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Solvent - I've recently switched from Hoppes to Breakthrough Clean and am happy with it. If you have a wife that doesn't appreciate the fine smell of Hoppes, BTC is a great choice. MPro7 works well too.

Lube - Been using Wilson Combat Ultima Lube Oil, Universal, and Grease for years. It works well. I like the formulation of the Universal. It's a bit thicker than oil...so it stays put a little better...but it's not as heavy as a grease.
 
Hoppe's #9 for bore cleaning. I still have some USGI bore cleaner from WW2 era but no longer use it because I no longer have any corrosive primed ammo to shoot.

USGI Lubricating Oil, General Purpose, O-142/OGP for general lubrication and rust prevention

USGI Grease, Rifle on M1 Rifles and M1A's as specified in the TM's

For cleaning tricky areas in AR's (like bolt locking lugs in breech and inside bolt carrier), I kind of switch back and forth between C96 Gun Treatment and Break Free CLP. Depending upon which one I can find first.

USGI Lubricating Oil, Semifluid, LSA, O-158 which I use for lubrication of the AR's.

I wasted good money on a can of Hoppe's 9 Gun Medic Cleaner and Lube in the spray can. It has not demonstrated much worth, unlike their regular bore cleaner in the bottle.

I have a couple of products sold for removing lead from firearm barrels. Haven't found them to be as much use as the little brass screens and a rod. Over the years, I got better at casting, sizing, and lubing lead bullets and my need for such greatly diminished. These days, I'm no longer casting.
 
GUN TESTS magazine did a few articles on lubes (they tested them with scientific methods that measured friction of two flat plates rubbing over each other under load) so it isn't "my uninformed opinion vs someone else's uninformed opinion". If I was to venture an opinion, I like EZox and Hoppes, and 3 in1 isn't bad either! They also did several articles on rust preventives and bore cleaners as well.

I do not know how Frank Hoppe pronounced it, I always called it "Hoppee" and people seemed to know what I was talking about, but have read several versions of how it was pronounced, all different. Frank Hamer of Bonny and Clyde fame always said "Haymer" as I recall, not "Hammer", and I've heard John Garand NEVER said "Grand", he was French (French-Canadian if you want to get pissy about it) and had some French way of pronouncing it, like "Guarund" or something like that, but I've seen the sound spelled at least three ways.

By the way, John Garand did NOT invent the M1 Rifle. A man named Smedley invented the gas trap M1 Rifle and hired John to refine the prototype. John knew a good thing when he saw it, stole it, and took it to Springfield Armory and got a job THERE refining it. He signed rights over to the gov't so he could not be sued for money, for stealing it. Smedley sued after the war (WWII in case you weren't sure) and the gov't was dumping in its drawers because Smedley had all the plans, prototypes, and John's contract to work it. The gov't just kept it in the courts until Smedley died. This is all public record and not all that hard to look up, being completely public and court records, but no Garand researchers seem able or willing to look it up when writing their books. Even when told of it, they just ignore it, got to "Keep John's Legacy Untarnished" you know. What would you have preferred to carry, a "Grand" or a "Smedley"?

Also "Carbine" Williams had almost NOTHING to do with the M1 Carbine. It was ALL a made-up propaganda story for WWII moral. The gov't forced Winchester to hire him, where he was a giant pain because he knew Winchester was not allowed to fire him, and did nothing and caused endless trouble. This too is fairly easy to look up as well. But like "The Man who Killed Liberty Valance", given the choice of telling the truth or a lie, tell the lie, it's more fun!

Sort of like R.L. Wilson, the guy who wrote all the Colt books, being convicted by the CT courts for fraud, plus insurance, and he pulled a host of other things they know he pulled but were unable to prove in/to a court, so were dropped, were "semi-illegal/sorta legal", too minor to spend state money to dig up/through, didn't have the manpower/knowledge to go after.

But I digress.
 
