doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Gun Cleaning (Quick Efficient)

I have decided it is time for a major "spring cleaning" of my whole collection. Quite a few shotguns. When I usually clean a gun it takes a while. I like to get pretty detailed and use tooth brushes and different solvents and the like.
But, now I would like to do a fast but reasonably thorough job to the bunch.
Would anyone care to suggest tools or products or techniques to clean a bunch of guns in a hurry?
Regards, Jake

I use boresnakes, gunscrubber (for tuff stuff) and a good old Tee-Shirt with CLP on it to wipe it all up with. On internal workings I like to spray a bit of RemOil on it. I guess it depends on how dirty they are to begin with.

After each use I clean mine prior to putting them back in the safe. If they remain unused for any length of time, chances are they will just need to be wiped down and have some wax re-applied.

I don't use a bore solvent anymore, after seeing many a double with loose ribs. A lead disolving solvent will attack the solder joints of a double if repeatedly used and allowed to come in contact with the solder joints, usually this means the muzzle and the the first foot of the ribs that it wicks into.

I've been using RemOil as the bore solvent.

For bore brushing, I put a bronze brush on the end of a fuzzy fleece rod (Bore Runner), spray the bore with RemOil, give it a few minutes, then run the brush equipped fleece rod a few times.

I also use RemOil to clean the action on papertowel wipes or with a small brush.

Sounds resonable...I've been using Ballistol.

The quickest way I've found to clean a bunch of guns is to clean them before a bunch of them get dirty.

I clean my guns immediately after use and this is usually several guns per week. I also clean/maintain at least a few of the rarely fired ones each week which means every one of them gets at least an annual cleaning. That way I'm never facing a monumental cleaning task.
Jim

Can't argue with that, Joe, nothing like doing five or six, particularly if there's a rifle in the mix.

My equipment for shotguns. Two cheap three piece rods. One has bore brush of appropriate dia. wrapped with 4 ought steel wool and handle removed so can be chucked in cordless drill motor. Other has handle and bore brush about which I wrap generic kleenex double or triple folded to fit particular bore and or chamber (tight or loose fit). Old Oral B 30s and cheap generic Q-tips. Put Ed's Red on everything that cleans or gets cleaned. Put Rig, vaseline and 3-in-1 mix, or Garand Plastilube depending on what's sitting there on everything that moves in contact after cleaning: not just the hook and pin but sides of the lugs, sides of the slot in the bar, rotary bolt slots, noses of sliding bolts, every surface of rotaries I can get at with the lever tripped, sides of extensions and extension slots and piercings, face of the breech wall, contacting radius of the ejectors or extractor, knuckle of bar and rule joint of forend. Little dab will do ya but I think it needs spreadinging around until everything is greasy. Before the lubing, my view is that if kleenex or Q-tip comes out black, it's still dirty. Cotton from Q-tips is not the best thing going because it can get caught on sharp tips and corners or recesses and linger in there but I look over this as it's such a neat little mini-swab.

jack

I second rabbit's use of two or more rods. Lose too much time changing accessories on a single rod. One rod with bronze brush, second with brass jag. I wet the bores with a ballistol and water soaked patch over the jag. Then I scrub with couple of patches over the bronze brush. Finish with patches over the brass jag and finally a CLP patch on the jag. The jags aren't available from modern cleaning rod suppliers. Go to the muzzleloader suppliers and get 12,16 and 20gauge jags, rifle caliber jags for the smaller guages. Might have to spin the brass jags with a drill against carbine paper to get the exact size for bore fit with patch - this is easy enough to adjust. I never have figured out how they expected a slotted tip to clean a shotgun bore. Light CLP wipe on the exterior and she is clean.

A medium pressure air line with a rubber tipped blow gun is handy at the bench for a quick dusting of bore residue and exterior dust on hunting guns. Getting the first layer of dust off without wiping helps to minimize fine scratches in the finish. Also good for getting crud out of the bolt area and interior receiver nooks and crannies on pumps and autos, before going at it with swabs and Q-tips.

Chuck, what solvent dissolves lead? I have a couple that will attack copper, but none will do anything to elemental lead. Some might act like a penetrating oil and get between leading and underlying steel such as a leaded revolver forcing cone, but that is not a solder joint.

