I have to say this stuff is awesome. You get 1 patch with blue and the bore is clean and safer than sweets. I do however use sweets when I don't want to wait. I have used it for 30min at a time in my match barrels with no pitting or etching,..so take that for what it's worth.
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
I have been using sweet's for about 10 years or more and I can recommend it highly. I have also used Shooters Choice Copper remover, and Butch's Bore Shine. All do a good job but when I'm in a hurry I reach for the Sweet's. I usually run a heavy saturated patch of a good powder remover(shooters Choice or Hoppe's usually) until the powder residue is gone --dry the bore with patches and then run a heavily saturated patch of Sweet's thru and work it back and forth 3 or 4 times and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Run a couple of clean patches down the bore to remove the copper mixed Sweet's. Then start running patches with Sweet's on them down the bore and letting stand for 15 to 20 minutes followed by a clean patch or two and repeated until I see no evidence at all of anything. Then 2 or 3 dry patches followed by heavily saturated Hoppe's to rinse the Sweet's out of the pores of the metal in the barrel--dry again with clean patches and then follow with Break Free oil to coat the bore. If the bore shows signs of coppering up more than normal--AFTER I get it clean I will put some JB's on a patch and work it back and forth 10 to 15 times and then clean with Hoppe's to get the JB out followed by Break Free oil. I might even use some of the JB Bore Polish(the new fine grit) if a patch going down the bore does not feel real smooth and slick. I know some people think I overdo the cleaning but these are my pets and I think they deserve the best treatment I can give them. Most of the time I will run a wet patch of Hoppe's down the bore before I leave the range or field and let it remain wet until I get home--which is when I begin the cleaning--immediately. Hope this helps, Jim 0 -
I bought a Remington 788 that was about 20-25 years old and had never been cleaned.The bore looked rough and I thought it would have to be re-barreled.I cleaned on it an hour every evening after work and a couple of times left Sweets in it for 24 hours.I finished cleaning it with JB paste.It was clean,but the bore still looked rough so just for the heck of it took it to the range.I got the old 4xWeaver sighted in,and it shot half inch groups.I dont know if the cleaning helped or 788s just have ugly bores. 0 -
Just my $0.02, but my personal experience / opinion is that Blue Wonder and Butch's outperform Sweet's. I know that once the bore has been cleaned with the BW, you don't want to wait too long before putting in some Mil-Tec or other thinfilm metal protection . . . the BW will take the bore down to bare metal, including whatever might be in the pores of the metal. I "stole" a couple of milsurp long arms a few years back because the bores looked like *old* sewer pipes and after a few hours' work with BW, they gleamed like mirrors.
All of these solutions contain strong solvent compounds. They *have* to have this, else they wouldn't do the job they do. Be sure you have good ventilation - maybe even clean the firearms outside - but if the situation continues, it is entirely possible your chemistry is more susceptible to the solvents. Tolerance to many chemical compounds can vary enormously by individual - you may need to stay with Hoppe's and elbow grease.
And, quite seriously, I would check with your MD. If you are sensitive to the chemicals in these solutions, you could well encounter them elsewhere, in situations where you might not be expecting it. Some testing might avoid serious health problems at a later date.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain)0 -
I didn;t mean that i accutally pass out fom the fumes, i was just having fun describing how nasty the smell of this stuff is. [:p]
I am going to have to check out this blue wonder. thanks for all the input guys.0 -
Like Iconclast, I use Butch's and Blue Wonder. Never have used Sweets, and can't stand the smell of Hoppe's #9. I know, I am the only shooter on the planet that hates it, must be a liberal thing. 0 -
As I try not to let copper build up in the bores of my rifles I use the sweets and such more as an indicator then as a copper remover. To get the copper and fouling out I swear by JB cleaner from Brownells. 25 or 30 passes re-applying ever 7 or 8 passes gets it all gone. I push a wad thru on a stainless brush with the sweets and get no blue green tinge and I'm just about done. For bores that have a long time build up, then I go for the sweets and soak method. Still for normal cleaning JB cleaner all the way........ 0
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