Cleaning pistols: Help me understand

J

jhideout

New member
Ok...So I've been told I'm not properly cleaning my guns, so I have a few questions..

1. Solvents/Bore cleaners - Is the solvent primarily for the barrel only? or should it be applied within the slide/frame components?

2. After the barrel is cleaned with a solvent, should an additional light coat of oil or lubricant be added (such as rem oil)? If so, which product exactly?


3. Are the spray products such as ballistol primarily used as a final "wipe down" of both the inside and outside of the gun? Or can they be used in place of the actual solvent such as hoppes? Can you clean the barrel with ballistol?


4. Should I be using 3 different products?? Oil for lube, solvent to get rid of residue, and should I apply one more product within/outside the firearm for protection?
 
warning: you're going to get about 38.5 bazillion answers and they will all be different in some way. :D

here's what I do. and yes, it will be different than others. less than some, more than others.

For my pistols (although it's really about the same for my revolvers and rifles) I use a bore brush (nylon) with some of the slip2000 solvent. I do the same with my rifles however I use a bore snake with those usually. I also use the solvent and the brush on the cyl of my revolvers.

Then I run one or two patches down the barrel with the same solvent on it, and then run more clean patches down until they come out clean. This usually takes 4 or 5 patches.

Then I use the same type of patch, put a few drops of slip2000 EWL and run that down the barrel. That puts a nice thin coating of protective lube down there. I do this to the cyl on the revolver as well. I also use the EWL on key parts of the action and on tings like the firing pin of my AR.

I then use slip2000 grease on places where the metal rubs metal. things like where the slide rides along the frame.

At the end I also wipe the gun (all my guns) with a silicone cloth. I'm not sure this is even needed with today's protective coatings and with the stainless guns but fingerprints annoy me and that's how I wipe them off. haha.

So in the end I use at least 3, maybe 4 products if you count the silicone cloth.

Slip2000 solvent
Slip2000 EWL
Slip2000 grease.

Oh and just fyi - I used to use CLP and rem oil. I started using the EWL because I tried it on my AR and it doesn't dry up like other oils. I really liked it so somewhat recently I bought the solvent and the grease from them. The solvent is eh. buy whatever you like or try some other stuff. I also have some hopps that works great, but the slip2000 solvent is nothing to write home about. The grease so far I'm liking. again, I havent' had it all that long but it seems to be working well. I guess I could say I recommend it, but I've also used tw25b grease as well and had no problems with it.
 
Just to share another opinion...

I generally use a bore cleaner for not only the barrel, but also around the frame of firearm, as well as any other parts, though mostly as kind of a "pre-soak." Its main use is in the barrel though.

Yes, a light coat of oil should be used to coat any of the metal parts, generally speaking. I generally just use a light machine type oil. I have used breakfree, remoil, and others in the past with similar results. My brother and I picked up a 5 gallon bucket of sewing machine oil, and have been slowly using that up for a long while now.

Ive never used ballistol, so I can not answer this question, except to say, I stick with 2 products, a bore solvent and an oil. Im a pretty simple guy, and dislike complication.

The only other time I may use another product is for the long term storage of a firearm. Then it is a product similar to cosmoline, but a touch lighter/thiner. The name escapes me currently.
 
Oh thats not right, you have to use Weapon Shield (WS) :D

I clean different guns different ways, but since you're talking about handguns, this is what I do. If the gun is lightly dirty, I just use WS or Breakfree CLP which is very similar and either one will Clean, Lubricate, Preserve. If its really funky I will start with Hoppes #9 to clean the bulk of the fouling, and switch to WS to finish it. This is economical because the CLP type stuff is a little pricey.

I still keep bore brushes around but I have almost eliminated the need for them by hand picking jags and patches for a perfect fit in the bore. Even leaded guns come clean easily with a good ftg jag/patch combo.
 
I used to use a separate bore cleaner and oil, but now I just use Breakfree CLP for everything. I have a small bottle with a straw type applicator for precision and a larger bottle with a spray head.
 
Thanks guys...

Another question for you:



Say I already ran through the solvent with patches...How many passes with the brass brush should I run down an ar15? Do you have to unscrew the brush each time and NOT pull it back?
 
Just keep in mind that products that claim all sorts of scientific gibberish and vague special forces endorsements do not necessarily make for a better product. Most shooters could get totally by with nothing more then Hoppes #9 solvent and lubricating oil or just Breakfree CLP alone.
 
I use a few paper towels from Walmart's "Great Value" brand. I even push them through my barrel with a brush wrapped in a piece of one. I know this may be very, very wrong... but it honestly works.
 
Also...

What have you guys found to be the best product to clean the insides? CLP vs Ballistol vs CorrosionX???

Should you not use silicon based cleaners inside the frame/slide?
 
