Cleaning and lubricating

[Obturation]

I’ll wager that if you put a bore scope down those barrels you’d get a big surprise.

Bet I wouldn't .

Please tell me where a person would spend this hundreds of dollars you speak of because I’ve not spent more than a few bucks on the best copper and carbon removers.

Solvents, oils, equipment (hornady ultra sonic is over $100 as well as others), brushes , patches and everything else people buy. So yeah, hundred of dollars. Didn't say YOU spent that much but many do.

 

[LocoGringo]

Solvents, oils, equipment (hornady ultra sonic is over $100 as well as others), brushes , patches and everything else people buy. So yeah, hundred of dollars. Didn't say YOU spent that much but many do.

Ultrasonic cleaners can be used for much more than just cleaning guns. All the cheap and fancy solvents in the world won't get .22 suppressor baffles clean without a lot of help. I'm not trying to say that's what everyone uses them for, but they have other uses than just cleaning firearms.

And the OP was referencing solvents and lubes specifically. You got sidetracked.

 

[wiscoaster]

Edit to add: Looks like gunblue is a sucker too since he has Hoppe's no. 9 on his shelf behind him.

Me, too. Hoppe's #9 in my gun cleaning products box.

 

[JFrank]

Bet I wouldn't .

Solvents, oils, equipment (hornady ultra sonic is over $100 as well as others), brushes , patches and everything else people buy. So yeah, hundred of dollars. Didn't say YOU spent that much but many do.

Teslong bore scopes are under a hundred bucks, try one then you’ll know

 

[Obturation]

Teslong bore scopes are under a hundred bucks, try one then you’ll know

My friend has one, I've inspected for leading and other deposits on different occasions, no problem.
Even if deposits are present but accuracy is unaffected , it's no big deal.
I don't shoot many jacketed bullets so copper isn't an issue for me and lead & fouling come out with a little choreboy. I'm sure other people's needs are different than my own but for me everything's working fine as it has for years.

 

[Riomouse911]

I’m not married to one particular oil or solvent, I’ll occasionally try something new. I read about Slip2000 EWL by Pat Rogers so I have that a try. It worked very well on full-auto M-4 and Mp5s at work for the years I was primary rangemaster/trainer on the SRT team (I stepped down when I hit 51, it’s a younger mans game). I still have some on the shelf.

Recently I have been using the Lucas Oil stuff to see if it works. Both of these lubricants I really like. The Lucas stuff is pretty thick so it stays in place but I can see where it may thicken a lot if its really, really cold. If I was going to the frozen climates to hunt I’d wipe it off and use the Slip2000. There is even a small bottle I was given of “Red oil” from an armorer friend with a military background; a mix of ATF, STP, 30W motor oil and Hoppes #9. It works well, but I’m not needing a gallon of it so I’m not going to go through the hassle of making it.

https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/gunlube-for-the-masses-red-oil/78257

Some small oil bottles I bought when out on a trip and I forgot to bring a bit of oil with me, so a pop into a local store landed me the Outers and Tetra Gun.

As for my use of copper solvents, I wasn’t very good with using it for a while. The first time I cleaned my rifles with Hoppes Benchrest, I was amazed at how many blue-green patches came out before I was done. Now this is a chore I do when lots of jacketed or mono metal bullets go down range.

For carbon and general bore-chamber cleaning I’m a Hoppes No. 9 guy, too. I had several smaller bottles and I was given two of the big bottles by people whose Fathers passed away and they were left over. It’ll be years before I need to buy more.

If, and that’s a big if, I want to go all out I’ll use Flitz on revolvers like the chamber mouths and inside of the frame window to remove the carbon rings, etc. I’ll then do an occasional application of Mothers and use a soft cloth to buff/shine stainless revolvers up.



My cleaning/lubrication regimen is my own, I duplicate most all of you at some point and I go my own way at another...so I’ll never slag another guys process if it works for him.... unless WD-40 is involved ...JK.

Stay safe.

 

[AJC1]

Me, too. Hoppe's #9 in my gun cleaning products box.

