gun cleaning: tips, tricks, advice

I love Otis and I don't care who knows it, but all the bottles in their kits like to leak so I use these other chemicals.

Outers Foul Out electrochemical bore cleaner can't be beat for copper and lead.
KG12 if you must scrub is great on copper.

KG1 for carbon fouling works fast, although most carbon cleaners if allowed to soak for awhile work fine, Breakfree CLP is great because when you're done cleaning you don't have to reach for another bottle of oil.
Just my 2 cents.
 
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Weapon cleaning

I don't do much rifle shooting any more, most of the shooting I do now is handgun, pistol & revolver, I also reload and I use lead and copper jacketed bullets. if you check your barrels very closely from time to time you will find lead & copper deposits In the groves. I found that a set of dentel picks that you can get at any good hardwear store or Home Depot tool dept. or ACE Hardwear, the one I use the most out of the set of 3-4 Is the 90 degree and circle picks, I pull It through from the chamber end of the barrol to the front In the groves, and do this over a peice of white paper and see what you get, the same goes for the revolver and the stainless barrols are harder to see the crud. I do this every 500 to 1000 rounds. Trying to get the crud out with solvent and a wire brush will just wear the barrol out much quicker. I hope most of you know that WD40 is a well kown primer killer, I have not seen much talk of It lately, unless something has changed in the last 10 years or so, I have been out of the shooting game for that amount of time and I know that things change!!! This info came from The Dillon reloadig people back when I got my 550B, thay said at that time if we ever got a blockage in one of out primer tubes, not to force them out, but just soak the tube in WD40 and get rid of it safely? and they would send you a new tube free of charge. So if this is still the case I would not use WD40 any place neer any primers, bolt faces, Magazines, and magazine wells, stripper clips!!! I use a lot of WD40 In my humble wood working shop, all the cast iron table saw, band saw and drill press tables and any work faces of cast iron or steel, so I know its very popular and very good If used for what it was ment for. I just about always have a one gallon can on hand!
Now as far as using a copper jacked bullet to chase after using lead bullets to clean out the lands and groovs, I think this will just force the small peices of leading into the groove that much more! It will just over ride the lead and make it that much harder to get out, and if left long enough you will just have a major leading problem, Good luck & Semper FI to all. Hank D.
 
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When you guys say "soak" you mean take the barrel and just soak it in Hoppes while doing the rest of the cleaning?

I've thought about doing this but never done it because it's never been recommended to me.
Just soak the barrel and then run some patches through it?

I'm kind of a novice and I'm pretty OCD about my G19. Even though I know you have to try very hard to damage one I'm sure I could find a way.

EDIT Also, question about cleaning the recoil spring. I've been told NEVER to put anything on the recoil spring as it is self lubricating, but I've also been told that CLP on the recoil spring and then a cleaning with a nylon brush will not hurt. Anyone?
 
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M-PRO

Havent heard anyone say they use this stuff. I have been using it for a while now and I have had nothing but great results.. I use the cleaner , gun oil and the copper remover.. and I can get all of them at Academy..its a little pricey but I think its worth it ..and best of all they do not smell like others do..like hoppes or others..in fact the copper remover is oderless .. you can read alot of great reviews on midway site and even buy the whole kit for 40 or 50 bux..give it a try.. your wife will enjoy your gun cleaning sessions alot more... and also the cleaner comes in spray form so you can spray where you need to instead of soaking a patch and getting everything soaked.. just my 3 cents... thanks

bd
 
A bit too detailed/unorthodox

I use the following supplies to clean my 1911 and revolver:

Hoppe's No. 9 Solvent

Foaming bore cleaner

Gun scrubber

Rem Oil

Flitz

Flitz polishing cloth

Cut out jean rags

Cotton patches

Copper bore brush

And the standard picks/tools and whatnot.


This is how I do it:

1. Check to see the gun is not loaded

2. Disassemble (when applicable)

3. Use a cotton patch to wipe excess lead/powder

4. Spray the foam bore cleaner through the barrel, using a jean rag to cover up the parts I don't want solvent in

5. Use Hoppe's No. 9 Solvent and picks/tools to clean the more detailed parts

6. Wait until the foam is gone, and then wipe all solvents off the gun

7. Spray gunscrubber through the bore, cylinders (on revolvers)

8. Apply rem oil where necessary

9. Assemble the gun, then proceed to wipe/polish. Cotton patches first, then jean rags, and finally, after everything is clean and tidy: flitz polishing cloth + flitz.


