What is you gun solvent and lube/grease of choice?

[grumpyMSG]

You will be hard pressed to find anything besides the standard Hoppes/Shooters Choice/CLP in a large chain store. Smaller gun stores may carry it.

I actually picked up the aerosol variety of Breakfree CLP (was distributed through Winchester, there name is on the can) from Wally World. I get a bottle of Sweet's 7.62 every couple of years from Nuckol's Gun Works in Staunton.

[VBshooter]

Dicks Sporting Goods also has the Break Free CLP in aerosol.

[gunderwood]

I forgot to mention bore paste for carbon fouling. I like the USP bore paste as it does not remove metal. I also like the lubricating oil it comes with...just seems like a better system to me. I don't have the tools required to measure that myself. Don't use it all the time and make sure you know what you are doing. If you use it wrong you can do more harm then good.

[Reverenddel]

Cleaner/Solvent: Shooters Choice.
Lubricant: G96 (personal reasons)
Purchase location: GreenTop.

Why? Because they run thru boxes of it, and you always have a fresh rotation.

[jannypan]

The real thing here is again which performs well in extremes, last long (same with oil...who wants to reclean a gun before shooting it because the lube broke down?), and doesn't cause corrosion. Corrosion is a big concern with greases. Some of the additives can cause dissimilar metals to corrode if stored for a long time (months, years?).

[CCFan]

Don't forget bacon grease in a pinch....

bacon.jpg (9.68 KiB) Viewed 4489 times

[Diomed]

I forgot to mention bore paste for carbon fouling. I like the USP bore paste as it does not remove metal.

I'd like to hear some more about this, as I haven't heard of it before. Would it be suitable for revolver chambers? I've got this one .38 that I've been working on for about a year now, just can't get the carbon out of it. It's astonishing.

[SgtBill]

What ever I have on hand. I have a quart jar of Hoppe's, shooter's choice and Gunslick with graphite. I also use WD-40 altho I know most people say that that is a no no.
Bill

[SgtBill]

I forgot to mention bore paste for carbon fouling. I like the USP bore paste as it does not remove metal.

I'd like to hear some more about this, as I haven't heard of it before. Would it be suitable for revolver chambers? I've got this one .38 that I've been working on for about a year now, just can't get the carbon out of it. It's astonishing.

On a realy cruddy revolver cylinder I will take a bronze 20 gauge shotgun brush and chuck it up in my drill press and after soaking the cylinder over night I will run the brush through the chamber's and keep the bronze brush wet with the Hoppes. The brush will last for years and will not harm the cylinder and will get it cleaner then you would believe.Yes, I do remove the cylinder from the weapon and everything is removed from the cylinder.
Bill

[gunderwood]

I forgot to mention bore paste for carbon fouling. I like the USP bore paste as it does not remove metal.

I'd like to hear some more about this, as I haven't heard of it before. Would it be suitable for revolver chambers? I've got this one .38 that I've been working on for about a year now, just can't get the carbon out of it. It's astonishing.

I've never used it on a revolver chamber. I mainly use it on magnum calibers, although there is some benefit for regular calibers after long strings. Some long range tactical shooters I know suggest using it after 200 rounds, but those are precision rifles with near max loads and lots of powder. It could work for a revolver chamber, but I bet Bills idea is easier. The idea behind this product is to remove the scorched carbon while not damaging the rifling.

With the USP product you get a tube of really thick, gritty paste and a bottle of oil (orange in color). You may go one size down in jags, but it depends on how large and thick your patches are. I always try and use the correct size jag and only go down in size if that is too tight. First you need to run some of the included oil down the bore. Then you apply the paste to a patch and wrap it around the jag; you do not pierce the patch like normal. You push that back and forth like you would a brush. Most of the scorched carbon will be in the first 4-8" of barrel (mostly the throat). I usually just run it back and forth for those first 8", clean it out (use the oil as a wet patch to push out the remaining paste that was left behind), and then do it again, but on the second pass I do the whole barrel.

Important notes:
1. This is basically a lapping compound so be careful. When used properly it is safe.
2. You really should use a bore guide to prevent the rod from flexing and scratching the throat.
3. I prefer a rod like the Tipton which is not coated so that the grit can not embed in the rod.
4. When scrubbing with the paste, do not push it passed the end of the barrel. Your patch will fall off and then you have to pull a jag through a barrel coated with lapping compound...not good. I put a piece of tap on the rod (bright blue masking tape) which tells me to not push the rod any further than that. The wrapped jag will reverse just fine in the barrel, unlike a pierced patch or brush.

