The Wonderful Cheap Gun Cleaner, Windex

[silverlance]

I shoot a lot of mil-surp, so like many others I've been using windex as a corrosive ammo cleaner for a very long time.

Then over the weekend I noticed that my milsurp guns actually took FAR less time to clean than my "modern" non-corrosive ammo guns!

I thought about it for a long while, then came to two conclusions:

1. I clean milsurps VERY soon after shooting, usually less than eight hours later. Most of the time, the barrel is still warm.

2. windex is a wonderful primary cleaner. after flushing the bore with windex sprayed directly down the bore, and then patching it through six runs with a single (otis) windex patch, the bore is pretty much already clean. the clp that follows picks up what's left and after six passes of clp the bore is crispy clean.

so, I've started to use it on all my guns. It works wonderfully, but will it damage the chrome lining in my moly guns?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I don't think it'll damage chrome lining but hopefully a metallurgist will chime in.

I use Windex on my black powder guns. It's about the best BP solvent I've tried so far.

 

[irishvet]

When I was in the Army many years ago, if we ran out of solvent; we used strong coffee. It works, takes time but it will clean all the carbon out. If out of coffee, use boiling water and oil after.

 

[Baphomet]

Windex is ammonia based... So is Hoppes #9. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[ForeverArmed]

Ammonia-based cleaners CAN damage chrome lining (by causing oxidation) if they're left in the bore for a long enough time. They're probably fine to use for rinsing the bore, etc., after shooting corrosive ammo as long as they're followed by enough of something else like CLP not too long afterward.

 

[wnycollector]

I have been cleaning my chrome lined norinco sks for ~15years with windex after I shooting mil surplus ammo...I have not noticed any problems.

 

[JonB]

Vinegar?

How about using the vinegar window cleaner instead of the ammonia stuff?

 

[DWARREN123]

The ammonia also helps remove copper fouling.

 

[silverlance]

lol

from windex to vinegar...

hey, maybe i just ought to spit down the barrel an dsee if that does the trick

 

[mrcpu]

What about stuff like simple green? Anybody tried anythign like it? I know it's not good to let it sit on aluminum, but a quick cleaning? I just pour it straight on my engine and let it sit for a few minutes and rinse, and the old powerstroke shines... Presumably it would clean out the gunk too....

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

Well way back in basic training when we had an inspection we would soak parts of our rifle in a bucket of simple green for a few hours. It'll certainly take all oil and carbon and leave your rifle extremely clean. however, when cleaning it like that you will wan to add a coat of oil afterwardsbecause when you remove everything like that it tends to rust alot easier. BTW we never cleaned with simple green except for an inspection. I