Using Simple Green as a Bore Cleaner?

bryceh12321 · November 1, 2009, 08:06 PM

I've heard of a few guys letting their barrel soak in Simple Green for a while and simply using hot water and patches afterwards to leave a darn clean barrel. It almost seems to good to be true. I'm looking for the best bore cleaner I can find.

Any thoughts?

javabum · November 1, 2009, 08:36 PM

I never thought of simple green as a cleaner for guns.
My suggestion,stick to what they sell at gun shops.
That way you know what to expect....Simple green
was not designed for removing lead and what ever
else is in the barrel.And as far as rinsing gun parts in
water.....REALLY.That idea never crossed my mind.

Chris_B · November 1, 2009, 09:08 PM

I boil the barrel, rammer, nipples, cylinder and wedge on my black powder revolver when I clean it. I put a couple drops of dishwashing detergent in an old pot, fill with tap water, and boil the parts up. Fish 'em out with an old ladle, and let them sit for a few minutes to cool, then pick them up with a rag and douse with WD-40 to prevent rust and get rid of moisture. I use hoppe's and brushes and patches on the barrel as well. I clean the frame with WD-40 and an old toothbrush

But that's black powder

If I had nothing else...sure, I'd use simple green. If I had nothing else

Edward429451 · November 1, 2009, 09:20 PM

Simple Green is a fabulous gun cleaner. I have used it very much and like it. Fist off it's millions of dollars cheaper than real gun store stuff which is getting downright ridiculous in price. Secondly, it's only metal and SG IS designed to get funk off of metal. Soak it, scrub it with bore brushes, rinse in hot water, and since simple green is degreaser, the gun needs re oiled. First patch it and wipe it until all the water is out (I prefer dry nitrogen to blow it out with) and oil cure, which simply means drench it in oil everywhere and let it soak in for awhile, and get back down into the pores of the metal. Then wipedown and reassembly. It wont rust unless you mess up, mine never has.

Simple Green will attack Anodized Aluminum, do not soak anodized aluminum parts in Simple Green. My flash hider came out clean out all right...all the way down to the aluminum!

olyinaz · November 2, 2009, 12:37 AM

If you had a black powder gun you'd consider rinsing it in water!

But honestly, unless the OP is trying to go more environmentally friendly or more friendly to his body (toxins) I just don't see why one would do this. Make up a batch of cheap gun cleaning juice using the popular concoction that's floating around the internet (Ed's Red or whatever the heck it's called) and then clean your guns less! They just don't need as much cleaning as we neat freaks think they do.

Me, I'll just suck it up and buy the gun products. Given what I'm spending on ammo and gasoline it's a drop in the bucket I think but that's just my 2¢ worth.

Regards,
Oly

whiplash · November 2, 2009, 06:58 AM

You know that got me to thinking....many moons ago (USAF) we used to clean F-16 bomb rack parts(small parts involved in the fireing process) in a 20mm ammo can full of warm water and Dawn dishsoap. We used Dawn becuase we werent allowed to use the good ole fashion chemical stuff that was supposedly bad for us. The Dawn did a good job of cleaning all the powder/carbon residue. And I will say Simple Green does take paint of off motorcycle wheels if not carefull...

Slopemeno · November 2, 2009, 09:44 AM

Leave blued parts in simple green long enough and they won't be blued any more...that being said I used it in our parts washer in the shop and it worked great.

Scorch · November 2, 2009, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Fist off it's millions of dollars cheaper than real gun store stuff which is getting downright ridiculous in price.

You are using some really expensive solvent. The real question is what is the cost per use, and I suspect that Simple Green costs more per use because you use lots more Simple Green than you do solvent when cleaning a firearm.

Quote:

I prefer dry nitrogen to blow it out with)

which is many, many times more costly per use than compressed air . . .

e.g.- I like Butch's Bore Shine. I bought the 8 oz bottle 5 years ago, and paid about $9.00. It is still about 1/2 full, so in 5 years I have used about $4.50 worth of solvent. So, yes the solvent is expensive on a per gallon basis, but I use very little each time, so cost per use is very low (don't ask me how low, I just know that I shoot almost every week, and I clean my firearms after each trip). I clean the exterior of my guns with Hoppes #9, always have, and my 32 oz bottles last a looooong time, this one about 8 years, still about 1/4 full.

Current price for an 8 fl oz bottle of Butch's Bore Shine on Midway is $12.49, or about $1.55 per fl oz. Current price for Hoppe's #9 is $11.99 for a 32 oz bottle, or about 37 cents per fl oz. A quick search on walmart.com shows me that Simple Green (original formula, original scent) costs $39.88 for 24 fl oz, or about $1.66 per fl oz. Cost per fluid ounce is higher for Simple Green.

