Cleaning kits?

Personally I don't use "kits".

Most of my cleaning is done with a toothbrush, rags, and Q-tips. I use bore snakes for pistols and a rod and bronze brush for shotguns (with thin rags [old bed sheets] over the bronze brush as patches). G96 aerosol is currently what I use but I'll buy pretty much any aerosol cleaner in bulk whenever they go on sale.
 
4n2t0 said:
Personally I don't use "kits".

Most of my cleaning is done with a toothbrush, rags, and Q-tips. I use bore snakes for pistols and a rod and bronze brush for shotguns (with thin rags [old bed sheets] over the bronze brush as patches). G96 aerosol is currently what I use but I'll buy pretty much any aerosol cleaner in bulk whenever they go on sale.
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x2! Or buy cheap eastern block (Bulgarian/Russian/Czech) ak kits on ebay and upgrade so it works with your rifle.
 
jermyzy said:
Is the included O85 cleaner/lube sufficient or should I buy a separate lubricant like G96?[/url]
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I like to lightly lubricate the exterior of my firearms (slides, barrels, etc.), so that little bottle wouldn't last me very long. I do this because my firearms are store in the basement where it can get a little damp. That's why I prefer aerosols, I spray a rag and wipe down my babies!

Generally this is my routine:

1) Safety check, lol.
2) Breakdown firearm.
3) Aerosol CLP down the barrel and let it sit.
4) Wipe down all other areas (Q-tips for hard to reach areas).
5) Go back to the barrel and brush/bore snake until clean.
7) For handguns I put a very small amount of high temp grease on the slide rails.
6) Reassemble.
7) Lightly coat exterior (slide/barrel) with a rag sprayed with CLP.
 
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I have been shooting for over 60 years and never used a cleaning kit. Buy yurself a good one piece cleaning rod, proper size non bronze jag, some WipeOut, a good chamber brush and a tooth brush along with some good quality patches of the proper size, a proper bore guide and yur in business. WipeOut will remove all carbon, and brass fouling in yur bore without having to use
a steel or bronze bore brush for the old back and forth treatment which can literally destroy a barrel if not done properly. With WipeOut all U do is put some on a patch, run er through your bore guide once and let er set for a hour or two. Continue this until you get no
evidence of brown, black, or blue which indicates brass fouling. In deference to the previous poster, CLIP is used by the US Marine Corps, and US Navy, all of our barrels were chromed lined, we had little to no copper fouling in our bores. CLIP does not remove brass fouling. It does remove carbon fouling, and it does lubricate and help to prevent rust.
 
One kit is pretty much the same as the next in that they give you everything at once. Brushes do wear out and need replacing. Which brand makes no difference.
Bronze will never wear out anything made of steel. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin and is much softer than the softest steel.
Buying patches with the word 'gun' on the package costs more. A yard or two of remnant flannelette(that's PJ/winter sheet material), 36" wide, cut onto 2 x 4 strips(for .30 calibre) will give you hundreds of patches for under $10. Go to a discount fabric shop.
 
Did my first cleaning today, quite a bit of black stuff came out! Noticed there is very a small ding on the outside of the barrel, I'm assuming this shouldn't make a difference since it's on the outside? Also, some of the nitron finish is already wearing off already on the slide rails where I assume there is metal on metal contact, should I put some extra grease on it and do I need to worry about rusting? I just used G96, is that sufficient or do I need a separate oil to lubricate?
 
So far, I have bought my stuff at Walmart. They sell a cheap ($12ish) cleaning kit with a 3-piece brass rod, and variety of bronze brushes, mops, and jags. Not the best quality (rod breaks really easy, but its nice to have something that comes apart and most other kits I see have aluminum or steel rods, which I refuse to use.) Its Allen brand.

Tomorrow, Im going to wholesale sports to buy a decent cleaning rod because Im sick of breaking the brass rods (3 down.....) but I'd probably buy another one of these kits if I needed a bunch of brushes at once, or I needed something more portable than a fullsize coated or carbon fiber rod.
 
Just another gun-nut's personal preferences (everything I know, I learned from these forums):

I only use grease on my semi-auto rifles; on my pistols I use G96 exclusively (I find that grease gets way too dirty and keeps particles inside the gun). Don't worry about the finish wearing off, that'll happen no matter what. Just use the wear patterns as a guide for the parts you need to lubricate. Guns that I intend to keep in the safe for a while I leave pretty wet, those I intend to shoot soon only get a light coating of thin oil.

On the rust issue, it all depends on where you live. If you're near the ocean, I'd seriously consider keeping a dehumidifier near your gun safe, or at the very least throwing some moisture-absorbing packs in your safe.

