Gun care supplies getting scarce?

[DustyGmt]

Makes me wish I stocked up on Rem oil spray and those disposable wipes.

Also, rem oil sucks. Sorry. It says with teflon but it's basically just mineral spirits with a very chintzy amount of actual protectant. It's no good. Superlube, which is cheaper and can be found at auto zone or automotive supply, and isnt on the gun care shelf so alot of people dont know about it is some of the best lube and it's really cheap and loaded with ptfe

 

[lightman]

I have not noticed but since you posted about it, it makes sense. Lots of new gun owners and lots of old gun owners not wanting to run out of supplies.

I buy most of my cleaning supplies from Sinclair. Bore solvent by the quart and patches by the 500 or 1000 count bag. Kind of like the way my Wife buys toilet paper and household cleaning supplies.

 

[Elkins45]

I hope to live long enough to use up half the bore brushes, patches and solvent I have in my basement.

 

[welldoya]

I bought a gallon of Breakfree CLP off Amazon about 5 years ago so I’m good.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I'd say it's two-fold.

New to market owners stocking-up excessively.

Existing gun owners walking in to buy one-somethin'.... finding out the store is out of it and rather subconsciously or reflexively buying any other somethin' that serves gun ownership.

To make that clearer - I have actually seen this scenario several times in California:

After a fella waits in line sometimes for hours to get into a Ma&Pa shop only to find ZERO guns or ammo they were looking for: "Well, let's see, what DO you have that I can buy?"

Todd.

 

[Aim1]

It's Christmas!!!!
Gun cleaning supplies are a common gift. Shouldn't be a surprise.

Stuff was low way before then.

 

[Scooter22]

Thanks for pointing out that I was whining vs just asking a simple question. I had no idea. Since I am at the low end of the income spectrum I usually just buy what I need at the moment for gun care and replace them when they get low. Which I cannot now.

Also, thanks for being a thoughtful member of the THR community that shares insightful information with us all /sarcasm

Happy to help. This OMG "I can't find it" shortage posts are getting old.

 

[DoubleMag]

''Over the last 2 days I've noticed the amount and variety of gun cleaning supplies being low at Wal Mart , Bass Pro, and Academy...
...Has anyone else noticed this?''

No I have not and WalM***s here is CHOCKED FULL of firearms cleaning stuff, even after my ''raid''.

They STILL have...

Lots of string.
Nails, cloth.
Spray auto cleaners, oil. Actually several varieties of oils, spray oil, tube lube oil, quarts of oil. Various greases.



I have to go now, I'm going to make some ''Hillbilly gun cleaning kits''

 

[db_tanker]

Time to look up that recipe for Ed's Red.

 

[daniel craig]

I use Mobile 10W-30, old cotton tee shirts for patches, and old tooth brushes to clean my guns.

Nothing fancy needed, except some Hopps #9 and I’ve got probably half a gallon left.

Agreed. Most of that stuff they sell for gun cleaning seems rather gimmicky to me anyway. Dish soap and water (commence the pear clutching about water on metal). Water, being polar, is the universal solvent and blue dawn dish soap works magic.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

Over the last 2 days I've noticed the amount and variety of gun cleaning supplies being low at Wal Mart , Bass Pro, and Academy.

Very little to no Remington products (which makes sense with the bankruptcy), but other brands were low as well.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Nope, especially considering how few people clean or even know how to clean their guns after firing. My gunsmith friend makes a lot of money cleaning other people's guns.

 

[dekibg]

Happy to help. This OMG "I can't find it" shortage posts are getting old.

This is what we all need to do :
Start a new buying frenzy of cleaning supplies - the ammo and gun buying ones are not enough . Let’s clear any leftover of cleaners, oils and patches bc someone noticed that for the last 2 days his local store is low on these. And while we are at it, let’s clear shelves of carry holsters and range targets as well - anything that is “gun related” . Then move on to Autozone , Ace Hardware etc. and get everything that could be used as a substitute ...

 

[daniel craig]

Also, rem oil sucks. Sorry. It says with teflon but it's basically just mineral spirits with a very chintzy amount of actual protectant. It's no good. Superlube, which is cheaper and can be found at auto zone or automotive supply, and isnt on the gun care shelf so alot of people dont know about it is some of the best lube and it's really cheap and loaded with ptfe

It got a few of our 240B up and running again after hard use when CLP wasn’t cutting it. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate it.

 

[daniel craig]

Nope, especially considering how few people clean or even know how to clean their guns after firing. My gunsmith friend makes a lot of money cleaning other people's guns.

Thought about doing this as a side business. Need to get my FFl to take in other peoples guns though.

 

[DustyGmt]

It got a few of our 240B up and running again after hard use when CLP wasn’t cutting it. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate it.

I bet it lubricates with the best of em, but it burns off my BCG pretty fast and as far as preserve and protect, not so good. Was this a long time ago? They might have used a better formula back when, idk.

