Are these the same

[spleify]

So for a couple years now I have been using Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber but lately I have been hearing folks talking about using brake cleaner. I have, and I can get 3M High Power Brake Cleaner (#8880) from work for a couple of bucks. So my question is, can I just use the brake cleaner with the same results. I do like the Birchwood Casey gun scrubber, but if I can save some money, I am all for it.

Thanks, and sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I didnt see a cleaning or maintenance forum.

 

[Doyle]

There are (or at least used to be) two types of Gun Scrubber. One is just non-chlorinated brake cleaner with a higher price tag. The other kind is a new product and is safe for plastics. Neither the old Gun Scrubber nor brake cleaner is safe for plastics - it will eat them.

Non-chlorinated brake cleaner is an important part of my cleaning kit. It will totally strip all gunk from your metal. HOWEVER, be aware of two VERY important facts:

1. Don't us it on any synthetic material. I personally don't use it on wood either.
2. It will leave the metal TOTALLY dry and unprotected. After drying it off, you must reapply a protective layer of oil. On most parts, this layer needs to be really thin. If you were to look at the metal surface under a powerful microscope it would look rough instead of smooth. You want just enough lubricant to sit down inside those microscopic crevices.

I only use brake cleaner on a piece that I can completely disassemble. If I'm trying to clean something that I can't really get to (like the inner workings of my .22 autoloader) I'll use Powder Blast.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

1. Don't us it on any synthetic material. I personally don't use it on wood either.
2. It will leave the metal TOTALLY dry and unprotected. After drying it off, you must reapply a protective layer of oil. On most parts, this layer needs to be really thin. If you were to look at the metal surface under a powerful microscope it would look rough instead of smooth. You want just enough lubricant to sit down inside those microscopic crevices.

To add to this, it will "melt" plastic material on handguns and it will remove all oil. My buddy sprayed some on his Beretta and it quickly melted the plastic and caused the gun to seize up. It took a couple of cans of Rem Oil to get it functioning again.