Also, I would definitely recommend you buy a silicone- or wax-soaked gun cloth (G96, Hoppe's or others). I use one to wipe down my guns before putting them away; leaves a nice, thick sheen on your guns that protects metal surfaces against corrosion for a long while.
 
Cerdan said:
Just another gun-nut's personal preferences (everything I know, I learned from these forums):

I only use grease on my semi-auto rifles; on my pistols I use G96 exclusively (I find that grease gets way too dirty and keeps particles inside the gun). Don't worry about the finish wearing off, that'll happen no matter what. Just use the wear patterns as a guide for the parts you need to lubricate. Guns that I intend to keep in the safe for a while I leave pretty wet, those I intend to shoot soon only get a light coating of thin oil.

On the rust issue, it all depends on where you live. If you're near the ocean, I'd seriously consider keeping a dehumidifier near your gun safe, or at the very least throwing some moisture-absorbing packs in your safe.

Also, I would definitely recommend you buy a silicone- or wax-soaked gun cloth (G96, Hoppe's or others). I use one to wipe down my guns before putting them away; leaves a nice, thick sheen on your guns that protects metal surfaces against corrosion for a long while.
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I keep some dri-z-air in my gun safe. I took a small plastic container and poked a bunch of holes in it, then set that container inside another container. I think the smaller one is a round "disposable" ziplock container, while the other is a used yogurt container. The top lip of the small one rests on the inside lip of the yogurt container, so if it accumulates enough water in the desiccant it will drip into the bottom of the yogurt container.

When I pulled it out after a few months to drain it I was amazed at how much water was in there. Probably half a cup of water, from less than 6 months.

Dri-z-air is available at Walmart an CT for pretty cheap. A $20 jug lasts me a full year inside my truck (with occasional emptying refilling the desiccant) If not for this stuff, my truck would have molded up real bad by now, as it has spent most of the last 3 years parked outside, not being used.
 
Sorry, just to confirm very small dent on outside of barrel is not a concern correct? I only need to worry about inside the barrel?
 
hey guys, sorry for all the newbie questions.

Cleaned the Sig today and noticed this on the trigger assembly (?). Looks like the nitron finish flaked off on one section, it has a slight orange tinge to it, but I cannot make out if it's rust or just the colour of the underlying metal? Your advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

trigger_zps0011ec69.jpg
 
A small ding in the outside of the barrel is nothing to worry about, BUT, keep it protected to prevent rust.

Same goes for whatever is worn inside. There's nothing inside your pistol that should be orange as far as metal goes. Ensure it stays lubed and you'l be fine.
 
TheGuy said:
A small ding in the outside of the barrel is nothing to worry about, BUT, keep it protected to prevent rust.

Same goes for whatever is worn inside. There's nothing inside your pistol that should be orange as far as metal goes. Ensure it stays lubed and you'l be fine.
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So should I try to remove the orange patch? I tried scraping with a toothpick and nothing came off. It would be pretty hard to access it with sandpaper, or I can try using a sanding pen? Or can I just leave it as is and just make sure it is cleaned/lubed properly? Thanks!
 
jermyzy said:
Can anybody recommend a good all-in-one cleaning kit for a newbie? Mainly for handguns for now (9mm), but will likely add a shotgun sometime next year. Would something like this be a good bet?

http://www.4gt.ca/m-pro-7-universal-cleaning-kit/

http://www.4gt.ca/otis-deluxe-rifle-pistol-cleaning-system/
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Please contact us at 4GT@4GT.ca with any questions you might have.

Sometimes full kits are the way to go, other times buying specific cleaning supplies as needed is the best way.

As a general comment about cleaning kits / CLPs / patches / accessories, etc... In our experience not all products are equal. Those made in Canada/USA and Europe are generally of superior quality.
 
I bought this from amazon for my pistols(I have 9/40/45 so far and will have 357mag/44mag). I picked it because it's small size that I can easily take it with me in the range bag as I clean my guns @ my club. it works very well.

http://www.amazon.ca/Real-Avid-Universal-System-Cleaning/dp/B00CI1UMC0/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1437715311&sr=8-16&keywords=gun+cleaning+kit



jermyzy said:
Can anybody recommend a good all-in-one cleaning kit for a newbie? Mainly for handguns for now (9mm), but will likely add a shotgun sometime next year. Would something like this be a good bet?

http://www.4gt.ca/m-pro-7-universal-cleaning-kit/

http://www.4gt.ca/otis-deluxe-rifle-pistol-cleaning-system/
Click to expand...
 
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