CLP Gun Cleaning Products

The drill I like is cleaning parts with Breakfree CLP aerosol. For lubing/protection, I like M Pro 7 liquid.

For bores it is hard to beat Hoppes #9 and that is what I use in that application.

Oro said:

The drill I like is cleaning parts with Breakfree CLP aerosol. For lubing/protection, I like M Pro 7 liquid.

For bores it is hard to beat Hoppes #9 and that is what I use in that application.

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I used to think that about Hoppes. Not so much anymore.

Hoppes is easy to beat. Off the top of my head I can say that both the M Pro 7 you mention and BF CLP is better. Butch's Bore Shine is way better.

Hoppes has been around a very long time. Lots of gun guys use it because their daddies and grand daddies used it. They've never considered that other products that are available today might be better. IMO #9 is just barely adequate.

Each to his own of course.

CLP's only for cleaning, a proper lube for lubrication (slip ewl has been awesome), and sweets 7.62, or Butch's Bore shine for copper and lead removal.

CLP works great for me I would try something else but I have two gallons of the stuff bought it real real cheap $20 a gallon I think. I think even as much as I shoot I'm sure it's a lifetime supply

I can't really compare anything to G96 CLP because I've never tried it, but it does meet the same MIL-PRF standard as Break-Free CLP, for what it's worth (not a particularly challenging performance standard in today's world). That doesn't mean that they're the same, of course, but they were designed with the same or similar specs in mind, so it's interesting that Break-Free is currently the runaway winner in the poll. Maybe it is a lot better at cleaning, but only those who have tried both can say with any conviction. I haven't used either in my guns, so that's all I have to say about that.

Currently I use Weapon Shield CLP to clean, lube certain moving parts (rarely and sparely), and protect the bore. I use Weapon Shield Grease to lube the slide (takes extremely little for that) and protect against corrosion (smear on, wipe off--seems to protect as well as Eezox but without all the nasty chemicals and their odors). The grease is optional and is a personal preference for grease over oil--WS CLP also lubricates extremely well, and is better than average at corrosion protection (albeit not as good as the grease in this regard). WS CLP may not be the best general cleaner, being a somewhat heavy lubricating oil rather than a solvent, but after you use it for a while, the gun seems to become easier to clean. I haven't used a strong solvent in months, and hundreds of rounds (maybe more than a thousand) later, my defensive pistol's bore is still shiny with no scrubbing and not many patches needed. Whenever there has been some bad metal fouling (seems to depend on the ammo), I've used Bore Tech Eliminator, which does a pretty thorough job of breaking the gunk down and getting everything squeaky clean with minimal hassle. By the way, all of these products are non-toxic and safe to use indoors without anybody screaming at you because of the smell.

Regarding Ballistol, the last entry in your poll, it's actually pretty good at cleaning even the heavy stuff, but it might take some time to start working, as well as a little effort. As a general everyday cleaner, it works fine in my limited experience, and several people have compared it favorably against both Hoppes No. 9 and Break-Free CLP in this regard. As a lube it seems to do the job well enough (I've used it on some squeaky hinges with great success), and it will also protect against corrosion. I haven't used it much, mostly experimentation, but plenty of people swear by it once they've tried it, and I think it's good enough to use exclusively (as is Weapon Shield CLP). It's also non-toxic, being composed of pharmaceutical-grade white mineral oil, oleic acid (a base component of olive oil and a number of other plant-based oils), several different types of alcohol, and a few natural essential oils.

Another product that may interest you if you prefer strong cleaning properties in a CLP is Gunzilla. I've only played around with it a little bit thus far, but it seems to have solvent properties and really cuts through crud. I'm always wary of products that have an unknown composition, but it seems to be a vegetable oil fortified with cleaning and dry lubrication additives, and is supposed to be non-toxic. If you believe the testimonials, it's apparently had a good deal of success on the battlefield (Weapon Shield CLP as well), being greatly preferred over the G96 or Break-Free CLPs. It's thin and kind of makes everything feel greasy even when it's mostly dry, which I guess helps under very dirty conditions (you can also wipe Weapon Shield CLP off, and it still seems to keep lubricating for a while).

By the way, you could probably get free samples of Weapon Shield and Gunzilla if you write to their owners/inventors:

http://www.steelshieldtech.com/mainpage/contact-information-.html
http://www.topduckproducts.com/index.php?main_page=contact_us

I use a combination of solvents and lubes to clean my guns. But CLP Breakfree is my favorite oil, I use it on everything. I also like their CLP foaming bore cleaner.

On my bores I use a combo of CLP foaming bore cleaner and Hoppes #9.

For cleaning I use Mil-Comm MC25 because its safe on just about every finish, and not highly toxic.

For lube I either use MC25 grease, CLP Breakfree, or automatenfett, depending on the application.

CLP on everything.

Maybe once a year I'll use Hoppes #9 on a barrel.

