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S&W-Smithing Maintenance, Repair, and Enhancement of Smith & Wesson and Other Firearms.


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Old 01-07-2018, 09:42 PM
NewToGuns17 NewToGuns17 is offline
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Question Ultrasonic cleaner & semi-auto's?

Hey guys. I currently use ballistol and hoppes #9 bore cleaner to clean my guns. I have a walther ccp (which has a fixed barrel), a s&w m&p shield 9mm (version 1) and an m&p 2.0 9mm 4.25". I hate spraying down the parts and then having the slick ballistol "oil" where i don't want it necessarily. What brand/size and solvent is recommended to clean one handgun at a time? Will a harbor freight unit work fine? How does it do on dirty barrels & components and how long does it take on average for a simple unit? I also want to get a needle oiler if i get an ultra sonic cleaner so that the oil goes where i want it instead of one big drop in a big area lol. I hate having oil in places it shouldn't be to grab lint and whatnot. Your help is much appreciated! The "cheaper" the better for me as i don't clean them often, but having them cleaned inside and out would be awesome. Also, does the little felt pellet in the trigger return spring on the M&P's get ruined in ultra sonic cleaning? I have an apex duty/carry kit and aluminum trigger in both of them if that makes a difference in the pellet. Thanks!
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:45 PM
dfariswheel dfariswheel is offline
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A good solvent is cheap paint thinner from Walmart.
All you need to do is stand there and watch it in case it does catch fire from a spark.
Paint thinner is not extremely flammable but you do have to pay attention, you can't just walk off to answer the phone or get a drink.

Run the tank a few minutes to get the air out and to heat the solvent. Ultrasonic works better with warm solvent. You can stand the paint thinner jug up in a sink full of hot water to warm it faster.

UC works reasonably fast, depending on what the fouling is. Greases and oil literally boil off fast. Other fouling can take longer.
Usually 30 minutes is all I've ever had to do, and you can speed it up by pulling parts out and brushing with a solvent proof toothbrush like the double ended M16 cleaning brush.

There was a problem of some sort with the First Gen S&W M&P and the "pellet" in the trigger assembly but I can't remember the details.
Do a search on this forum and you should find some details.
Or, make a new post up in the auto pistol forum area and ask.

UC will not do a good job of cleaning a bore. You still have to brush and patch it with a bore solvent to get the copper, lead, and carbon fouling out.

A few posts down is another ultrasonic thread. Read that, it'll answer most questions.

A cheap Harbor Freight ultrasonic unit will let you experiment to see if it's of real benefit to you. They usually don't last a long time, but you'll usually get your money's worth out of it.
If you like UC, then you an invest in a better quality unit.

Last edited by dfariswheel; 01-08-2018 at 08:50 PM.
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:53 PM
WR Moore WR Moore is offline
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The tampon in the trigger return spring is there as a harmonic damper. The spring tends to do a wave during the operation cycle and the insert extends the life of the part.

That said, we had a number get lost after they started using the ultrasonic for the semi-annual armorers inspection. I don't recall any problems with the spring, but I might not have heard. I do believe they came up with a way to clean them that didn't dislodge/destroy the insert. It could be that they limited the ultrasonic to slide assemblies.

You can buy a lot of Hoppes for what those cleaners & solvent cost.
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Old 01-09-2018, 12:05 AM
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chief38 chief38 is online now
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I do not own an ultrasonic cleaner and don't really see the practicality of them unless you are running a gun rental range or shooting center and have to clean a plethora of handguns every day. For just regular shooting sessions like most of us her do, a good old fashioned cleaning with a time tested Solvent and rust preventative/lube is all that is needed in my opinion. An UC for just one or two guns at a time is not going to be time efficient, cost effective and won't even do a better cleaning job. I have heard very mixed reviews.

If you do not like the Ballistol getting all over, try buying the liquid in gallon sized cans and using a dropper or pump sprayer to apply (more precise and less over spray). If you don't like the Ballistol, there are a ton of other time tested and proven products to choose from.

I personally buy Rig #2 Oil in a liquid form in a can that has a closable spout. No spray gets anywhere I don't want it to and I rarely buy products in spray cans for that reason. The liquid goes a much longer way and it winds up on the gun and not in my lungs.
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Old 08-08-2018, 08:45 AM
habba8 habba8 is offline
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For years I didn't have an ultrasonic, however I bought a small one. I use WD-40 in it. It is so convenient and so easy to use and WD-40 works fantastic and I just let it drip off and wipe it down. One word of caution though with stainless steel guns it's perfect with blue guns I would test it for a short dip to see if it affects your Bluing.

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