Cheap Cleaning Alternatives?

[AKElroy]

I have gone through 2 bottles of gun scrubber in two weeks. At $12 a pop, I am hoping for a cheap alternative for oil / grease removal. Also-- I have seen some posts claiming Mobile -1 for lubrication & rust prevention; anyone using this?

 

[Dienekes]

Brake cleaner; Ed's Red for bore cleaner; any "oil, light lubricating" for oil. Only really special item I have ever found I needed was a proper grease for M1/M1A/M14 rifles.

Who buys all that other stuff?

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I just use good ol hoppes #9. The smell alone is worth it

 

[hadmanysons]

2 bottles. How much are you shooting? I've only run out of one bottle of stuff and I bought it when I got into shooting. 8 YEARS AGO

+1 on the Hoppes 9 and I do like Break Free CLP.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

are you using it on guns, or an undercarriage? Cleaning is WAY over rated, chill out a little. If it is an AK, as I assume from your name, don't even bother, just hose it off every once in a while then dry it and oil it.

 

[Mr.510]

I use brake cleaner if a gun is really gross, like after putting 500 rounds of Magtech through my .45 in a day (won't buy that again!). Otherwise, I use Break Free CLP with a brush and patches. One problem with Gun Scrubber and/or brake cleaner is that it will get ALL the oil residue out of everywhere. When I used it on my PPK/S I had to put a drop of oil on the rear sight and let it "soak in" so it got underneath, otherwise the dovetail would rust after a couple days. I follow the advice of the guys on the AK forum and clean my Saiga .308 every 1000 rounds.... whether it needs it or not.

 

[beatcop]

Dirt cheap? Kerosene? Mineral spirits? You may catch yourself on fire, but you'll save a couple bucks.

 

[DHJenkins]

The cheapest alternative is to not "speed clean" it. A bottle of Hoppe's goes a long way.

 

[jcwit]

Kerosene with a little tranny fluid added. Use just a little common sense with it, takes a real ditz to catch oneself on fire. But hey, everyonce in a while I hear of someone blowing themselves up at a gas pump, or filling their hot lawnmower.

 

[Marcus5aurelius]

Easiest way to clean an AK with hoppes number 9 is just with a few qtips and a bore snake. I shoot corrosive ammo and I've never had a problem with rust. It's built to not even need a cleaning anyway.

 

[Daniel1120]

Hoppes #9 and Mobil 1 15 50 for me. No compaints.

 

[CoRoMo]

I use Mobil 1 and will forevermore.

 

[lesterg3]

If you are shooting a 1000 rounds a day you are doing OK.

But I doubt that you are doing that. I am not trying to be offensive, but I think you are taking the cleaning thing to a whole new level of absurdity.

Please list what you are shooting (rifles, handguns), he number of rounds typically used, and your frequency of shooting days, and then ask for advice based on your usage.

Not intended to offend, but we need more facts.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Dawn dishwashing liquid and lots of hot water!

 

[Brian Dale]

I use brake cleaner or carb cleaner to replace the Gun Scrubber brand for my initial cleanings of some used guns. Be sure to use serious eye and skin protection when using any of them. As mentioned above, it's important to protect all metal surfaces against moisture again, right away after using these effective degreasers.

For normal cleaning of powder residue, I use Hoppe's, with brushes, pipe cleaners and torn up scraps from worn out cotton clothing. I've sometimes used Break-Free CLP for cleaning when I was out of Hoppe's.

Ed's Red is great.

I use specialized copper solvents as appropriate in center fire rifle bores.

I lubricate and protect metal surfaces with automatic transmission fluid, or Mobil 1, or Break-Free CLP.

Here's a link to Grant Cunningham's Lubricants 101.

Edited to add information about grease: I use CRC Sta-Lube Synthetic Brake & Caliper Grease, with molybdenum disulfide, graphite and PTFE, in the appropriate places on semi-autos. A 12-oz. tub of it was about eighteen bucks when I bought it two years ago. It's relatively expensive grease, but I apply the stuff with a toothpick and it's going to last me for a very long time.

