How do you clean your guns?

Egon · Jan 31, 2006

Don't worry about closing your eyes Pete. Sooner than one thinks things up close get all fuzzy and it's just like working with your eyes closed! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

3RRL · Jan 31, 2006

HGM,
I pretty much do the same thing as you and as noted by Eddie and AK and some of the others. Never tried a boresnake. It does get laborious at times, but I value my firearms and give them time, attention and TLC. I figure I wouldn't do it any other way.

Panache · Jan 31, 2006

This may sound weird but my wife likes the smell of Hoppes cleaner. When I clean my pistols she gets a glint in her eye. 'Bout time to clean them again.

HGM · Jan 31, 2006

Man, maybe I'll try cleaning mine tonight..... Gavent seen a glint in a while... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Appreciate the info guys keep it coming if you dont mind... I remember hearing at one time about some stuff that you run down the barrel on a patch, let it set for 5-10min, then do it again, then run clean patches through untill its clean.. It was supposedly real easy,clean,odorless and didnt harm the gun... Magic I guess, but I'm open for suggestions. I've been really lax on maintenance of my guns too. They have never let me down and shoot really well, but I feel guilty and would like to start shooting more again now that my son is starting to get the bug......

fishman · Jan 31, 2006

I really like the boresnakes as well. I don't see how they could damage a gun as mentioned above, and I sure have seen enough damaged crowns from cleaning rods to know it can happen.

I recently purchased some foaming gun cleaner that isn't supposed to smell and should be easy to clean. Haven't used it yet.

For high-powered rifles, you do need to get the copper out occasionally. To do this you do need a copper remover. Otherwise, Hoppes works great for powder and other muck.

I think I'm going to clean my guns outside on a nice sunny weekend.

DaNag · Jan 31, 2006

Ed's Red Bore Cleaner

Very cheap and effective. I first heard about this mix on rec.guns many years ago, and still have most of my original batch...this recipe works great.

Brownell's even sells it pre-mixed now, using the recipe above.

r0GuE · Feb 1, 2006

( Your worried about damaging a bore with a cleaning rod and your using a bore snake? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
)

OK, I'll bite. How does a nylon rope with an emmbedded brass brush damage a steel barrel? I agree that in a perfect world, following carefull procedures, it is highly unlikely to damage a bore with a cleaning rod (although much more likely with a 22). But I see nothing on a boresnake that is going to damage the barrel. Help me out here... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

mwechtal · Feb 1, 2006

HGM,
Every article I've seen on cleaning guns says to stay away from plastic coated, fiberglass, and wooden cleaning rods. The reason is that these materials are soft enough to allow grit to embed in the surface. After that happens you are essentially cleaning your gun with a rod wrapped in sand paper. The best is supposed to be a bare steel rod which is what I've always used. I think the same problem would apply to a boresnake, although I've never used one.

Mike

cp1969 · Feb 1, 2006

( If you aren't using jacketed slugs, you may need to use something for lead fouling. )

Here's something that I got out of Amercian Rifleman about thirty years ago:

To clean lead fouling out of a stainless (STAINLESS!!! NOT blued) pistol barrel, you can plug one end with a cork and fill the bore with a 50-50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar and let it soak for about 10-20 minutes.

Depending on how much lead is in the barrel, you might have to do it twice. I have cleaned my STAINLESS Redhawk using this technique many, many times. It works and to me, beats the 'ell out of abrasive techinques.

MossRoad · Feb 1, 2006

but then as his barrel heated up, his groups closed in. 

When I was a kid, I shot 22s competitively on a team and individually on the 50ft range. We were always taught to run a half dozen or so rounds through to heat up the barrel before getting down to serious business.

Target shooting and hunting are two different things. I agree with your method if you are a hunter. You have to know how it will work when it is cold. For target shooting, I would choose warm.