Suppressor cleaning, what’s your secret?

[BlackdogGS]

Cleaning my suppressor is a major pain. I put my steel baffles in my wet tumbler with steel pins for 3 hours and they still have carbon on them. I'll try another 3 hours. How do you clean yours?

Mine are probably clean enough but I get kinda anal about these things. If it matters, mine is an AAC Element 2.

Read More

 

[Helocat]

For my .22 Supressors I go Hoppes #9 in a heated ultrasonic bath. However I do hand "chip" with a metal pick tool first chipping away large lead and carbon deposits. Still PITA. But worth the silent bliss they provide.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

AAC recommends soaking in mineral spirits if you MUST clean your can...at least thats what I was told to do for my 762SDN6 and M4-2000

 

[Trunkmonkey]

I never clean mine to that new shine again. I use a Sonic cleaner and the Hornady solution. 30 min cycles, and then I chip off the big chunks and put them back in. Total of 1-2 hours depending. I'm literally only cleaning mine just to make it safe to shoot. My centerfire cans almost don't get cleaned at all lol

 

[ACO]

Any recommendations on a good cost to value ultrasonic cleaners?

 

[Greenbug]

Soak your STAINLESS baffles for a day in CLR, then use your rotary tumbler and pins method. Big improvement!

 

[greydog111]

Cleaning my suppressor is a major pain. I put my steel baffles in my wet tumbler with steel pins for 3 hours and they still have carbon on them. I'll try another 3 hours. How do you clean yours?

Mine are probably clean enough but I get kinda anal about these things. If it matters, mine is an AAC Element 2.

View attachment 738041

Get a small bucket of carburetor cleaner from Baxter's Autoparts. Hour long soak will dissolve the carbon!

 

[Starbucket]

Put it in a sauce pan filled with white vinegar to cover the can and heat on the bar-b-que to a simmer for 1/2 hour then let cool (if you heat it in the house the wife will leave you).

 

[Ura-Ki]

I only clean mine when they ether become too heavy or they no longer quiet things down! I media blast my baffles in the blast cabinet, then soak in carb and choke cleaner! Most suppressors actually work better when dirty, but the .22's tend to get real dirty real quick!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Is it lead fouled? I heard most everyone mixes two common household ingredients and then soaking the part in the solution.

 

[jbett98]

For my .22 Sparrow can, I goop some high temp stainless steel neever-seez on the interior of the baffle and clam shells.

It really helps with keeping the lead splatter from building up. You could apply a light coating to the baffles.

 

[Enginerd]

Is it lead fouled? I heard most everyone mixes two common household ingredients and then soaking the part in the solution.

"The Dip" as it is called is equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I have never used it, because from my research it is just super toxic and the resulting solution is lead acetate which is a hazardous material that needs to be property disposed of. DO NOT pour this down the sink. I know you said you had SS baffles, but for anyone else reading this, if you have aluminum baffles, this will eat up the aluminum.

@BlackdogGS I recently went through the exact same process. I just got my .22 suppressor 3 months ago and shot a thousand rounds or and went to clean it and struggled. I dont know your suppressor's geometry but mine's pretty tough to get a brush on the inside surfaces. So for me, any solution that requires a brush has to do such a good job that the lead/carbon just wipes right off. I tried gun scrubber, hot wash (simple green followed by hot water), and CLP (I didn't try soaking it like mentioned above so that might be worth trying), and using the ultrasonic cleaner. Ultrasonic was the only thing that seemed to have an effect. But even then it spent many hours to get results. I found half way through that soaking in simple green overnight helped loosen things up for the ultrasonic cleaner.

Sorry that I don't have a good answer, but maybe this will help you avoid wasting your time with techniques that don't work. I haven't tried it yet, but I think the best remedy is prevention a la grease on your baffles before taking it shooting.

I am going to the range this weekend, if I remember I will report back.

Cheers

 

[Certaindeaf]

"The Dip" as it is called is equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I have never used it, because from my research it is just super toxic and the resulting solution is lead acetate which is a hazardous material that needs to be property disposed of. DO NOT pour this down the sink. I know you said you had SS baffles, but for anyone else reading this, if you have aluminum baffles, this will eat up the aluminum..

Yea, that's what it's called.. and remember, changing a freaking tire is also is hazardous and cautions must be taken.

 

[nforest]

Equal parts Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide on Stainless only. Let it soak for several days, scrub with gloves on, let is soak. The sludge is leaded and toxic, save it and wait for the county to have a free chemical turn in day at the dump. Tell them its "leaded freedom seed juice" On a rimfire can, its lead that is the issue, not powder fouling.

 

[Chaffee]

Break free powder blast, then to the ultrasonic tank

 

[Greenbug]

I tried gun scrubber, hot wash (simple green followed by hot water), and CLP (I didn't try soaking it like mentioned above so that might be worth trying), and using the ultrasonic cleaner.

If you were referring to what I said, I didn't mention CLP.

I said soak your STAINLESS baffles in CLR (Calcium Lime Rust) remover. I don't imagine CLP would do much at all....

 

[BillM]

I knock the big chunks off then it's off to the glass bead blast cabinet.

 

[Juniper9mm]

Get a small bucket of carburetor cleaner from Baxter's Autoparts. Hour long soak will dissolve the carbon!

I like this one and will try. I haven't boiled a carburetor in years, but everyone I did do came out looking new, free of hard carbon deposits.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

my secret is to keep shooting thru it. the hybrid aint easy to clean as its fully welded

 

[Mygrainman]

Is it lead fouled? I heard most everyone mixes two common household ingredients and then soaking the part in the solution.

Is the household soaking ingredient Cider?