Shaving cream for cleaning your gun?

Well, in boot camp we used to use shaving cream to remove the polish from our boots, so it's at least somewhat effective on grease/oil-based contaminants. Never heard of using it on guns, though.
 
I've heard of it before while I was in basic training. A couple of the guys used it to get into the hard to get to areas inside the M16 lower....not sure how they wiped it all out though. I just found it easier to completely strip the lower to clean. I actually made some serious cash in basic taking guy's lowers apart so they could clean them real good then putting them back together for them.....sshhhh don't tell my drill sgt. (that was in '96) :D


I wouldn't know why anyone would want to use it as there's so many actual gun cleaners out there.
 
Secret sauces...

This sounds a tad nutty. :(
I think some gun owners use firearm/tactics forums to say things they couldn't or wouldn't say to other shooters or their gun range pals.

I never heard of using shaving cream. I did have a LE training guide(not sold to the general public) that reported how a new cop "cleaned" their PD issue duty revolver in a washing machine! No lie. There were pics included.
That tidbit was in the "don't be a dumb-#%+•" chapter. ;)

Really, there are many, many great gun cleaners, CLPs and industry made cleaning products. Secret sauces & hints from Heloise are just stupid!

CF
 
I can't imagine what you might have in your "magazine slot" that toothpaste would be the chosen cleaner/solvent. In fact, unless you swim or crawl through the sand with your pistol, I haven't found any reason for more than a rag pulled through the mag well for cleaning.
 
Exactly, shaving cream is just soap. So, it will help remove dirt and grease just like any other soap.

Toothpaste, though, contains mild abrasives. While mild, they can still do a number on the finish on your gun if you have a blued gun.

I've seen any number of times advice on using toothpaste to smooth the internals of guns, though, by simply squeezing in a generous amount and then cycling the action.
 
Sbowling79 said:
We used it in basic to polish the floors.
Click to expand...

Sbowling79 said:
Also kool aid powder worked well for stripping the floors before waxing. Sorry to get off topic.
Click to expand...

Damn, what's going on in the military nowadays?

We had wax, buffers, stripper, mops, brooms, etc and every cleaning product known to man it seemed like.

I guess the military really is broke, if they're using shaving cream and kool aide on the floors.
 
old school shaving cream(as was stated in the original post) isnt just soap..

as a paint and body guy buy trade. i have seen shaveing cream cause paint to blister off of a cars finish.....

i wouldnt use it to clean my guns
 
Yes I've heard of it.

I've also heard of using Simple Green.

I've also heard of using hydrogen peroxide.

I've also heard of using vinegar.

I've also heard of sticking it in a dishwasher and then putting it in an oven to dry.

I've also heard of using lard to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using Vaseline to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using cooking oil to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using butter to lubricate a firearm.

These threads are what gives me so much anxiety when contemplating buying a used firearm. :eek:
 
Not all beverage mixes work according to what I was told when I was doing KP duty in basic training. Only the citris flavors work, lemon was the best, lime was second and orange only if you didn't have lime or lemon.

I always thought that the water was getting the dirt up off the floor and the lemon powder was a myth until we did a test (sort of - because we ran out). We mopped part of a mess hall with just water and part with the lemon solution and the lemon section was cleaner.

It also smelled lemon fresh :)
 
A friend used toothpaste to clean the copper wash out of his M1 and M14 rifle barrels. I don't know if it was the toothpaste, but something must have worked because he has a whole bunch of hardware he brought home from Perry, LeJeune, and other places.

Jim
 
As I noted, toothpaste contains mild abrasives. Often, it's diatamacious (sp?) earth.

Oddly enough, JB Bore Paste contains the same abrasive, only in a more aggressive form.
 
I can vouch that plain shaving cream and Simple Green both work well.

Caveat: I have only ever done this on U.S. government property weapons.

With shaving cream, if don't have the time or ability to strip a lower, just spray the lower receiver with it, wait a minute, then hose out the lower with hot water. Make sure you dry it very well. Simple Green works similarly, but I usually reserve it for machine guns.
 
I've also heard of using lard to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using Vaseline to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using cooking oil to lubricate a firearm.
I've also heard of using butter to lubricate a firearm.
Click to expand...
Lard, I haven't seen, but I've seen all the rest. It's common for me to smell a used firearm before taking it in.

My personal favorite? Three old S&W revolvers, all of which were in excellent exterior condition, had gummed-up actions. I stripped them down and found that someone had squirted marine wax in there decades ago as a way of doing an "action job."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top