But we were talking about cost per use. How does it get used? I dip a brush into the bottle of Butch's bore Shine and punch the bore, let it sit, then punch it again, patches until clean, then a drop or two of Tetra on a patch for the bore. Done. Scrub the outside with Hoppes #9 on a brush dipped in the bottle, then wipe until clean, then wipe with an oiled cloth. From simple math, I can calculate that using my current cleaning routine, it costs me about $2.50 per year for gun cleaning solvents, or about the cost of 5 teaspoons of Simple Green (about 10 sprays). I have a hard time believing that I can clean my guns all year with 10 sprays of Simple Green, specifically because I clean my guns about 50 times per year.

I won't even get into the fact that I re-oil my guns with really expensive gun oils when I'm done, because my bottle of BreakFree lasted me many years before I ran out.

Dino. · November 2, 2009, 02:41 PM

If using gun cleaner screws up my gun, I can blame the manufacture.
I using Simple Green screws up my gun, I can only blame myself.

Rob96 · November 2, 2009, 03:50 PM

I have read that Simple Green will strip all oils from the steel.

Slopemeno · November 2, 2009, 05:29 PM

That's sorta the idea, isn't it? It's a solvent. It IS too strong in the jug- water it down some before use.

sc928porsche · November 2, 2009, 05:37 PM

Simple green is a degreaser. It will not however desolve powder residue. I have tried to use it to clean cartridges, but the brass still has that powder residue in it. Stick with your firearm cleaning solvents and oils.

Rob96 · November 3, 2009, 04:11 AM

Quote:

That's sorta the idea, isn't it? It's a solvent. It IS too strong in the jug- water it down some before use.

Yes and no. When you have guns with a parkerized finish it could be an issue because the parkerizing absorbs oil to give it it's corrosion resistance. I prefer simple Breakfree.

smee78 · November 3, 2009, 05:45 AM

breakfree is what I have been using more and more, gun scrubber and other products cost to much. (not that breakfree is much cheaper)

Picher · November 3, 2009, 06:32 AM

I use Shooter's Choice to clean bores only, then a final patch with a little BreakFree. I've also used only BreakFree and it cleans quite well.

I'm more concerned about keeping rust preventative in and on my rifles than I am making them super-clean. Solvents shouldn't be used on the outside surfaces, only rust preventatives.

After seeing the effects of WD40 on people's guns, how it turns to a sticky/gummy substance. I don't even own a can of the stuff. Breakfree is an excellent product and it doesn't gum up over time.

Lloyd Smale · November 3, 2009, 08:04 AM

off topic but i went to biological contamination training a couple years back and the instructer there said that in a biological,chemical or nuculer atack the best thing a guy can have is a bottle of dawn dish soap. He said nothing cleans as well even the concoctions that are specially made for the job.

Edward429451 · November 3, 2009, 08:11 AM

Nitrogen is free for me or at least something that is always there anyways for work. Compressed air has a moisture content that would be undesirable for the use.

Dawn dishsoap is a good flea shampoo for the dog & cats too.

Sport45 · November 3, 2009, 08:25 AM

Quote:

But honestly, unless the OP is trying to go more environmentally friendly or more friendly to his body (toxins) I just don't see why one would do this. Make up a batch of cheap gun cleaning juice using the popular concoction that's floating around the internet (Ed's Red or whatever the heck it's called) and then clean your guns less! They just don't need as much cleaning as we neat freaks think they do.

That's my philosophy. Ed's Red is great stuff!

Quote:

Compressed air has a moisture content that would be undesirable for the use.

The compressed air at our facility is dried to a dew point of -80°C. Probably doesn't have any more moisture than commercial nitrogen. The compressed air from the typical pancake compressor somebody might have in their garage is a different story. But I still use mine to blow off gun parts without worry. As long as you keep it drained it is dry enough. Just oil after cleaning.

Ian0351 · November 3, 2009, 08:28 AM

We used Simple Green in USMC Recruit Training after our qualifications and field courses but before our Battalion Commander's inspection... works like a charm. Had to make sure the sirs didn't see us doing it, or using water, so it was kind of a 'fly by night' operation. Of course the DIs were aware, they brought the Simple Green!

Slightly OT, the Mortarmen in my platoon used to use a half a can of Dr. Pepper and 2 copper pennies (causes chemical reaction, I'm sure someone here knows more about it than me) to dissolve the propellant left behind in the tube, as nothing else seemed to work as well and they didn't have many implements capable of reaching the bottom of a 61mm mortar tube (usually it was a bent-up coat hanger with a rag on one end, how's that for high-speed!). In the fleet we used hot water sparingly for deep cleans... and tried not to let any armorers observe said process.

