Tried something different

[45-70 Ranger]

I've used M-Pro 7 spray and gel cleaner for my smokless weapons. Have used the spray to clean the nipples and such on my BP revolvers and it cut the carbon really well. Did a post on that part a while back. But yesterday I was blasting away at my range with my '51 using T7. No great shooting on my part though:banghead:

But when I got back inside and went to clean my '51 I decided that I'd try using the M-Pro 7 spray cleaner to do the entire pistol. I even went one strp further in this by using the Otis cleaning system as well. Now I've cleaned BP with hot water for well over 45+ years but I was just trying this out.

The M-Pro 7 spray cleaner made the fouling just drip off. Using the Otis cable and round patches, I cleaned the barrel and it came out spotless. Taking the same approach with the frame and cylinder, sprayed the parts, used a toothbrush to scrub, and wiped the gunk off with a rag and a couple of Qtips. Then oiled it up with M-Pro 7 LPX and the weapon was gleaming! The entire cleaning took about 8 minutes and that included the "learning curve" of figuring out how to get a patch into the chambers. I've never cleaned a C&B that fast in my life. It was amazing...

Now to the next part of this test. Today, when I get home, I'll carefully inspect the entire weapon for any trace of rusting that might be present. Then, if none shows up, I'll continue with Pyrodex and do the same cleaning test, follow up the next day to check for rust. Then again in a few days with the real BP.

M-Pro 7 claims that their cleaner will nutralize BP fouling on contact. Thus far I do know it cuts the crud from caps and from T7 powder. I'll update this with more data as I go along. Thus far it shows promise...

Wade

 

[Jim Watson]

When I could not replentish my Windex All Surface With Vinegar, I tried some Clorox All Surface. Mistake. Even though it was labeled to not contain chlorine bleach, it had something that caused rust. I got it off before it was more than a stain on the patch.

I had always recleaned at home with M-Pro 7 so I just diluted some and put it in my range box after discarding the Clorox and washing out the bottle. It is working fine. There was probably no need to dilute it, just habit formed with the Windex.

Nothing can "neutralize" fouling except in the broad sense of washing it off; there is no chemical reaction except maybe a little foaming from cleaners containing vinegar in contact with potassium carbonate residue.

 

[45-70 Ranger]

There were no ill effects with this cleaning and the residue from the T7 that had been fired and cleaned. Went on to Phase II, involving Pyrodex. Having sulpher in it as T7 does not would be closer to the real deal (which is next).

Shooting went better with the Pyrodex at the range by the way and that was a good thing....Then back in the house to go at it with the M-Pro 7 and the Otis gear. Took about 10 min. as there was more fouling, as expected, compared to the T7. But it cleaned up fast enough and was again, spotless. Now I'll give it a day and see what, if any, corrision appears. More tomorrow...... (unless no one is interested in this little test. If that's the case, let me know and I'll shut up and keep to myself on this. I know some posts are a might weird and some are simply boring and repetitive. If this is one, just say so.....you won't hurt my feelings that's for sure.)

Wade

 

[MCgunner]

I'll just stick with hot, soapy water, scrub with soap. If it ain't broke, don't fix it and dish soap is cheap.

 

[Busyhands94]

MCgunner, i agree with you 100%. why would i drop my hard earned cash on some gun solvent in a can? all i have to do is go to the kitchen sink and an old toothbrush, gun oil, some rags, and some Q-tips.

 

[45-70 Ranger]

Ok, I get the point

 

[arcticap]

Sounds like a useful product!

Thanks for the tip about the M-Pro 7.
That it works with all types of guns and fouling makes it a good product to know about.

http://www.mpro7.com/index.html

 

[Donny]

Ranger,

I'm very interested in hearing more about your experience with this product. Yeah, I use soap and water too but it takes me nearly an hour to thoroughly clean my revolvers so any thing that can cut that time down is of interest to me. As for the other posters, if your not interested it doesn't mean that the rest of us feel the same. Keep posting your findings Ranger.

Don

 

[EljaySL]

It's definitely a great cleaner for modern firearms. Good to hear it works with black powder as well!

 

[Busyhands94]

you know i figure i should give it a shot. (no pun intended) I'm probably going to get a Ruger 10/22 pretty soon, and I'll need some solvent. I'll see how it cleans nipples and the firing pin on my NAA cap n' ball, that's a bit of a p.i.t.a. to get clean with the cap residue. who knows, it may work like magic. never know until you try!

 

[junkman_01]

Gee Levi, I would have figured you to get, at the very least, a single shot .22RF, not a new fangled semi-auto!

 

[Busyhands94]

i dunno, i have been liking those Crickett .22 rifles a lot, i want mine with an adult stock. i am kinda going back and fourth on a 10/22 Ruger and a Crickett single shot with an adult sized stock. although i am thinking I'll probably save some green if i get a single shot. with semi autos I have to deal with the problem of letting my dad shoot, knowing him he'll probably burn through the entire bulk pack of .22s in less than an hour if i let him have at it

 

[Norton Commando]

Hey busyhands 94 - I vote for the Ruger 10/24. I've fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds through mine with nary a cough.

 

[Busyhands94]

I'll be sure to check out both rifles before deciding. a gun is a very personal item, and should be just the way you like it, no sense in spending money on a rifle that doesn't quite do it for me. besides, i try and be open minded with guns.

 

[45-70 Ranger]

The effects of using M-Pro 7 with Pyrodex was just fine. No rust formed and no signs of any even trying to. So far, so good. The weapon simply gleames....

