Crown cleaning

[Racalman]

I'm normally very particular about cleaning my guns but I have slipped up with one and it's built up a deposit on the crown.

It's extremely hard and won't come off with a plastic scraper.

Suggestions for removing safely please!

Mike

[Ovenpaa]

Mechanically plus a good carbon solvent or re-crown (lathe) it and stop leaving a sound moderator on when not in use.

[Racalman]

... stop leaving a sound moderator on when not in use.

I have never done that!

Mike

[Ovenpaa]

Well that level of carbon without a muzzle device is bloody impressive then

[Racalman]

I shoot with a moderator then remove it afterwards. Just forgot to inspect the crown when cleaning.

What's the best chemical to attack this with? Bore cleaner? Ballistol?

Caustic soda worked well on my 2-stroke motorbike silencers years ago ...

Mike

[Alpha1]

Don't let Caustic soda come in contact with anything made from Aluminium. Try Carb cleaner. It looks to me like it needs mounting on a lathe and re crowning.
I don't understand how you could miss that amount of carbon build up.

[Airbrush]

That’s what AR barrels tend to look like when they’ve had a muzzle brake fitted & never removed. Doesn’t affect accuracy.

[Racalman]

Don't let Caustic soda come in contact with anything made from Aluminium. Try Carb cleaner. It looks to me like it needs mounting on a lathe and re crowning.
I don't understand how you could miss that amount of carbon build up.

I was joking about the caustic soda but I do hope my barrel isn't made of aluminium (c:

Sheer negligence on my part. I clean the barrel after every shoot but somehow didn't think to inspect the crown. None of my other rifles have this problem but this is the only one I use with a moderator.

I was shooting V bulls at 600 yards all morning on Saturday so it can't be having much effect.

Anyway, lesson learned ...

Mike

[Ovenpaa]

A good soaking in paraffin for a few days and gentle scraping should get most of it off, finish with 600 grit emery cloth cut into squares and polish in a circular motion using your thumb as a pad.

[Racalman]

A good soaking in paraffin for a few days and gentle scraping should get most of it off, finish with 600 grit emery cloth cut into squares and polish in a circular motion using your thumb as a pad.

Thanks for your advice, which I followed (sort of).

I don't have any paraffin so I soaked the crown in some warm Ballistol moderator cleaner for a day which softened the crud so I could remove it all with a pointed wooden stick.

Rather than using emery cloth (because there is a ridge around the end of the barrel) I put a wad of wire wool on the floor and rotated the barrel on that.

Shiny it is. I promise to look after it better now.

Mike