Cleaning and lubricating

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AJC1

AJC1

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I really wonder why everybody gets caught up by all the advertisement and spends tons of money for specialized cleaners and lubricants. I submit in most cases mineral spirits and mineral oil is all you really need. There are special cases like carbon ring that require a scrubbing paste or leading in your Barrel or removing copper fouling but 99% of all cleaning could be done for pennies instead of dollars. Why are high dollar cleaners and lubricants so popular???
 
Because most of the newer solvents work, it's not hype.

I prefer Boretech products, they actually use science to get all that crud out of your firearms. Plus their products are 100% non hazardous, no foul fumes...

Their Eliminator solvent is a surfactant that gets under the carbon and copper fouling. This makes it easier to clean the barrel and without having to use a bore brush. Let it sit for a few minutes and run a jag through your barrel. This only needs to be done a couple times to have your barrel wiped clean.

I could go on but everyone needs to do their own research to figure out what works best for them.
 
Well where I live we have cold winters and mineral oil will gum up. If you have copper fouling from jacketed bullets you need something to dissolve the copper or you'll be brushing forever. I,d rather have a chemical do it instead of all the wear from brushing. Old saying thats true. "More guns have been worn out from over cleaning than shooting". I like Hoppes #9 for cleaning and G96 complete gun spray. Guns are kinda expensive so I want something that works. jmho
 
Soap and warm water work great for cleaning up certain firearms. Wouldn't us it for auntique one's. If that doesn't work good old breakfree clp. Copper and lead fouling takes something more.
 
JTHunter said:
AJC1 - BE CAREFUL. Mineral spirits can damage the finish on any wood on your firearms. It MAY not be good for the polymers so frequently found on modern guns.
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Considering it's the base to almost every current cleaning agent, they all have the same limitations. My glock swims in the stuff zero issues
 
AJC1 said:
I really wonder why everybody gets caught up by all the advertisement and spends tons of money for specialized cleaners and lubricants. I submit in most cases mineral spirits and mineral oil is all you really need. There are special cases like carbon ring that require a scrubbing paste or leading in your Barrel or removing copper fouling but 99% of all cleaning could be done for pennies instead of dollars. Why are high dollar cleaners and lubricants so popular???
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i use Hoppe's bore cleaner, and i use Weapon Shield oil for most of my guns, my new Remington R 1911 recommends that i use Rem oil, which i already had (not too sure if someday i will switch that over to Weapon Shield), then i use, Mineral oil (food grade) as a light oiling of the frame/slide. (gunblue490?) had recommend as using for preserving the finish.

i still have Hoppe's oil as well.

i will stick with oils/lubes made specifically for guns.

sorry, but i just do not believe in using motor oil, and i clean and lube my gun(s) each time i return from the range. i don not care if that is excessive, or OCD, or whatever else, it's what I DO.

i personally will NOT use mineral spirits for cleaning any of my guns.

with the small (and mounting) investment that i have in my guns, i want products made SPECIFICALLY to clean and lube them.
 
Meeks36 said:
Soap and warm water work great for cleaning up certain firearms. Wouldn't us it for auntique one's. If that doesn't work good old breakfree clp. Copper and lead fouling takes something more.
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Soap and water is used more on black powder antiques than anything else. I dont shoot black because of its requirements
 
buddyd157 said:
i use Hoppe's bore cleaner, and i use Weapon Shield oil for most of my guns, my new Remington R 1911 recommends that i use Rem oil, which i already had (not too sure if someday i will switch that over to Weapon Shield), then i use, Mineral oil (food grade) as a light oiling of the frame/slide. (gunblue490?) had recommend as using for preserving the finish.

i still have Hoppe's oil as well.

i will stick with oils/lubes made specifically for guns.

sorry, but i just do not believe in using motor oil, and i clean and lube my gun(s) each time i return from the range. i don not care if that is excessive, or OCD, or whatever else, it's what I DO.

i personally will NOT use mineral spirits for cleaning any of my guns.

with the small (and mounting) investment that i have in my guns, i want products made SPECIFICALLY to clean and lube them.
Click to expand...
Watch more gunblue. The arasaka restoration may change your mind.
 
AJC1 said:
Soap and water is used more on black powder antiques than anything else. I dont shoot black because of its requirements
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I knew about black powder but not about cleaning antiques. Don't own any. Maybe in the future.
 
AJC1 said:
Watch more gunblue. The arasaka restoration may change your mind.
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just watched parts of part 1 and part 2. other wise, each video is over 30 minutes long.

i will stick to Hoppe's, and my other products.
 
Outlaw75 said:
And you don't really need soap. I've done many a cleaning on a repop Enfield musket that I used to own with just boiling water.
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Same here. So hot the barrel burns your hands. Is the perfect temperature.

On the cleaning side. Copper rarely needs removed. But I use a solvent on it when it does.
I like ATF after Brake parts cleaner on metal parts. This is for removing carbon and other crud. ATF doesn't attract water like engine oil.
 
Cleaned many a firearm with plain old soap and water and almost as many with just water.

But to answer your question: because capitalism DEPENDS on people buying stuff whether they need it or not. Thus, lots of money is put into marketing so that people are fooled into being good little capitalists and making other people money.
 
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Hoppes 9 solvent, and whatever oil is at hand, usually motor oil (and cheap motor oil is fine). I do, however, like the Hoppes gun oil, because it's in nice little squirt bottles that I can place here and there so they're handy when I need them, and also because it DOESN'T STINK. No smell at all, really, which is a huge plus for me.

I still have some Outer's gun oil. It works fine, but holy crap, that stuff smells horrible. And when you get it on your hands, the smell is nearly impossible to wash off.
 
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Most guys on gun cleaning topics who say that they use only "Hoppe's" don't seem to specify whether they mean the strong, #9 bore cleaner, or do they mostly mean the lubricating Oil?

My latest product is Ballistol, a CLP, because the Seal One "gel" I had been using totally liquified in the hot car, very runny, but Never returned to a gel when inside the house for months. And their home office never responded to my e-mail about this.
And despite the compromises inherent in any all-in-one product, Ballistol is non-toxic.
 
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While I generally agree with the OP premise, and the cheap generics will "do", I prefer to buy and use the products because I think they have specific advantages that are worth paying the extra price. For example, a product like Rem Action Cleaner. Yes, I could use almost any petroleum-based solvent on dirty metal gun parts. But the pressurized aerosol makes the Action Cleaner just so damn convenient and effective.
 
wiscoaster said:
While I generally agree with the OP premise, and the cheap generics will "do", I prefer to buy and use the products because I think they have specific advantages that are worth paying the extra price. For example, a product like Rem Action Cleaner. Yes, I could use almost any petroleum-based solvent on dirty metal gun parts. But the pressurized aerosol makes the Action Cleaner just so damn convenient and effective.
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That is a great point. I like the convenience of spray some times. The ability to soak my barrel because spirits is cheap is also appealing.
 
Stophel said:
Hoppes 9 solvent, and whatever oil is at hand, usually motor oil (and cheap motor oil is fine). I do, however, like the Hoppes gun oil, because it's in nice little squirt bottles that I can place here and there so they're handy when I need them, and also because it DOESN'T STINK. No smell at all, really, which is a huge plus for me.

I still have some Outer's gun oil. It works fine, but holy crap, that stuff smells horrible. And when you get it on your hands, the smell is nearly impossible to wash off.
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Yeah I still enjoy the smell of #9 no denying that.
 
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