As to the little Mini wheelguns, The Cleaner will take the carbon off the SS pretty fast and you won't wear yourself out scrubbing either. Might take one or two real dedicated cleanings, but it will remove the carbon on your cylinders and frames. You will have to re-oil anything you use the cleaner on as it takes EVERYTHING off but the finish! Oil, carbon, copper, fouling, lead.....but NOT blueing, nickel, or painted finish. And it has no odor. That will make momma happy as most cleaners stink up the house and the other half will usually have a comment on that I have a little .22 SAA style revolver that has a painted/baked finish on the frame. I have scrubed it clean with the cleaner and it has not effected the finish one bit. The carbon, lube, and fouling though disappeared quickly. Hoppe's #9 would have taken the finish off the frame if I used it on the .22. That would not have made me a happy camper....

The cleaner did knock out the T7 fouling in a flash. The Pyrodex took just a few minutes more, but the same results were there. Clean gun. Few dirty patches. No rust or nasty gunk left anywhere. Again, this was just an afterthought the other day when I finished shooting. I was going to clean the '51 like always with water and such. But now, for myself anyway, I began this test to see the limits of where this cleaner and lube combination would go with a BP revolver. It works wonders on my smokless weapons and is super fast too. Just wanted to see how it would do with our favorite things, C&B revolvers!!

Next will be a test with some old DuPont fffg and Goex fffg. Since both Pyrodex and BP have a high sulpher and wood carbon content and T7's carbon is sugar based and no sulpher, the real test I think will be with the BP.

Wade

 

[45-70 Ranger]

Well for those that are interested, the trial with real BP went well. Took about 10 min. to clean the pistol. The odor from cleaning was highly reduced (I love the smell, but mamma don't ) and I used a total of three patched to clean the whole weapon. The M-Pro 7 Cleaner was sprayed into the bore and cylinder. Let it sit a minute and then started cleaning. The BP fouling came out in just a couple of passes and the cylinder was cleaned up quickly as well. An over all oiling with the LPX on a shaving brush finished the cleaning. The weapon sat over a day an a half and no rust, corrosion or other forms of nasty stuff attacked the metal. In short, it worked as planned.

Now as to those among us that, like me, use the conventional water method of cleaning, this testing was done first out of my own curiosity to see if it would work. The cost of water is, well, next to zip in the amount that is used to clean. The cost of the M-Pro 7 Cleaner is about $7 or so for a 4 oz. spraybottle. The LPX is around the same cost. But using the spray there was little used in the overall cleaning. A squirt in the bore, and a spray on the front and back of the cylinder. One shot at the frame. The cleaner that was on the rag as I was wiping off the frame and cylinder was enough to asist in cleaning the entire pistol without further use of the product. In other words, a little goes a long way.

So, in closing, I can safely say that the M-Pro 7 cleaner/LPX products do work well on BP weapons as they do on smokeless firearms. Is it cost effective? You can decide. Will I use it to clean my BP guns all the time? Probably not. Will I have some of the product in the field with me? You bet! Do I feel confident that it will not allow rust and corrosion to hurt me weapon? Yes I do. Will I continue to use the LPX as my oil and preservative on both smokless and BP? You bet I will. (And on my pocket knives, tools, 1860 Lt. Cav. Sabre, etc...)

And a side note: The last shooting session using some of my treasured old DuPont fffg was like a trip going back 40 years or more! The groups were tight too

Wade

 

[Donny]

Ranger

I ordered som M-pro 7 from Midway. Hope it works as well for me as it did for you. Thanks for posting your results.

Don

 

[Norton Commando]

Hey there 45-70 Ranger - thanks for the well thought out report on M-Pro 7 spray and gel cleaner. I appologize for the comment about my Ruger 10/24.

 

[45-70 Ranger]

Thanks for the kind words. As I said this started as a whim on my part. I was just curious if it would clean the entire weapon as well as it did the nipples and such with the carbon buildup. Frankly, I was a bit shocked as to how well it did. I know it cuts all the lead and powder fouling in my bigbore smokless weapons and the .22 wheelgun, but it does knock out the BP fouling rather well.

As to the Ruger, no worries, as my buds from downunder say. This is all about learning stuff and passing it on to those that want to know about stuff. Like I never knew the Crickett rifle could be found with an adult stock. That will make my grandkids go stupid when I tell them that. They think they have rifles that only they can deal with and grampa and pop are just gonna have to deal with it

Donny, I too hope it works as well for you. I'm glad I could be of some service... Well, I'd better get back to the shop. Got two weapons on the bench to work on. I retired from the gunsmithing thing a few years ago, but still help out a local gunshop owner on the ones he can't fix. Keeps me out of trouble and I get a discount on powder and caps! That's a perk huh?

Wade

 

[darkerx]

hum... just to share my own experience: the very first cleaning method I used for BP guns was with one of these sprays (advice from my gunsmith) and it worked extremely well... I thought cleaning BP weapons was not the pita everybody was speaking about... 5mn cleaning was ok for me.

THEN I used plain WATER (as I read about it on this forum...). It has been a nightmare for me... I used the bathtub... thinking it was ok... took me an hour for the gun (the grease/oil/fouling mix was always there... even with tons of soaps (plain water was clearly not enough))... then it took me even more time to have my bathtub back!... at some point I thought about having to tell wife to buy a new one... NEVER again will I use plain water.

I'm back to my 5mn cleaning with spray... f.ck the water.