Who makes the absolute best handgun cleaner?

[AJ]

Do you happen to remember which one you used? I have access to most of them except the really obsolete ones. It was most likely R-11 used in low pressure centrifugal machines. I know it makes a great degreaser, but never tried it on firearms.

Sorry, I don't. We had 55 gallon drums of Freon behind the squadron area. Our Hydraulics Shop, Metal Shop, and Power Plants stored stuff there. We took a high pressure wand with a pick up tube attached to about 100 pounds of air pressure to spray it on the weapons. By doing this we took all the oil and carbon out and off the weapon, this turned them white. To be able to turn them in at the Armory, we had to oil them down and wipe off any excess oil to turn them black again.

 

[Flattop5]

Good old Hoppes No. 9 for general cleaning. It is not a super strong solvent but the key is to let it work by giving it some dwell time and not be in a big hurry. For barrels that have a lot of copper fouling, I will use Sweet's 7.62 solvent. It has a lot of ammonia and needs to be used in a well ventilated area. The manufacturers of most of the copper specific solvents don't recommend leaving the bore wet for more than about 15 minutes.

Hoppes No. 9 can be left to soak in the bores for days with no ill effects. Ballistol works as a light cleaner, and MPro7 does a good job on loosening carbon buildup on cylinder faces.

If I had to limit myself to one solvent product, I could use Hoppes No. 9 and just be prepared to let it work which it eventually will. And if I had a Nickel plated gun I would not let the Hoppes sit on the finish for more than a minute or so.

The great thing about Hoppes #9 is: when you're finished cleaning your gun, you can use it as cologne! You'll smell great!



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[TXBryan]

MPro7 cleaner and a good nylon brush. I sometimes use a bronze brush when the carbon and lead get a little heavy.

One thread mentions Frog Lube. I went down that rabbit hole and ended up throwing out about $150 worth of it. The only good thing I have to say about it is that it smells nice. Maybe it would make a good bathroom odor eliminator but all it does to guns is make them stop working. I don't care how carefully you follow the instructions. Do yourself a favor, stay away from it.

I'd love some detail of your experience. What, specifically, did Frog Lube do that was detrimental to your firearms? I'm curious because I've been using it for six or seven years and have never had the slightest issue. I'd like to know what you think I'm in for so I'll pay attention. Thanks!

 

[PatriotX]

I'd love some detail of your experience. What, specifically, did Frog Lube do that was detrimental to your firearms? I'm curious because I've been using it for six or seven years and have never had the slightest issue. I'd like to know what you think I'm in for so I'll pay attention. Thanks!

It may never be an issue in warmer climes, but in the cold weather it gums up pistols very well.

It does smell nice.

Mpro7 is my go-to for cleaning, lube duties split between Mpro7 and Ballistol.

 

[Jounior]

Only thing I use far as cleaning my handguns and long guns (barrels) is BTE. Bore Tech Eliminator. No smell at all. I dislike stinky stuff as a rule

 

[Hasbeen1945]

I’ve tried everything known to man.
Settled on Hopps #9 and Ed’s Red.
Use EEZOX for blued guns finish protection.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

I too liked the idea of frog lube and bought a complete kit with the towel and brushes and all.
It smells like mint vapor rub?? Or something minty?? And its organic so I figured what they hey.

I cleaned up a few Revolvers and had them hanging in my rack in the safe all nice and clean. I thought I could get used to this.
I remember I did that in the winter here.
Although we have 100° weather now, when its cold, its COLD. Here.
Anyway. I checked on the Revolvers maybe a week later(?).

All of them had this dull film all over them. Turned the polished Revolvers dull and the glass bead ones even duller and you could see the swirl marks on em. Even handling em was messy. It took me a looong time to clean those Revolvers again.

I put them on a Sig I had too and it gummed up the springs also. I never had a malfunction with it. But, that's the last time I'd mess froglube and threw it all in the trash.

That was my personal experience. But I did hear froglube caused a gun to misfire on the internet. So, you know it has to be true. Ha! Ok. That last part I can't confirm . But I would believe it after the mess that it leaves.

