Stupid gun cleaning question..

[No Time to Shoot]

Ok, I've been contemplating this for a while but haven't had the guts to try it. Can you use brake cleaner to clean gas cylinders and actions on semi autos? I have some that can be a royal pain to disassemble and clean each time.

 

[shooter521]

Can you use brake cleaner to clean gas cylinders and actions on semi autos?

Ever hear of Gun Scrubber? Same stuff.

Be advised, though, that carb/brake cleaner pretty much just displaces surface gunk; it does not penetrate, and is not especially good at removing stubborn carbon deposits. And it leaves whever you use it on bone dry, so don't forget to re-lube afterward if necessary. It can also be harmful to some plastics (a buddy of mine melted the grip panels on his girlfriend's Beretta with that stuff once), and you don't want to get it on your skin.

I keep a big can of Gun Scrubber on my bench and use it occasionally to clean out the nooks and crannies of various guns (usually when I do my annual detail strip/inspection/cleaning), but prefer other products for day-to-day use.

 

[jeremy]

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH IT! Try it on synthetic (read plastics, rubber, etc..) parts that you are going to spray in an area that you can live with it being melted before spraying the whole thing down. And as shooter said lube the h*ll out of it where ever you spray it!

On a side note you may want to try Barbasol Shaving Cream.

 

[No Time to Shoot]

Thanks guys!

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH IT! Try it on synthetic (read plastics, rubber, etc..) parts that you are going to spray in an area that you can live with it being melted before spraying the whole thing down. And as shooter said lube the h*ll out of it where ever you spray it!

On a side note you may want to try Barbasol Shaving Cream.

Barbasol? How do you use it or how do you clean it out of the gun when you do use it.

I'm also thinking about using more dry lubricants on my guns. Any thoughts?

 

[jeremy]

Spray it in and over the area in question. Let sit for a little while to work its voodoo. Then rinse with hot water.

 

[jeremy]

Oh brake cleaner may remove the finish on the firearm also.

 

[VN Vet]

No matter what you use, for a complete cleaning I recommend you always remove your grips.

 

[tv1217]

Maybe you should get a smarter gun

 

[No Time to Shoot]

I think I will pass on the brake cleaner idea then... will gun scrubber harm the polymer stocks and plastic pieces?

 

[22rssix]

There are two gun scrubbers. One says that it is safe for synthetic/plastic parts the other is not.

I use the syn safe stuff on my XD and beretta no issues so far.

With my semi-autos I pull the stocks off of the reciver that way I get no grime/oil on the wood or syn stocks.

 

[Plague421]

I use Hoppe's to do all the scrubbing with a brush and then I use GunScrubber to "rinse" if you will. Then I use a aerosol can of RemLube to finish it off. I reassemble the gun ad wipe off excess oil. I have never had any problems my guns still have their finish and my 1911 doesn't malfunction. With the AR-15 instead of RemLube I use grease.

 

[dburkhead]

My own cleaner of choice for 90% of non-bore cleaning is Simple Green. Spray it, let it sit for a few minutes, go over it with a nylon bristle brush, rinse with water, dry, and lube with Break Free.

For the bore, I'll usually start with hot water (if shooting corrosive ammo--such as surplus ammo in the Mosin) or spray down the bore with Simple Green and proceed as above (minus the brush and waiting on the Break Free step). I follow that with Hoppe's #9 or Hoppe's Benchrest and patches until clean, then shoot some Break Free down the bore and use a clean patch to spread it and remove excess.

 

[tv1217]

I actually have a question.

Is Hoppes 9 OK on polymer?

 

[Plague421]

I actually have a question.

Is Hoppes 9 OK on polymer?

I haven't had any problems with it, I used it on a PT-140 that has a polymer frame. Hell event the gun scrubber didn't effect it.

 

[standanjohn]

Be warned that brake cleaner will work, but the results will scare the crap out of you. I have used it on the slides of my baby eagle and USP. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that it turned them almost white! Plenty of lube later, they were back to great working (and asthetic) order. Make sure tht you get every moving part well lubed. It cleans very well. It is not a cleaner that is for the faint of heart, though!

 

[standanjohn]

Oh, yeah, and it didn't hurt the synthetic parts, but I didn't leave it on for more than a minute or so.

 

[Plague421]

Be warned that brake cleaner will work, but the results will scare the crap out of you. I have used it on the slides of my baby eagle and USP. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that it turned them almost white! Plenty of lube later, they were back to great working (and asthetic) order. Make sure tht you get every moving part well lubed. It cleans very well. It is not a cleaner that is for the faint of heart, though!

That white film, which is what I am assuming you are talking about, is the "no residue" that is printed on the can lol. It always comes right off with a little bit of oil and a rag/silicon cloth.

 

[standanjohn]

Yes, it comes right off, like I said, with plenty of lube. I was just saying that the first time you try using a $3.00 can of brake cleaner on a $600 gun and see it turning the slide completely white will scare anyone half to death!