Blue Goop

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his damn gun, he would see that it got published.Then Iwouldn'thave to work,

May. 1983

never again. NowInJanuary 83 P.S. YotJ

More On "Blue Goop"

will note he proved thar his word Is his bond. That sand lapper never gives up.

I guess that's one of the reasons he shoots so well. To: Mr, Harold Shipley Delr Harold; Dave Brennan has passed your letter along to me to compose an answer to your question RE: Blue Goop. Specifically, "What in tarnashun does the copper metal do In the way of removing more of the same from our barrels?" I've been asked this about 76315 times arid I resent the doubting looks I usually get back. Now good old Dave Intimated he might print. my answer. If he does, maybe people willjust use the stuff and be happy they have a copper remover that works as fast as It does. So maybe Its worth the effort to try to explain a little chemistry. If I'm unable to make myself understood my apologies are extended In advance. I willtry to describe the process so that a chemistry degree Is not required of the audience. A small amount of background Is in order. Iguess all of us know that Hoppe's No.9 will remove copper fouling but It -Uh..

takes up to two weeks to complete the

job: -For' purposes of this' discussion,

copper can be considered to exist inthree forms. Metallic copper, monovalent copper and divalent copper. Metallic copper has all the required electrons in their various shells, monovalent copper Is short one electron, and divalent copper is short two electrons. They are represented as Cu. to indicate the electrical neutrality of metallic copper, as Cu+ to indicate the shortage of one electron and as Cu + + to indicate the shortage of two electrons. Now the reason for all this gelelderfrankerl is that it is necessary to understand how copper Is removed and why

The essenceofourgoodfortuneIsthat Cu +. and Cu+ + are soluble, So what? I'lltell you so what.-That's what Hoppe's and Blue Goop do-i.They convert Cu. to Cu+ so It is soluble, When It Isdissolved. it wipes out of the bOrezlpl The Important difference between the two cleaners Is that one Is fast enough to be useful between bench rest matches. Mother nature arranged Itso that when we bring Cu+ + In contact with Cu. we get two Cu+ 's, both. soluble. That's right. The metallic copper Is changed to a soluble form. The dear girl also arranged it so that the particular process proceeds very rapidly. Too bad for us that Hoppe's Is too slow for between match

use.

I hope this sheds more light than confusion on the subject. If anyonedoes find It confusing,th'y canJust hum a little tuneandnot worry abOut undlrltlndlng It. It works. NOargument abbUt that. Use it. And have a clean barrel.

Preparation of Blue Goop 3/4 of . qt of 28% Ammonia 2 to. Tablespoons of ~ Hydrogen Peroxide

'0 IndI8SNo, ,. copper wireor equivalentjackets

, qtbOttle

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So finallyto get to the damn point. The copper wire or jackets are put In the mix to provide Cu++'s. The way it works is this. The hydrogen peroxide Is there to raise the wire, Cu., to Cu++. The only function the ammonia has is to keep the Cu + + In a complex that allows a large amount of it to stay in solution. When the .co1orottha-solution reaches Ii daep blue, that means that a lot of copper is dissolved. It's there as good old Cu+ + which dissolves metallic copper very quickly and will not attack steel or stainless steel. To reemphasize, It Is the Cu+ + that does the work. The ammonia is only a means of holding the Cu+ + in solution. I've been asked, "Why not just use ammonia and hydrogen petoxide~" It does work. My Impresslol) Is that is is slower so I stick 10 Blue Goop. .. Another beneficial thing I found, to my good fort\.l'ne,at the ,BS Nationals, was that B.G..dlssolves. that,tlght .collarIwas getting just in.front of the throat. I was \.IsingN201and it sure works better with that collar removed. I suppose the collar

Blue Goop is satisfactorily fast while Hoppe's Is slow and ammonia by itself takes. damn near forever. .. As the copper lays in the barrel is composed of water soluble material. About four strokes is all It takes. screwing up our groups (excuse no. 317) It exists In the form Cu. and In that form I'm enclosing. copies of the B.G. Init Is, for our purposes, Insoluble. We can structions thft' I've been passing out to knock some of It loose mechanical!Vwith. . people who ask. They're pretty boiled. a bristle brush particularly' from bore down but they will not get anyone Into trouble, surfaces that have just the right texture. However any copper that has adhered You may be Interested to know that I strongly enough to resist the brush must laid that B,G. Information on Fletcher In be removed by dissolving It. Fortunately about 1978 at a Super Shoot. I wrote a for gun nuts, mother nature provided us bunch of Jass out by hand. Alabor Iabhor. 'with the means, That Is why I talked I felt "ke a big ole hero. The agreement aboOt -v~lences and all those Impressive between Fietch and myself was that, if ! + 's and"o's, would do all that wDrk RI'\ hila..,...11'1...1.-.--

.

Phil Sauer

Cap lightly. Gas may need to escape. Agitate moderately with cap loose. Afteran hour or two it will be a deep blue and be ready to use. After one week, remove copper from solution. JlJe solution is poisonous. Don't get it on .

your sandwich. Blue Goop

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Howto Use

(for.copper remOval) 1. Clean gun normally and dry out with

patches,

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2. Soak patch with B.G. Make several passes thru bore. 3. Re-wet patch with B.G. and add a coupleof drops of hydrogenperoxide. 4.rMake 3 or 4 passes thru bore. 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 about 3 times. This will remove jacket fouling very rapidly. I doubt if it effects powder fouling. Note: Some powder fouling is removed. .

6. Dry the barrel and coat the interior with Hoppes NO.9 (light coat).

..Ioad.rs

Discounts!

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Colorado 80301.(3031443-4750.

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