Gun cleaning products

RandallOfLegend · Oct 4, 2016

MikeyCNY said:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I really like FrogLube, and it worked great when I only had a couple of firearms.. but now that my 'collection' has grown and I regularly bring several different toys to the range, I don't look forward to cleaning like I used to.

Think I'm going to go with (or at least try) Ballistol for cleaning and Slip 2000 EWL for lube as needed. I don't normally have a lot of ventilation when I'm cleaning so I'll have to see how strong the Ballistol smell is.

Ballistol vapor makes me cough. It smells like licorice if I had to give it a scent. Hoppe's 9 smells like bubblegum to me.

JohnD13 · Oct 13, 2016

Used to be Hopper #9, now all I use is Ballistol, works the best for me, including cleaning the black powder guns.

PinkPanther · Oct 13, 2016

Hoppes 9 cleaning solvent to clean and Hoppes 9 lube for lube.

UltraT · Dec 23, 2016

I've been using Hoppes for cleaning. Seems fine to me, don't really have anything to compare it to. I was using Hoppes for lube as well but I bought some FP-10 recently instead. Some people on the forums said it doesn't evaporate as much as Hoppes. Honestly I doubt I'll be able to tell the difference, but I might as well try it.

minderasr · Dec 23, 2016

MikeyCNY said:
Great, now there's something else I have to try:

Review: NEW Strike Industries AntiVenom Extreme Penetrating Lubricant and Cleaner - The Firearm Blog

Going to wait for a sale though, I'm good on cleaning supplies for a while.

"You don’t need any sort of weird bake-in-the-oven-after-soaking-in-platypus-entrails procedure."

LMAO!

BTW, what good is the test if they don't tell you what the other products are? Looked like plate M held up just as well as the AntiVenom treated plate. I'd love to know what other products were used in this test.

Eddie Gunks · Dec 23, 2016

Cleaning? Bah!

Slip 2000 EWL.

Frog lube does not work in the cold. I promise.

1911guy · Dec 24, 2016

MikeyCNY said:
Can't speak for the plate test, but I was able to ID most of the blurred products from the 'friction disc' test. Even my trusty FrogLube. Supposedly the spray smells like almonds now... just like cyanide.

How often do you smell cyanide? Can I have your guns after you taste it?

Robin · Dec 24, 2016

Water, sometimes 'moose milk' (a solution containing Balistol, Hydrogen peroxide, lentil, and water) to clean, WD-40 for final wipe down inside and out, a touch of oil for lube at certain points, never the bore.
Robin

Shadow2 · Dec 27, 2016

I'm not sure if I chimed in on this thread, I'll keep it Short KG products.

NY Leatherneck · Dec 27, 2016

Just got turned on to ballistol when I went to master class for muzzloader supplies...I do have clp foam though which does double duty as cleaner/lubricant and hops cleaner for the hard shit.

Podmonkey · Dec 27, 2016

Hopes no 9 for fouling and regular ol Breakfree CLP for light cleaning and lube. My firearms run well and never have rust on them so I see no need to get "fancier" products.

Patriot · Dec 27, 2016

Ballistol stinks. Works great, but smells like all get out. I clean inside so it's not an option. I started using Gunzilla a few years back. A little bit goes a long way and it work even better than Ballistol, IMO.

Glenn B · Dec 27, 2016

Patriot said:
Ballistol stinks. Works great, but smells like all get out. I clean inside so it's not an option. I started using Gunzilla a few years back. A little bit goes a long way and it work even better than Ballistol, IMO.

Be careful with Gunzilla, it somewhat dissolved the finish on the factory grips on my Remington 1911 R1; I imagine it could do likewise on other finishes. Otherwise, I found it to be excellent at cleaning the metal parts of my firearms. I had planned on sticking with it until it made the finish on those grips sticky until they dried.

As for me, I am back to using Hoppe's No. 9 and every now and then I clean the bores with Bench Rest 9 Copper Gun Bore Cleaner toget out the copper (it works very well at it too). I may give this one a try next time I need bottle of solvent: Hoppe's No. 9 Synthetic Blend Bore Cleaner - especially since they say it has the same smell as the original and since I am a Hoppe's No. 9 junkie when it comes to that aroma. Of course, my wife hates it.

For lubrication, I use whatever gun oil I have on hand. My favorite and the one I use the great majority of the time is Break Free CLP. Seems to work better than just good enough as far as I am concerned and I think it is an excellent product.

