Lets talk gun cleaning! How do you clean your guns, and why?

[Certaindeaf]

I clean my stuff like a good little monkey. anyway, legend has it that Elmer Keith would leave a very thin film of Hoppes in the bore of a clean barrel for storage or while hunting as it wouldn't affect the first shot(s) and will protect the bore from rust.

 

[bbbass]

CLP for cleaning, vinegar for leading, Tetra gun grease for internals, Red's synthetic lube for rails.

I hate rules... so I clean my firearms when they need it. KISS.

 

[tac]

Jacketed bullet shooting guns - Forrest Foam is your friend, plus lots of patches.

Lead bullet shooting guns - Ballistol, mops and patches.

Muzzleloaders - mops, patches and 50/50 Ballistol and H2O.

Swiss schtuff - Waffenfett, or, in my case, Shakespeare spinning reel grease.

ALL after EVERY shooting session.

I've never put away a dirty gun in my life.

Dad wouldn't like it.

tac

 

[NCW_Robert]

I use acetone for solvent. Some times I use the cheap brake cleaners if on sale just because it is easy to blast something clean, something that can be cleaned with a blast of solvent that is.

Gun Oil: I use Mobile 1 20/50 racing oil. I have tons of it, for the race car and it works great on guns. Race oil has stuff in it regular synthetic oil does not for metal on metal wear protection. I do think regular synthetic oil would be fine though.

I also have been using Mobil 1 104361 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube on my slide rails & wear points on the semi auto pistols. Killer stuff, it is designed for trans and rear end gears that operate under extreme pressure, to me this means it will be super for pistol slide rails. So far, so good.

I have also used AeroShell grease in the past but have switched to the Mobil 1 Gear Lube exclusively because I can put it on with a pipette or a syringe. It is more messy then grease though. I just keep a small plastic tube of it along with a small Ziploc bag of cheap disposable pipettes, these are tiny little soft plastic squeeze bulbs designed to deliver small amounts of fluids precisely. I bought a bulk pack of them and use them for lots of things.

I have NOT used metal cleaning rods for years. I use something called a Bore Wire to pull patches, though it wont pull a brush. They make a cable system similar to otis that does pull a brush and is cheap. Link >> <broken link removed>

...

 

[Fjordforder]

A boresnake with a 2-inch bead of oil or the tip dipped in Hoppes is usually enough for a weekly clean. Monthly I go through with a toothbrush and scrub, and oil is added when I decide it could use it. Even then, oil is used sparingly. Patches are only really used after shooting. They`re followed and preceded with a boresnake.

 

[WildBills-AR]

I no longer use frog lube I started having issues in my AR with rounds not feeding or getting stuck. Did some research found others using frog lube to have the same type of issues. Haven't had those same issues after I stoped using it, it just gums up the boar etc.
I just got a good quality cleaning rod run a little oil mainly I have stoped cleaning my guns as much and have had less problems. Not to say I let them get dirty but I keep it simple just a wipe down of what I can reach a little oil try to keep the oil out of the trigger group. Always run the rod in the same direction as the round. I tell myself, Keep it simple stupid. Really no need to breakdown so often.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

I no longer use frog lube I started having issues in my AR with rounds not feeding or getting stuck. Did some research found others using frog lube to have the same type of issues. Haven't had those same issues after I stoped using it, it just gums up the boar etc.
I just got a good quality cleaning rod run a little oil mainly I have stoped cleaning my guns as much and have had less problems. Not to say I let them get dirty but I keep it simple just a wipe down of what I can reach a little oil try to keep the oil out of the trigger group. Always run the rod in the same direction as the round. I tell myself, Keep it simple stupid. Really no need to breakdown so often.

Yeah, that's why i switched from FL to Seal1.

If left sat for a long time, you can get 'gummed' up with FL, it's more so in cold temps and not cleaning it off fully/or not applying it hot.
Easier to use Seal1 instead, same stuff, same guy that made FL, but without the stuff they added to FL that ended up causing the gumming.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

For my non-blackpowder firearms I am still a huge fan of Ed's Red. I make it in two gallon batches and it flat out works!

 

[gunfreak]

I'll admit that I clean my guns just about every time I get back from the range unless I just went out and shot a couple rounds. I use a combination of cleaners and lubes my new favorite is the Tetra gun action Blaster which has a nice pine scent other things include a full line of hoppes, fire clean, and CLP. It all depends on what I'm cleaning and how dirty it is.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I clean & lube about every 3rd time taking it to the range (300-500 rounds).

I also don't change my oil every 3,000 miles...I do it at 7,500 just like the manufacturer recommends.

Your an outlaw like me!!!

My AR is a piston gun so it gets a thurough cleaning after 2-3 trips to the range or about 3-500 rounds.
I use Gunscrubber to clean the shotguns, CPL for the XDM40'S & liberal tears for the EBR..... it's just fitting.....

