Bore cleaners...

[BBush]

I have noticed that some bore cleaners contain ammonia and some do not. I have also noticed that the cleaners that do not contain ammonia emphasize this fact. What are the pro's and con's of using bore cleaners that do or do not contain ammonia? Are the cleaners containing ammonia more erosive to the steel in a barrel?

[garryc]

Its not a factor of erosive so much as it's that ammonia is hygroscopic. Here's a link you might find interesting

http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

[homefires]

Wow! Lots of good info in there. The electro cleaning scared the hell out of me. I have done some plating and know all about electrolusis. Bad things can happen REAL FAST! Just connecting the terminals reverse can do Super Bad Things.

[Brad Clodfelter]

Well I will give you some products that will work better than any other bore cleaners I have yet to try.

KROIL, the oil that creeps, is simply amazing. This stuff flat out cleans a barrel, and keeps it cleaner longer in my opinion in between cleanings. This stuff gets under lead or copper and breaks it loose making it easier to clean your barrel in less time.

Read this.

http://www.enviropluslubrication.com/kroil.html

http://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/image?saleitemid=137203

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=137203&utm_source=137203&utm_medium=homepage716

Be sure and read the reviews there at MidwayUSA. It's 5 star rated.

I know one of the best rimfire benchrest shooters in the world, and he has told me in person that he uses KROIL by itself to clean his barrel.

Now I will give you what I think is even better results than using just KROIL alone. Buy a 16oz bottle of Bore Tech Eliminator solvent. It's cheaper that way to buy than the small bottle. It contains no ammonia, but it's the best solvent I have yet to use. Buy you a couple of 2oz or 4oz plastic squeeze bottles with the spill proof cap that has a rubber seal under the cap to use to hold this mixture I am about to tell you. Mix the Eliminator 50/50 with the KROIL. Try this secret formula that no longer is a secret formula on any barrel. You will thank me later. I have found nothing that works better as we speak. This stuff will zip a barrel clean in seconds. It works on rimfires as well as centerfires. Yep, even on copper. The squeeze bottles allow you to just squirt the formula on to patches or a brush. No more dipping a brush or jag into a bottle.

http://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/highresimage?saleitemid=155799

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=155799&t=11082005

I told the benchrest shooters about this stuff. It's in my opinion a science break-through in barrel cleaning. It is the solvent of solvents.

Brad

[nbkky71]

Two more strong copper solvents are Montana Extreme 50BMG and Sweets 7.62MM.

I've never used Kroil on copper, but it definitely is a great penetrating oil

[Brad Clodfelter]

You can mix the KROIL with your favorite solvent, too if you like. I used to use Butch's Bore Shine, but the Eliminator has got it beat. I hear Monatana Extreme and Sweets are good too. For years I used Hoppes before switching to Butch's Bore Shine. Butch's is good but the Eliminator will kick its butt to getting a barrel clean faster and less effort.

Brad

[garryc]

Just make or get (from brownells) some Ed's Red, great stuff.

[stevelyn]

I've found MPro-7 cleans better than anything else I've ever tried.

[john in jax]

I've been hearing a lot of good stuff about WeaponShield - so I've got some on the way.
http://www.steelshieldtech.com/page2.htm

WeaponShield and Militec-1 both SEEM to the latest and greatest science/technology has to offer gun owners in the way of product that cleans, lubricates and preserves.

[Charles S]

Honestly I don't have experience with some of the above mentioned cleaners. I used for years the Hoppes Benchrest Copper Solvent and it worked OK. After I realized that I needed a better cleaner I switched to Sweets 7.62 and it has been great.

About to years ago I needed some cleaner and there was no Sweets available locally. I purchased Butches Bor Shine and I have been very pleased with it also. I understand that there is less risk of bore damage.

I have read a lot of good reviews of some of the foaming bore cleaners, and I have a good friend who loves them (I am not sure which brand he is using), but I have yet to try them.

[mikejonestkd]

Quick question:

How does the mil spec CLP compare to the above mentioned cleaners?

My neighbor ANG has a ton of it..

[Brad Clodfelter]

I'm all for trying new products especially if they work better. :D

To those who haven't tried KROIL on here, all I ask is for you to do so, and mix it with your favorite solvent. You owe it to your barrel to do so. This stuff will clean your barrel faster than if you are just using solvent alone from what I have found. A lot faster, and less effort is my findings.

Brad

[BBush]

Charles S.....I see that you say that you have heard that Butch's Bore Shine is less likely to cause bore damage than than the Sweets. Do you mean that the Sweets is more likely to cause rust in the bore or is the Sweets simply more erosive to the steel in the bore? If I remember correctly, Sweets has a lot of ammonia in it. If that is the case, will the ammonia cause the bore to be more likely to rust unless it is swabbed with a good gun oil after cleaning.

[CGSteve8718]

+1 on Kano. I used it to clean some light rusting on my AK after not doing a well enough job getting rid of the salts (which I am still upset about) and it worked really well. Smells awful though, be careful when using it.

Another aerosol solvent I tried out called Eezox is pretty decent as well. Anyone else try this one? It's very expensive though, at least from the place I bought it from.

[rgates]

I now use Weapon Shield. This is absolutely the best cleaner, lubricant, protectant I've used yet. Check out the threads here on Weapon shield for a lot of testimonials.
I threw away my other cleaners and solvents including Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner. Weapon Shield even removed light copper fouling. For heavy copper like I get in my 22-250 I kept the Sweets.
Weapon Shield even protects the blued finish on my CCW better than the silicon cloths. Another plus is no chemical smell to get the wife complaining.
I don't even have to use the exhaust fan.

www.steelshieldtech.com