OB

OB,
good question. I'm guilty of passing along heresay. I didn't really research it when I first decided not to use solvents on my doubles. Some others here years ago mentioned an issue with weakening the solder joints with "lead solvents". I am not sure if there are indeed solvents that actually work on lead, but they certainly advertise them as lead removers. Also, would a "copper solvent" act on the tin/lead alloy?

Ballistol claims to remove lead...I think it contains a water soluable machine oil.

I have often wondered about that as well.
Hoppes is fairly mild (and smells great) but at the end of the day it does dissolve lead.(or at least I presume it does)
Ballistol works well for me too,esp with black powder.
I guess light oil cleans out the lead by getting in underneath it rather than dissolving it.
Recently I have tried youngs 303 oil,which is (or was anyway)mildly alkaline,and I don't think is a solvent.

Several have mentioned CLP. I don't know what that is. Also, what is the consensus on Eezox? And finally, for long term storage what do you all think is best to put on the guns? Jake

Cleaner--Lubricant--Protectant. Military cooks everything in the same (steel) pot.

jack

Also "QE". That's Quick and Efficient. Sorry, couldn't resist. Don't you just love military talk?

Blue shop paper towels are a big time saver in my routine. When I have several guns to clean, I take the assembly line approach. Strip the firearm and clean and lubricate the barrels of each, then the actions of each, then assemble and wipe down the exteriors.

For the barrels I use whatever solvent I have on hand, currently RB-17*, then follow up with Remington WonderLube (but any oil will do). I like to make several passes with the bronze brush with the solvents, then use an older brush (or even 20ga brush in the case of my 12 gauges) with a torn to fit square portion of a blue shop paper towel wrapped around the lose fitting brush to clean up after the tight fitting bronze brush. The paper towel around an old brush or smaller brush will fit in the bore tightly and covers the entire bore surface (and with a rifled barrel it will actually get down into the groves better than any jag).

For the actions, Remington WonderLube on a nylon brush, followed with the blue shop paper towel to remove the dirty oil, then lubricate with oil or grease as appropriate. Using the same blue shop paper towel (now oil soaked) I wipe down the external metal surfaces. Quick and easy as it gets---and the shop towels are cheap and disposable.

Doug

* http://www.rb-treasures.com/product3.html

A heated safe with resultant low humidity. I'm not kidding.

jack

Chuck, the copper solvents I know about contain ammonia which will react with copper, producing the blue patches we have all seen. I have heard that some of the newer bore solvents are ammonia free but will still remove copper fouling. I don't know how they work.

The reason I ask about lead dissolving solvents is that chemisty labs use lead pipe in their sink drains or at least they did.
With the rampant plumbun-phobia in society today, they have probably switched to something else.

OB

I use Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber with a drill chucked rod for deep cleaning of bores. It has always been my impression that this stuff is more a wetting agent to facilitate scrubbing and lifting of crud than a true volatile solvent and I have no fear of its effect on solder. Follow with patches on a plastic jag....I like the rather new compressible plastic jags as they get a better surface to surface contact, including passage through the choke area, than a metal jag.

I do use BC Gunscrubber (very much like brake cleaner and definitely a volatile solvent) as a solvent to clean crud from trigger groups, etc but I am very careful where I get it. Generally spray, blow off with compressed air, then a little lite gun oil, blow off with compressed air, and the little bits are good to go.

I like BC Sheath (they rebranded it lately and I can't remember the name off the top of my CRS brain) for all outside metal surfaces as a rust preventative.

The German Army adopted Ballistol in 1905 as safe for wood, leather, and metal. According to USMC friends they are still using it in Afaghanstan, indeed they use it as a cooking oil. It works very well on copper/lead if sprayed on while barrel is still warm from shooting-like at the range before returning home. Smells a tad "funky" but it does work and is very economical. I believe it is mineral oil based. It is also used in Europe the way we use "Udder Balm" skin cream. Best, Dr. Bill

For Jakeroo above, CLP sold here in the States is found in several brands, such as, BREAK FREE Cleaner-Lubricant-Preservative, one of the first brands, I believe, to meet the modern milspec (Military Specification) for an all-in-one cleaner/lubricant/preservative, PROLIX, and EEZOX, just to name a few. Kind of a 'Jack of all Trades',approach, since there are better individual cleaners, lubricants (RemOil or Wally's for instance), and preservatives (RIG, Cosmoline, etc). Jim Haynes

I've used EEZOX for at least 8 or 10 years on my hunting rifles...works great as a protectant, stinks like the devil. I've never used it as a cleaner.

