My guns, covered in gunk.

[SomeKid]

I had a bit of a disconcerting issue arrive recently with a couple of my firearms. (Both a pistol and a rifle.)

I haven't shot either of them in a while, but did clean them after the last outing. However, after sitting in the gun safe, the innards looks like they just got back from a long day at the range. They were positively filthy. In cleaning the two dirty weapons I used the last of my Hoppes, so whether the others are filthy is an unknown at this time.

They have been sitting in the safe for quite a while, about 9 months. I have a heating rod in their, which is supposed to keep moisture out/low. Due note, it was NOT rust. It looked like they had been freshly used, but this was not the case.

Has anyone seen something like this before, and how to stop it?

 

[Logan5]

I had a vaguely similar issue with one of my .22 pistols I hadn't shot in quite some time. I took it out of the safe, and there was quite a bit of lead residue visible. I think that the last time I cleaned it, I thought I was doing a lot better job with the bristle brush than I really was, and over time, the leading oxidized, making the fouling a lot more visible. Anyway, it's the best theory I've got for you at the moment.

 

[ksnecktieman]

Definitely check the others. Maybe something came up, and broke your methodology?(wifes birthday, anniversary, dinner party with friends, etc). Or Maybe, just Maybe? Someone has a key to your safe that you should get back? ( If you find it is your wife, shut your mouth and be happy). I could understand a spouse sneaking around, and trying to learn, so she does not look stupid when you start teaching her?

Good luck with the problem, whatever it is.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I seem to dimly recall that the military used to teach recruits to clean the rifle after shooting, then take it out and clean it again a day or so later, as more gunk was sure to leach out in the meantime.

They didn't teach that when I was in (very recently), but I recall that anecdote.

My guess: your cleaning solvents and lube leached gunk out of nooks and crannies over a period of weeks, gunk flowed and spread around. Does that sound like a reasonable possibility?

-Penn

 

[Azrael256]

more gunk was sure to leach out in the meantime

I notice that happening. In my .22, I shoot lead bullets almost exclusively. I almost never buy plated. I'll clean it out until the patches come out white, and get a whole ton of powder fouling. About 48 hours later, I can swab the bore again and get out the lead fouling. I haven't had a lead solvent for a long time, which may explain it.

There are other things to think about. Do you clean your cleaning brushes? I soap and hot water my nylon brushes after cleaning. If I don't, the next gun I clean will glisten with fresh oil and look clean, but once the oil evaporates a little and/or emulsifies some of the fouling, I'll be able to wipe off more black gunk. 'Course most of my guns are black or have a dark bluing, so I have to wipe them down carefully with a clean white cloth to make sure I got all the fouling. That careful wipedown with a clean cloth catches a whole lot of stuff, and I rarely find gunk later when I've cleaned a gun like that.

 

[MadMercS55]

I've found the same with my AR. I'll go out, put 300rnds through it, clean it, then have to clean it again 2 days later. Seems gunk does tend to come out.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I seem to dimly recall that the military used to teach recruits to clean the rifle after shooting, then take it out and clean it again a day or so later, as more gunk was sure to leach out in the meantime.

A few dry patches through the bore will usually do the trick, followed by a little more oil.

 

[SomeKid]

I should clarify, I am not talking about the gunk that oil may leak out. This is a gritty almost like someone sprinkled black sand and blew some kind of foul dust into it. This gunk is not a liquidy stuff. It is quite literally like the normal range fouling, just more spread out, however I have noticed it confines itself to the metal parts. When I took the AK apart, it was filled with the stuff. It literally looked like black sand had been thrown on it. It was not confined to inside the barrel, it was everywhere that was metal, and almost exclusively inside the thing. I am bewildered, having never had something like this happen before. I zealously clean my weapons, so I know it was not a case of me forgetting to clean them (especially multiple ones!).

necktie, I am 100% single, and am the only person with access to the safe. It is a Liberty, so someone cannot simply key themselves in. They need the combination. Being the only gun person in the family, nobody else even wants access. If I die, 10 years down the road when they want in, they will be calling a locksmith.

Logan has the idea closest to what I am thinking, I just never had this happen before. What if the air was more humid than it should be? Could this be a factor?

 

[ball3006]

I bet the copper fouling is oxidizing.....

and what is posted above about lead fouling oxidizing. I bought a Mosin Nagant a few years back that had a bore as black and fouled as my ex-mother in law's heart. I could hardly see light through it. I could see a bit of rifling so I lowballed a price and took it home. Turns out it was copper fouling that turned into black fuzzy stuff. It all cleaned out, about 50 passes with a brush, and is just lightly frosted now. An excellent shooter.....chris3

 

[stevelyn]

A lot of Break-Free users will find that once they clean their guns squeeky clean, that a few days later they can go back and find that the BF has penetrated and floated more fouling up to the surface from the pores of the metal. That is why the .mil teaches a second cleaning.
I use use MPro-7 to clean with now which gets everything the first time.

 

[f4t9r]

Ok it was me I have been shooting your guns and did not have time to clean them.

Really do not know ,Have never heard of that. Sometimes I have noticed some build up in the barrel or something small i had missed but not filthy dirty.

 

[SomeKid]

The possibility of simply having broken some crud loose and it is simply old crud from a past shooting is gaining weight with me. I do use breakfree, but never have been much into it.

I just cleaned 2 pistols, and my AR again. Lot of breakfree got used this time. We will see how things look here in a week.