Note: I've read bad things about graphite causing corrosion on aluminum. I've no first hand knowledge of that, but I suggest that you do your research before using anything with graphite on an alloy firearm.

 

[ATAShooter]

Watch the brake and carb cleaner on plastics and polyurathane or laquer finishes on wood. It will melt the hell out of it. Use it on metal only.

 

[Davionmaximus]

One bottle of CLP mixed with a quart of denatured mineral spirits. Pour into a container and clean your guns. When you get done.... simply strain it back through a coffee filter in a funnel back into your holding jug.
I use this method and have to buy a bottle of CLP once every 6 months or so. I clean guns every few weeks...but when I do I usually do at least four or more.
There is very little smell, so the added bonus to this is my wife will sometimes help me clean.

 

[Flame Red]

Google Ed's Red. I use the following mix: 2 Gallons of Oderless Mineral Sprits, 1 Gallon of Kerosene, 2 Quarts of Tranny Fluid.

I have mine in an auto parts washer, but you can use a bucket and soak your guns. I once used a plastic bucket from the pool store. You just gotta be careful that it seals well and that the mix won't eat thru the plastic.

 

[CWL]

Brake cleaner is Gunscrubber. It is formulated to remove carbon build-up and degrease all in one step.

Still under $4 hereabouts.

As for lubes, one bottle of any brand should last you a long long time. It if doesn't, you are using way too much.

 

[bluetopper]

I have a plastic tub and give my guns a good soaking and cleaning in diesel. Wonderful, economical soot cleaner & degreaser. Cleans bores like new. Very safe too. Diesel is actually a very light weight oil.
Just enough in a tub to immerse a pistol is good for several gun cleanings.

Been doing it for years. Won't harm finishes either.

 

[DHJenkins]

I've been turning wrenches for quite a while and never thought to use motor oil. I still won't, but I'm surprised I never considered it.

 

[AKElroy]

If you are shooting a 1000 rounds a day you are doing OK.

But I doubt that you are doing that. I am not trying to be offensive, but I think you are taking the cleaning thing to a whole new level of absurdity.

Please list what you are shooting (rifles, handguns), he number of rounds typically used, and your frequency of shooting days, and then ask for advice based on your usage.

Not intended to offend, but we need more facts.

I had a bottle that lasted several years, maybe 1/4 left, drained the rest blasting crud out of a detail stripped Glock slide last Saturday. 10 years & I had never done more than field stripped that Glock, and I was getting FTF's due to sludge in the firing pin channel. I am sure I went overboard, but I had enough in the bowl to soak the little bits. The second bottle I drained cleaning cosmo off a Yugo I purchased two years ago and have yet to fire. I am sure that statement will start a whole new level of conversation. I know their are cheaper was to de-cosmo, but it was working SO GOOD I just kept going until it was gone. So, in the interest of full disclosure, I used 1 1/4 bottles in the last two weeks.

 

[Brian Dale]

10 years & I had never done more than field stripped that Glock

Then you're doing fine.

I'll attest to the fact that it's a delight to find something that cuts Cosmo, and that the urge is just to keep going. To summarize, then, w/r/t your original post:

At $12 a pop, I am hoping for a cheap alternative for oil / grease removal.

CRC brake cleaner: on sale for as little as $2 a can. If you're also a shotgunner, the chlorinated kind cuts plastic hull residue faster than the "eco-friendly" un-chlorinated kind, but they'll both work. Protect your eyes and your skin well when you're using this stuff (outdoors).

Also-- I have seen some posts claiming Mobile -1 for lubrication & rust prevention; anyone using this?

I do. And Automatic Transmission Fluid: the "ATF" that everybody likes.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Dawn dishwashing liquid and lots of hot water!

+1. That's what I do. I stopped buying cleaners about a year ago. They smell odd and give me a headache. From now on, I go "organic". Water and soap. Then some RemOil.

 

[jon_in_wv]

+1 on the Mobile 1. It works great. For long term storage I use Birchwood Casey Barricade. I also use Hoppe's #9 for the bore and any tough stuff the Mobile 1 doesn't clean off. The Mobile 1 seems to penetrate the metal and make it really slippery. Most gunk wipes right off.