Best CHEAP gun cleaning products

[ColtPythonElite]

I go through one or two a year, as they eventually get a bit too dirty and frayed/pilled due to heavy use. I think it's the best thing out there for keeping my carry guns sweat- and moisture-free. A great deal at $3 for how much it gets used.

3 bucks for a silicone cloth? That's too much money for me..........I cut my own cloth outta that discounted piece of flannel I bought for patches, they I spray it with about 2 cents worth of silicone and put in a 10 cent ziplock bag. I'd guess I have about 25 cents tied up in my siicone wiping cloths....LOL.

 

[mortablunt]

Straight from the Mujaheddin: bootlaces and motor oil.

 

[gtd]

Break-Free

Use Break-Free and nothing else, according to a government armory professional I met. You can make swabs out of old T-shirts, just cut them to size. The ones I buy come in a large bag for a couple of dollars and it's enough to last a while.

I used to work really hard on my guns with solvent, grease, all kinds of stuff. It turns out that using only Break-Free is just as good if not better and saves lots of time.

 

[benEzra]

Mobil 1 5W30 (synthetic PAO based, not petroleum distillate) makes a very good gun oil, for internals anyway. It stays too wet to put on the outside of a gun, though.

As a bore cleaner, I like Outers Foaming Bore Cleaner. It has the consistency of shaving cream, so it stays put long enough to do a good job.

 

[KCFirepower]

I use cheap q-tips, free toothbrushes from the dentist office, cheap rem-oil, and cut up old army t-shirts.

The only real investment I make in my cleaning is elbow grease and solvent.

 

[jcwit]

Automatic Transmission Fluid, good pentrating oil and bore cleaner, especially for lead & powder redidue remover. Its close to the old Sperm Whale Oil which was orginally used as an automatic transmission fluid.

Toothbrushes from the local Flea Market, pack of 12 for $1.00.

Lube, drippings from my Mobil 1 bottles left from changing oil.


Things to spend money on.

Buy the BEST cleaning rod you can afford, its worth it.

Also buy model specific cleaning rod guides if available for you rifle. Some call them bore guides but my bore need no guiding, but my cleaning rod does.

Buy actual gunsmith screwdrivers, they will save your screw heads.

 

[csa77]

I use white lithium greese from lucus oil on all my sliding parts. it tends to dry out after awhile of inactivity, so i away wipe of the old and apply new greese befor going to shoot.

gerneraly use synthetic motor oil sparringly on the rest.

I use hoppes #9 to clean with


i also use paper towes as patches and then once the gun is clean i chase out the fuzz with linen/fabric.

 

[stonecutter2]

Cheap garage sale t-shirts, cut 'em up and run 'em through barrels. See how many you can get for $1.

The other stuff I buy just because it hasn't failed me yet. Hoppe's #9, Outers bore solvent, Rem Oil, and Lubriplate 130-A. A little (tiny dab) Tetra gun grease now and then on the heavier used metal-on-metal parts.

 

[oneounceload]

I use white lithium greese from lucus oil on all my sliding parts. it tends to dry out after awhile of inactivity

I noticed that on my progressive reloading press - what a PITA......is there a better grease that won't dry out over a longer period of time?

 

[Dr.Rob]

I made up a bunch of Ed's Red long ago, the stuff works really well.

From muzzle loading : cheap 100% cotton sheets make good patches. Toothbrushes of various sizes and toothpicks/dental cleaners are useful for getting into small areas when you are detail cleaning. Plastic dental picks are useful as well.

I have metal picks but I try not to use them, but sometimes you get a really tough carbon build up that there's no other way to clean.

 

[rscalzo]

Wal-Mart Non-clorinated spray brake parts cleaner. Cheap and with the spray tip gets into the small out of the way placed and blasts the dirt out. I keep a half dozen cans on hand at all times.

After changing the oil in my bike, the remander of the Amsoil 20-50 goes into a small needle bottle for use as a lube. However I dod stick with grease for sliding surfaces.

