Gun Cleaning and Lube on a Budget

[NYRanger]

1. Brakleen Non-chlorinated brake cleaner for all metal and mechanisms (keep off rubber,plastic and finishes)
2. Original Windex (with ammonia) for cleaning copper fouling and all non-metal surfaces
3. 10-30 Fully Synthetic motor oil for lube & protect metal surfaces.
4. Pencil graphite powdered for dry lube.

[JWT]

Why? Gun cleaning supplies are not that expensive and go a long way. I do strain used Hoppes through a coffee filter to reuse after using it to soak choke tubes to remove the plastic wad residue.

[FITASC]

Want to get those choke tubes clean without soaking? Spray some brake cleaner inside then use a bronze brush on a short rod chucked in a cordless drill. A few seconds back and forth and done - perfectly clean.

Otherwise anything you have to be careful about getting on other parts easily would be a no go for me. Wd-40 is a good solvent, as are a lot of other cheap alternatives and pick any auto lubricant or grease.

Anytime a maker puts "gun", "fishing", or similar hobbies in the name of a basic product, the price triples and the amount decreases significantly.

[Itsa Bughunt]

Do people still make and use Ed's Red? It's mostly kerosene and transmission fluid. It seemed ok for routine cleaning.

[Itsa Bughunt]

Anytime a maker puts "gun", "fishing", or similar hobbies in the name of a basic product, the price triples and the amount decreases significantly.

The most egregious overpricing I've seen was for model train lubricant. $14.99 for 1\4 oz. The ingredient listed was #10 machine oil.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Itsa Bughunt

Do people still make and use Ed's Red? It's mostly kerosene and transmission fluid. It seemed ok for routine cleaning.

Brownells sells it: http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleanin...prod19936.aspx



But it's not just ATF and kerosene ... A quick search of the Internet turns up innumerable recipes, all claiming to be Ed's Red but ranging from three to five or more components. Some include Acetone, others don't. Some include lanolin, others don't. If you want to try the stuff, just buy a bottle from Brownells and see how you like it.

[Mike38]

I use Synthetic motor oil now. Not because I'm cheap, but because it works, and has worked for me for 20+ years. What I do is every spring when I change the oil in my push lawn mower, which holds 24 ounces, the remaining 8 ounces gets used for gun lube.

In a pinch, I've heard of people using kerosene or diesel fuel for cleaning. Smells bad, but I guess it would work.

[JB60]

16oz Hoppes 9 Bore Solvent- $12 , 16oz Mineral Oil for Gun and Intestinal lubrication- $2. Should be 2 year+ supply for 10/22 and three handguns maybe a little extra Mineral Oil if not enough Fiber in my diet

[berettaprofessor]

Constantly surprised at people who pay a minimum of $300/pistol, shoot ammo at $10 a box for 9mm, and yet think a $6 bottle of clp, one that will clean that pistol many times, is too expensive. Windex?

[JimPage]

Windex is for copper fouling. More common in rifles. it's the ammonia that does the work. But be sure to clean it off right away because it can hurt your barrel.

[FITASC]

Then why not just buy some ammonia? Cheaper than windex (and stronger too)

[KyJim]

Keep in mind that some manufacturers advise against using ammonia based cleaners for polymer guns and some of the non-blued finishes. Some nickel finishes can be affected as well. The statement that Windex is good for all non-metal parts is over broad

[Itsa Bughunt]

I never made my own Ed's Red. I guy I did some work for gave me a quart of it. I like CLP. Bought a gallon and split it with my brother and some of his friends.

[ShootistPRS]

Ed's red was originally designed to clean black powder guns. It has no copper removing properties designed into it although it does clean "loose" copper from a barrel and help to eliminate copper fouling with consistent use.
I use a derivative of Ed's red for gun oil which is just a 50/50 mix of kerosene and ATF as suggested by the inventor. There are just four ingredients in the mix added in equal amounts: Kerosene, ATF, mineral spirits (Stoddard solvent/paint thinner), and Acetone. For long term storage of a black powder gun you can add up to 1 pound of anhydrous lanolin but it is not needed or desired for the cleaning process.

I have found the 50/50 mix of ATF and kerosene is an excellent penetrating oil and also works well as a tapping oil for aluminum.

[Mr. Hill]

Well, you can use steaming hot water and follow with oil. Pretty cheap.