All depending on how good a cleaning I do of course. But if I am detail stripping the gun I will use hoppes #9 with a toothbrush and rag and scrub everything down, then I shoot it with compressed air to get out any of the excess cleaner. Next I put a drop or two of oil on my finger and rub the parts down till they have a thin film of oil on them.

When cleaning the barrel I run a patch soaked with hoppes a few times down the barrel, then I run an oil soaked patch a couple times, then a dry patch to collect the excess oil. The oil is not necessary, but it is necessary to run dry patches down the barrel to get most of it out if you do choose to use it.

Note: stay away from q-tips!!! They leave behind tiny little cotton fibers that are hard to see, no one wants cotton strands clogging up their internals.
How many passes with the brass brush should I run down an ar15? Do you have to unscrew the brush each time and NOT pull it back?
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Typically you keep running it through till it stops coming out black, not really necessary though. I tend not to go crazy on my .22 barrels as I do not want to wear out the rifling since it is not as prominent as larger bore barrels. And no you do not need to unscrew the brush after the first pass through, just pull it back out the way it came in.
 
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the CLP stuff works great for cleaning and such. Protects well too.

For the brush question, I only run the brush up and down 4 times. 2 down and 2 up. Make sure the brush comes all the way out before pulling it back or you can possibly damage the bristles. And honestly, if I didn't shoot too many rounds (even as much as 50) I can usually get away with just running a patch with some solvent down the barrel and letting it soak.

oh, btw, if anyone is interested, a guy over on the ar15 site did a somewhat scientific test. He took 20 peices of unfinished steel and coated them with 9 different products. Left two untreated for control and then put 10 outside and left 10 inside (I think in his safe) and took photos at regular intervals. It was pretty interesting to see how fast the plates rusted and what products lasted the longest. I can try to find the thread if anyone is interested.
 
Hang on hang on...

How are you currently doing it, who told you that you are doing it wrong and what did they say you should be doing?

If there is one thing I have learned it is that there is more then one way to properly clean a gun. It's kinda like telling someone they wipe their butt wrong... If you get it clean (and it's not rusting or messing up the bore/crown) then your way is probably fine....
 
I mostly shoot polymer-coated "black bullets" in my centerfire handguns, and they leave next to nothing in the bore; six or eight passes with a dry bore brush, even after 1000 rounds, and the bore is 90% clean. Maybe one patch to get the last bit of dust out. I spend three times as much time cleaning the outside of the barrel, and use bore cleaner for that.
 
Yung.Gunr

I wasn't necessarily being told I was "wrong"...I was actually told I wasn't using the "right products"..

My buddy whom is in law enforcement and went to armory school informed me that there are much better cleaners to use...

And after much research over the past few days, I'm starting to agree.

For example, I've been using Remoil and Rem-bore cleaner..And from the tests I've seen on youtube it appears to be junk.

I got turned on to Hoppes #9 and Outers solvents..From what I've seen they both work extremely well at getting all the dirty out. A lot of other products do not seem to fair as well..

From researching online, I'm starting to like BreakFree CLP..Even though it is labled as an "all in one" (which my friend despises these types of products) it seems to be the best choice for general cleaning/corrosion resistance.

As far as actual lubrication, I'm still up in the air on this. My friend uses Mobile 1...but from what I've read it contains more additives to deal with Temperature instead of "EP" additives which supposedly are more desirable for guns. Now I'm looking into Slip2000 EWL..

I do understand that there are multiple ways to get ones firearms clean, but I just don't like half-assing things and want to use products that actually work..not overpriced/hyped junk.
 
I use Hoppes #9 and Remoil, have for years. I've been wanting to try CLP but fear it won't be as good of a cleaner as I'd like so we'll see.

On the note of brushes I hardly ever use them unless I have a lead fouling issue. Shooting jacketed or plated I find little if any need.

LK
 
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As a last resort, read the manual.
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That's just crazy talk! :p

Honestly, I use Eezox for just about everything. I keep a bottle of the black-label Hoppe's for really nasty fouling, but I rarely need it.

(FYI: the #1 cause of stoppages I see on the range is over lubrication.)
 
I'm a fan of Weapon Shield for 90% of my cleaning and Bore-Tech Eliminator once in awhile for bad copper fouling. I believe both of those represent the best in their particular field. However, I've also read a lot of good things about Wipe-Out which I have not tried yet.

I got some Ultima-Lube grease for slides that need it.
 
My boss is an engineer; my late father-in-law was an engineer (my father was a truck driver). They are crazy about manuals. When my father-in-law gave me some piece of equipment like an air pump, the owner's manual was heavily annoted with his own comments.

But seriously, ready the manual. You may be surprised at some of the comments. I've made posts about one or two things I didn't expect to see. The manuals won't be so specific about brand names, however.
 
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