Does anyone else use air when cleaning their pistols?

mrdaputer

New member
Hey all I like to use clp as a cleaner and as you know a little goes a long way maybe even too far lol. After I clean and wipe out and off my pistols I use air from my air compressor. I have a filter on it to catch any small amout of condensation. I was just curious if anyone else does this?
 
Canned Air

I use it all the time. Field strip and spray good with Gun Scrubber, then blow out with canned air. Light spray with Barricade and good to go.
 
I use compressed air of 120PSI all the time to blow out powder and other residue if needed.
Of course I oil afterwards.
 
Not everybody has a compressor with a trap...or even just a compressor

Maybe you could try canned air then;). Like I said I haven't seen anyone use it on their videos:confused:
 
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Depends on where I am cleaning the pistols. In the shop, always use air, on the back porch... Only when Auntie Buck is not looking and I can steal her compressed air.

I wish she would buy me my own.:o

Some of the shells I fire have extremely dirty powder. If I can disassemble the gun, I can put it in the sonic cleaner then blow the cleaning fluid out and oil. Other times I can just use it to blow the cleaning fluid (Usually bore scrubber) out and then coat with oil.
 
I used to use air after cleaning and before oiling.
But brake cleaner seems to do the job without the complication of maintaining an air supply.
It cleans really well, blows away the junk and evaporates quickly.
One can generally only does two guns, but it's still cheaper and less complicated than buying a compressor.
If anyone wants to use air without spending their gun money on the equipment, there's a low cost way to do it.
Use an inexpensive tire inflating pump from Walmart or such, for around $15, plus a small air tank, from one of the discount tool places, for around $30.
 
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air is both good and bad

If you have something solid like a barrel or slide in your hand then it can be a terrific tool.

I caution a blank statement that using air is good because 100 psi can also drive dirt or debris deeper into areas with an assembled weapon.

Not saying you are doing it wrong but just putting it out there who might think there are no exceptions. :D
 
While using air pressure can be very effective . . . It can also atomize solvents, dissolved solids and small particulates (like lead), which can then be inhaled. Use with caution.
 
yeah but

I do, but only when I've detailed stripped (not field stripped) and have the pistols all the way apart. Soakem down with solvent, and after a scrub, let the air do its thing.

I avoid air when assembled or just field stripped, thinking that I may drive crud into places I don't want it and can't remove w/o a detail strip.
 
I do not use compressed air, and I don't see any advantage. What exactly on a gun gets so gunked up you need compressed air? I've gotten guns that hadn't been cleaned in years, never once did I think to myself if I only brought my air compressor inside. I use solvent and oil to clean.
I'm not saying you shouldn't or couldn't, I just don't see any advantages.
And just some advise, YouTube doesn't have it all. It's almost always some ignorant person that has no clue what they are doing. I've had to look up a few things on YouTube as a last hope, and honestly it's best just to jump in and figure it on your own. They usually stop the camera at the difficult times right when you need to figure out the step they can't show because its too hard to hold the camera or the lighting is so horrible you can't see anything. A good majority of YouTube videos are made by amateurs. You'll almost never see a real expert on there. And honestly, this is forum is on the Internet as well. The vast majority of members are amatures themselves, including myself.

So take this advice as you want, but with anything in life as long as no real danger occurrs jump right in and do as you think. There's more than one way to skin a cat, or in this case clean a gun.
 
I don't use compressed air, but when I DEEP clean a gun I use a heat gun on the metal parts to make sure they are nice and dry before oiling. Especially when I de-cosmoline a gun because I have found that Simple Green works really good to get oils/Cosmo off, and it's not as nasty as gun cleaners.
 
Yup. I have used CLP and an air compressor for years.

Is amazing how much creeps out after wiping it down and letting it sit-usually even after using a blowgun.

TTC
 
Is there any other way? :cool:

I wish that public ranges would install a compressor and make a hose/air gun available in a "cleaning area".

When done shooting, even if you can't do a proper cleaning, a 'squirt' from an aerosol can of CLP and a good "blow out" can go a long way towards keeping the "gunk" from building up. At the very least the unburned powder is blown out.

My carry weapon will get a good blow out at least once per week. It's as simple as turning on the compressor, blowing all the lint and dust that accumulates even while holstered. You'd be amazed at how dirty a carry weapon can get even if it hasn't been fired.
 
I have used an air compressor in cleaning up rescue projects but I don't routinely use it after a range session. I might start using it more after reading this thread.
 
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