gun cleaning: tips, tricks, advice

ok i forgot to include my trick in the op.

to get into hard spots like around the rails, hammer, and other little thin dirty areas i wrap a piece of t-shirt or other cloth around a credit card. pull it where it is tight around the edge, and use it to wipe grime away. i basically use it in alot of areas where i once used qtips but i seem to get better results this way.

also, for tougher scrubbing you can wrap more textured cloth around it like cloth from an old dish rag.
 
I use a fishing tackle box for my cleaning kit.
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I first tried that but the crappy plastic hinges they use today are so weak that I just don't trust them. I found a tackle-box sized tool box at one of the big box stores (I think it is a Stanley) that was built much beefier.
 
I use a fishing tackle box for my cleaning kit.
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Ha! Me too!
I use a full sized tackle box though, with the three tiered pop up. With that I can organize all my brushes, pins, takedown tools, tubes of grease and so on...
 
Kroil is pretty awesome stuff and I use it often in all my guns. Like someone else here mentioned the Army is to blame for my severe dislike of CLP. Once I got enough rank I stopped using it, replacing it with Rem Oil. It was amazing how much better that stuff worked. I don't use it as much anymore (primarily lube for my 1911) but its always got a spot in my kit. I use Hoppes Boresnakes every time I get done using a gun before I put it away AT the range. This makes the more thorough cleaning at home so much easier. I use Q-tips, old t-shirts, a chamber brush, bore brush, and some more passes with the boresnake.

Could anyone here advise on some good copper solvent? That's the one thing that I have never really messed with and I think it would be a good idea to use it occasionally.
 
A tip for cleaning Glocks

When you go thru the automatic carwash, roll down your window a couple of inches and hold the gun out of the window :D Then blow dry, (wipe any spit off after you blow it)

Thats it, ready to shoot (as always) :D
 
Health-Cleaning tip: If you clean every week, I suggest these examination gloves when using all these solvents/sprays, etc. You won't regret it.
After you disassemble the weapon, place the latex gloves on when dealing with the stubborn barrel & breech face. When finished, take them off. Your hands will start to sweat a little anyway, time to take them off. Before you toss them, look at the gloves and all the crap over them: save your hands..
Available at any medical supply store for about $10.00 a box. The come in powdered or non-powdered. I prefer the non... Do not buy the cheap one-size fits all at Walgreens: trash. These are not food handler plastic gloves: the real deal..Sizes: S, M, L, XL all the same price...
It's your hands and health. Check the labels on some of these cleaning products, I've tried most of them. Some are dangerous stuff.:(
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Another vote on using the gloves, makes the job a whole lot easier on skin and I tend to clean the guns better and more often as a result.
 
As a solvent for general cleaning I find Eezox works well. I also use Ballistol. Both are good products.

For really cruddy barrels, I bought a slender flower vase, about 1 1/2" wide and 7" tall, that I fill with Carbon Killer , (any solvent would do), and soak the barrel while I do the rest.

Flitz cloth or microfiber cloths do a final cleaning and wipe down better than anything I've found.

My wife's old flannel nightgown is seeing duty as a general cleaning cloth. Cut into small pieces, it scrubs small spaces and the flannel absorbs alot of crud before being tossed out. It's free too.

A good set of screwdrivers keeps screws in better condition.

A needlepoint oiler helps place tiny drops of lube where only tiny drops are needed.
 
A note on latex gloves. Some solvents will disolve latex. (solvents with petroleum products in them I think) Also some people are allergic.

From wikipedia: "Problems with latex rubber include allergic reactions and poor protection against such substances as solvents. Other materials used to alleviate this are PVC, nitrile, and neoprene."

Nitrile gloves can be found in the auto care area of your local Wally World, near the motor oil and stuff, and are less than $5. And near the ammo counter too! So the next time you are (not) buying ammo, you can at least leave with *something*! :D
 
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Instead of q-tips

One thing I've found that I really like is a bamboo skewer, such as those used for shish kebabs. I take a patch soaked in Hoppes #9 or Breakfree CLP and then put the patch into the area needing to be cleaned, and then use the skewer to scrub. The soft bamboo doesn't seem to scratch, and the point helps get deep into some of those recesses.
 
While I second the recommendation for gloves, my experience aligns with the information from Darsh. Nitrile gloves are considerably more solvent resistant and also much tougher than latex.
 
I wear throw away vinyl gloves when I clean, which I buy at Lowes. You can find them in the paint department. I rely on J & B bore compound, Birchfield Casey Gun Scrubber, and Smith & Wesson gun oil as a lubricant. My implements include a bronze bore brush, a swab holder tip for the cleaning rod, a bronze brush, and a nylon brush. I make patches to fit whatever caliber I clean by cutting up 12-gauge patches. I tend to be pretty fanatic about cleaning. Generally, I clean after every range session.
 
When you go thru the automatic carwash, roll down your window a couple of inches and hold the gun out of the window Then blow dry, (wipe any spit off after you blow it)

Thats it, ready to shoot (as always)
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That does sort of sound like some serious advice I was given when I bought my first revolver, a 629 S&W. This guy told me I didn't have to worry about stainless steel. If I shot lead bullets during practice, he said just end the session with a cylinder full of jacketed bullets and that would wipe all the lead out of the barrel. I'm not sure how I was supposed to get the copper out though! :D But he did have a good point in that you can do more harm than good by getting too aggressive in your cleaning stainless revolvers.
 
Anyone have any opinions on the all-in-one stuff? I decided to appease my laziness and try some Outers Tri-Care. Seems almost too easy to clean... just saturate a patch and wipe till there is no more crap on a fresh one. Gun feels smooth too, but I'm a bit apprehensive about something I haven't otherwise heard anything about.
 
WeaponShield CLP (the new IMPROVED CLP) has become a permanent part of my gun cleaning kit. It ain't much of a cleaner/solvent, but it is a GREAT protector. I found that leaving a light film of WeaponShield to dry on my guns really makes cleaning them after a range trip go a lot faster - - powder residue just wipes away, all but eliminates all the scrubbing and soaking.
 
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