We all like it and he specifically said he has some because he likes the smell. In the big scheme it's a cheap product compared to some others. I have some as well because it reminds me of time with my dad.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

When I first started carrying a gun in 1995 I got some Hoppe's. Back then I would clean my gun and leave it wet for a day or two. Then I'd punch the tube and the patch would come out GREEN . Then they changed the formula and it didn't draw the copper anymore.

When I was at Ft. Lewis we used Easy Off to clean the tubes of our M198s.

 

[entropy]

Having done it professionally, I will say that some of the things made specifically for cleaning guns may not be more effective than other things, but they are often quicker. An ultrasound setup big enough to put entire barreled actions on considerably speeds up cleaning up even very gunked up guns. That and an air hose. The down side is they are not cheap. For a shop, they are a wise investment, when bench time is money. Before the last shop I worked in bought the brand new long ultrasonic tank, we had a basic shop solvent tank, which worked fairly well, though caked-on carbon would either have to sit in it for some time, or I'd have to use Hoppe's or Sweet's 7.62 Solvent. It slowed things down a lot. With the ultrasonic, I could do 3 shotgun actions at once, and clean the barrels while it was running. It really sped up my piece rate. What tended to slow it down otherwise was I'm a perfectionist, and it takes time to clean all those crooks and nannies, er, nooks and crannies by hand that the ultrasound can strip clean much faster.

In my own shop at home, It's Hoppes and Sweet's 7.62 for solvent's, with Slip 2000 Choke tube cleaner for backup on the really carboned-up stuff, Break Free CLP for lube on the AR's and my 1100, Slip 2000 EWL in the little nooks and crannies I don't always get into, and either basic bearing grease or TW-25B for grease where needed. Kroil and/or PB Blaster for uncooperative parts. I have a few other things that have accumulated over the years, though I've been giving them to my sons and friends now and then. I take my sweet old time working on guns at home. I'm working on a Win. 97 for SWMBO's uncle currently, and while waiting for parts I lavished some much needed attention on the stock, buttplate, and all those little nooks and crannies that fill with gunk over the years.

 

[Ignition Override]

The link won't insert.
Youtube: "Guns, weapons and Girls gun cleaning". Entertaining, almost humorous.
* And 'easy on the eyes'.

"Non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-carcinogenic, made in the USA 'love that!'...non-odorous..."
I might also try whatever gun product She tries....and incidentally she is an Army veteran.

 

[Walkalong]

Slip2000 EWL ........... Lucas Oil ........ Both of these lubricants I really like

Me too.

 

[AJC1]

Me too.

What's that slip2000 about. Is it a lug oil or just regular lube

 

[entropy]

https://www.slip2000.com/
They have whatever you need.

 

[John Joseph]

Among my extended family, there is a S&W revolver purchased in 1895, an Iver Johnson shotgun purchased in 1914, and a German Luger from 1920. All have been maintained using old school Nitro Solvents (Hoppe's or Outers,) generic gun oil and, where required, ubiquitous Gun Slick grease.
They are 100 years old or older.
The last time I was privileged to inspect them, they all went bang, exhibited no rust, and looked great.
Sadly, such cannot be said for my ancestors, their original owners.

I'll stick with what has been proven.

 

[JFrank]

Hobo Oil is the newest craze, great stuff developed by Bryant Houge (aka Group Therapy ) sold at Brunos

 

[Mark1964]

If you're doing your part, mineral spirits and mineral oil will take you quite a ways.
So will Hoppe's solvent and Mobil 1, IMO.
That said, if one or more of the super products floats your boat, rock out.
At the end of about 45 years of messing with guns and trying way too many miracle products, I'm more or less of the opinion that what you do and how often (per your own needs and standards) has more to do with the outcomes than the exact products.
If I were to advise a newb, it would be to not slop on the liquids or aerosols, take back out of the gun about 99 percent of what you put in, and finish with a light lubrication.

 

[hdwhit]

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???

Higher Cost must equate to Higher Performance.

Not.

P.T. Barnum once said that there was a sucker born every minute.

He must have been speaking of firearms lubricants.

Pretty much every manufacturer recommends their product be lubricated with "a high quality firearms oil". In the past that meant the familiar 3-in-1 oil or its equivalent. How that morphed into a requirement to use exotic lubricants not recommended by the manufacturer is beyond me.