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Never saw/heard anything about Frank Hoppe, so as i said, i'm keeping my head in the sand over that one :D

The Garand? yeah, i didn't know the Smedley story, but it's well known it's pronounced without the emphasis on the R, so don't pronounce it like the Americans say Garage, say it like the British say it. That was directly from his Estate, he was French Canadian, not French ;)

The M1 Carbine story i did hear of, though i forget specific details now, the forgotten weapons video on it is (or was it C&Rsenal?) was good, i think it shed more light on the specifics than your mention, it was more complicated than you mentioned.
 
I'd carry a Smedley. It would remind me of Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles.:D
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Snakeoil.

I use Ed's Red for cleaning bores and Tri flow for lubrication. Make your own!

Superior lead removal and add Ammonia for copper fowling.Ed's Red linkView attachment 811957

I use that stuff for my friction points on firearms as well as presses... I have zero complaints and the small bottle I bought 10 years ago is still going strong. Ordered their larger bottle and I doubt I'll ever see the end of it.
 
I still have a bottle of Hoppes, for bores I use whatever brand foaming bore cleaner I buy. I've been buying quite a few of the Lucas oil products, they seem to work well. Recently picked up a couple quarts of synthetic motor oil to put away just in case.
 
Geeeze, Now I feel like getting in the safe and fondling my "GAIR-end". Maybe put a couple lightly lubed patches through the bore. I haven't had a chance to do anything with it for awhile.

Oh yeah, plain old Hoppe's solvent and oil, except lithium grease on guns like the MI, MI Carbine.
 
I do not know how Frank Hoppe pronounced it, I always called it "Hoppee"

I've used this material for 55 years. I never questioned others' pronunciation of the word, which I always heard as "Hoppey's." Or "Hoppee," if you prefer. Definitely not 'Hopp's." So being the curious type, I decided to let the internet work for me on this one. Just a little while ago, I watched an ad video put out by the Hoppe's company, they ought to know. They used the pronunciation, "Hoppey's" so I'm gonna stick with that.

John Garand did NOT invent the M1 Rifle. A man named Smedley invented the gas trap M1 Rifle and hired John to refine the prototype.

That's a pretty big bubble to burst. I won't say the story is an example of the Big Lie, but along the same line. The story just gets perpetuated from day one, grows along the way, next thing you know, the facts don't mean a thing. Smedley's case won't be the first (nor the last) case dragged out through the courts long enough to make it moot through decease.

Along the same line, the common pronunciation of Garand's name, incorrectly as it happens, is likely never to be reversed. In language, common usage dictates acceptance and it surely has in this case. If you say the name, GAR-rund, with the emphasis properly on the first syllable rather than the last and people will look at you funny, then "correct" your pronunciation. To the incorrect but commonly used version.

Aside from proper nouns, there are tons of words in the dictionary that have more than one correct pronunciation. Here in the States, if you use the uncommon form, people may look at you funny even through you may be right.

I have a friend with the habit of reading names in print, apparently not sounding them out or knowing any differently, and adopts an incorrect pronunciation. I hate to correct him; so when he does this, I work the proper pronunciation back into the conversation. He doesn't get i t.
 
Yes, I call the man "Hoppee/Hoppy" and the No.9 "Hoppee's/Hoppy's" (depending on how you want to sound it out/spell it). People seem to know what I am talking/asking about, I get the proper bore cleaner I want, so I'm happy. As a side note, Hoppe's No. 9 original formula contained mercury in it, the current version doesn't. Smells the same.

I have seen the "proper" pronunciation of John Garands' name spelled at least three ways, and all claimed to be the proper "way John pronounced it!" I never met John so I don't know first hand, so if I use "Grand" (as God intended it! Really don't care how the French pronounce it! We bailed them out in three wars, WWI/WWII/Nam, they can suck it up! And the darn French-Canadians can stick it too! I'm an Iowan! We were an independent country at one time and I'm still pretty independent too!) and someone else says "GAR-rund" I go along with how they say it. Who knows, they may be right and I might be wrong! There is always a first time for both of us!

