S&W M&P Ultrasonic cleaning

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I just got an ultrasonic cleaner and I am wondering if it would be ok to clean a Smith and Wesson M&P with it. I'm pretty sure just doing the barrel would be alright, but I don't know about the slide or the polymer grip. I've heard one can just use soap and water, but will that have any risk of rusting steel components? I've also heard that ultrasonics can remove bluing, take paint off of sights, destroy aluminum, etc. Would any of that be a risk if I put the slide and the polymer grip in the tank? Or would using just soap and water eliminate those risks?

This is primarily a pistol question, but as an aside, would soap and water be a good cleaner for an AR-15 bolt assembly in an ultrasonic? And is there any risk to the small plastic piece on the extractor?

 

[coebam]

I think it would depend on the type of detergent or cleaner that one would use. I have a sonic cleaner too, but I have only cleaned brass so far with the lymans brass detergent. I would not think you would want to sonically clean the poly parts. But barrel, spring etc should be fine. I use REM oil on the poly stuff, seems to do just fine.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

The only thing I don't toss into my ultrasonic is wood grips. I use MPRO7 and just dump them in. I make sure I get as much of the oil and grease off I can, all of the loose crud off and then in the gun goes. They come out surgically clean. Call S&W if you are really concerned though.

 

[JasonHooper]

Anyone ever use the Hornady One Shot Gun Parts solution? It is expensive enough! I am thinking of using my ultrasonic cleaner to clean a Glock 22 and a Sig P229. Any advise of the temperature setting? Anyone have experience with this?

 

[dfariswheel]

Most any temperature that the tank can handle will be okay.
The plastics used in polymer guns is good to at least 200 degrees.
To be sure, run at a lower temp. The solution works better warm but it doesn't have to be really hot.

Since dirt and fouling won't adhere to the plastics used, you won't have to run it for more than possibly 10 minutes if that.

 

[JasonHooper]

Thanks, Dfariswheel and pardon for hijacking the thread. For the non plastic parts, I am concerned about the water, cleaning solution combination. Do you know what is in it? Since it is intended to be mixed with water, it is probably not oil based like most solvents. I am worried that it is a detergent and will mix with the water and powder to form salts. Other options may be to use pure Hoppe's 9, or even diesel fuel. I do not think that either of them will mind the high temperatures and they are not pressurized. I may have a problem disposing of the used diesel....

 

[dfariswheel]

Whether an object is harmed in an ultrasonic tank is almost entirely a matter of what solvent you use.
Any solution that will harm something will do it faster in an ultrasonic tank.
As example Simply Green damages aluminum and will do so faster in a ultrasonic tank.

There are plenty of liquids that can be uses, diesel fuel is not one I would recommend.
Among the solutions that work well are cheap paint thinner, and some of the liquid soap cleaners like Greased Lightning or common kitchen cleaners like 409.
Hoppe's #9 would work well.

If you use a solvent like paint thinner, you eliminate having to rinse the parts off. Just shake or blow off and warm with a hair dryer.
Just be careful, it is flammable.

One of the best solutions is Cylinder & Slide Shop's "dunk-it". This is a cleaner solvent mixed with a lubricant.
The solvent cleans the gun off, and deposits a rust preventing lubricant on it.
This eliminates rinsing and having to make sure to get a coat of rust preventing lube everywhere.
I'd still apply a standard gun lube to key areas.
It's expensive but it comes in gallon sizes and lasts a long time.