I use BF CLP to clean the gun and to protect the metal from rusting as well as lube things like the trigger assy. I use Hoppes #9 and a bronze brush to clean the bore followed by dry patches. Once the patches come out clean (Clean enough, I'm to anal about it being spotless) I use a patch wet with CLP followed by a dry patch to remove any excess. I use Tetra gun grease on the slide. There are a million ways to clean a gun correctly as well as a million products that will do the job. I use these products because that is what I like best, for a number or reasons, but that is not to say that these products are the only "Right" way to clean a gun. I believe that in the end, this will be the general consensus of the group when this question is asked here, or elsewhere.

The new Hoppes is not the same as your dad's Hoppes.
I use Ed's Red for bores and general cleaning, and CLP for lubing.

mbopp - Not doubting you are right (Besides my dad never had any guns lol) but can you tell me what is so differant between the stuff we can buy today and the stuff "My dad" used? When did they change the formulation? Is the new stuff inferior to the older stuff? Thanks for any info.

I use Hoppe's because it gets the lead out.

I use Hoppes 9 to clean
Break-Free Sports to lube
Birchwood Casey Barricade rust prevent in bore & light coat on all metal.
I have had guns in safe at least 2 years--NO RUST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I bought a handgun around 4 years ago the salesman convinced me to try G96. It was supposed to be superior to Break-Free in every single aspect, or at least they told me so. I hate to denigrate any product, but G96 Gun Treatment did not even come close to living up to its billing and was one of the more expensive CLP type products I've ever bought. G96 makes several claims. Some of them the product did meet, others it did not at all:

"Cleans Your Gun: Contains solvents which will completely remove all traces of rust, gun powder, leading, and corrosion in seconds."

To put it mildly, it did not do anything about leading and corrosion, not to mention it didn't remove rust. It had no more effect on rust than the rag I used would have had by itself. It did work well as a solvent for the usual powder and carbon fouling, however.

"Lubricates Your Gun: Contains lubricants which will not freeze, oxidize, or evaporate (the result of missile research). Leaves no gummy residue. Keeps firing pin and all moving parts working as low as -50F below zero; insures perfect firing every time."

It does all of the things listed in the paragraph above, but you'll notice that adequate lubrication isn't among them. Mainly because G96 doesn't do it. I've noticed more wear while using G96 as an oil than with anything else.

That's the product's largest shortcoming, in my opinion, and it's a fatal one.

"Protects Your Gun: Leaves invisible magnetic film over all metal parts which protects your gun against rust under all weather conditions, even salt water spray. Protects frequently handled guns against "fingerprint" damage."

This is just my opinion, but anything which "leaves invisible magnetic film over all metal parts" is likely snake oil. That isn't to say I think G96 is useless for preventing rust, in fact I've found it to work well for that purpose. But it doesn't work any better than other products which do not have the magical magnetic film.

"It just works better!"

Better than what? Compared to its direct competition, Break-Free CLP, G96 is not very good. It's also more expensive.

I'm sorry to the G96 company, but there isn't anything G96 Gun Treatment can do that Break-Free CLP does not do better. And with the Break-Free product being much less expensive, there is no question to which product I will continue to buy.

In the category of smell and fumes, however, I will give G96 the nod without hesitation. It smells exactly like eggnog!

I don't use any of those to clean. My cleaning solvents are Ed's Red (go-to cleaner), followed by Shooter's Choice or Montana Extreme if needed for copper fouling.

I find Breakfree CLP to be a very good lubricant, but much too expensive and messy to use as a cleaner.

They've never considered that other products that are available today might be better.

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Hoppes #9 has performed perfectly for me for just over 40 years. I see no need for anything "better".

jimmyraythomason - There was mention from a fellow member that the Hoppes#9 you use today is differant fromt he stuff you used to get years ago. Have you noticed any differance in the formulation? Does it work as well today as it did years ago? Thanks for your input.

Have you noticed any differance in the formulation? Does it work as well today as it did years ago?

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I have never paid any attention to it's formulation. It works and smells the same today as it ever has(at least since I bought my first bottle in 1968). I used it yesterday as a matter of fact. I am very happy with the results I get so I don't spend time looking for replacements for what is already doing the job. Is it the best? Don't know, cant say, dont care. I will use brake cleaner on really tough junk. and hot soapy water for complete breakdown cleanings but for routine,after range time, cleaning it's Hoppes#9.

Might have been referring to Hoppes Elite cleaner.This stuff is an outstanding metal cleaner.

Maybe I'm lazy and need to pay more attention, but I have never really noticed much difference in any of the products.

#9, BreakFree, ProShot, etc, etc, etc....all do the job for me just fine. In my mind they're all pretty much interchangeable. Oil is oil, grease is grease....

LeLynn

I see you are questioning everyone else on their opinion..... Why don't you tell us your operation? Everyone obviously has their own SOP's but I wanna know your 1st.

The Dove

Just for kicks why not give Weapon Shield a try. I like it a lot for a CLP.

+1 for Weapon Shield. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=830592

I took a break from using it on my M&P for about a month (shoot about 200 to 300 rounds a month) and went back to Breakfree because I can get it locally. Used Weapon Shield after my final Breakfree cleaning and found the barrel to still have quite a buildup. Than sold me on Weapon Shield.

Dave