Cleaning Time Again What Do You Use

[AzShooter]

Today was cleaning day for my 617s.

I use a .38 caliber Chamber Brush on the .22s mounted on an electric drill. I run it through each chamber for 20 seconds and they are clean. For solvent I use MPro-7. It's been very good to me for about 40 years.

What do you guys use on your guns now a days? What's the latest and greatest solution?

I rarely clean the outside of the gun but will use a patch or two and the before mentioned MPro-7. I was sponsored by them for a few years, tested their products and demonstrated them.

 

[pawngal]

I also use MPro-7. But how can you use a .38 brush in a 22cal???

 

[AzShooter]

It's on an electric drill. Only takes a few seconds for it to flatten out to the size of a .22 gut does a much better cleaning.

 

[Harrison]

Ballistol & nylon bore brushes

 

[rockquarry]

For handguns, Hoppe's #9 continues to work at least as well as anything else. For .22 revolver chambers, after applying Hoppe's, an oversize bronze .22 centerfire rifle brush works much better than a .22 rimfire brush. Two or three passes and it's clean.

 

[Greyman50]

Cheap wally world brake cleaner with garage door open. Standard bore brushes followed with cloth patches. Brass and stiff nylon tooth brushes for other areas on revolvers. Same brake cleaner on all my 1911's with Q- tips.

 

[DWalt]

Just plain old mineral spirits seems to work as well as expensive bore cleaners, also good for general cleaning. I have used paper toweling instead of cloth patches for bore cleaning for many years.

 

[Bro. Dave]

Having used Hoppes for decades, I received a sample of Boretech C4 Carbon Remover with a new pistol. It has changed my life! Well, maybe it has changed my cleaning regime more than my life. This stuff works and represents the only product change I've made in a long time.

 

[old tanker]

I still have gallons of this stuff. Not much for copper fouling, but it does a great job removing carbon and primer residue, including corrosive primers.

 

[rockquarry]

I've mentioned this here before regarding well-known gunwriter and benchrest shooter Warren Page. Like many in his business, he likely received all sorts of cleaning products on a complimentary basis from manufacturers. When asked years ago what his favorite gun cleaning product was, he replied: "whatever's free!" That probably sums it just fine even today, especially for handguns. Many products work well.

 

[markeb]

Equal parts of Mineral spirits, Kerosene, and Dexron transmission fluid works for me. I do have a jar with Acetone added for special occasions, an Ed's Red mixture.

 

[MattLarmore]

I usually use whatever is on sale at the time I run out.

over the last few years I have been using those bore snakes for cleaning barrels and I don't think I will ever go back to the traditional method.

 

[H Richard]

Hoppe's and Break Free CLP have worked for many years for me. Now my rifles get several different brands depending on copper fouling.

 

[MRB1]

Unlike a few years ago, cleaning is as simple as running a patch down of the bore of a fired gun and a gun cloth wipe down. I don't try to make my guns sterile, just clean and ready for use. Hoppies works fine for me. Since nobody knows what I have / had it, I'm happy with it, it's goodenough.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I'd never ram/force a .38 cal brush into a .22 cylinder/barrel. Better ways to do it.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I still have gallons of this stuff. Not much for copper fouling, but it does a great job removing carbon and primer residue, including corrosive primers.

Over 30 years ago I purchased several of those 8-oz. cans of GI surplus bore cleaner and have used it exclusively since then. Soak a patch, run it through the bore and chamber(s), let it sit for a half-hour, run a good bore brush through, then clean patches to finish.

Frame recesses where powder residue collects, old toothbrush with solvent, then swab out the residue.

Rifles, shotguns, handguns, corrosive primed ammo, black powder loads, the GI formulation will take care of the job.

Think about it for a minute; the US military has spent more on research and development of these products for use in any and every type of climate and environment. I doubt that any commercial source has the equivalent knowledge to be applied.

Best part about the GI surplus stuff is that it can be had for pennies on the dollar while all your friends are shelling out real folding money for the latest, greatest, bestest, super-duper stuff with fancy labels on tiny applicator bottles.

 

[hobby-gunsmith]

cleaning time again

I would stay away from the MPRO7 lubricant for long time storage. I was a longtime advocate for years and since they change hands, years ago, the oil leaves a brown milky substance on the parts and loses its strength. I am using SLIP 2000 products and it does a great job on your lubricant needs. With all the products on the market, whatever works for you is the best one to use.
Nick

 

[JohnRippert]

Ed's Red for cleaning and a little white lithium grease in the right spots after for lube. It mixes with the Ed's Red and turns into a slurry that begins to break down carbon as you shoot.

 

[DWalt]

Back in the mid-70s I bought a quart can of the old GI bore cleaner at a local surplus store for I think a dollar. I finally used it all up around ten years ago. It was fairly simple, mainly just an oil-in-water emulsion. The water was there to dissolve the corrosive priming residue. BTW, about any light household oil, such as 3-in-1, makes an effective bore cleaner, perhaps even better than the expensive bore cleaning solvents.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My dad used Kroil, Hoppe's, Rem Oil and sewing machine oil. They worked for him and they work for me.

Plus there's the added bonus: