Best CHEAP gun cleaning products

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RichBMW

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...and I mean items that are not specifically made for gun cleaning. My suggestion:
Swisspers Cotton Swabs (Walmart, 500 for $1.99). These are made differently from most cotton swabs. Other swabs can leave lint behind, not a good thing. These, however, are tightly packed and never leave lint behind. So they are great for gun cleaning.
 
those Scott blue shop towels. Man they are awesome. Much better than paper towels, although more expensive.
 
I use 3-in-1 Tool Oil heavily in my cleaning routine. Costs less than half of what "gun oil" does and I've never had a single issue with it.

Other common household items that I use: toothbrushes. The little cheap ones from the dollar store. They wear out over time, but nothing is quite as good at scrubbing the hard to get recesses of gun parts :).
 
Buy new toothbrushes for gun cleaning, even cheap new ones?
Heck no!
Treat yourself to a good new toothbrush, and throw the old one in the cleaning box.

As for gun cleaning solvents & oils?
Don't cheap out on bore cleaning solvents & gun oils.
Get the real thing.

Seriously, how much of that stuff are you going to use in a lifetime??

If you can't afford a bottle of Hoppes #9 every so often, you probably should find some other hobby besides guns & shooting.

rc
 
Don't cheap out on bore cleaning solvents & gun oils.
Get the real thing.

Seriously, how much of that stuff are you going to use in a lifetime??

If you can't afford a bottle of Hoppes #9 every so often, you probably should find some other hobby besides guns & shooting.

There is a whole segment of marketing that focuses on convincing people that they need to spend more money than actually necessary on "the real thing".

Usually you're just slowly bleeding away extra money paying for a label and a slogan ;).
 
I like the blue shop towels, but I haven't tried those particular cotton swabs... I'll have to pick some up. I use Hoppes #9 for almost all of my gun cleaning needs (and a few non-gun related cleaning tasks) and I like hoppes oil too.
 
WD40 for cleaning solvent

Mix 4 parts Automatic Transmission Fluid and 6 parts STP Oil treatment for gun oil

LucasOil Red N Tacky for grease
 
The 3-1/2 B's.....

Brake Cleaner
Butch's Boreshine
Break-Free

Don't be penny-wise/pound-foolish beyond that point
 
Bamboo skewers for picking powder fouling out of the corners of Marlin M60, Ruger Mark II, and similar semiauto receivers, and cleaning extractor cuts in .22 barrels.
 
There is a whole segment of marketing that focuses on convincing people that they need to spend more money than actually necessary on "the real thing".

Usually you're just slowly bleeding away extra money paying for a label and a slogan ;).
Hoppes #9 is so cheap, there's no reason to get anything else. I bought a quart of it (or there abouts) at Bass Pro Shops for like $9.
 
The best CHEAP gun cleaner in my experience is Ed's Red. I mix it without the Acetone. It costs me $0.97 per pint! (16oz) It works great and its origins are grounded in science.

Also, non-chlorinated aerosol Brake Cleaner. Great degreaser/cleaner.
 
Another vote for Ed's Red. I can make a gallon for the price of a quart of Hoppes. Also another vote for brake cleaner.

For patches, I buy discounted flannel at the fabric store by the yard and cut my own. 3 bucks worth of flannel makes a pile of patches. I also cut a 12" or so squares and liberally oil them for gun wipes. I keep my blue handguns wrapped in one in a pistol rug and keep a wipe hanging inside my safe door for general wipe downs of anything I touch.
 
I use sections of paper towel for patches. I vary the size and how I fold them to get a tight fit and just push them through the bore.
 
Mobil one works wonders for cleaning and lubes well without. Attracting a crap load of dust.
josh
 
Oh yea, I use household ammonia to clean my bores after using corrosive ammo. I get the stuff with soap in it.
 
CHEAP?

My $3 Hoppe's (though the brand likely does not matter) silicone gun and reel cloth gets used more than any other cleaning item I own. Probably more than all others combined. It's indispensable, especially if you have wood grips on whatever you are wiping down (since the silicone is safe for woods).

I go through one or two a year, as they eventually get a bit too dirty and frayed/pilled due to heavy use. I think it's the best thing out there for keeping my carry guns sweat- and moisture-free. A great deal at $3 for how much it gets used.
 
+1 for Ed's Red. Recipe available on line, super cheap to make.

Yep. About 8 bucks at wallyworld and 30 minutes later and I had two 1/2 gallon jugs. That was two years ago and I still have a full jug and then some left. And I shoot a good bit.......
 
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