I am new to the AR 15 and have a question on what I can use to clean it. I have a few buddies who are State Troopers here in PA and they use brake cleaner on their Colt AR 15's. They go this route since it is much cheaper than gun scrubber and does not harm the finish or anything else on their weapons. They recommended I check first to see if I can use the same thing on mine. I used google but couldn't find anything that told me one way or another.

Does anyone know if brake cleaner is safe to use in place of gun scrubber?

Thanks in advance!

Mike


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Hi Mike,

Welcome aboard. Your question about cleaning is a good one. I can answer it in two parts.

First, cleaning requires tools. There are various tools out there. Being an idiot, I own a few cleaning tools. A thread on that is here:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-w...use-clean.html

As far as cleaning solutions, I always advocate the good old standby's. Hoppes No.9 solvent for cleaning off carbon fouling from the bore and bolt carrier group. Hoppes Copper Solvent for removing copper fouling from the barrel (when needed). With these two solvents, I can give my AR15's a good cleaning.

There are some cleaning products that are worthwhile. Some save time.

Hoppes Elite Gun Cleaner: I buy this in a big spray bottle. It works well. Doesn't cut carbon & fouling as quick as Hoppes No.9. It is polymer safe. I don't worry about discoloring or ruining polymer parts.

Breakfree CLP: A great standby. Cleans, lubes, protects all in one shot.

Ballistol: My current all-round favorite product. It's a non-toxic clean/lube/protect product. The more you use it, the easier subsequent cleanings become.

Regarding brake cleaner...

If you decide to use brake cleaner, make sure to buy non-chlorinated brake cleaner. The chlorinated stuff will damage polymer & rubber, and may affect your firearm's finish. Even with non-chlorinated, test it on an inconspicuous area of your rifle to see if there are any adverse reactions. Non chlorinated brake cleaner is an excellent degreaser.

The only time I've used non-chlorinated brake cleaner on my AR, was to flush out my gas tube. I only do this when I think (most of the time incorrectly) that something might be fouling my gas tube. It's irrational. In truth the hot propellant gasses burn off any fouling in the gas tube.

I guess you can use non-chlorinated brake cleaner to flush out a lower, but I've never had to do that either. The lower doesn't get dirty.

Again, congrats on your new rifle. All of what I say above is personal opinion, not absolute truth. I wish you happy & safe shooting!

Happy New Year!

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-John

I've never used brake cleaner as I've always understood it to be a degreaser rather than a cleaner.

I use MPro 7 as my routine cleaner and also have a small collection of others like Hoppes #9, BreakFree CLP accumulated over the years.



I like the MPro as it's mild with no toxic fumes (although I love the smell of Hoppes, haha) but still does a great job of cleaning carbon fouling. I also use MPro 7 Copper Remover which has a gel-like consistency so it doesn't run out of the bore when applied.

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- Bill

I totally agree with JaPes. I swear by Hoppes #9 for cleaning. The lube of the day is anyones' guess. Too many good ones to worry about which one is the perfect one.
One thing to mention: Do not use foaming action barrel cleaner in the AR. It is a gummy substance, and will require quite a bit of cleaning of the cleaner, to get the gun clean inside. Brake cleaner would be a good way to correct this mistake.

Did that make any sense at all????!!

yeah that made perfect sense...I just ordered some more Hoppes #9!!

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Grover Oathkeeper

Just got done cleaning my M&P15 with Ballistol. I clean all my firearms with this, and it works great for me.

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M&P 9Pro,Shield9,22,15,15-22

I use the same stuff I use on every other firearm. Mine aren't ran hard or with nasty ammo, so cleaning ain't a big deal.

Invest some time in learning the mechanics of your bcg. It ain't difficult. It and the chamber is where the crud will tend to build. Invest in some quality nylon and brass brushes if you're running into stubborn stuff.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I use Frog Lube, It is biodegradable and doesn't dry out my hands like petroleum based products. I used to use Hoppe's but FL is a better product in my opinion.

I generally use some sort degreaser like slip 2000 or milcom, a micro brush, and compressed air. I like my fcg dry for the most part.