Best Cleaner Ever!?

M

mellow_c

New member
I know this may be better off in gear and accessories... but I think it fits here too.

What CLEANS all the carbon and other build up from shooting on any of your firearms better than anything else you've ever used?

I haven't used a wide variety myself. I found Slip 2000 EWL a while back and started using it as a CLP. I think it's a fantastic lube, and I like the idea that the metal on any firearm I clean it with is always cleaned with the same lube over and over, and that maybe it has a bit of a seasoning effect (I don't know).

When it comes right down to it, I feel like it takes a fair amount of elbow grease with brushes, picks, and qtips to break free any built up carbon. I also wonder how it's doing inside of the barrels that I'm cleaning.

I'm not a fan of stripping all the metal of any lubricant with a harsh cleaner to remove the built up carbon, but it might save more time and effort to use a really good cleaner that actually breaks up and dissolves carbon the way most of these people advertise. Then re lube after.
 
Unless you enjoy spending an hour cleaning a gun (last one I cleaned was a Colt XSE Combat Commander series 80 by using picks, cotton swabs, rags, etc., I have found that I can save a lot of time and frustration by taking the major assemblies outside and spraying them with brake cleaner. Even that does not get it all, but the it cleans a whole lot of crud from the gun without a lot of labor. With something like a 1911, the barrel is usually not the problem as is the carbon that has been deposited in the mag well and throughout. When I am satisfied that the gun is as clean as I am going to get it, I apply CLP to the dry gun and call it good. The point here was the effectiveness of brake cleaner over manual removal of the carbon sludge.
 
You also need to be sure that if you're going to spray a firearm with brake parts cleaner, those parts better be safe from it. I've seen brake parts cleaner melt plastic and ruin bluing on firearms. That and you need to test it to be sure that it doesn't do anything weird when mixed with other chemicals.

Boretech is 100% hazmat free and will lift carbon and copper deposits off the metal in the barrel. It's safe on all types of finishes on firearms and it won't ruin plastic or wood. So be safe when using harsh chemicals like that, they can also have a negative effect on you if not used in a well ventilated area!
 
Hi 50,

You may be right. I should have said break cleaner WONT damage, Hi-Point, Colt. S&W, Ruger, Securitiy Industries, Rohrbaugh, Yugo AK's, Bulgarian AK's, Chinese SKS, N.A.A.,CZ, Desert Eagle, UZI's,Mossberg, Wilson and probably a few others I forget.

Oh. And it also kills bugs.:):)
 
Cleanzoil, Shooter's Choice, even WD-40 will work on cleaning some things. Another good one is Safari Charlie's, more of a CLP type
 
Synthetic Safe Gun Scrubber, BoreSnake dunked in Hoppes, compressed air.

Finish off with a silicone treated rag. Done in 10-15 minutes.
 
Luger, just a friendly reminder to test chemicals not specifically made to clean firearms on a part that won't be seen when the gun is all together.

Keeps from having to explain what happened and from getting the :( look from others. Some parts are easy to replace but bluing and other coatings can be expensive to fix.

I use BPC on my guns also but I check them first on an out of the way place. I was cleaning a rifle one day and wondered why my hands were turning black. Seems some BPC ran out of the receiver and over the pistol grip, which started to melt! Stupid mistake but I had a replacement for it, so easy fix but still cost me.
 
If I had to pick one all-around cleaner, it would probably be Hoppes Elite. Not the foaming bore cleaner they make, just their regular cleaner.

It does a good job on carbon and is also a good bore cleaner--it will even work on copper fouling. Doesn't hurt that it has a mild smell and is supposed to be non-toxic.

MPro7 is pretty much the same stuff as far as I can tell.

The best carbon cutter I ever tried was a clear, thin liquid that BreakFree used to sell. That stuff was amazing. Just a bit of it in a bore and a few passes with a brush would take out everything except copper fouling.

I also like to keep some RemClean on hand because it will take out the very last bits of stubborn fouling from a bore using mild abrasives after everything else has done the best it can.
 
The other question which applies to certain cleaners:

how long will a biodegradeable CLP (i.e. SEAL One) protect a gun's external metal before it starts to >>>break down/"biodegrade"<<<, for guns stored in air-conditioned rooms?

Is there any info available on this as a general comparison?
We know that some guns were coated with a specific product, and after a day or so immersed in water at a Las Vegas Shotshow, no corrosion was found.
 
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The very best stuff I ever found was called RB-17. Took out carbon, copper and even lead from bores. Non toxic, and didn't even smell bad! NOT cheap, haven't seen any since the 80s though.

