What is your favorite cleaner?

[kaintuck]

What is your favorite cleaner and rust inhibitor?
and if you see a few small patches in the barrel, how can you be sure they aren't 'spreading"?

 

[Bruce Bogart]

I use room temperature water with a splash of Simple Green in it. I follow this up with a bit of alcohol to dry the bore and then some oil for the bore. I then stand the gun on the muzzle to allow the rifle bore oil to drain out but not on the stock or to cause gunk build up at the breechplug. Just my way. I'm sure there are different or better ways!

I usually use some Hoppes gun oil or Ballistol.

Sometimes a bit of green scothbrite pad on a jag with a spritz of oil will help clean up some rust. Follow with some oily tight patches then wipe with a dry one.

 

[Black Hand]

Water (with/without a drop of dish soap) and bear grease, respectively.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Water either with soap at home or without soap if in camp, then dry with denatured alcohol, and oil with various things depending on how soon I plan on shooting again. Motor oil if it'll be some time, and anything animal or vegetable based if the next day or two. As far as rust spots, I haven't had any in quite some time, but last time I did, a little 0000 steel wool on the cleaning jag took it right off, followed by a cloth cleaning patch, and then oil as normal.

 

[necchi]

A little dish soap and water,
Gun Oil.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Water and "3-In-1 Oil" or regular gun oil.

 

[ronnie_kennedy]

I use Ballistol/hot water mix for my guns. About 50/50 mixture. Take screws, wedge, nipples, and cylinder and soak in the mix while i clean the barrel. For a rust inhibitor in my barrels i use CVA's barrel blaster wonder gel. Wipe inside of barrel with a patch of barrel blaster. Leave in for 5 minutes, then wipe out with a clean patch. After everything is done, I take a patch of pure ballistol and wipe everything down. Leaves a nice coating of light oil on the guns and really makes the wood and metal pop. I even wipe my holster down with ballistol.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I use the moose milk solution recommended in the Dutch Schoultz Black Powder Rifle Accuracy System. It and other similar solutions work quite well. One thing I found out is if you are going to mix Ballistol and water, and store it, use a 10/1 mix. This allows the Ballistol to stay in solution and not separate from the components in the mix. I use cold/tepid water, hot water is for washing your undies :wink: .

 

[hanshi]

Room temp water with a couple drops of detergent for cleaning. Dry bore with patches followed by hair dryer followed by WD40. I remove the WD40 after a bit and swab with Barricade. Most gun oils work just fine, too. ScotchBrite swabs if there's a problem.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Water (preferably with a dash of Dawn dish detergent) to clean and 3 in 1 Oil for protection and to oil lock and trigger parts.

 

[mhb]

FWIW...
Both WD-40 and 3-in-1 oil, if over-generously applied and allowed to age for a while will inevitably oxidize into a nearly indestructible varnish/glue. Not hearsay, but hard experience.
I do use WD-40 for its water-displacing function, but never as a lubricant or rust preventive, per-se. And 3-in-1 oil is forever on my poop list.
Use a good gun oil or grease for rust prevention/lubrication.
mhb - Mike

 

[ihuntsnook]

+1

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

3-in-1 oil is forever on my poop list.
Use a good gun oil or grease for rust prevention/lubrication.
mhb - Mike

:shocked2: :shake:

My, my Mike, where did you have trouble with "3-in_1 Oil"? I have and will continue to use it interchangeably with any good quality oil - they are the same thing. I have been using it on my firearms since the 1950s and was taught the use of it for guns, light machinery and tools by my Father and Grandfather, both of whom had many years of firearms and machinery experience. As a matter of fact, my Mother used it on her motorized Singer Sewing Machine that she inherited from her Grandmother in 1949 and it came with a can of "3-in-1 Oil" and Mom always used it, did until the day she died last September. Mom may be gone, but the sewing machine still looks near brand new due to 100+ years of extremely good care using "3-in-1 Oil".

Do what you will with WD-40 but I think Kanawha Ranger and I (as well as many others) will discount your "poop list" and keep using "3-in-1 Oil" for as long as it is available.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Warm water with a little soap if handy, And the old G.I. Gun oil for short term , and spray on anti-rust spray for long term.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Favorite cleaner: soapy water (Murphy's Oil Soap or Pine-Sol).

Favorite rust preventative: Barricade (liquid in a can - not the spray).

 

[Skychief]

Favorite Cleaner: Water and elbow grease.

Favorite Rust Prevention: LPS-2 or LPS-3.

Favorite Water Displacer/Shorter term Rust Prevention: WD-40 (Though you didn't really ask :haha: )

 

[roundball]

1)Steaming hot tap water & a squirt of dishwashing liquid;
2)Hot water rinse;
3)Dry patch
4)Sloppy wet patch with WD40
5)Dry patch that out
6)Sloppy wet patch with WD40
7)Store muzzle down
8)Dry patch before loading for deer / turkey / squirrel
9)Point muzzle end at deer / turkey / squirrel
10)Shoot deer / turkey / squirrel
11)Repeat 1-10

 

[Bob J]

Cleaner: Ballistol mixed with water. I use the Flintlock EZ Cleaner flush kit for bore cleaning.

Rust Prevention: Straight Ballistol or the aerosol version.

 

[mhb]

Perfectly O.K. with me.
My experience with 3-in-1 is both personal and derived from years of gunsmithing. I've spent way too many many hours cleaning gunk from firearms (and other mechanisms - I collect and repair antique phonographs, some of which have come to me with a can of 3-in 1 in the cabinet)slathered with the stuff over varying (long) periods. Police revolvers were among the worst specimens: I've often dealt with those in which the lockwork was so gummed they would barely function, and some which were absolutely siezed-up. Same with 'sock drawer' revolvers.
Also firearms of other types which had to be scraped-out to restore proper function. And the 'varnish' was often so hard it had to be soaked in solvent for days before it could be removed at all, and needed wire brushing to remove it in any case.
Perhaps the root cause of the trouble is simply over-use without occasional inspection and removal of any buildup before it becomes goo. But I'm still satisfied that 3-in-1 is an offender in a way that other lubricants and rust preventives are not - and that WD-40 is a good water-displacer, but not suitable for long-term firearms preservation/lubrication.
I try to make it a policy never to tell more than I know.
mhb - Mike

 

[Dphar]

What is your favorite cleaner and rust inhibitor?
and if you see a few small patches in the barrel, how can you be sure they aren't 'spreading"?

Water.
I use G-96 gun treatment. But I only use BP.
If you can see it then serious measures are required. Like using grey and/or white Scotch Brite or lapping it with a lead lap and abrasive.
If you are using a substitute powder and have a "tooth" set up its near impossible to stop the spread so long as you use the stuff.
If this is the case flush extensively with hot water dry/oil/pray.
Dan