Just to have a little fun, Sako (as in guns) is pronounced SOCK-O, like Batman hitting Joker. SAY-KO is a watch. Had an uncle who was a "Svede" (spelled "Swede", but that was not how it was pronounced).

Makarov, the pistol inventor, pronounced his name ma-KAR-ov, NOT MAK-arov or MAK-a-ROV.

Speaking of the gov't screwing the original inventor(s), the original four inventors of the "jeep" went to junkyards, got junked cars, and made new cars out of them. When they perfected their "4 wheel drive open-topped car" they showed it to the gov't. Since they couldn't produce them, no manufacturing and the gov't didn't want to pay royalties to them anyway, the gov't simply bankrupted them, bought the company, and GAVE it to GM (now wholly owned by Blue China). The Popeye cartoon (based on an actual sailor the guy knew from a bar, Olivoil was also based on a real person, as was Pluto) had a "cat" type critter called "Jeep" that walked up trees headfirst and down headfirst too, went over ANYthing and kept going. The open-topped car got nicknamed "jeep" after the cartoon character by the troops. That may or may not be what GM claims, but that was was was reported in the military papers and various magazines back in the early 1940's when it came out.

Duct-tape also has an interesting history and there is an interesting military tie in behind it as well. If you go back to the 1940s newspapers in the city it was designed and manufactured in, or the "Official Duct Tape Museum", duct tape has a military tie-in, plus there are a LOT of myths about duct tape which aren't true as well.
 
Whether you are old school or high tech, there are advantages to both approaches.
For high tech, there is no reason to not have an inexpensive bore scope to assist with cleaning and maintenance.
For old school, some products still work like when they were 1st introduced.

Whichever approach you use, there may be a better method if you are open to it.
Cleaning carbon buildup can be done with something universal or with more specialized products.
The same is true for cleaning lead and copper deposits.

The investment in a $50 bore scope really pays off especially when you examine a barrel you just cleaned.
If on inspection, it isn't as clean as it should be, this is an opportunity to test drive another cleaning method.

It is possible to get your barrel "too clean". Cleaning a 22LR that shoots competition ammo, is very different than cleaning a benchrest rifle and as different as cleaning a factory barreled hunting rifle that is stored most of the year. A bore scope is very useful for all these cases to stay "clean enough".

Storing a rifle requires more protection than when cleaning a barrel prior to shooting it.

Alcohol can be used to remove oils in a "clean" barrel in order to improve accuracy at the range
You can experiment with this by observing 1st shot after cleaning compared to the next shots.
Using alcohol prior to shooting lets you keep your barrel protected when stored,
then you can clean/dry it out just prior to shooting and have 1st shots and next shots be much closer together.

Ballistol can be used to clean out barrels after corrosive ammo when blended with 90% water as well as used to clean brass with stubborn carbon stains. Note: Not all cleaning products are safe for brass.

Don't be afraid to test products out before subjecting your firearms to them.
Non polished Harbor Freight tools are perfect for test driving lubricants and rust preventatives.
It's better to find out If there is a gummy residue on your tools, versus in your barrel.

Here's a link to a Teslong semi rigid scope for under $50.
I like it better than a rigid style because it is compatible with nearly all actions.


You can spend more money if you don't want to use your phone or spare device as the display.

Here's a partial list of my favorite cleaners.
Chemicals.jpg
 
Lube?

0w-20 Syn motor oil (same as I use in my Prius motor)
or where needed (on a firearm)
Syn axle grease (although, even a cheaper axle grease will work too).

Solvent?

Hot soapy water....for a clean up after shooting corrosive ammo.
Hoppe's #9......for cleaning after shooting smokeless non-corrosive ammo. And it also works on copper fouling too. Then, it's also good for cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo (so says the maker).

Aloha, Mark
 
Very little solvent used, as solvent will disolve lube.

Lube...high temp grease, lubriplate...mix together and add any type of oil to reach the right viscosity. Been using for over 20 years. A lot cheaper than store bought and lasts longer.
 
People have really got to stop using motor oil for this, or at least read the info i posted as to why you shouldn't really use it.
 

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