Carbon Ring, causes?

[Modoc]

This came up in another thread and I thought that I would follow @supercorndogs suggestion of breaking it out. I am going to approach this as a novice, even though I have some experience.

Which powders/calibers seem to create a carbon ring? Where does this occour in the barrel? How do we prevent or deal with it? This is something that I have not encountered myself.

Thanks

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

Clean your rifle properly and frequently. Solves the problem before it's a problem.

Ignore the "over cleaning" crowd. As long as you're not doing things like using abrasives or letting a steel rod beat up your barrel.....you'll never harm it cleaning often.

 

[918v]

Carbon ring comes from shooting and not cleaning. What powders cause carbon ring? All of them. Where in the barrel does a carbon ring form? In the freebore. What can we do about it? Clean the barrel using a bronze brush.

 

[LR1845]

"The case to long" is due to the Carbon ring not the case being to long to began with...there are no specific calibers or powders this happens with.
Lotta guys will say varget causes CR's...I can tell you that I have shot a truck load of varget and never had a CR but I have had a couple of them.
Both in 6CM's first one was(IMO)from trimming necks to short and not cleaning, second was from not cleaning, both running H4350....this was a long time ago but I think the first was around 700 rounds second was around 900 rounds.

The second one is what leads me to believe that trimming to short is/was part of the cause. Ruined the first barrel with the drill method of removing it, second barrel at 900ish rounds just got replaced. I've not had an issue sense because i clean every couple hundred rounds now.

 

[Haney]

Trimming brass when not needed is a major cause . Most folks rely on what the book says for trim length , which comes up way to short many times . I don't have a single rifle that works with book specs , I can let my brass grow and never trim some if I desire .

 

[Schütze]

Trimming brass when not needed is a major cause . Most folks rely on what the book says for trim length , which comes up way to short many times . I don't have a single rifle that works with book specs , I can let my brass grow and never trim some if I desire .

What’s the easiest way to measure your chamber for the trim length, or how do you know the case did grow to much? Can’t I wait until the case gets difficult to chamber because of the case mouth hitting the “end” ?

 

[supercorndogs]

If some powders fowl more than others, some powders will carbon ring worse others. Rate of fire can also be a factor, according to what i have read. I got one in a 22-250 shooing 80 a-max with 4000mr cleaning every 200 rounds.

Accurare shooter thread on carbon rings, I don't know why its not showing like the other link.

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@Schütze

Measure Your Chamber Length with Home-Made Modified Case « Daily Bulletin

We are sad to report that long-time Forum member Frank S. (aka fdShuster) passed away last year. Frank was a very knowledgeable shooter who was always willing to help others. Here is one of Frank's smart inventions. He devised a way to measure the length of a rifle's chamber using a fired...

bulletin.accurateshooter.com

 

[Schütze]

Very nice, thank you

 

[Haney]

What’s the easiest way to measure your chamber for the trim length, or how do you know the case did grow to much? Can’t I wait until the case gets difficult to chamber because of the case mouth hitting the “end” ?

I use Sinclair gauges . Simple and repeatable . Letting it grow until it hits is not a good/safe idea . Plugs are cheap , all you have to do is cut your brass back short enough to chamber the plug without bottoming out .

Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge 9.3 mm – Reloading Unlimited

reloadingunlimited.com

 

[FredHammer]

I plan to check my trim length with a bore scope. Put a trimmed case in chamber, angled mirror on broescope. Run it into the case mouth area.

 

[FLIGHT762]

I trimmed my 308 Win. cases for years, not letting them get to the dreaded 2.015". I finally bought the Sinclair chamber length gauge. Checked a Remington Custom Shop 40XBKS and a custom Hart barrel. I got 2.045" out of the Remington and 2.040" out of the Hart barrel. Checked and rechecked, I started laughing.

 

[Baron23]

I use Sinclair gauges .

Good luck finding one...it would appear that Sinclair no longer makes them, perhaps?

By the by, I use a mop soaked in BoreTech C4 carbon remover and let it sit in the throat area and this keeps the ring at the end of the case mouth down. I just got PVA's muzzle jimmy and chamber plug in order to be able to fill the bore with solvent (non-corrosive solvent) and let it sit. Might get to that in the next day or so.

