Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Gun Cleaning Products

So I have been out of the country for a few years and have to restock my my cleaning solvents and was curious what is new and improved on the market. I shoot a lot of .22, center fire with copper jacketed bullets, and pistols and lever guns with lead bullets. Also a lot of shotgun (auto-loaders). I'm looking for the easiest and best way to clean a gun after shooting and before storing for a month or two. I don't need perfect, just good enough.

What should I use for powder residue? Lead fouling in the .22s (I usually focus on the powder residue and rarely clean the bore) and center fire pistols? And copper fouling in the rifles? I used Butch's Bore Shine on my rifles before and was happy with it but have heard good things about Montana Extreme. What about lubrication before use and rust protection for storage?

Thanks in advance for any advice, this seemed like the best forum to ask the question.

I use the following:
Hoppe's No. 9
Break-Free CLP
Bottle of 1/3 ATF, 1/3 Mobil 1, 1/3 mineral spirits
Old West Snake Oil

Hoppe's No. 9
Break-Free CLP
Patch-Out
Ballistol
That pretty much covers everything I use, or need.

If I was just stocking up I would make a quart or more of Ed's Red for regular cleaning. I would use Wipe Out after long Shooting sessions. Any of the Non water based copper removers are good like Montana extreme, Butches and others. I would also get an abrasive like JB or Iosso for barrel break in and stubborn fouling. If I were shooting pistols a lot I would look into Tekrolan Sweet Shooter and treat the entire pistol. For Lubrication any low viscosity motor oil and Ed's red has some lubricant properties. Rust prevention: Eessox, Hornaday One, Corrosion X, Frog Lube. For storage Rig or Collectors which isn't greasy.

I use Kroll and Shooters Choice after a range session preferably while the barrel is still warm and leave it in the bore till I get home and clean. You could get by with about four products but like guns the cleaning products seem to multiply. Ultra Bore Coat really helps to reduce fouling and the need for cleaning. I still do it out of habit probably more than I need to.

Long answer to say there are lots of good products on the market and very few bad ones.

Ed's Red for the cast bullet guns and for powder fouling before attacking the copper in the jacketed bullet guns.

Redleg,

You are likely to get different answers from every person who responds--partly because there are many more products these days, but also partly because most shooters don't own a bore-scope so don't really know what's going on inside their barrels. Though that's changing with the recent, very affordable digital scopes.

A recent, similar thread on "Ask The Gunwriters" on gun oils resulted in people choosing around three dozen as the best they'd ever used....

For cleaner all you need is Bore Tech Eliminator..............
For oil take your pick, I have been using Lucas gun oil lately.
Never use abrasives like Iosso or JB paste, Hoppe's that so many suggest is pretty much worthless IMO

Totally agree on Bore Tech Eliminator for all the cleaning-work of carbon, powder, copper....great stuff.

I follow that up with a patch of break-free CLP in the bore before I put it in the safe.
(and a very-lightly oiled rag on the outside)

Yes but pontificating (I'll refrain) is fun, and pretty safe too. I would guess that most products do a satisfactory job for most people if you follow the directions. I can say so for my shelf loaded with products anyway.

No bore scope but judging by patch and holes in a target seems to give me a fair estimate. Though I'm sure I'd have one had the price dropped earlier.

BTW For gun oil which goes on the inside I can't remember the name of the stuff but it's a synthetic that smell and looks like coconut milk and works well with the needle point oiler. I like the smell. Exterior protectant is R.I.G. It works and again it's the smell. Reminds me of days with Dad.

Bore Tech Eliminator vote here too....

Thanks for the input. As soon as Bass Pro or one of the local shops open back up I will make the trip to stock up. I completely agree with MD on asking for opinions but this gave me a list of things to chose from depending what's in stock. I did buy a bore scope recently and only looked at one gun so far but it was very telling. I soon realized my cleaning jag was dissolving and leaving blue/green on my patch, not copper in the bore...

I was really glad to see the Ed's Red, I was hoping for a homemade, bulk option.

Thanks again fellas.

I add Kroil and orange oil to the Ed's Red, the orange oil is a good solvent but mostly for the smell. I keep meaning to add banana oil to it to make it smell like Hoppes # 9. Mystery oil makes it smell like wintergreen and doesn't hurt the formula.

