Gun Cleaning and Lubrication
BY Herschel Smith
1 month ago
First up is the old timer who takes the minimalist philosophy. He recommends paint thinner, or in other words, mineral spirits. Ernest Langdon also recommends mineral spirits to clean the Beretta 1301.
I do think he left out Copper as one of the things you want to remove. It makes the patches look green when they’re pulled out.
I think hot soapy water is a bit too far for me except for muzzle loaders.
Then there is the data-driven boys from Hornady, who have noted increases in back pressure from guns that weren’t properly cleaned. In the comments I’ve recommended that they release the data and math models, but I suspect they will consider it all proprietary.
On December 23, 2024 at 10:17 am, St Bernardnot said:
Soap and water was the Marine Corps way back in ’67. After the rifle range.
On December 23, 2024 at 9:42 pm, Steady Steve said:
I use a 3 step process that has worked well for me. Start with Hoppes #9 for carbon fouling, then Shooters Choice MC-7 bore scrub for any residual combustion products and copper fouling. Followed by Shooters Choice polymer safe spray scrub which neutralizes the solvents and leaves the bore completely clean. If the rifle is not going to be used soon the bore gets a wet patch of Break Free followed by a dry patch. I definitely agree hot soapy water is for black powder only. I remember one old guy on youtube saying you shouldn’t remove copper fouling because it filled in imperfections in the bore. I would think that over time this would cause uneven performance.
On December 24, 2024 at 11:12 am, Bill Sullivan said:
Regarding copper fouling- I have a 1903 Springfield that I used for 4 position target shooting for many years. I would run Hoppe’s through it, or just a brush and patch. After thousands of rounds, I figured I was getting old- recoil was bothering me. Then a friend asked me to get a new Ruger .30-06 on target. He had 220 grain loads. The recoil on his light sporter was very soft. I went back to the ’03, and my target handloads beat the crap out of me in a much heavier rifle. I gave the bore a good soak in ammonia. It all came out dark purple- copper fouling. Recoil went way down. And this was when the bore was heavily worn. Now I have a new barrel on it, and recoil is up again.
On December 26, 2024 at 11:30 am, Grunt said:
As an M-60 machine gunner in the early ’80’s in the 509th Airborne, I had to clean the receiver with very little supplies or time. Full of oil and crud from weeks in the field. I took it into the sink and ran it under hot water for about 15 minutes. No solvent, no brushing. It came out spotless. Enough to pass any A Hole officer’s inspection. Something to be said for the KISS method.