Good luck.

 

[Modoc]

Good luck finding one...it would appear that Sinclair no longer makes them, perhaps?

By the by, I use a mop soaked in BoreTech C4 carbon remover and let it sit in the throat area and this keeps the ring at the end of the case mouth down. I just got PVA's muzzle jimmy and chamber plug in order to be able to fill the bore with solvent (non-corrosive solvent) and let it sit. Might get to that in the next day or so.

Good luck.

I went looking Sinclair Chamber length gauge

 

[Baron23]

I went looking Sinclair Chamber length gauge

Well yes, but they appear to be OOS everywhere...no?

 

[FLIGHT762]

There's a few on e bay. If you need a 6MM only 1 left. The $9.50 postage is a bit stiff.

 

[308pirate]

Which powders/calibers seem to create a carbon ring?

All of them

Where does this occour in the barrel?

The throat area

How do we prevent or deal with it?

You can't prevent it. It's a combustion by-product. You clean it out.

This is something that I have not encountered myself.

You will

Thanks

You're welcome. Now don't overthink it.

 

[DocRDS]

Curious--how long does it take for a Ring to form (roughly)--Going thru a "clean less" phase myself

 

[6.5SH]

Well yes, but they appear to be OOS everywhere...no?

Brownell's owns the Sinclair brand now and does still make these. That's not universally true of all Sinclair products though, some items were remaining stock from the take over.

 

[Baron23]

Brownell's owns the Sinclair brand now and does still make these. That's not universally true of all Sinclair products though, some items were remaining stock from the take over.

Well yes, but they appear to be all out of stock/back orders available and nobody else seems to have them in stock either. Or am I reading this wrong?

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Modoc]

Well yes, but they appear to be OOS everywhere...no?

I was able to find 22, 30, and 7 mm. 6.5 was OOS

 

[6.5SH]

Well yes, but they appear to be all out of stock/back orders available and nobody else seems to have them in stock either. Or am I reading this wrong?

Thanks for the reply.

11 models out of 20 show in stock for me, so guessing bad luck on the one you need.

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

Curious--how long does it take for a Ring to form (roughly)--Going thru a "clean less" phase myself

Rolling dice. Could be 200 rounds, could be 1200, might not happen.

No actual rhyme or reason. Have seen it all.

 

[Baron23]

I was able to find 22, 30, and 7 mm. 6.5 was OOS

11 models out of 20 show in stock for me, so guessing bad luck on the one you need.

Thanks guys. I didn’t look at all 20, but 6.5, 30 cal, 270 all OOS and I gave up. Should have looked closer.

Thanks again.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

Rolling dice. Could be 200 rounds, could be 1200, might not happen.

No actual rhyme or reason. Have seen it all.

I think I went 1200 rounds, without cleaning, of 308Win loaded with RE15 before I saw a carbon ring. I had one in less than 150 rounds of 6GT and H4350.

 

[Baron23]

I just pulled a BA out of a chassis, put on @bohem ’s Muzzle Jimmy (and no leaks), and filled the bore w Bore Tech Eliminator.

Going to let it sit for a day but this may well be my new deep clean regimen. Certainly not every time I clean (150-200 rounds) but certainly for deep cleaning and if I have a stubborn ring.

Was going to fill w their carbon remover but IME the Eliminator works just as well and will get copper out. Solvent was turning blue within a minute of being in there.

I bought his Chamber Plug also and will test it after I drain this solvent. Should eliminate the desire to pull the BA but want to test it first before possibly getting solvent in my trigger and on my JAE.

Cheers

 

[Molon]

What’s the easiest way to measure your chamber for the trim length, or how do you know the case did grow to much?

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Something I have noticed. I shoot h4350 and most of my buddies shoot varget. They all have carbon ring issues. I clean less than they do and have never had one. One of the reasons I stick to cases that run h4350 efficently...it's very clean and stable.

 

[Cr1775]

I use Varget and never had a carbon ring. Something I've noticed is that some people don't know how to clean a barrel properly.

 

[spife7980]

Only ring I’ve gotten was with rl16 loaded hot when I thought once every 1k was sufficient. Now I clean after every firing of the brass (several hundred) and don’t have issues.