Posted on 07/19/2004 4:17:47 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
Is it important to clean your guns? Why? How clean is clean?
I have asked, and been asked these questions for decades.
I am not a gunsmith, but I do have a general knowledge of what makes a gun tick - and what makes it stop ticking. When I wore the uniform of the United States Military, I was taught that my weapon (we never called them guns; there was a punishment for that slip of the tongue) was my best friend. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
I cleaned all mine right by the book. I only had one malfunction that I can recall and fortunately that one wasn't life-threatening. Some M-16s did malfunction, and cost some young men their lives. That doesn't speak well for our Superpower technology, since the ugly old Kalashnikov AK-47, used by our enemies around the world, would have kept on shooting under nasty circumstances.
Since I am not a gunsmith, I always refused to work other people's guns, except for a special friend. My experience in that area taught me that in over half the cases of malfunction of a gun, all it needed was a good cleaning.
I always loved the aroma of Hoppe's No. 9 gun cleaning solvent, even more than Chanel No. 5. My basement still has that lingering aroma. I have used it by the gallon, and for years it did a good job for me. Even so, when a center-fire rifle had been shot 20 or 30 times without cleaning, it took 20 minutes of scrubbing with a bronze wire brush and about 20 patches to get the bore sparkling clean again. Believe me, a gun with carbon and metal deposits in the lands and grooves will not shoot a tight group.
Things have changed. There are some "new-age" solvents available that work much faster. One is Extreme Clean by Shooter's Choice. Another is Bore Cleaning Foam from Break Free. A third is made by Bore Tech and is called Eliminator.
These cleaners are very strong and you absolutely MUST read the cautions on the labels, since the solvents will attack the metal fish of your gun if left in the bore too long. But they will clean a dirty bore in a fraction of the time it takes with the old reliable Hoppe's.
A clean bore shoots more accurately, but most shooters stop here and do nothing else to the gun except to wipe down the exterior metal finish. The carbon deposits, under extreme pressure, permeate every nook and cranny in the trigger mechanism and in the ejection port. These must be cleaned as well.
A spray product known as Gun Scrubber should be sprayed into hard-to-get-to places and allowed to drain. After that, these mechanisms must be lightly lubricated after cleaning. A toothbrush with stiff bristles will get out more crud from tight places.
How often to clean? A .22 rimfire can go 100 shots without cleaning. The exceptions are the .22 magnum and the .17 calibers, which should be cleaned after every 30 to 40 shots because they leave copper deposits in the bore. For center-fires, I like to clean after 20 shots. Shotgun bores should be cleaned after each use.
Fail to clean these guns and - sooner or later - they will fail you, especially the semi-automatics which need lots of TLC.
I have used the Bore Cleaning Foam, no where near as good as Hoppes and the Sweets copper solvent.
Someone gave me an aerosol can of Remington "Rem-Oil". Great stuff when you're shooting for several hours and want to keep buildup at bay between real cleanings.
Thanks for the "prop" the other day.
I live in Florida and if one is handled, I always wipe the outside with oil to keep it from rusting. Also keep a coat of any good oil on all of them to prevent rusting.
A .22 will shoot far more than 100 rounds before cleaning but they are a little bit dirty and need cleaning more than most, especially .22 auto's.
Most centerfires will shoot a long time before they really need to be cleaned. The exceptions are if you are shooting for extreme accuracy, and of course any kind of corrosive primers, or if you use the guns in a bad environment such as dust or salt water.
When I do clean them I really clean them.
I could always tell when my ex was feeling frisky. She would come to bed with a drop of Hoppes #9 behind each ear.
Ping for your mil-spec sample link.
GM TEC, Kroil and JB Bore paste.
I use Kroil as a penetrating fluid on stubborn screws, and for very little else. I don't use the other two you listed.
Lorraine Newman: What are you in here for?
John Belushi: I shot someone while cleaning my gun.
Garret Morris: You killed 47 people!
John Belushi: Hey, it was really, really dirty!
They tried to teach you that, but you still knew that on the friendship scale it was gun first, then weapon. :-)
Har! Har!
I had a friend who once accidently shot his truck.
It was a pistol that my father had.
Sombody pointed out the other day that darn near every pic I post has a bottle of Hoppes #9 included!!!
But I guess I was too late - dang thing don't shoot worth spit now. Anybody wanna .45?
Gunny, relax - I'm just a-kiddin'...
Junkie.
Try using a piece of silk for wadding when you tamp the bullet in ;o)
There is one other thing... Cylinder & Slide up in Nebraska, had this really wonderful cleaning solvent that they sold by the bucket. It was great with my revolvers. Take off the grips, and drop it in the bucket (OK, gently lower the revolver into the bucket, but you get the idea). Leave it submerged for a while, then while still submerged, cycle the revolver 20 or 30 times. Remove it and let it drain, then blow out the excess with compressed air. The solvent also acted as a light duty lube. I had wonderful luck with it, but I don't know if they still sell it.
Mark
Wow! I wonder what the gun grabbers must think of a gun that not only goes off by itself, but enters itself in competitions! Did that gun win any prizes for you?
No, they were really inacurate unless I held them.
So9
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.