Prolix is safe on nickel and removes lead quickly. When jacketed bullets are used, JB Bore Paste—also safe for nickel—used on a patch wet with Prolix quickly gets copper fouling out.
December 04, 2023
By Jeff John
Nickel-plated guns need more thoughtful care than blued ones. Gun steel must be electro-plated with a copper base coat for the nickel plate to adhere. Solvents that remove copper fouling from jacketed bullets can also remove the copper base the nickel is adhering to if this chemical is not removed.
It won’t happen while you’re cleaning, but if the gun is left soaking or put away wet, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise as the plating begins to lift off the gun where the solvent was left to work. That’s why I like Prolix , which is safe for plated guns.
It also works great on lead deposits. Lead from cast bullets is difficult to get out of gun barrels. Prolix gets right under lead fouling and helps lift it off. I first dry-brush the bore with a bronze brush then follow up with Prolix-soaked patches.
Prolix leaves behind an inert dry lubricant once the carrier evaporates. I use it on my house gun because there’s no ammunition contamination and no odor after the carrier evaporates.
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There’s another approach that works well on nickel guns. I met a SWAT sniper once who had an interesting protocol for his Remington 700 rifle. He fired one shot at least once a month to check that then shot was centered in the 10-ring. He then ran a patch with JB Bore Cleaner lubed with Prolix 10 times through the bore, then ran one patch lubed with Prolix through. That kept the bore clean and protected and gave him confidence his first shot would go where aimed.
If I shoot jacketed bullets through a nickel-plated gun, that is the method I use to remove the copper fouling, since JB won’t affect the nickel either.
