A prototype of chemical substances to clean gunpowder and copper fouling in gun barrels

Abstract

In this study, we aim to find a gun barrel cleaner prototype that removes copper fouling from barrel threads. Copper fouling will degrade the barrel's ability to rotate bullets, resulting in reduced accuracy. Additionally, too much copper fouling may cause the shot to jam until it explodes because it clogs the barrel under increasing pressure. In addition to the copper fouling from the bullet, there are also gunpowder fouling caused by the combustion of the propellants that affect the firearm's operating system. Consequently, this study aims to find chemical solutions for cleaning gunpowder fouling using organic solvents such as benzene, hexane, and methanol. The copper fouling from the bullet head was leached using acids, bases, and oxidizing agents: acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, ammonia, potassium dichromate, and potassium permanganate were used to dissolve the copper fouling. The experimental results revealed that benzene was most effective for cleaning gunpowder fouling, while ammonia solution at a concentration of 2.5% by volume was most effective for cleaning copper fouling inside the gun barrel.