Boy, some of you guys have too much fun mixing stuff!

When I was shooting competitively, I used Butch's Bore Shine followed by Hoppe's #9. I finished with the Hoppe's, not oil.

I disagree with the poster who said not to ever use JB paste. I used it, sparingly, after every 800 rounds or so. If I didn't, a carbon ring would build up just ahead of the chamber and increase pressures.

Now that I'm into shotguns, I use two patches of Hoppe's #9 followed by two of G96.

You have to use Hoppe's. It smells so good.

+1 for Ed's Red. Good stuff and you can make it cheap. I like quality. I like cheap.

Frog Lube and Hoppes #9....

Is this the recipe for Ed's Red?

I used Hoppe's #9 forever, switched to Butch's Bore Shine about 10 yrs. ago when I was shooting a lot of big bore revolver. I like Bore Tech Eliminator when I want to do a deep cleaning, also use JB paste occasionally .

Apparently it's a family secret...LOL

Ed;s Red Hot Sauce

Pretty sure this tastes a lot better than the stuff they're talking about!

Ed's Red Gun Bore Cleaner
By Ed Harris Rev. 12-27-94

Three years ago I mixed my first "Ed's Red" and I still think the "recipe" is a great idea. If you have never tried it, or maybe lost the recipe, I urge you save this and mix your own. My followers on the FIREARMS Echo think it's the best thing since smokeless powder! Therefore, I'll summarize the story again for the passing parade that didn't get it the first time...

I originally did this because I used a lot of rifle bore cleaner and was deterred by the high price of commercial products. I knew there was no technical reason why you could not mix an effective bore cleaner using common hardware store ingredients which would be inexpensive, effective, and provide reasonable corrosion protection and adequate lubrication.

The "recipe" is based on proven principles and incorporates two polar and two nonpolar ingredients. It is adapted from a formula in Hatcher's Notebook, Frankford Arsenal Cleaner No.18, but substituting equivalent modern materials. I had the help of an organic chemist in doing this and we knew there would be no "surprises" The original Hatcher recipe called for equal parts of acetone, turpentine, Pratts Astral Oil and sperm oil, and optionally 200 grams of lanolin added per liter.

Pratts Astral oil was nothing more than acid free, deodorized kerosene. We use K-1 kerosene of the type normally sold for indoor space heaters. An inexpensive, effective substitute for sperm oil is Dexron (II, IIe or III) automatic transmission fluid. Prior to about 1950 that most ATF's were sperm oil based, but during WWII a synthetic was developed for use in precision instruments. With the great demand for automatic transmission autos after WWII, sperm oil was no longer practical to produce ATF in the quantity demanded, so the synthetic material became the basis for the Dexron fluids we know today. The additives in ATFs which include organometallic antioxidants and surfactants, make it highly suitable for our intended purpose.

Hatcher's original formula used gum spirits of turpentine, but turpentine is expensive and highly flammable. Cheaper and safer is aliphatic mineral spirits, which is a petroleum based "safety solvent" used for thinning oil based paints and as automotive parts cleaner. It is commonly sold under the names "odorless mineral spirits," "Stoddard Solvent" or "Varsol".

There isn't anything in Ed's Red which will chemically remove copper fouling, but it does a better job on carbon residue than anything out there. Several users have told me, that with exclusive use of "ER" does reduce the buildup of copper fouling, because it removes old impacted fouling which is left by other cleaners, reducing the adhesion of abraded metal to the surface, and leaving a cleaner surface which reduces subsequent fouling. It appears that "ER" will actually remove metal fouling it if you let it "soak" so the surfactants will do the job, though you may have to be patient.

The lanolin is optional. The cleaner works quite well without it. Incorporating the lanolin makes the cleaner easier on the hands, and provides better residual lubrication and corrosion protection if you use the cleaner as a protectant for long term storage. If you want to minimize cost, you can leave the lanolin out and save about $8 per gallon. Mix some yourself. I know it will work as well for you as it does for me.

CONTENTS: Ed's Red Bore Cleaner

1 part Dexron II, IIe or III ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.

