Walk into any sporting goods store and you'll find a plethora of gun-care and cleaning products. They all claim to do a variety of wonderful things to maintain your guns in the best of working order.
With such a multitude of jars, bottles, and cans to choose from, you almost need a degree in chemistry to make any kind of intelligent selection. This month we'll attempt to de-mystify the solvent story, by taking a look at the most common gun-care products and how they're used.
Gun care and cleaning may be a science, but it's not an exact one. As soon as you begin talking to experts about cleaning guns, you start finding as many opinions as you have experts, and those opinions often conflict. For the purposes of this article, we talked with two people who have a long history in the firearms business.
David Delph is a gunsmith and retailer with 20 years experience in the business. He often tests new products for G-96 Products Company, Inc.
Frank Ventimiglia is vice president of Venco Industries. The company is better known to the firearms world as Shooter's Choice.
Gun-cleaning compounds fall into four categories: cleaner-degreasers, cold blueing agents, lubricants, and bore-cleaning solvents. Each group has a particular use.
Cleaner-degreasers
What they do: Cleaner-degreasers remove fouled oil, powder residues, metallic dust, sand, and other contaminants on the metal parts of the gun.
How they work: According to Delph, some of these compounds emulsify grease or oil so it can be removed from the gun easily, along with abrasive particles. Ventimiglia says others are very volatile. They cut grease and grime and quickly evaporate.
When to use: If you're shooting several times a week, Delph recommends thorough cleaning once a month.
Notes: Ventimiglia says there is a wide range of performance in cleaner-degreasers. If they are used properly they should leave a clean, dry surface. He recommends using products that give fast evaporation and are the least harmful to plastic and varnished surfaces; if possible, take apart the gun and remove such parts.
Delph sometimes uses Gunk Engine Cleaner for very dirty guns. He disassembles the gun, coats it with Gunk, runs hot water in the sink, and drops the metal parts in. Then he uses a toothbrush to loosen accumulated crud. After rinsing and drying the parts, he sprays them down with a silicone-based spray to displace any remaining moisture. Because of its petroleum base, he says, Gunk protects the blueing on the metal and helps prevent rust.
Examples: Shooter's Choice Quick Scrub, Iosso Gunbrite, RB- 17, G-96 Crud Buster, G-96 Gun Degreaser, Birchwood Casey Cleaner-Degreaser, Gunk, -Bore Gunk Out, Rusty Duck Gun Action Solvent
Cold blueing agents
What they do: Cold blueing agents are used to touch up the metal finish when a gun is scratched or shows holster or other wear.
How they work: These compounds come in liquid, paste, or pen form. According to Delph, they initiate a controlled anodization process to change the metal's finish so that it closely matches the original finish of the gun. Ventimiglia adds that these chemicals actually cause firearms to rust to a degree, which produces a blued effect on the metal.
When to use: Any time a gun shows wear on metal parts. Do not use cold blueing agents on an antique or collectable gun, as this will drastically reduce the value of the firearm.
Notes: These compounds do not substitute for hot blueing agents, which require professional application.
Ventimiglia says that blued areas require follow-up care. "Always neutralize them with a high-quality oil," he says. "And make sure that you keep oil on those surfaces. It's not as durable a finish as professional blueing, and those areas are more vulnerable to rust. It can cause some problems if not used properly."
Examples: RB Blue, G-96 Gun Blue (liquid, paste, creme, or stick), Birchwood Casey Presto Gun Blue pen
Lubricants
What they do: Lubricants provide a low-friction coating for moving parts and protect from rust.
How they work: They create a slippery medium that helps prevent wear and improves the action of moving parts. The specific physical properties vary from product to product, depending on chemistry.
When to use: Ventimiglia says to use them sparingly on all metal-to-metal contact surfaces every time the gun is cleaned.
Notes: Lubricants can be further divided into three basic groups: gun oils, silicones, and light greases. They may be synthetic, semi-synthetic, or petroleum-based. Synthetic lubricants are primarily Teflon-based.
According to Delph, oils are petroleum-based products which are a little thicker than silicones. They are best for use on metal surfaces that slide back and forth on each other.
"I don't use oil on the outside of the gun because it tends to allow blueing salts and dirt to cling to the weapon," he says.
Nothing polarizes opinions among gun care experts more than the use of silicones. Some gunsmiths, including Delph, use them religiously. Other experts state unequivocally that silicone has no place in gun cleaning and relegate it to removing squeaks from door hinges.
Delph limits his use of light greases to competition weapons that are very tight. He applies the grease with a toothpick to the tracks of slides and other moving parts.
Examples: Shooter's Choice FP-10, Shooter's Choice Rust Prevent, RB Finishing Oil, G-96 Gun Treatment, G-96 Silicone Spray, Break Free CLP, Kleen-Bore Formula 3 Gun Conditioner, Rusty Duck Protective Gun Lubricant, Rusty Duck Polymer Gun Grease
Bore-cleaning solvents
What they do: Bore-cleaning solvents are the most effective products for cleaning fouling from the inside of the bore.
How they work: They dissolve copper and lead oxides that build up inside the barrel, as well as removing plastic wad fouling in shotgun barrels.
When to use: Both Delph and Ventimiglia say you should use a bore solvent after each shooting session. If you're shooting several times a week, you can run a patch with bore solvent on it through the barrel, and then do a thorough cleaning once a month.
Notes: Bore-cleaning solvents once were called nitro-solvents.
Failure to use bore-cleaning solvents regularly will cause a buildup of fouling. You also run the risk of allowing rusting and pitting to take place inside the barrel, especially in shotguns.
Examples: Shooter's Choice MC#7, Shooter's Choice Copper Remover, Hoppe's #9, Iosso Bore Cleaner, RB-17, G-96 Nitro- Solvent, Birchwood Casey Super Strength Bore Scrubber, Kleen-Bore No. 10 Solvent, Kleen-Bore No. 10 Copper Cutter, Rusty Duck Bore Cleaner Solvent
Whichever products you use, firearms experts agree: read the label directions. Many products state clearly that they will damage varnished or plastic components, or have other cautions on the label. All of them will tell you how to use them.
Copyright (c) 1997 Carolee Boyles-Sprenkel. All rights reserved.
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