 

[Taipan01]

Depends on the firearm. I go with Hoppes #9 for many but I do have some that have a protective coat like my 642, I use Hoppe's elite on that plus and a couple others. I clean mine with each use so my build-up isn't much. I run a bore snake through the barrels and cylinders first.

 

[BE Mike]

I used Hoppe's Elite for years and like it. Now, it looks like it isn't marketed any longer. I switched over to M Pro 7. It seems to be the exact same product.

 

[djohns6]

For God's sake do NOT even think of messing around with Mercury to clean your guns . I don't care how great it works , that stuff is TOXIC to you , your family , your pets , whatever .

 

[boykinlp]

The absolutely best is liquid mercury. It is a natural product and not manufactured. It has much more expensive to buy than it used to be and is dangerous to handle so I can't really recommend it, but if you plug the barrel and pour it in it will strip it down to the steel with little actual work.

I must be living in a cave. I had never heard of using liquid mercury that way. As a middle schooler, I remember handling it some. IIRC, it was extremely heavy. Back then, we didn't know it was so toxic.
Larry

 

[Valmet]

I’ve used Ballistol religiously for a decade and have no plans of changing it up...

 

[cmj8591]

I'd love some detail of your experience. What, specifically, did Frog Lube do that was detrimental to your firearms? I'm curious because I've been using it for six or seven years and have never had the slightest issue. I'd like to know what you think I'm in for so I'll pay attention. Thanks!

I tried it on several guns. At first I thought it was going to be great because it was dry and didn't attract dust. One was my 45 M&P duty weapon. That's a gun that never, ever failed. I followed the instructions to the letter. I detail stripped the gun and de-greased it. I then warmed it with a hair dryer and and applied it. Of course it melted over everything. I wiped it off like the instructions said. I even heated it again twice and wiped it down again. You could not see or feel it on any parts. About 100 rounds into a qual course, the gun started to seem to slow down and then I started to get misfires. The ammo had some gummy build up on them that was coming from the firing pin hole. Where the slide runs in the frame was also filled with the same gunk. The gun just stopped working. I really wanted this stuff to work so I went back and did the process again using only a small amount. Same result. I also gave some to a couple of my firearms instructors and the same thing happened to them. A couple of the guns didn't make it through 50 rounds. I also used it on my Hammerli SP20 gallery gun. Again I started to get misfires. After going through the M&P 45 problem, I knew right away what was causing the problem so I got it off the gun. I was still having problems with it so I ended up taking it to a Hammerli warranty guy in Maine. He had to completely disassemble the trigger group to get rid of it. He told me to never, ever use it on that gun again. This post is getting a little long so I won't go into detail but it also stopped a 1911 45 and a 10/22 Ruger. I finally just threw it all away. I'm glad it's working for you but, to be honest, I'm a bit skeptical. Maybe you just haven't shot with it enough to have a problem.

 

[zzclancy]

Based on comments in this thread I bought a can of Ballistol.

Very impressed with the results. Had some leading I just couldn't remove. Bright shiny bores now.

 

[BE Mike]

I tried it on several guns. At first I thought it was going to be great because it was dry and didn't attract dust. One was my 45 M&P duty weapon. That's a gun that never, ever failed. I followed the instructions to the letter. I detail stripped the gun and de-greased it. I then warmed it with a hair dryer and and applied it. Of course it melted over everything. I wiped it off like the instructions said. I even heated it again twice and wiped it down again. You could not see or feel it on any parts. About 100 rounds into a qual course, the gun started to seem to slow down and then I started to get misfires. The ammo had some gummy build up on them that was coming from the firing pin hole. Where the slide runs in the frame was also filled with the same gunk. The gun just stopped working. I really wanted this stuff to work so I went back and did the process again using only a small amount. Same result. I also gave some to a couple of my firearms instructors and the same thing happened to them. A couple of the guns didn't make it through 50 rounds. I also used it on my Hammerli SP20 gallery gun. Again I started to get misfires. After going through the M&P 45 problem, I knew right away what was causing the problem so I got it off the gun. I was still having problems with it so I ended up taking it to a Hammerli warranty guy in Maine. He had to completely disassemble the trigger group to get rid of it. He told me to never, ever use it on that gun again. This post is getting a little long so I won't go into detail but it also stopped a 1911 45 and a 10/22 Ruger. I finally just threw it all away. I'm glad it's working for you but, to be honest, I'm a bit skeptical. Maybe you just haven't shot with it enough to have a problem.