FrogLube for the handguns, Lubraplate for the older gas guns and Rig for the AR's..

 

[1KPerDay]

Old toothbrushes, cotton t-shirts, old jeans legs cut off and split make great table/gun cleaning mats.

Moly bearing grease from the auto store for lubing rifles and some handguns.

I use hoppe's no.9 and CLP, though. I like the smell, they're cheap enough, and I trust that the solvent will have some effect on copper fouling. Plus they won't kill you if you let some get on your skin. Some of the brake cleaners are scary stuff...

 

[Kerf]

Lot of good ideas here ( you "cheap skates") But, I'm afraid you're missing one real simple one.

Everyone gets a big Gold Star for Ed's Red. And I think another is due for the fabric store for flannel patches in bulk. And while your there, check out the various bolts of linen on the close out shelf. When a bolt gets down to where it has little use to anyone, because of it's size, it goes in the closeout bin. (For you ball & musket types. Good linen makes a big difference.)

One that was missed:

>>> Weed Whacker line as a pull through, rather than a rod. Much easier to carry around and no damage to the bore or chamber. Through it in your box when you go to the range. Volquartsen (? spelling) frowns on the use of a cleaning rod and brush in their guns to the extent that it voids your warranty if you put a brush down their barrels. Who knows?

Kerf

 

[Kerf]

Just a follow up question.... don't want to start a separate discussion, so a "yes or no" will do.

These automotive substitutes, i.e., brake cleaner, Mobil 1, etc, don't eat the finish, or plastic, or bluing or rubber on a gun?

thank you

kerf

 

[Shadow 7D]

Yes, and that's where you need to know what you are doing/using
some type of oil and sprays can damage synthetic stocks and some types of clear coats,
Other oils will soften wood/the woods finish.

But either CLP or rem-oil (I forget) took a nice chuck off my straight from Russia AK (variant) seems the poly paint isn't very resistant. Also Alcohol can dissolve Lacquer.

 

[redneck2]

If you guys haven't used the foaming bore cleaner, you're really missing the boat. You can have my Hoppe's, Ed's Red, whatever. I wouldn't use those for free after using the foam.

Scrub and clean as long as you want with Hoppe's, then fill your bore with the foam and run one patch thru. It will come out filthy black and deep blue from the copper. My days of scrubbing are over. A couple of light swipes with patches and you're done.

I'd also second the thing about a good rod.

The foam I use is Wipe-Out. Unbelievable.

 

[stonecutter2]

I find one of these things is super handy, too. And for $1.25, it's pretty cheap:
http://www.countycomm.com/ucs.htm

It really helps drag a patch into nooks of a handgun - slide rails, and tight corners.

 

[ir3e971]

Womens bamboo cuticle pushers. Basically a pointed bamboo stick for nooks and crannies and scrubbing stubborn fouling. It does not damage finish or scratch, and come in a bag of 100 at the local beauty store.

 

[TMA-1]

Use a pair of tweezers and grab a wadded-up patch or piece of cotton/flannel. It's just as useful as a q-tip, except you can bear down with more force when needed (such as cleaning out the corners of your chamber.

What's even better is if you can find one of those "clamping" tweezers that are squeeze-to-open and release-to-close.

 

[bluetopper]

I keep a little plastic tub with just enough diesel in it to submerge a handgun in. It's a great bore and all around light oil solvent/cleaner for a firearm. Makes bluing look wonderful afterwards. I blow off the excess with an air hose then lube with motor oil. My 1911's really like it. Nothing goes in my handgun bores but diesel, patches, and cast lead bullets and they are mirror bright.

 

[RichBMW]

Lots of good gun cleaning products in the women's cosmetic departments. My favorite (again at Walmart): White Cloud Premium Lint-Free Cleansing Pads. They come 80 to a package, round, about two-inches in diameter. I use them to clean the outside of guns or, with the application of a little gun oil, to coat the surface of guns with a light protective coating.