[Nathan]

Pistol rod and brass jag
Blue paper towels
Motor oil...should be enough detergent in motor oil

[johnwilliamson062]

Ridiculous thread.
Cleaning supplies are cheap.
For the price of one range trip you can have ten years supply of the good stuff.

[ThomasT]

Ed's Red. Never used it but here is the mix.

http://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris...sRedRecipe.htm

[NYRanger]

I have had good results with Hoppes Elite Gun Cleaner. What I like most about it is that it's non-toxic. Additionally, it cleans all types of fouling. I think those factors combined make it highly preferable to Brakleen and Windex. I also like Ballistol multipurpose for it's non-petroleum based formulation. Powdered Graphite Dry Lube is a fantastic gun lubricant that has high thermostability and it's non-toxic.

[jad0110]

I've used the 4 part ed's red recipe for several years now. It works nearly as well as hoppes #9 on copper fouling but eds red is far more effective as a lead remover. Let it soak in the barrel for 45 minutes and the lead fouling comes out in big chunks. I use it for everything except black powder. For that I use warm soapy water and ballistol.

[Aguila Blanca]

In addition to the small bottle of Ed's Red sold by Brownells, Cylinder & Slide sells a product they call Dunk-It that I'm pretty certain may be Ed's Red. Their instructions say not to soak nickel-plated guns in it because it may attack the copper wash coat beneath the nickel. The formula is proprietary to C&S so there's no way to confirm what it is but, if it's not Ed's Re, I think it's probably close.

http://www.cylinder-slide.com/index....tshow&ref=Dunk

[NYRanger]

After some research I found that Mobile 1 Synthetic motor oil shares the same key ingredient (polyalphaolefin) that is found in breakfree clp and frog lube clp. There are also detergents and protective film.

[ShootistPRS]

PAO is a hydrocarbon polymer that is used in a wide array of products. It is used to make IV tubes, storage bags, and prosthetic body parts. It is a plastic that can be modified for different uses. It can also be used to increase the high temperature viscosity of oils and reduce low temperature pour point. It does not mix well with water or aqueous acids. This property keeps it from forming sludge under heat and pressure. The lubricity increase in certain formulations (much like nylon) form a lubrication barrier that can absorb or carry carbon.

That last function makes it a poor lubricant when exposed to carbon particles that can cause wear. The crankcase of an engine doesn't get a lot of carbon particulates as they go out the exhaust. In a direct impingement firearm the carbon can be picked up and carried by the PAO turning it into a lapping compound at best.

I don't know what formulation of PAO is in CLP or for that matter what the formulation is in Mobil 1 but I do know that there are many different formulations with very different properties. Looking for a particular component (with so many different formulations) is probably a meaningless endeavor. You may not want it in a product for a given use anymore than you would want to use an IV bag or tubing or the plastic used in an artificial joint to lubricate your gun.

I am not saying that it is bad in the proper formulation for a particular job, just that having it listed in a product may not be the best product for any given application. It would take a chemical engineer to determine the proper application of any given formulation. I am not a chemical engineer and with all the different formulations I don't know if it is a good idea under the very different conditions in a gun. I do know there are very good lubricants that don't mix with carbon easily and have worked on guns for a very long time.

[TomNJVA]

PAO is a synthetic oligomer of olefins, most commonly 1-decene. It is not in the plastic family but is used extensively in synthetic lubricants as a base oil where it offers enhanced high temperature stability and low temperature fluidity. It is not noted for cleaning as it lacks polarity, and is often blended with synthetic esters to improve solubility, lubricity, and cleaning potential. Most Mobil 1 grades contain blends of multiple base oils including PAO, Group III mineral oils, alkylated naphthalene, and ester.

Other than its extended temperature range, PAO would behave similar to mineral base oils in gun oils with respect to wear and cleanliness. I prefer it combined with polyol esters, and of course additives for anti-wear, anti-oxidation, anti-rust and anti-corrosion.

TomNJVA

[osbornk]

After some research I found that Mobile 1 Synthetic motor oil shares the same key ingredient (polyalphaolefin) that is found in breakfree clp and frog lube clp. There are also detergents and protective film.

I use Mobil 1 synthetic 0W20 simply because my car uses 4.8 quarts of oil when I change oil and it comes in a 5 quart container. It works great and doesn't cost me a penny.