I do this after every shooting session. This usually takes about 20~45 minutes for BOTH guns (depending on how fast I work and how many steps I skip).

I've had my 1911(about 1100 rounds through it) and Smith and Wesson (about 300 rounds through it) for about 7 months now, people at the range still think they're brand new.

Also, when you're not old enough to buy your own handguns (I'm 18), it really helps your chances of purchasing more handguns when you show your parents you are careful with firearms and that you take good care of them:D .
 
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 Then blow dry, (wipe any spit off after you blow it)
Click to expand...

And to remove the lead fouling from the barrel "Yeah I know your not suppose to shoot cast bullets but what the hey" use gasoline and a wire brush. Actually I found that super unleaded works best but it usually coast a little more :eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
Have used MPro-7 on all my guns for several years and find it works quite well. My wife likes it because there's no odor plus it's non flamable so there's no concern about fumes causing any problems.

I still use Hoppes #9 to soak the choke tubes from my shotguns - it seems to do the best job on getting the burned on plastic from the wads off the tubes.
 
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Some real good tips through-out this thread. This is not a cleaning tip but I`d like to suggest a magnifying glass to keep in cleaning kit. Looking for stress cracks, especially in older guns and guns that have had alot of fullhouse loads run through them, close inspection while cleaning should be done.
 
I wont go into my overall method as it may take too long. However, I will offer this...

Above all else, take your time and dont force things. This is how damage, either to the weapon or cleaning tool, can occur. Also, no real need to hit the weapon with all of the "heavy duty" cleaners/brushes each and every time. Take time to develop a system of using certain solvents/pastes, in conjunction with certain tools/brushes, based on how often the weapon is fired, the type of ammo being used (does the ammo leave high amounts of residue or small amounts) and under which conditions the weapon is to be stored.
 
hoppes no.9 bench rest copper solvent for me. if i am shooting lead bullets, i just cln them, if i have been shooting jacketed bullets, i let it soak overnight. if i have leading of the barrel, is use patches with a metal polishing paste (like flitz, or simichrome) to remove it. once a year, i go balistic and anything that has shot jacketed bullets (everything except rimfires) gets a triple dose (three consecutive cleanings) of sweets 7.62 run through it, just to make sure there is nothing left in to long. and a complete teardown / clean / inspect / lube. take care of your equipment, and it will take care of you. the only thing i do not take apart is the bolt itself. i thouroughly soak it, blow it dry with compressed air, and spray it down with synthetic "super lube", followed by a couple of drops of 0w30 mobil 1. i hang them, or stand them upright for 3 days to make sure the lube has penetrated all the way through, and the excess has worked its way through.
 
Nitrile gloves (the purple ones) are tougher and more chemical resistant than latex gloves. A little more expensive but well worth it! Found in any Wal-Mart in the first aid section.

The fishing tackle box is an absolute Godsend for all the fiddly bits of cleaning kits. See this thread (Cleaning Gear Finally Organized) for my comments there :D

When cleaning a gun, start by running some solvent down the barrel and then do the rest of the gun. It gives the solvent a good chance to work on any fouling before you get to the "scrub the barrel" part of the job.

Buy a magnifying lamp with a "ring type" bulb (that illuminates your work evenly). Even with great eyesight sometimes you just need to examine something a little more closely while the gun is disassembled.

An empty coke or water bottle clamped/held over the end of the barrel will catch dirty patches and all of the "spray" from your brushes as you brush out your barrel. Or if you want to be fancy there's this thing.
 
Nitrile gloves (the purple ones) are tougher and more chemical resistant than latex gloves. A little more expensive but well worth it! Found in any Wal-Mart in the first aid section.
Click to expand...
I do use latex examination gloves, but decided to try the nitrile gloves from Wally World after it was suggested earlier in this thread. Real good price for a pack, $1.48, but unfortunately like condoms; one size doesn't fit all. You still sweat quickly in these like others; no advantage there. I don't have extremely large hands, but tore one set trying to put them all. I'll stick to the option of different sizes. I don't bathe in the solvent in normal cleaning; just to keep these carcinogenic droppings off my hands...:)
 
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