In a pinch, if there is nothing else available, I will use the much shunned WD40 to spray down a gun if it got wet (as when hunting on a rainy or snowy day) to prevent rust on parts unseen (such as under a scope rail). It is not one of my favorites but it will do in an emergency and can be bought where no gun oil is readily available.

All the best,
Glenn B

Criticalt · Dec 27, 2016

After a brief stint with balistol I went back to G96. It works as good as Balistol but very little smell. Spray and wipe, cleans, protects and lubes all in one

Patriot · Dec 27, 2016

Glenn B said:
Be careful with Gunzilla, it somewhat dissolved the finish on the factory grips on my Remington 1911 R1; I imagine it could do likewise on other finishes. Otherwise, I found it to be excellent at cleaning the metal parts of my firearms. I had planned on sticking with it until it made the finish on those grips sticky until they dried.

I have been using it for about 2 years now on polymer framed guns and steel and have never had a single issue. I'll keep it in mind though if I buy something new. I'll "test in an inconspicuous area first".

Glenn B · Dec 27, 2016

Patriot said:
I have been using it for about 2 years now on polymer framed guns and steel and have never had a single issue. I'll keep it in mind though if I buy something new. I'll "test in an inconspicuous area first".

It was never a problem with any of my polymer framed guns either. The problem was with using Gunzilla on the Remington R1 1911, a steel pistol with wood grips. The finish on the grips got pretty sticky when any of it got on them and some of the finish came off on my hands and on a cloth. Not much came off but enough to make me stop using Gunzilla because I have several other guns with wood stocks and I don't want to take the chance it may mess up those finishes too.

Haunt · Dec 29, 2016

BALLISTALL is currently offering a free giveaway.

1 each 6oz aerosol, 4 oz non-aerosol and a box of wipes. Free!

Get 'em here: Free Ballistol Give-Away - Ballistol

GOPerfect · Dec 30, 2016

I use CLP. I have used it for more then 25 years. I was introduced to it when on Active Duty and have used it since.

Glenn B · Dec 30, 2016

Haunt said:
BALLISTALL is currently offering a free giveaway.

1 each 6oz aerosol, 4 oz non-aerosol and a box of wipes. Free!

Get 'em here: Free Ballistol Give-Away - Ballistol

For free, I would try it. Now to hope I win.

Darth · Dec 30, 2016

People that think Ballistol stinks, but use Hoppes 9 air fresheners in their cars...

Darth · Dec 30, 2016

As for my personal experience with Ballistol, this is how it went:

I NEEDED something better than Rem Oil. With Rem oil, my shotgun would attract rust from the far corners of the universe. In literally HOURS. :O

I knew Hickok used Ballistol, and he is a "simple is better" dude, so I tried it.

I applied it once. My shotgun never saw a drop of rust even after shooting in the rain, being left for days without cleaning, all hot, humid summer with no attention, and I could not believe it. You can actually SEE the wetlook of the metal months later. It really does do something to the metal.

That sold me. I want a simple, all in one, that is trusted.

I use both the aerosol and non-aerosol stuff for different purposes. The thicker, non-aresol is the superb rust preventative and bore cleaner. The spray is for all over CLP of smaller parts.

Glenn B · Dec 30, 2016

I do not know about Ballistol but Hoppe's No. 9 is quite pleasingly aromatic; it has a hint of :shooting:

about it

.

Darth · Dec 30, 2016

Glenn B said:
I do not know about Ballistol but Hoppe's No. 9 is quite pleasingly aromatic; it has a hint of about it.

I hear it's illegal to ship via USPS though.

Glenn B · Dec 30, 2016

Darth said:
You can actually SEE the wetlook of the metal months later. It really does do something to the metal.

My guess would be that it may apply a non-evaporative coating. Before using it, I would have to check on that as such products often allow for a buildup of a coating with additional applications and those buildups can lead to function problems. Not saying that is the case, just that before me using it, I would check to see if it was the case. I base that on your description of it having the wet look months after only one application.

Darth · Dec 30, 2016

Glenn B said:
My guess would be that it may apply a non-evaporative coating. Before using it, I would have to check on that as such products often allow for a buildup of a coating with additional applications and those buildups can lead to function problems. Not saying that is the case, just that before me using it, I would check to see if it was the case. I base that on your description of it having the wet look months after only one application.

I'm sure Hickok has shot way way more rounds than us combined.

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