On every rifle I've used it on, I started with a very clean barrel and still got a good deal of carbon (the paste will go from gray to a dark black). Out of curiosity I've tried a third pass on the first rifle (50BMG) I used it on to see if the color change was really carbon or just a reaction of the gray paste and oil. After the first pass (throat & <8" of barrel), it was extremely black. Second pass (whole barrel), it was darker, but no where near like the first. On the third I could not detect any change in color, the paste was still gray. For each pass I cleaned out the old stuff with a wet oil patch and 91% rubbing alcohol to make sure I didn't containment the next pass. I don't bother with the alcohol normally (just a wet patch of the orange oil), but for a test I wanted to be certain. Always have oil in the bore before using the paste!

I've used it mostly on benchrest and tactical/precision rifles. I would not use it on a chrome or nitride coated barrel; no need IMHO and you may damage something. I have not noticed it making the bore looser (removing metal which would be a bad thing, so this is good), but I believe I get more consistent results by using the product. I don't have any, but I suspect it would be great on a machine gun barrel too.

[Diomed]

On a realy cruddy revolver cylinder I will take a bronze 20 gauge shotgun brush and chuck it up in my drill press and after soaking the cylinder over night I will run the brush through the chamber's and keep the bronze brush wet with the Hoppes. The brush will last for years and will not harm the cylinder and will get it cleaner then you would believe.Yes, I do remove the cylinder from the weapon and everything is removed from the cylinder.
Bill

Well, I've been using a .40 cal bronze brush and doing it by hand, but otherwise, that's what I've been doing. (It tears the hell out of the brush, they fall apart after three or four uses.) Not having a drill press I'm kind of stuck on that front.

I don't know what was shot in this gun before I got it, it's by far the dirtiest revolver, cylinder-wise, I've ever come across.

[zephyp]

Merely a question of curiosity...I wonder if the armed forces will be changing their lube/grease of choice?

[OakRidgeStars]

Merely a question of curiosity...I wonder if the armed forces will be changing their lube/grease of choice?

Would this be due to the repeal of DADT?

[zephyp]

Merely a question of curiosity...I wonder if the armed forces will be changing their lube/grease of choice?

Would this be due to the repeal of DADT?

Hey, you said it...and I didnt...

[SgtBill]

On a realy cruddy revolver cylinder I will take a bronze 20 gauge shotgun brush and chuck it up in my drill press and after soaking the cylinder over night I will run the brush through the chamber's and keep the bronze brush wet with the Hoppes. The brush will last for years and will not harm the cylinder and will get it cleaner then you would believe.Yes, I do remove the cylinder from the weapon and everything is removed from the cylinder.
Bill

Well, I've been using a .40 cal bronze brush and doing it by hand, but otherwise, that's what I've been doing. (It tears the hell out of the brush, they fall apart after three or four uses.) Not having a drill press I'm kind of stuck on that front.

I don't know what was shot in this gun before I got it, it's by far the dirtiest revolver, cylinder-wise, I've ever come across.

You don't need a drill press. A standard electric drill will do with a cut off alum. pistol rod inserted and try useing a stainless steel .45 cal. brush or a 20 gauge shotgun brush with a cut off alum. shotgun rod. Or if you are going to showing up for the shoot and meet I will show you my method and also how to use a Lewis lead remover. I always had one handy when I was shooting in Police handgun competition.
Bill

[gunderwood]

@Bill "Lewis lead remover"...not familiar with that.

[SgtBill]

Hey Garret,
I don't even know if they are made anymore. It is a alum rod with a handel on it and it has a screw in piece for the front with a round piece of rubber on it and you place a small brass round screen over this and pull it through the barrel and the cylinder and it will remove the lead buildup. The rubber piece is made to expand with an adjustment nut on the front and this will tighten it up in the barrel etc. for a tight fit.
Remind me when you are here and I will show it to you.
Bill

[Chasbo00]

The Lewis Lead Remover is still available - Brownells has them. It's been over thirty years since I used one though. Here is a video on it:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11099/guntechdetail/

[SgtBill]

The Lewis Lead Remover is still available - Brownells has them. It's been over thirty years since I used one though. Here is a video on it:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11099/guntechdetail/

Thank's Charlie, It is a good vidio on how they are used. Anyone that is shooting lead hand cast slugs could use one of these. I know that you will be happy with one. Remember that if you have any type of lead build up in the barrel it will cause you to loose accuracy real fast.
Bill

[Chasbo00]

Bill, it could be you need to be our age to remember or have used the Lewis Lead Remover.
As you said, a great tool for cast bullet shooters. I suspect most today just rely on stronger bore/cylinder cleaners and metal brushes, but I doubt that technique works as well. Old school - you know it works!