Gun cleaning advice

[bow_junky]

I don't do much gun hunting/shooting because I was raised shooting a bow. I have always cleaned guns with simple Rem oil. For auto shotguns and handguns, what is the best cleaning solvent/lubrication. Thanks in advance TBH braintrust.

[jlptexashunter]

I like Break Free CLP

[Bonbonjovi]

Break Free CLP to clean it , and the FP 10 to lubricate it

[sniper steve]

Good 'ol WD-40. Takes off as much carbon and other gunk as you'll ever want to remove. Rem-Oil, CLP, Hoppes, all of that stuff is just thick, sticky gunk that you don't want in your weapon. WD-40 will clean anything from buffer springs to firing pins. Wipe it clean with a dry rag when you're done, and it leaves just enough film to stop rust, but it's not sticky enough to trap dirt and dust. There is no need to "oil" your weapon after you've cleaned it. I've been deployed more than once, to some of the nastiest, dustiest places on earth, and have never once put a drop of oil on my weapon. I'm also the only person in my platoon to never have a weapons malfunction while under fire. Simple is always better. The barrel is another story, but mostly just remember to always use a coated rod, protect the crown of the barrel, and always pull the patch in the direction the bullet goes. Remember to wipe the barrel completely dry before you fire, or you'll be chasing stray bullets for a while. Hope that helps a bit.

[Peacock]

Another for break free.

[J.B.]

Clp

[dustoffer]

If it is an old one and all gunked up with oil and residue, I take the metal out of the stock and spray it down with Brake-Kleen, which is a far cheaper form of the spray on degreaser sold for guns. Sometimes you can get it reasonably clean without further disassembly, then I use lighter fluid for the trigger (non-gumming lubricant) and a light lube with a quality gun oil/grease on the rest.

On some older .22s, I've even had to put the bolt in a pan of boiling water to soften the hardened oil/grease before it would come off. And, sometimes the improvement in trigger pull will amaze you once you get it clean.

[ItsLeo]

Rem Oil is good stuff for cleaning gun parts. I much prefer Breakfree CLP for parts and action cleaning.

For cleaning rifle bores I'm a big fan of Shooter's Choice MC#7. Follow the instructions on the bottle. Biggest advantage of MC#7 is you don't need a fouling shot to get back POI if you follow their instructions.

[native_texan]

1. Hoppe's #9 powder solvent,
2. Slip 2000 CLP (I used to use Break Free but found that it stays longer on AR-15's than Break Free. Slip 2000 is also more resistant to heat than Break Free).
3. Ammonia for dissolving copper fouling.

[fister]

Sniper steve is on to something with staying simple. In all my deployments I never used CLP, it gums up the gun really easily and can bake on to the bolt with heat from firing. to clean everything off and not lubricate, WD-40 can work well, I even use shaving cream sometimes to get everything really clean. Then use MIL-TEC lightly to lube all the moving parts and a very very light coat to protect exposed metal. I also like Baricade by Birchwood Casy to cover exposed metal and lube by bolt guns and more porus finished barrels.
Like said by Sniper Steve, I too have never had a malfunction in a weapon I depend on, in three years of time in Iraq and the Stan.

[fister]

Also graphite is a great lube, and won't gum anything up, we use that on 240's and SAWs

[tvc184]

Break Free CLP is what I use about 90% of the time. If it is really fouled up and you can't or don't want to completely disassemble it, use some Eezox. It will strip away all the other gunk that has built up over the years. Eezox is a great rust preventative also but I do not use it as a dry lube as the instructions say. I have done that to try it out and it has worked but it just seems strange to me to run a gun dry no matter what the literature on the lube says.

If I am really feeling industrious (which isn't often), I lightly run some Militec-1 into it after a good cleaning.

[jmack]

Any solvent is going to clean your weapon. As stated above, us military guys have used just about everything. Shaving cream works real good. Don't be afraid to use good 'ole soap and hot water. Knowing how to properly disassemble the weapon is the key. Get everything taken apart, soak the little stuff in any kind of solvent (gasoline, WD-40, dish soap and really hot water), and hit the bigger stuff with Break-Kleen. After the little stuff has soaked for a bit, scrub it down, and then hit it with the Brake-Kleen. Dry everything up real good (hair dryer works wonders). Oil will attract dust. For home weapons, I do oil, and then wipe dry after cleaning. When I was in the Army, after cleaning, I sprayed the barrel with WD-40, and then ran a dry patch. For the trigger mechanism and bolt assembly, I hit that with a Q-tip dipped in WD-40, and wiped it with the dry side of the Q-tip. Left just enough to see a film. I guess I said the same thing as Sniper Steve...

[sniper steve]

Any solvent is going to clean your weapon. As stated above, us military guys have used just about everything. Shaving cream works real good. Don't be afraid to use good 'ole soap and hot water. Knowing how to properly disassemble the weapon is the key. Get everything taken apart, soak the little stuff in any kind of solvent (gasoline, WD-40, dish soap and really hot water), and hit the bigger stuff with Break-Kleen. After the little stuff has soaked for a bit, scrub it down, and then hit it with the Brake-Kleen. Dry everything up real good (hair dryer works wonders). Oil will attract dust. For home weapons, I do oil, and then wipe dry after cleaning. When I was in the Army, after cleaning, I sprayed the barrel with WD-40, and then ran a dry patch. For the trigger mechanism and bolt assembly, I hit that with a Q-tip dipped in WD-40, and wiped it with the dry side of the Q-tip. Left just enough to see a film. I guess I said the same thing as Sniper Steve...

Just be careful using a hair dryer or heat gun to dry flammable solvents. Learned that one the hard way.

[Patton]

Good info!