For generations, people have cleaned their rifles' bores with Hoppe's #9 and then lubricated those bores with a light machine oil. These rifles have been consistently cleaned this way for upwards of half a century and they have generally performed well. Why would we eschew something that has worked flawlessly for half-a-century simply to replace it with something else of unknown (in this country at least) efficacy?

 

[Mk-211]

hdwhit,
You're seeing it, wrong, times changes, things get better. Does 3 in 1 oil work, yes but products advance and are better.

The newer products cost more obviously and you're paying for R & D of these products.

Hoppe's has been a basic bore cleaner and while it removed carbon and oil, it wasn't very good at removing copper deposits. The company that makes it had to come out with an improved product for that.

That product like others contains harsh chemicals that require the user to clean their firearms in a well ventilated area.

Products that have advanced like Boretech are safe to use anywhere. They contain no hazardous chemicals and remove carbon and copper without having to scrub the rifling out of your barrel.

 

[wiscoaster]

Higher Cost must equate to Higher Performance.

Not.

Higher cost == greater convenience.

Convenience, in today's world, where we seem to never have enough time to do all the things we want or need to do, commands (and deserves) a premium, and people are willing to pay it.

 

[AJC1]

Higher cost == greater convenience.

Convenience, in today's world, where we seem to never have enough time to do all the things we want or need to do, commands (and deserves) a premium, and people are willing to pay it.

I truly believe a lot of people think they are way more busy than they really are. If your a reloader you have time. Are some cleaners faster? I would say absolutely. Does this truly impact the amount of time to properly clean I doubt it. The toxicity is an important part and cannot be dismissed. I hope their claims are true because health is important

 

[AJC1]

Hobo Oil is the newest craze, great stuff developed by Bryant Houge (aka Group Therapy ) sold at Brunos

I've seen quite a few threads about the old hobo oil on accurate shooter. Seems like it was the latest craze for a while and people were slapping it on everything to including their press Rams. I didn't jump on that train but I have to admit I was curious. One of the fancier things that has me interested are products with rust inhibitors. I grew up in a desert area that was very dry and rust was not very problematic. I now live in Memphis and if you look at something wrong it's already covered in Rust

 

[wiscoaster]

The toxicity is an important part and cannot be dismissed

Good point. You need to know what's in your product and whether it's toxic. Some of these products I prefer to use only outdoors, where the wind can blow away the overspray. That takes away some of their convenience factor. Sheez, I'm arguing against myself, but it's the truth.

 

[entropy]

Higher Cost must equate to Higher Performance.

Not.

P.T. Barnum once said that there was a sucker born every minute.

He must have been speaking of firearms lubricants.

Pretty much every manufacturer recommends their product be lubricated with "a high quality firearms oil". In the past that meant the familiar 3-in-1 oil or its equivalent. How that morphed into a requirement to use exotic lubricants not recommended by the manufacturer is beyond me.

For generations, people have cleaned their rifles' bores with Hoppe's #9 and then lubricated those bores with a light machine oil. These rifles have been consistently cleaned this way for upwards of half a century and they have generally performed well. Why would we eschew something that has worked flawlessly for half-a-century simply to replace it with something else of unknown (in this country at least) efficacy?

Read post #59. The old methods and lubes still work well, and for those who wish to lavish time and attention on their firearms, that's great. But for the guy who has 6 guns to clean and 1 hour to do so, the new products are worth the difference in price. I usually like to lavish time and attention on the guns I'm working on, whether mine or others'. I don't always have that luxury, unfortunately.

 

[hdbiker]

HOPPE'S #9 and an occasional bore brush. Has worked for me for 50 + years . hdbiker

 

[JFrank]

I've seen quite a few threads about the old hobo oil on accurate shooter. Seems like it was the latest craze for a while and people were slapping it on everything to including their press Rams. I didn't jump on that train but I have to admit I was curious. One of the fancier things that has me interested are products with rust inhibitors. I grew up in a desert area that was very dry and rust was not very problematic. I now live in Memphis and if you look at something wrong it's already covered in Rust

Ha
That’s funny cause I thought I may be the only AS member that hadn’t tried it.
I lived in West Virginia as a young man so I’m somewhat familiar with a bit of rust.