A very knowledgeable gun guy I know loves Frog Lube, but he has had problems with it on some guns. His experiences make me wonder why he sticks with it. I guess he is just stubborn, like me. He had very bad experiences with it on revolvers. His experiences just made me want to not go down that rabbit hole. There are way too many other good options.

 

[TXBryan]

I tried it on several guns. At first I thought it was going to be great because it was dry and didn't attract dust. One was my 45 M&P duty weapon. That's a gun that never, ever failed. I followed the instructions to the letter. I detail stripped the gun and de-greased it. I then warmed it with a hair dryer and and applied it. Of course it melted over everything. I wiped it off like the instructions said. I even heated it again twice and wiped it down again. You could not see or feel it on any parts. About 100 rounds into a qual course, the gun started to seem to slow down and then I started to get misfires. The ammo had some gummy build up on them that was coming from the firing pin hole. Where the slide runs in the frame was also filled with the same gunk. The gun just stopped working. I really wanted this stuff to work so I went back and did the process again using only a small amount. Same result. I also gave some to a couple of my firearms instructors and the same thing happened to them. A couple of the guns didn't make it through 50 rounds. I also used it on my Hammerli SP20 gallery gun. Again I started to get misfires. After going through the M&P 45 problem, I knew right away what was causing the problem so I got it off the gun. I was still having problems with it so I ended up taking it to a Hammerli warranty guy in Maine. He had to completely disassemble the trigger group to get rid of it. He told me to never, ever use it on that gun again. This post is getting a little long so I won't go into detail but it also stopped a 1911 45 and a 10/22 Ruger. I finally just threw it all away. I'm glad it's working for you but, to be honest, I'm a bit skeptical. Maybe you just haven't shot with it enough to have a problem.

I don't have any vested interest in Frog Lube. I have definitely used it for sufficient duration and rounds fired to have informed experienced with the product - in rifles, semi-auto handguns and plenty of revolvers. I simply have not had any issues with Frog Lube.

I have never used the hair dryer methodology but rather laying firearms in the Central Texas sunshine for warmth. As this thread was primarily about "cleaning" products my comments are specific to Frog Lube's firearm cleaning abilities. I do not generally place Frog Lube into any internal parts of firearms unless it's to coat a guide rod and then I wipe off all excess.

I am at a loss to explain our different experiences but learning from your experience is one of the reasons I participate in these forums.

 

[AJ]

Over the years I have collected a goodly amount of cleaners and lubricants. I just grab whatever is close at hand. No rust on any gun I own. Will they pass inspection that the armorers use to give our weapons before accepting them for returned to the armory? No! But clean enough for my purposes!

 

[Erocksmash]

I use a combo of Hoppes and rem oil strictly for cleaning...

 

[cmj8591]

I have never used the hair dryer methodology but rather laying firearms in the Central Texas sunshine for warmth.

The hair dryer is like an air conditioner compared to that Central Texas sunshine!

I like to try out different things and the idea that I would have a dry, lubricated gun that could live in a duty holster is what lead me to Frog Lube in the first place. But the problems I ran into went way beyond any advantages that I could perceive. Plus the fact that it was going to be used on guns that someone might have to bet their life on left little room for error. The moral of the story for me is stick to stuff that has a National Stock Number. If it can keep an M4 or a Dillon Aero M134 working in Afghanistan, then it's probably going to keep my M&P 45 going. That's how I arrived at MPro7. Talking to a few guys who operated over there, MPro7 kept coming up in conversation. The gun cleaner does a great job, even getting the black rings off the front of my 629. LPX has worked out well as a lube. I've even used their synthetic grease and it works as good as RIG, which is a high complement.

 

[gwpercle]

For God's sake do NOT even think of messing around with Mercury to clean your guns . I don't care how great it works , that stuff is TOXIC to you , your family , your pets , whatever .

Ain't That the truth !
And some get upset about 25% acetone in Ed's Red Cleaner ...
Mercury is far more toxic to handle ...
Don't use Mercury ... the old timers had no idea what it does .
Gary