Polymer No-Nos

3

.38Catt

New member
In particular, cleaning.

Any cleaning products I should avoid with polymer framed guns?

Called Ruger to ask about my P95. They said look for warnings on label.

I asked if all or most nationally distributed products labeled for gun cleaning have warnings for polymer guns if needed. He was not exactly clear. Then I sort of asked the same question in a different way, and he mentioned one popular product by name. I own a bottle, read the label and saw no "warnings".

Also, no restrictions listed in my owners manual.

What say YOU?

.38Catt
 
Only polymer guns I own are all Glocks - oops just remembered that I also have a couple of Kel-Tecs. Anyway, none of them have ever been affected by any kind of brake cleaner, gun cleaner, parts wash cleaner, gun oil, or any other cleaning fluid or gun fluid that I can remember over the past 25 years or so.
 
I have a Marlin Camp Carbine 45 that has in the owner's manual to be careful of it's plastic parts. None of my other poly's do and I have had no problems with the Hoppes I use, but not on the Marlin.
 
From what Ive read.....

Chlorinated cleaners can/may cause damage.

A while back (I can still find gun various gun forum threads using google) Birchwood Casey made Gun Scrubber in both chlorinated and non-chlorinated versions. The NON-chlorinated version they touted as being OK for poly guns.

Is that the product he named?


Just like those that like to play chemists and make their own lube, many were saying the chlorinated version was just over-priced 'automotive brake cleaner' (I'll call it ABC from here on).

ABC has been available as both chlorinated and non-chlorinated.

Why? Because the chlorinated version is highly corrosive. Takes the paint off your car pretty quickly .. type of corrosive.


I only see the non-chlorinated version on the Birchwood Casey site right now.
http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Maint...roductID=b11b242f-f98b-47e3-af38-837ff4339af2

Its touted as 'Synthetic Safe'.

I looked at the MSD sheet and its not chlorinated.


Personally, Ive never run across anything that cant be cleaned with Hoppes , CLP, etc so I find no reason to try any of the super cleaners out there and therefor also have no reason to try automotive engine or brake degreasers/cleaners. Those types of cleaners are harsh.

But if I did, I surely wouldn't use anything that was chlorinated.
 
I'm not sure what version it was, but I did see Gun Scrubber melt the plastic grip panels on a Beretta Tomcat. My buddy failed to read the the instructions and upgraded to rosewood panels in short order.

Now, those panels were of a different material than polymer frames, but the melting it did on them was impressive.
 
my 2 bits.....

I've owned a few polymer frame semi autos in the last few years: M&P full size 9x19mm, PX4 Storm C 9mm.
For cleaning & gun care, Id suggest Ballistol, its CFC free & non toxic.
You can clean or oil leather rubber plastic metal etc. I would also look at Birchwood-Casey's Synthetic Gun Cleaner. It's designed to work with new polymer & synthetic materials.
A decent CLP like LPX, Gunzilla or Weaponshield can work great too.
Brownells.com is a great resource for any serious gun owner or armed professional.
It has many cleaning & gun care products. They have top notch service too.

CF
www.ballistol.com www.Mpro7.com www.gunzilla.us www.deltapress.com
 
I have used CLP and Hoppes #9 on my Glock with no issues. Most generic firearm cleaners should be fine. If you are concerned, just read the label for any special warning.
 
There might be two concerns, the frame material and the finish.
There are products that won't harm the structure of the frame, but can damage some finishes.
Best to test any solvent on a small area of the gun before trying it on the entire part.
 
A polymer is a molecule, it's made up from monomers. While gun frames are made up from many polymers they are not polymers when completed, they are just plastic parts. The use of the term polymer comes from some marketing department.

I believe most are made from Polyamides (nylons). But I am not sure about that. I would guess it's a long glass polyamide of some sort. If that's the case it has good chemical resistance and the black color would yield good UV protection. But they are somewhat hydroscopic, in fact up to say 5% of it's mass can be water or some other liquid. So whatever you use to clean them with be sure and dry it off good.
 
I use CLP and Hoppes #9 on my Glock. I did use one of the more corrosive sprays once to get all the gunk out of the action of a shotgun I picked up and it worked fine on the all metal gun. Then I decided it would be great to clean that old fishing reel that was gummed up....Not Smart. It melted all the plastic parts. I am probably being over cautious by not using the stuff any more, but there is a big difference between wrecking a 20 year old cheap reel and a $500 to $1,000 firearm. I just won't take the chance.
 
A polymer is not a marketing term. It is long chains organic molecules (monomers) sometimes cross linked together via another atom or molecule.
 
IMHO, the use of polymer to describe a plastic part is a marketing idea. I did not mean to say that the word is a marketing term, in fact I described it as a bunch of monomers. The word means "many"
 
If it is all polymer and steel, I.E. Glock, there is no 'no-no'.

Ok, maybe sulfuric acid would be a no-no but then what gun is cleaned with that?

Glocks are good to go. Clean'em maybe every 500 to 1000 rounds with break-free and that's that.

Deaf
 
amonia

I would advise against using harsh chemicals like bleach ammonia etc.
You may want to wear nitrile type medical gloves too while cleaning your firearms if the oils or solvents may irritate your skin.
As posted, Ballistol is not bad & can be used indoors in limited applications.
NOTE; its always a good idea to clean weapons outdoors or in a well ventilated area. Fumes odors or chemicals may cause problems.
 
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Well, I tend to use brake cleaner. Gun scrubber is too 'spensive.

I use it outside and only on the all metel bits, so getting it on the frame (which stays inside) isn't an issue. I don't know if it would melt or not. I've just never given it a chance. *shrug*

I'm not sure why you even need to get the frame near the stuff. I just wipe it out with a clean cloth and a little Hoppes or the like. Most people I know just stick their Glocks in the dishwasher anyway. ;)

My biggest concern cleaning guns tends to be more along the lines of ventilation, especially with the heavy duty stuff that is in arisol cans (which is why I spray outside)
 
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