1 part Kerosene - deodorized, K1

1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits, Fed. Spec. TT-T-2981F, CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent, (aka "Varsol")

1 part Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.

(Optional up to 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon, OK to substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store)

MIXING INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix outdoors, in good ventilation. Use a clean 1 gallon metal, chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers are also OK. Do NOT use HDPE, which is breathable because the acetone will evaporate. The acetone in ER will attack HDPE in about 6 months, making a heck of a mess!

Add the ATF first. Use the empty container to measure the other components, so that it is thoroughly rinsed. If you incorporate the lanolin into the mixture, melt this carefully in a double boiler, taking precautions against fire. Pour the melted lanolin it into a larger container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and stirring until it is all dissolved.

I recommend diverting a small quantity, up to 4 ozs. per quart of the 50-50 ATF/kerosene mix for use as an "ER-compatible" gun oil. This can be done without impairing the effectiveness of the mix.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING

Ed's Red Bore Cleaner:

1. Open the firearm action and ensure the bore is clear. Cleaning is most effective when done while the barrel is still warm to the touch from firing. Saturate a cotton patch with bore cleaner, wrap or impale on jag and push it through the bore from breech to muzzle. The patch should be a snug fit. Let the first patch fall off and do not pull it back into the bore.

2. Wet a second patch, and similarly start it into the bore from the breech, this time scrubbing from the throat area forward in 4-5" strokes and gradually advancing until the patch emerges out the muzzle. Waiting approximately 1 minute to let the bore cleaner soak will improve its action.

3. For pitted, heavily carbon-fouled "rattle battle" guns, leaded revolvers or neglected bores a bronze brush wet with bore cleaner may be used to remove stubborn deposits. This is unnecessary for smooth, target-grade barrels in routine use.

4. Use a final wet patch pushed straight through the bore to flush out loosened residue dissolved by Ed's Red. Let the patch fall off the jag without pulling it back into the bore. If you are finished firing, leaving the bore wet will protect it from rust for up to 30 days. If the lanolin is incorporated into the mixture, it will protect the firearm from rust for up to two years. For longer term storage I recommend use of Lee Liquid Alox as a Cosmolene substitute. "ER" will readily remove hardened Alox or Cosmolene.

5. Wipe spilled Ed's Red from exterior surfaces before storing the gun. While Ed's Red is harmless to blue and nickel finishes, the acetone it contains is harmful to most wood finishes).

6. Before firing again, push two dry patches through the bore and dry the chamber, using a patch wrapped around a suitably sized brush or jag. First shot point of impact usually will not be disturbed by Ed's Red if the bore is cleaned as described.

7. I have determined to my satisfaction that when Ed's Red is used exclusively and thoroughly, that hot water cleaning is unnecessary after use of Pyrodex or military chlorate primers. However, if bores are not wiped between shots and shots and are heavily caked from black powder fouling, hot water cleaning is recommended first to break up heavy fouling deposits. Water cleaning should be followed by a thorough flush with Ed's Red to prevent after-rusting which could result from residual moisture. It is ALWAYS good practice to clean TWICE, TWO DAYS APART whenever using chlorate primed ammunition, just to make sure you get all the residue out.

LABEL AND OBLIGATORY SAFETY WARNINGS:

RIFLE BORE CLEANER

CAUTION:

HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED.

KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN

1.Flammable mixture. Keep away from heat, sparks or flame.

2.FIRST AID, If swallowed DO NOT induce vomiting, call physician immediately. In case of eye contact immediately flush thoroughly with water and call a physician. For skin contact wash thoroughly.

3.Use with adequate ventilation. Avoid breathing vapors or spray mist. It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labelling. Reports have associated repeated and prolonged occupational overexposure to solvents with permanent brain and nervous system damage. If using in closed armory vaults lacking forced air ventilation wear respiratory protection meeting NIOSH TC23C or equivalent. Keep container tightly closed when not in use.

This "Recipe" is placed in the public domain, and may be freely distributed provided that it is done so in its entirely with all instructions and safety warnings included herein, and that proper attribution is given to the author.

In Home Mix We Trust, Regards, Ed