Here's an interesting link to Eezox

http://www.eezox.com/gun-care.html

I've often wondered what caused the loose ribs on lots of older guns I've looked at...Double Gun Journal should do some research into this ?

Bill Hambidge, if they are cooking in Ballistol I would rather eat with the buzzards! That stuff reeks! But then it might be a Marine thing.

Jim Haynes, I have seen several head to head comparisons of various popular lube/protectant oils on exposed steel plate. In each BreakFree CLP has been equal to or better than anything else tested. If you have seen tests showing better performance could you refer me please as I will certainly switch. Cosmoline is probably better at long duration protection but who would want to have to get that goo off with solvents everytime the gun was to be fired or even displayed. I have not yet seen tests with high grade waxes in comparison with CLP. I would expect some of them to be very good.

Bill Hambidge, if they are cooking in Ballistol I would rather eat with the buzzards! That stuff reeks! But then it might be a Marine thing.

Jim Haynes, I have seen several head to head comparisons of various popular lube/protectant oils on exposed steel plate. In each BreakFree CLP has been equal to or better than anything else tested. If you have seen tests showing better performance could you refer me please as I will certainly switch. Cosmoline is probably better at long duration protection but who would want to have to get that goo off with solvents everytime the gun was to be fired or even displayed. I have not yet seen tests with high grade waxes in comparison with CLP. I would expect some of them to be very good.

Bill Hambidge, if they are cooking in Ballistol I would rather eat with the buzzards! That stuff reeks! But then it might be a Marine thing.

Jim Haynes, I have seen several head to head comparisons of various popular lube/protectant oils on exposed steel plate. In each BreakFree CLP has been equal to or better than anything else tested. If you have seen tests showing better performance could you refer me please as I will certainly switch. Cosmoline is probably better at long duration protection but who would want to have to get that goo off with solvents everytime the gun was to be fired or even displayed. I have not yet seen tests with high grade waxes in comparison with CLP. I would expect some of them to be very good.

Bill Hambidge, if they are cooking in Ballistol I would rather eat with the buzzards! That stuff reeks! But then it might be a Marine thing.

Jim Haynes, I have seen several head to head comparisons of various popular lube/protectant oils on exposed steel plate. In each BreakFree CLP has been equal to or better than anything else tested. If you have seen tests showing better performance could you refer me please as I will certainly switch. Cosmoline is probably better at long duration protection but who would want to have to get that goo off with solvents everytime the gun was to be fired or even displayed. I have not yet seen tests with high grade waxes in comparison with CLP. I would expect some of them to be very good.

The quickest way is to hire someone else to do it for you.

Jager (you German hunter you), Your dead bang right about that. Problem is, can't hire anyone to do a good job. Alas. Jake

quick and easy? Dunk 'em in a bucket of gasoline. Works for 3rd world armies.

For Jerry. No I have not seen any definitive tests comparing Break Free CLP against any particular cleaner, lubricant, or preservative. What I am basing my statement and opinion on is the fact that for longtime storage (protectant/preservation), cosmoline or RIG is still used by a number of military armorers, because it retains its integrity over a longer period of time and against more harsh storage conditions. As lubrication, my colleages in the NDT trade state that CLP-type products used as lubricants do not have the cohesive and retentive properties as do a specialized lubricant, such as RemOil. They base this upon their/our experience involving inspections of frequent or constantly moving parts not under heavy pressure or heat.

Having said all this, I agree with you insofar as the use of Break Free for general use on firearms. I long ago cleaned off my shelf of most of the various products and now basically use Break Free CLP for standard cleaning, lubrication, and protection, plus short fiber wheel grease for hinge pins, RemOil, Kroil for soaking choke tubes and muzzle end of shotguns to soften buildup from plastic wads, and Gun Scrubber for cleaning the trigger plate mechanisms on my wife's semi-autos. Probably saved enough money over the past 15 years by doing this to buy another gun. Jim Haynes

Here's an interesting link

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/corrosion/corrosion2.html

Joe,
Another interesting one I just saw on a different BB. Jake

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html#eezox