Pistol Cleaning

[Mike M.]

Hmm...

I use Hoppes No. 9 for cleaning cartridge guns, but Ballistol also works well. I use Ballistol as my standard lube. They really don't need a lot of cleaning - but it depends on the gun. I had a Walther GSP that needed 20 rounds of fouling to cycle reliably, and an OSP that needed to be shot clean.

Simple Green for scrubbing muzzle-loaders. Flush with lots of hot water.

[madmull]

Actually - I might just use WD-40. According to the Wiki, the formula is:

WD-40's main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

* 50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits -- primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene)
* 25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)
* 15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
* 10-%: Inert ingredients

Does anyone think WD-40 would not be a reasonable choice as a general purpose cleaner on a pistol?

well quit some scientific answers for fish oil.

[Richard H]

Yes you've spent hundreds or even thousands on a gun, I would save a few pennies by using WD-40, instead of a proper gun lube.

[tenex]

So how much cleaning is needed, what does one clean and what does one use to clean? The FAS602 I was using had a couple of misfires (hammer failed to strike) and a quick look by the owner suggested a build up of crud around the bit that the firing pin comes out of. So I have bought toothbrush and nylon tooth picks for associated 'picking' and 'scrubbing'. What about solvents? What about oiling?

Hi David,
Each gun is a different case. I have an IZH-35 that is a crud magnet, it get's filled with debris in short order (but seems to remain reliable). My Pardini on the other hand will remain fairly clean with 5 times the numbers of shots, all with the same ammo. I can't figure it out. I do a thorough cleaning on the Pardini every 1500 rounds or so.

I'll cast another vote for Hoppes #9 (I like the smell). I use #9 with a borebrush, toothbrush, and a rag to clean all the parts, then I wipe everything down with whatever general purpose gun oil I have laying around. After I clean the bore, I'll push an oily patch followed by 2 or 3 clean patches and then try to fire 10 or 20 rounds before a match.

We used to use WD-40 to clean shotguns, and we never had any real issues. I think anything with a solvent will probably work. Nowadays, I just use #9 for everything with the exception of automatic shotguns, where I use Breakfree CLP and shoot the gas pistons wet. Works great but smells horrible.

Steve.

P.S. If you feel the need to be a compulsive cleaner, go get a Ruger Mark II (or III). They're not the easiest guns to do a field strip on, but they are the easiest to completely dismantle so you can really clean everything, and fun to put back together.

[2650 Plus]

For the 1911 the only oil that is excess is what drips off your elbow. The oil spray on the firing line is very simular to fog, but smells worse. Good Shooting Bill Horton

[Weekend Shooter]

After reading this chain, I could not resist. I had to clean my Rapid Fire and Free Pistols and bond with them.

But needed a quick comment if I'm doing it right or wrong.

I pull small cotton balls (the size of spit balls) that were soaked in a few drops of Hoppes 9 using a nylon line inserted from the muzzle and pulled thru from the bore and guiding the line away from the crown with fingers while being pulled thru. I repeat it over a couple of days (or leave it till the next session on the next weekend).

I'm wondering if the cotton ball can damage the barrell though I cant see how. It has the same consistency as a felt pellet in an AP. I do check for any lint left with a bore light when I run it clean for a last time, and they're very easy to see.

The rest was practically bathed in Breakfree CLP. No copper brush for us at the range as not to risk the barrell crown.

As an aside amd weird in retrospect... In my youth, the guy at the range was using mercury in liquid form and running it thru the barrell of the club's AP to pickup the lead out of the FWB 65s. I wonder if he's still alive. He was rather old so his body must have been impervious to both lead and mercury!