 

[daniel craig]

I bet it lubricates with the best of em, but it burns off my BCG pretty fast and as far as preserve and protect, not so good. Was this a long time ago? They might have used a better formula back when, idk.

2013-14

 

[Buzznrose]

I buy all my metal cleaning stuff from my local ORielleys Auto Parts store. They carry plenty of products that will maintain (clean and lube) machinery, guns are not much different.

They also carry Lucas gun care products...their gun lubes and CLP are excellent and priced pretty good.

Or order some Ballistol...I always keep some on hand: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ballistol&ref=bl_dp_s_web_2582848011

Ballistol is a bit pricy but it's proven itself to be an outstanding concoction since WW1!

 

[DustyGmt]

I buy all my metal cleaning stuff from my local ORielleys Auto Parts store. They carry plenty of products that will maintain (clean and lube) machinery, guns are not much different.

They also carry Lucas gun care products...their gun lubes and CLP are excellent and priced pretty good.

Or order some Ballistol...I always keep some on hand: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ballistol&ref=bl_dp_s_web_2582848011

Ballistol is a bit pricy but it's proven itself to be an outstanding concoction since WW1!

I like ballistol pretty good. It, like the rem oil burns off way faster than Breakfree or Superlube but I like it when I dont have an extra pair of gloves because it's pretty much non toxic for skin contact. BP and Muzzleloader guys seem to love it, one of the shops nearby sells alot of ballistol.....

 

[MAKster]

Haven't seen a shortage at all on gun cleaning products. Even if there was all those cleaners and lubes are just standard products that can be found with different brand names at Home Depot or an auto parts store. They call it a gun lube and put it in a tiny bottle at triple the price.

 

[Buzznrose]

I like ballistol pretty good. It, like the rem oil burns off way faster than Breakfree or Superlube but I like it when I dont have an extra pair of gloves because it's pretty much non toxic for skin contact. BP and Muzzleloader guys seem to love it, one of the shops nearby sells alot of ballistol.....

Superlube is excellent for slides and AR BCG's. Always available at Walmart, Lowes, etc.

WD-40 Rust Preventative is another great can of stuff to keep handy for lots of uses...

 

[Buzznrose]

I like ballistol pretty good. It, like the rem oil burns off way faster than Breakfree or Superlube but I like it when I dont have an extra pair of gloves because it's pretty much non toxic for skin contact. BP and Muzzleloader guys seem to love it, one of the shops nearby sells alot of ballistol.....

Lots of black powder shooters use Ballistol in water (moose milk) to clean muzzle loaders.

After one of the bad hurricane several years back, I read about a guy who had a machine shop that had been submerged in salt water. During the aftermath when he first went back and started trying to clean up, he placed a lot of machine tools and dies in plastic bins, flushed them with fresh water, filled the bins with fresh water, and added a few bottles of ballistol. I guess it saved a bunch of tools from rusting.

 

[Buzznrose]

Lots of black powder shooters use Ballistol in water (moose milk) to clean muzzle loaders.

After one of the bad hurricane several years back, I read about a guy who had a machine shop that had been submerged in salt water. During the aftermath when he first went back and started trying to clean up, he placed a lot of machine tools and dies in plastic bins, flushed them with fresh water, filled the bins with fresh water, and added a few bottles of ballistol. I guess it saved a bunch of tools from rusting.

Found that story on Ballistol...

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-corrosion-ballistol-a-survival-story.751644/

 

[DustyGmt]

Found that story on Ballistol...

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-corrosion-ballistol-a-survival-story.751644/

Very interesting thread. Some of the replies rather annoyed me, one guy just seemed bent on vetting the guys story like he fabricated his losses and place of residence. Other than that, very cool story. I know I'd be a wreck if my tools were destroyed, let alone my house. I'll have to try that ballistol solution on some of the left for dead, rusty tools that are kicking around.

 

[Buzznrose]

I'll have to try that ballistol solution on some of the left for dead, rusty tools that are kicking around.

I don’t think Ballistol took off rust, I think it prevented the tools that were submerged in the ballistol water mix from rusting.

 

[bearcreek]

Thanks for pointing out that I was whining vs just asking a simple question. I had no idea. Since I am at the low end of the income spectrum I usually just buy what I need at the moment for gun care and replace them when they get low. Which I cannot now.

I'll assume, given your description of your financial situation, that you're not dealing with any particularly old or "fine" firearms. You can get set up with all the gun care consumables you'll need for "tool" type firearms for quite a few years for under $20 and there's no need to buy anything that says anything about firearms on the packaging. A quart of synthetic engine oil, bottle of carb cleaner and a couple sheets from Salvation army or Goodwill and you're good to go. If you want to spend a bit extra, I suggest getting one of these, https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...e-gun-oil/10875/5628445?q=lucas+gun+oil&pos=0 Nothing particularly special about the oil that I've been able to tell but the bottle is awesome and can be refilled many times from your quart of engine oil.