The one shop that had it back then closed up, and I contacted the maker, the only other place that carried it, in my state was several hundred miles away. SO, I never got any more. The maker would happily sell me a case, but not a bottle or two...

This was in the pre-internet days, as well. Don't know if its still made, haven't looked in decades, but it really worked well, back then.
 
how long will a biodegradeable CLP (i.e. SEAL One) protect a gun's external metal before it starts to >>>break down/"biodegrade"<<<, for guns stored in air-conditioned rooms?
Click to expand...
Good questions. I've found a very simple way not to have to research the answers. I don't buy biodegradable gun lubricants/protectants. ;)

I don't mind biodegradable cleaners since I don't leave cleaners in place on the gun after I'm done cleaning.
The very best stuff I ever found was called RB-17. Took out carbon, copper and even lead from bores. Non toxic, and didn't even smell bad! NOT cheap, haven't seen any since the 80s though.
Click to expand...
Don't know if it's the same stuff, but it's still out there.

http://www.pjsproducts.com/rb17.htm

Gun Cleaner - a world renowned non-toxic, biodegradable gel made of "earth friendly" natural products, without acids, phosphates or petroleum by-products. It completely dissolves (deep cleans) rust from all metal parts in seconds, breaking down oxides quickly and safely.

removes rust without harming the bluing
dissolves lead/copper/brass/plastic bore buildup
removes old gun oil, hand stains and worn varnish on stocks
erases black powder residue and powder burns from cylinder​
 
I love Slip2000 EWL as well.

When I was cleaning large quantities of guns with lots of polymer components (i.e. Glocks) and ARs that were getting lots of carbon build up from classes, I looked for something that would leave the metal clean and would not harm the polymer. The Glock armorer course drills it into your head that most of the Glock is NOT meant to be cleaned with a solvent.

I ended up buying Slip2000 parts washer cleaner. It's designed to be safe on all gun parts including polymer and finish. Use it in an automotive parts washer with a pump like the ones you can get from Harbor Freight. It gets parts super clean, smells nice/neutral, and parts will be bone dry just from air drying. Then the parts get a new appropriate film of EWL. You'll still need to scrape carbon away, but it dries it up very well that it breaks away easily.

I also like to carry Shooter's Choice aerosol cleaner in my range bag. It's much like brake cleaner but made for guns. Blasts away everything. The fact that it says polymer-safe on the label makes me feel better about using it. Placebo? I don't know. I've never melted a polymer gun and hope to continue that.
 
My inventory of bore care products has to be as big as that of my powder, cases and bullets.
I have finally settled on "KG" products, advertised as being used by the military, with the following items being sufficient:

KG-1 -Carbon cleaner (and most often, all I need)
KG-2 - Bore polish (if you have rough spots to smooth out)
KG-3 - Solvent/degreaser, but you can use others like Hoppes-

KG-12 Copper remover- but I find don't really need to use it that often since using KG-1

I am not affiliated with this outfit-only a customer who is happy to finally keep my shelf free of multiple products

https://shop.kgcoatings.com/kg/product/rifle-cleaning-kit/
 
I've looked it all up and brought the links here several times,bt I'll pass this on one more time.
Shceumann barrels is one of the respected 1911 barrelmakers.

If you go to that website ,look in the toolbar for Documentation, See the article on cleaning. It has excerpts from Precision Shooting and advice from Mr Scheumann.

When I post this information,someone always argues. Don't believe it,I don't care. Do what you want with your guns.

Some brake cleaners,carb cleaners,etc contain no chlorinated hydrocarbons.

But read the fine print. 416 R stainless barrel steel contains Sulphur to make t free machining. Chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloethane attack the sulfur n the steel.

The article also warns against having cleaning solvents mix in your bore.

Some combinations do serious damage to barrel steel.Ammonia and chlorine is really bad news.

http://schuemann.com/Portals/0/Documentation/Webfile_Barrel_Cleaning.pdf
 
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Good old Hoppe's #9 is my all-time favorite - probably simply for the nostalgia.

My go-to cleaner is Ballistol - since it's safe on every type of finish & I have more than a few Nickle plated guns I enjoy shooting.

(OT - but - has anyone else noticed that annoying way Grammarly insists on throwing in a hyphen?)
 
Add up the cost of...
Overpriced solvents
Swabs
Picks
Brushes
Etc, Etc
Then add in the cost of your time
Plus the cost to your health from said solvents

Then compare that to how much you'll save by purchasing an ultrasonic cleaner
You can thank me later :)
 
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