is there a gun cleaner that will "wow" me?

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gofastman

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Pretty much from day one I have been using BF CLP because Its cheap, low toxicity, ok smell, and fairly effective.

I have also tried:
-Outers Nitro Solvent (free with various cleaning kits)
-Shooters Choice Lead Remover (bought it for stubborn lead build up from .22LR's and cast bullets)
-Brake Cleaner (free from my work ;))
-BC Bore Scrubber Foaming Gel
none of the above really leaped out at me as far as effectiveness.


I hear lots of people talking about Hoppies #9 and Kroil, are they really that great or is it just product loyalty?
 
I like a solvent when I want a solvent and a lube when I want a lube. Shooters Choice bore solvent melts carbon away like nothing else...and I've tried a lot.
 
I use Butches Bore Shine. Great stuff, low effort, run a patch and let it sit.

Most of the time three patches and 15 or 20 minutes total and the bore is clean. I never use a bore brush any more.

I use latex gloves with all oils and cleaners. No sense letting whatever seep into your skin.
 
M-Pro 7 cleaner in liquid or gel. And the LPX lube.

Both are: Non toxic. Bio-degradeable. No smell. Lifts lead and most copper without much effort. Five min. or less soak and it raises fouling out of the metal. Takes carbon right off the metal on contact. Melt cosmoline like nothing I've ever seen. Even kills BP fouling on the spot. Heavy copper fouling would require more work, or the M-Pro 7 copper cleaner to speed the process.

Have used this product for over a year now and I am 'Wowed' by it and I'm an old school kind of guy that is not easily impressed either. It's gotta take a lot to get me to say, "Wow! This is good stuff!", but I did with this cleaner, and the LPX lube they make. THe LPX is a good cleaner in it's own right, and is the only lube/protective coating product I use now. May cost a bit more than some, but it is worth it in my book.

Wade
 
I use Butch's and Kroil on all of my firearms, no complaints here. I've used Hoppes for ever, kind of hard to not use something thats been around almost since BP, but on SS revolvers, Butch is hard to beat.
 
Barnes CR 10 really impressed me for copper removal.It is the best I have ever used by far.It does smell kinda bad,and is hard on the fingers too,but it does the job well.
 
A gun cleaner that will "wow" you?

Have your wife clean it in her lingerie!

:D
 
Once she gets trained please send her over. I have a couple that need attention too :)

Hoppe's Elite is either the same or similar to M-Pro 7 depending on who you ask, and is my current favorite general purpose cleaner.
 
thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming!


FWIW, I do have a gun LUBE that is simply fantastic, Amsoil Polymeric Off-Road Grease, NLGI #1 thickness.
I use CLP for most surfaces, the Amsoil grease for high load/high wear parts.

I may try that Hopies Elite stuff, I have read a lot of good about it.

thanks for the suggestion, keep em coming!
 
Ed's Red wows both me and my wallet.
Click to expand...
I just cant imagine this would work better than CLP, does it?
I really dont mind the added cost of a prepackaged product, less mess for me to clean up.
 
My first Mosin had a muddy, nasty, horrible bore, just plain filthy. I used sweets 762, hoppes #9 and a few more bore cleaners. I had ordered some Blue Wonder gun blue to refinish parts, it came w/ a bore cleaner. I tried that and viola it did the job in minutes compared to the other bore cleaners. I use it all the time now and it works great. I love it, the cold blueing stuff isnt that great, but their Blue Wonder cleaner is awesome. It smells good too, non toxic.
 
Google "copper solvent test", and start reading.
You will find a test where KG12 beats the ammonia based solvents like Moe beat Curly Joe.

You may find someone who replicated that test.
 
MPro7 is a really fantastic cleaner and is odorless. It is not a copper solvent, but I find that getting all the other stuff out will take a lot of the copper out anyway. It is also gentle on my skin and does not leave stains.

It degreases like a champ so you need to be on the spot with fresh oil after cleaning.

I did notice that it was eerily similar to formula 409, so I bought a huge bottle of 409 at the grocery store for $2 and it works strangely similar to MPro7.

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."
 
I was wowed by sharp shoot r Wipe Out foaming bore cleaner. I tried it on a gun that I had cleaned with hoppes and it got some more out. Plus it's super easy, just squirt some in the bore, have a beer and watch 3 gun nation, then run a couple patches through it, no brushing.
 
lathedog,

Funny you mention 409. Years ago when doing CW re-enactment stuff, we'd hose our weapons down after a day of blasting blank loads at everything with Fantastic, or 409. It did cut the BP fouling fast, and some of the carbon left behind from the caps. It did work pretty good as I remember......But I don't reallythink that 409 and M-Pro7 is the same stuff.....but what the heck, who knows right? I do know that I sure love the stuff and it keeps all my weapons in super tip top condition. In the past 45+ years, I haven't said that of another solvent or oil product.

Wade
 
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I am still a fan of Hoppe's#9 for bore cleaning.
For a wipe down I like R.I.G. or Hoppe's Gun Grease applied with grease impregnated piece of sheepskin.
 
Greetings,

I tried a LOT of products.... I mean a lot! I even used that green water based goo that was supposed to dissolve the powder residues like acid dissolves.

...And I keep coming back to 5 products:
1 - Hoppes #9
2 - Hoppes copper solvent
3 - Break cleaner in a pressured can to spray mostly to remove the carbon deposit in the star of my AR, just by the chamber
4 - Break Free CLP
5 - Ballistoil to apply gladly on the metal and wood surfaces to prevent rust.

My two cents:

People are lazy. When I get a milsurp rifle, I know I'll have to work on the bore for a long time to bring it....sometimes....as shiny as a mirror. But most of the time I'll have to settle for a gray bore.

People want results RIGHT NOW!!! When I come from the range (no corrosive ammo of course), I run a couple patches of #9, a couple brush passes, then I run a soaked patch of BF CLP and put the gun away until the day after. Of course, I make sure all the metal parts are taken care to prevent rust because I live in a very humid place. I let the BF CLP works the residues int he barrel overnight. Then, the day after, I clean with 80% less work than if I would have cleaned the gun right away.

I use also another product for anti-corrosion: Boeshield T-9. All my guns who are safe queen have been covered with that product and I know in 10 years, no rust will be found. The advantage is that I dont' have to pull out the gun each year because the oil evaporated.

Like I said, it works for me. It may not work for you.
 
I haven't found anything that will strip fouling and copper out of an old milsurp bore than Boretech Eliminator. No ammonia smell and it won't hurt a barrel if you leave it in forever... (Probably the same stuff as KG12)

Ed's Red is my go-to for general gun cleaning and Breakfree LP is my normal gun oil.
 
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