Daugherty16 · November 3, 2009, 12:09 PM

For black powder, water is the solvent of choice. Hot water, or any of the name-brand BP cleaners, all work pretty well as long as you brush or scrub the surfaces pretty well. But i was always taught that water and metal don't make good bedfellows. So when cleaning my BP rifles, i'm always careful to really dry the parts out well after cleaning, before oiling and reassembling.

I suppose that would work for regular firearms too. But i prefer Breakfree or Hoppes #9 for all my modern firearms. I would never soak blued parts in water or water based solvents; rust happens too fast. Especially fast in hot water. Heres the ingredient list for Simple Green. Water, alcohol, and citrus oil, basically. http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/IDS_...oseCleaner.pdf I've never thought it worked as well as GUNK for cleaning auto parts, so i'm not a big fan to begin with.

But to each his own. I just don't want to accidentally get simple green (water and alcohol, which attracts water) into my trigger group, or on the firing pin, places i may not be able to access to thoroughly dry them.

I'll stick to my traditional cleaning methods. For 6 bucks, a can of breakfree won't break the bank. You can buy 1000 patches for 10 bucks. That should last most people a long time.

GONIF · November 3, 2009, 01:07 PM

If price is the issue mix up a bath of Ed's Red.
http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9

November 1, 2009, 08:06 PM	#1
bryceh12321 Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2008 Posts: 136	Using Simple Green as a Bore Cleaner? I've heard of a few guys letting their barrel soak in Simple Green for a while and simply using hot water and patches afterwards to leave a darn clean barrel. It almost seems to good to be true. I'm looking for the best bore cleaner I can find. Any thoughts?

November 1, 2009, 08:36 PM	#2
javabum Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Californication Posts: 264	I never thought of simple green as a cleaner for guns. My suggestion,stick to what they sell at gun shops. That way you know what to expect....Simple green was not designed for removing lead and what ever else is in the barrel.And as far as rinsing gun parts in water.....REALLY.That idea never crossed my mind. __________________ Stupidity Should Hurt.....Immensely NRA Life member

November 2, 2009, 05:37 PM	#12
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	Simple green is a degreaser. It will not however desolve powder residue. I have tried to use it to clean cartridges, but the brass still has that powder residue in it. Stick with your firearm cleaning solvents and oils. __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

November 3, 2009, 05:45 AM	#14
smee78 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,918	breakfree is what I have been using more and more, gun scrubber and other products cost to much. (not that breakfree is much cheaper) __________________ We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are

November 3, 2009, 08:28 AM	#19
Ian0351 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 414	We used Simple Green in USMC Recruit Training after our qualifications and field courses but before our Battalion Commander's inspection... works like a charm. Had to make sure the sirs didn't see us doing it, or using water, so it was kind of a 'fly by night' operation. Of course the DIs were aware, they brought the Simple Green! Slightly OT, the Mortarmen in my platoon used to use a half a can of Dr. Pepper and 2 copper pennies (causes chemical reaction, I'm sure someone here knows more about it than me) to dissolve the propellant left behind in the tube, as nothing else seemed to work as well and they didn't have many implements capable of reaching the bottom of a 61mm mortar tube (usually it was a bent-up coat hanger with a rag on one end, how's that for high-speed!). In the fleet we used hot water sparingly for deep cleans... and tried not to let any armorers observe said process. __________________ You can have your churches, I'll keep my guns. Just keep your hands off my paycheck and your eyes out of my backyard. Join the Libertarian Party! http://www.lp.org Semper Fidelis

November 1, 2009, 09:08 PM	#3
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	I boil the barrel, rammer, nipples, cylinder and wedge on my black powder revolver when I clean it. I put a couple drops of dishwashing detergent in an old pot, fill with tap water, and boil the parts up. Fish 'em out with an old ladle, and let them sit for a few minutes to cool, then pick them up with a rag and douse with WD-40 to prevent rust and get rid of moisture. I use hoppe's and brushes and patches on the barrel as well. I clean the frame with WD-40 and an old toothbrush But that's black powder If I had nothing else...sure, I'd use simple green. If I had nothing else

November 1, 2009, 09:20 PM	#4
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	Simple Green is a fabulous gun cleaner. I have used it very much and like it. Fist off it's millions of dollars cheaper than real gun store stuff which is getting downright ridiculous in price. Secondly, it's only metal and SG IS designed to get funk off of metal. Soak it, scrub it with bore brushes, rinse in hot water, and since simple green is degreaser, the gun needs re oiled. First patch it and wipe it until all the water is out (I prefer dry nitrogen to blow it out with) and oil cure, which simply means drench it in oil everywhere and let it soak in for awhile, and get back down into the pores of the metal. Then wipedown and reassembly. It wont rust unless you mess up, mine never has. Simple Green will attack Anodized Aluminum, do not soak anodized aluminum parts in Simple Green. My flash hider came out clean out all right...all the way down to the aluminum!

