All posts tagged gun cleaning patches

Gun cleaning, 3-1 or multiple products?

I have tried out several gun cleaning lubricants and supplies in recent months and have come to the conclusion that I still can’t narrow it down to just one product line for all of my needs.  I started out with a 3 piece cleaning rod and quickly learned about using one piece and boresnakes for rifle cleaning.   Boresnakes are very good for cleaning barrels but not so good for cleaning out chambers.  There are differences in the types of brushes you might want to add to your cleaning kit because the direct impingement AR15 is probable the most difficult to clean up properly in that area, although we do suggest you be aware that it is possible to over clean firearms.  Good lubricants like Mpr0-7 and Slip 2000 are very good in AR15 firearms.

One of the best arguments for using up your old gun cleaning supplies and switching over to M-Pro7 or Slip 2000 products is that they are non-toxic.   I was very happy with my experiences with gun cleaning supplies like the above mentioned products.   I have used CLP for many years but after using a few firearms in a Defensive Training classes where the guns ran dry and started clunking after about 400rds of 9mm and 40 caliber training sessions.   Eliminating toxic materials from your gun cleaning gear is a good idea, and truth be told, modern technology with lubricants has greatly improved run time and firearm environment tolerances.

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Getting away from the toxic stuff

I have stopped using Hoppes gun cleaning solvents for a very long time and it was mostly due to complaints from family members about the smell.  The older I get the more I think about the chemicals that I expose my friends and family too and it is worth considering changing the product lines that you use in for your gun cleaning.  M-Pro7 gun cleaning products are non-toxic and won’t stink up your home.  There is nothing smelly about them and they actually do work.  Carbob will disappear from your bolt carriers quickly.

Wearing gloves for gun cleaning can be a hassle because there are so many small parts on a firearm that it is very difficult to feel them.  Many gun cleaning supplies will work, but like we mentioned above, not all of them are good for you.  Having a safe gun cleaning station that doesn’t expose your kids to lead or other harmful products is a good thing especially now that so many people are testing for it and concerned about it.   Otis has a very inexpensive gun cleaning mat that can be rolled up and put away.

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Gun cleaning brushes don’t last forever

I have several gun cleaning kits laying around my gun cleaning room and some of them are close to 20yrs old.   I still use various elements of them since not all of the kits are still intact.   Most of the non-one piece cleaning rods I have used in the past have become broken or bent and have been tossed, but I have some of the Hoppes gun cleaning solvent and a few cleaning brushes that have moved in with my gun cleaning kits.   The bore snakes that I have, have pretty much replaced the gun cleaning brushes but there have been a few times recently that I have gone back to using tradition cleaning kits.   I have been testing out many of the Otis gun cleaning kits to basically get use to the product line.

Otis gun cleaning kits aren’t going to clean your guns in some magical new way.   They really are just another mode of gun cleaning supplies, different type of cleaning and lubrication, different way of using a metal cord instead of a cleaning rod, but other than that, it’s just a compact way of keeping your gun cleaning kit something that can go in a range bag. The larger multi-caliber cleaning kits make a ton of sense if you own a lot of firearms, but if you don’t they will be a major over kill.   Gun cleaning patches are something we know we should throw away at certain point, but I see many using gun cleaning brushes for far longer than they should.   If you are noticing that you can’t get a barrel clean, try replacing the gun cleaning brushes you have.   Getting lead out or cleaning a gun that has not been cleaned all that well in the past is harder if you don’t have the right tools.

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Cleaning and fixing guns at the same time

I’ve had a few mistakes in firearm ownership that have nothing to do with gun safety or hunting, it actually had to do with gun maintenance.   There were a few times that I took guns on a hunting trip, didn’t fire them, brought them home and put them in a safe, only to find out a few days later that they were all covered in rust.   Even the morning dew can rust and possible ruin a firearm if you don’t pay attention to what your guns are made out of and how to care for them.   Another time was carrying a Taurus T-85 handgun in a leather holster and not cleaning it once a week, the holster held body sweat and the salts from the sweat pitted the barrel of the handgun.   It wasn’t worth the time and trouble to remove the pits without risking more damage to the firearm.

Along with taking care of your guns and preventing rust from building up, sometimes dents and dings can occur.   It always bothered me that some guys spend thousands on combat firearms and are afraid to shoot them in the rain or snow and then get upset if they get dirt on them.   The reason  most firearms are coated in what they are is for combat or adverse weather conditions.  Next time you are looking for gun cleaning supplies, you should look into picking up a gun blue touch up pen for fixing minor scratches and dings on your firearms.   There are gun blue kits you can buy to re-blue a firearm, but the touch up pen is good for the majority of the minor tweaks and only takes a few seconds.

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Some guns were not designed to be cleaned very well

My first semi-auto was a Russian SKS which was when they were going for under $100.   The Russian SKS is a very well thought out semi-auto because in my opinion, I like the operation and disassemble more than the M1 Garand.   I think the Garand is  a fine rifle and far more accurate than an SKS, but the stripper clips and lighter ammuntion is better suited for WWII combat although it was not introduced that early.   The AK ended the short adventure of the SKS much in the same way the M16 shortened the life of the M14.   They were all very well designed and reliable firearms, but they were not modern enough for combat.   One gun I have found that I still enjoy shooting and operating with is the FAL.   The triggers on these guns are a little hard to drop in weight, and the mounts on them really need to be locked in place with something other than just a screwdriver.   The .308 caliber will do a number on scope mounts especially exposing any operator failures to properly “lock it down”.

One thing that made me a fan of the DSA FAL I own is that it was designed to be easy to operate and maintain.   I’ve heard many firearm instructors that I respect say that the M16 does not need to be cleaned as much as people think and lubrication is more important than scrubbing every spec of carbon off the firearm.  I still enjoy cleaning some of my firearms just because I like inspecting the geniousness of the designs.   I literally can clean and FAL with gun cleaning supplies like the Hoppes bores snakes.  The Otis gun cleaning kits aren’t necessary on one of these guns and more appropriate for more complicated designs.  The FAL is hands down the simplest battle rifle to clean.

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Cleaning revolvers is easier with a boresnake

I remember the first firearm I ever cleaned was a Marlin bolt action 22LR rifle.  To clean the gun, all you had to do was pull the bolt out the back by depressing a button and pulling it back.   You could look down the chamber and see all of the fouling and know how dirty it was.   Using Hoppes cleaning solvent on a wet patch would produce a dark black gun patch on the other end when pushed through with a cleaning rod.   After you did that a few times, I’d run a cleaning brush a few times and then run a dry patch until it ran clean.

Revolvers and some semi-auto guns like the M1 Garand or the M14 and Mini 14 can be tricky and need to be cleaned from the muzzle if you are using a cleaning rod, well a few decades ago a new innovative way of cleaning these firearms was invented.   The Hoppes boresnakes are the simplist way to speed up the process and to put dangerous wear on your barrel by using a cleaning rod.   The Hoppes Boresnake is caliber specific so you may want to pick up a few for various calibers.  There are also rifle and pistol versions.

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