 

[Who The F R U]

@ The Big Sandy we fired off 4k+ of instalight tracer's ( Light in the Barrel).
Around the 2k mark it started jamming some Red ATF Fluid and it ran for another 2k before we put it away.
Still haven't cleaned it.................

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I clean mine after every outing.
Of course most of mine being muzzleloaders antique or otherwise , its just what needs to be done.
Especially after one of our shows.
Lots of showing how a flintlock works , all with powder in the pan will make a mess.
Not to forget to mention all the folks who put their fingers down the bore at the muzzle...

Warm soapy water , followed by a dry patch or three , then a Hoppes #9 patch and a final dry patch. The stock is wiped with BLO and the gun is then checked on in a day or two.
No big deal or mystery to cleaning a muzzleloader.

For my modern guns just a patch or three with Hoppes #9 and a dry patch.
( or Boresnake )
Wipe down with CLP
Sometimes I use the 7.62 stuff to clean out copper fouling.
But a dab of Windex works too ...
Andy

 

[coop44]

If I buy a gun that really needs a good bore cleaning, I do it electrically. A low voltage power source, a steel rod, some shrink tubing, a couple of leads with alligator clips, and a rubber stopper.

Lead, copper fouling, anything in the bore comes off. Very minimal amount of scrubbing.

 

[tac]

If I buy a gun that really needs a good bore cleaning, I do it electrically. A low voltage power source, a steel rod, some shrink tubing, a couple of leads with alligator clips, and a rubber stopper.

Lead, copper fouling, anything in the bore comes off. Very minimal amount of scrubbing.

Do you do homeworking for the CIA?

tac

 

[Bealzybub]

Bore snakes, cause they make sandpaper out of aluminum oxide and why sand your barrels when they wear out too fast anyway.

 

[coop44]

Do you do homeworking for the CIA?

tac

Maybe

 

[coop44]

Making an Electric Bore Cleaning Kit

A good write up, a Google search will give a lot of results similar to this. I buy lot of old rifles in iffy shape bore wise. I bought an m95 Steyr a while back that didn't look too bad bore wise (or so I thought) after doing this it cleaned out decades of crud to reveal absolute craters in the bore. Probably saved me from firing, imho, an unsafe rifle.

 

[Joe Link]

Making an Electric Bore Cleaning Kit

A good write up, a Google search will give a lot of results similar to this. I buy lot of old rifles in iffy shape bore wise. I bought an m95 Steyr a while back that didn't look too bad bore wise (or so I thought) after doing this it cleaned out decades of crud to reveal absolute craters in the bore. Probably saved me from firing, imho, an unsafe rifle.

Wow, that's awesome!

 

[teflon6string]

If I buy a gun that really needs a good bore cleaning, I do it electrically. A low voltage power source, a steel rod, some shrink tubing, a couple of leads with alligator clips, and a rubber stopper.

Lead, copper fouling, anything in the bore comes off. Very minimal amount of scrubbing.

Do you do homeworking for the CIA?

tac

The guns are conflicted, trying to decide if it's time to sign a confession or ask you to go steady.

 

[daved20319]

I recently did much the same as the OP. I'd been away from the firearms world for years, and jumped back in with my first ever AR about a year ago. Did lots of research, and found that if you asked 10 different people what the proper/best procedure was you'd get 10 different answers .

One of the most common analogies is to cars and oil changes. This is fine, if all you're talking about is lubrication, but what about those combustion byproducts? This is where the analogy breaks down. The auto industry long ago dealt with this by adding detergents to gasoline, so yes, you are cleaning your engine every time you run it. Motor oils also contain detergents, as well as other things, all designed to keep things in one piece and functioning reliably in a very hostile environment. Which is exactly the same reason we clean and lubricate our firearms.

Most of us are well aware of the basics, a quality one piece rod, a good bore guide, a cleaner that does what you need it to do, and a lubricant that keeps the sliding parts sliding without eating each other. Can you do damage by over cleaning? Sure, but the reality is that most of us will never shoot enough for that to ever be an issue. More likely to do damage by improper cleaning techniques, which comes from ignoring those basics I mentioned.

I'm going to make one more car analogy and then I'll shut up. I run Mobil 1 in my Suburban, not because I think it does a better job than a cheaper product, but because I can get caught up with life and not get the oil changed right on time. I feel the Mobil 1 gives me some cushion, I can run it longer without worrying about it so much. To bring that back on topic, I have the same philosophy with my guns. I generally do a pretty thorough cleaning after every use, followed up with a lubricant I trust. Like the Mobil 1, I feel this gives me a cushion, some extra time if I can't get things cleaned promptly, or even at all, if the session got cut short for some reason. Bottom line, figure out what works for you and run with it. Later.

Dave