November 2, 2009, 12:37 AM	#5
olyinaz Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 877	If you had a black powder gun you'd consider rinsing it in water! But honestly, unless the OP is trying to go more environmentally friendly or more friendly to his body (toxins) I just don't see why one would do this. Make up a batch of cheap gun cleaning juice using the popular concoction that's floating around the internet (Ed's Red or whatever the heck it's called) and then clean your guns less! They just don't need as much cleaning as we neat freaks think they do. Me, I'll just suck it up and buy the gun products. Given what I'm spending on ammo and gasoline it's a drop in the bucket I think but that's just my 2¢ worth. Regards, Oly

November 2, 2009, 06:58 AM	#6
whiplash Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2007 Location: Idaho Posts: 334	You know that got me to thinking....many moons ago (USAF) we used to clean F-16 bomb rack parts(small parts involved in the fireing process) in a 20mm ammo can full of warm water and Dawn dishsoap. We used Dawn becuase we werent allowed to use the good ole fashion chemical stuff that was supposedly bad for us. The Dawn did a good job of cleaning all the powder/carbon residue. And I will say Simple Green does take paint of off motorcycle wheels if not carefull...

November 2, 2009, 09:44 AM	#7
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	Leave blued parts in simple green long enough and they won't be blued any more...that being said I used it in our parts washer in the shop and it worked great.

November 2, 2009, 02:41 PM	#9
Dino. Junior member Join Date: November 2, 2006 Posts: 908	If using gun cleaner screws up my gun, I can blame the manufacture. I using Simple Green screws up my gun, I can only blame myself.

November 2, 2009, 03:50 PM	#10
Rob96 Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 1999 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 1,969	I have read that Simple Green will strip all oils from the steel.

November 2, 2009, 05:29 PM	#11
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	That's sorta the idea, isn't it? It's a solvent. It IS too strong in the jug- water it down some before use.

November 3, 2009, 06:32 AM	#15
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I use Shooter's Choice to clean bores only, then a final patch with a little BreakFree. I've also used only BreakFree and it cleans quite well. I'm more concerned about keeping rust preventative in and on my rifles than I am making them super-clean. Solvents shouldn't be used on the outside surfaces, only rust preventatives. After seeing the effects of WD40 on people's guns, how it turns to a sticky/gummy substance. I don't even own a can of the stuff. Breakfree is an excellent product and it doesn't gum up over time.

November 3, 2009, 08:04 AM	#16
Lloyd Smale Junior member Join Date: February 11, 2005 Posts: 822	off topic but i went to biological contamination training a couple years back and the instructer there said that in a biological,chemical or nuculer atack the best thing a guy can have is a bottle of dawn dish soap. He said nothing cleans as well even the concoctions that are specially made for the job.

November 3, 2009, 08:11 AM	#17
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	Nitrogen is free for me or at least something that is always there anyways for work. Compressed air has a moisture content that would be undesirable for the use. Dawn dishsoap is a good flea shampoo for the dog & cats too.

November 3, 2009, 12:09 PM	#20
Daugherty16 Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2008 Location: Live Free or Die state Posts: 259	Oil-based solvent vs. water-based For black powder, water is the solvent of choice. Hot water, or any of the name-brand BP cleaners, all work pretty well as long as you brush or scrub the surfaces pretty well. But i was always taught that water and metal don't make good bedfellows. So when cleaning my BP rifles, i'm always careful to really dry the parts out well after cleaning, before oiling and reassembling. I suppose that would work for regular firearms too. But i prefer Breakfree or Hoppes #9 for all my modern firearms. I would never soak blued parts in water or water based solvents; rust happens too fast. Especially fast in hot water. Heres the ingredient list for Simple Green. Water, alcohol, and citrus oil, basically. http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/IDS_...oseCleaner.pdf I've never thought it worked as well as GUNK for cleaning auto parts, so i'm not a big fan to begin with. But to each his own. I just don't want to accidentally get simple green (water and alcohol, which attracts water) into my trigger group, or on the firing pin, places i may not be able to access to thoroughly dry them. I'll stick to my traditional cleaning methods. For 6 bucks, a can of breakfree won't break the bank. You can buy 1000 patches for 10 bucks. That should last most people a long time. __________________ "To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness... How pathetic." - - Ted Nugent "Cogito, Ergo Armitum Sum" - (I Think, Therefore I Am Armed)- - anon.

November 3, 2009, 01:07 PM	#21
GONIF Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2009 Location: PHOENIX IT'S A DRY HEAT AZ Posts: 844	If price is the issue mix up a bath of Ed's Red. http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9 __________________ WHO ME ? Last edited by GONIF; November 3, 2009 at 07:17 PM.