Blue Goop, has anyone actually tried it?

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  • Last Post 12 June 2019
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harleyrock posted this 11 June 2019

I did a search of the archives for "Blue Goop" the 'do it yourself' copper remover and several said they were going to try it but nobody ever reported on their results.

Have you used Blue Goop?  What were the results?  Do you recommend its use?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Lifetime NRA since 1956, NRA Benefactor, USN Member, CBA Member

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45 2.1 posted this 12 June 2019

45 2.1:   I just got back from a prairie dog shoot in Gregory, SD and that's why I wanted to know what works.  I have Sweet's 7.62 but it sounds like more trouble to use than Blue Goop.  I am sure I injured my gun because in that blazing hot sun the barrel just would not cool off.

That's one of the reasons we used 5 rifles and often had to case one to let it cool after half a 50 round MTM box not wanting to burn out the rifle's throat prematurely. The Sweet's 7.62 (have it...tried it and no more) isn't the equal of Blue Goop either... harder to use and really smells.

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harleyrock posted this 12 June 2019

45 2.1:   I just got back from a prairie dog shoot in Gregory, SD and that's why I wanted to know what works.  I have Sweet's 7.62 but it sounds like more trouble to use than Blue Goop.  I am sure I injured my gun because in that blazing hot sun the barrel just would not cool off.

Tom Gray:  Thanks for the first hand report.  That is what I needed to know.

 

Tom Stone

Lifetime NRA since 1956, NRA Benefactor, USN Member, CBA Member

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Tom G posted this 12 June 2019

I might add that Blue Goop won't do much as far as cleaning a cast bullet barrel that has lead. BG was a chemical solution that dissolved copper and not lead. If you had some copper deposits from the gas checks it should work to remove that. 

To remove leading, you need a surfactant that gets under the lead deposit and helps release their adherance to the barrel surface. Another way is to abrade the lead out by wearing it's surface down with a brush or bronze wool. I use bronze wool in my pistols if I get lead and it takes it out very fast and efficiently. You can get it from any good hardware store. They may have to order it so if you do, get the fine grade and not a course grade. Wrap it around a cleaning brush so that it is quite tight in the bore and the lead will be removed in just a couple of passes. It doesn't hurt the bore as bronze is softer than the barrel steel but harder than the lead. 

I also have a an Outers Foul Out II that is an electrochemical bore cleaning system. It uses a chemical solution to dissolve the lead or copper and an electrically charged rod in the barrel to attract the lead or copper. It works quite well and I believe the electrical potential is about a quarter of a volt.  

Tom Gray

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Tom G posted this 12 June 2019

Yes,   Blue Goop works.   I used it for a while after a friend gave me a jug of it.  It was a blue colored liquid.  But the name came from the look of the goop that came out of the barrel when removing it after letting it set and work for a while. 

The guy who invented it was Phil Sauer.  We were friends for years as he was an avid benchrest competitor and experimenter. We both belonged to the Washtenaw Sportsman's Club where I ran the cast bullet matches. He was an electrical engineer by trade but also understood chemistry.  He invented blue goop and it became a huge success in the jacketed bullet ( lead bullets wearing copper condoms)  benchrest world. It was cheap to make and worked well.  It did not damage barrels as was evidenced by my observations of the bore condition with my Hawkeye borescope. Many forlks said that it would etch a barrel surface but had no proof other than conjecture.  Old wives tales were what they were. If you use it properly, it won't hurt the barrel just as Shooters Choice does not hurt barrels now.  

I didn't have a borescope early on when shooting cast bullet benchrest and used to take my barrels over to Phil's house and he let me use his borescope to look at the throat erosion and barrel wear. He was amazed when he looked in my barrel that had 3500 rounds of cast through it and showed very little throat erosion. A jacketed bullet barrel would have been a lot more eroded than a cast bullet barrel with the same number of rounds through it.  

Phil won the national two gun NBRSA or IBS championship one year.  He was a great source of information and I used to ask him lots of questions which he was always willing to answer. Sadly, we lost him a about 10 years ago and he is missed by everyone who knew and respected him.  

Tom Gray

 

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max503 posted this 12 June 2019

It would be expensive to try various products on the market.  We can always go on others experience and recommendations.  If blue goop works and does no harm I say why not use it?  

I plan to use the batch I've made up.  

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45 2.1 posted this 11 June 2019

 

Have you used Blue Goop?  Yes  What were the results? I used it in the late 80's while prairie dog hunting in South Dakota. It worked as advertised in all the rifles we shot. Typically, we shot about 5 rifles each changing off at about 50 rounds per rifle, then cleaned when we went thru them (usually twice or three times a day).  Do you recommend its use? At the time, we didn't have the wonder cleaners for jacketed bullets we do now. It worked well and was cheap to use. One of the new cleaners might be better, but you'll have to try them to find out.

 

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