Carburetor Cleaner to clean your guns?

[Titan6]

Works great on M16s/M240s/M2s and most full autos that have seen a lot of firing.

Shouldn't leave it on there for more than an hour. You have to go back and follow up with CLP.

Use it all the time and way cheaper than a lot of other stuff.

 

[SoCalShooter]

Done it but dont do it often.

 

[Wayne02]

For all Metal parts GunSrubber and or Carb Cleaner are interchangeable

I'm not sure what's in carb cleaner but CRC brake cleaner in the red can is the same as Gunscrubber, tetrachroloethylene

Ok, so which is it??? I'm not familiar with gunscrubber, but have used both carb cleaner and brake cleaner on vehicles for years, and they are not the same.

Gunscrubber is the same as:

a) carb cleaner
b) brake cleaner
c) I have no idea

 

[1911Tuner]

Same-Same

Gunscrubber is the same as:

b) brake cleaner

And neither one is the same as Advance Auto's carb cleaner. It's the only carb cleaner that I'll use on a gun...and I won't use Gun Scrubber OR brake cleaner.

 

[1BLINDREF]

I used brake cleaner for years with no problems, I get it for free . I recently bought a can of Gun Scrubber to see if there was a difference. I didn't see one other than the price :banghead:
I don't think I'd try carb cleaner for the same reasons that agd1953 bought up.

 

[Redbeard55]

Carbureator Cleaner to clean your guns

Why not? I've used it for a few years now, but not as my routine cleaner. Carbureator Cleaner is used to remove carbon deposits. Would you like to guess what is in powder residue? One added advantage to the carbureator cleaner is that it contains ammonia - which also acts as a copper solvent. I've used GM Top Engine cleaner, although I would suspect most cleaners have similar formulations. Used to use carbureator cleaner for my rifles until the new foam cleaners came out. The foam cleaner I'm using claims not to have any ammonia, but I swear I can smell it after I've finished cleaning my rifle barrels. You do need to deactivate by using an oil to stop the action of the ammonia or whatever else is in the formulation. When in doubt you have a right to ask any company selling a chemical for a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). This is the easiest way to find out the active ingredients. Nonhazardous ingredients need not be listed on the MSDS, but active components should be - unless the company tries to claim they have a secret formulation - in which case you might be cautious.

 

[Kruzr]

If you start going through the MSDS's for the various products you'll find that:

Gunscrubber (Birchwood Casey) is Trichloroethlylene.

Most chlorinated carb. cleaners are Tetrachoroethlylene. Similar properties but a bit more solvent ability.

Nonchloronated carb. cleaners are a mixture of Toluene, Acetone, Methl Ethyl Ketone and Methyl (wood) Alcohol.

Chloronated brake cleaners seem to vary by brand. Many are also Tetrachloroethylene, with others being Trichloro.

Non-Chlorinated brake cleaners are virtually the same thing as non-chloronated carb. cleaner without the MEK. Some also substitue Hexane for Toluene.

Pick one with your wallet if your gun has no plastic. I'd use non-chloronated brake cleaner if it does.

 

[rockstar.esq]

I've personally seen three separate firearms that had damage to the wood finish through the use of brake cleaner. I've melted a fair number of rubber gaskets in my carbs whilst using carb cleaner, given my limited knowledge of chemistry I can't tell what plastics are similar to the aforementioned rubber gaskets so I don't screw around with it.

1911 Tuner certainly has a lot of fans when it comes to gun related advice so maybe it's no big deal.

Personally I don't use aerosol cleaners in the first place so for me there's no appeal. Further I'm constantly amazed at how often cheap ammo gets slammed for causing all kinds of problems yet some folks will use auto parts cleansers to save money. Seems a bit contradictory but then again we're all entitled to do what we want with our own stuff.

 

[R.W.Dale]

PAH! I think the moral to this thread is not that you shouldn't buy brake-carb cleaner to clean a gun. But rather you shouldn't clean your guns if you don't have enough sense to remove the "soft" parts before using powerful solvents


You know I always make certain to roll up the windows on my car before going through a car wash.

 

[FieroCDSP]

I don't use brake cleaner on my newer guns, but it was the only thing that made a dent in the seemingly centuries-old cosmoline on my surplus SKS. Couple of bucks a can is better than $6-15 for break-free or other. I doubt I'd use it on a $2000 bushmaster either, FWIW. Older guns were designed to be cleaned with stuff that would make many of us recoil in terror. I doubt too many things will hurt them.

 

[Deanimator]

Carb cleaner's great on an M16 that's been shot a lot, especially with blanks. Don't get any on the plastic furniture.

Of course immersion in a hot RBC/water mix works even better.

 

[MrPeter]

Call me crazy, but I just use CLP, a nylon brush, and TONS of patches.
I was thinking about getting a boresnake for my semi-auto .40.

Am I out of the loop? Should I be cleaning my gun by deep-soaking them in a cauldron over an open fire with swampwater, bat's wing, and eye of newt?

Scaaaary forums

 

[CU74]

Don't write us of yet

I think most of us posting here only use the "scary" cleaning methods/stuff on an occasional basis for special cleaning jobs. (I say most of us because I know the level of "firearms expertise" varies widely on any forum.)

For "normal" cleaning with the furniture still on- back from the range, for example - we use stuff like Hoppe's and breakfree CLP, brushes, patches, a toothbrush, Q-tips, etc. on the bore and the receiver/bolt of a rifle, the cylinders of a revolver.

The "special" cleaning jobs are done with the rifle/semi-auto pistol dismantled - "new" old rifle covered in cosmoline, dropped the 1911A1 in a muddy puddle, annual tear down and refurbish, etc. I don't own any plastic guns (yet) but I have spent way too much time refinishing wood stocks to expose them to something like brake cleaner.

 

[MD_Willington]

Only on my stainless

 

[aaronrkelly]

AKs and SKSs get locked open and flushed with brake cleaner......

I have used carb cleaner on a semi-auto shotgun because thats all we had, seemed to work fine.

 

[Nasty Jack]

Carb cleaner is intended to remove chemicals from unfinished steel. Parkerizing, blue -- chemical finishes.

Ammonia will remove blue from your finish. Dilute ammonia is great for cleaning guns after shooting corrosive ammo, but you need to DILUTE it about 1:4 and keep it off the blue.

Stainless parts seem OK with a carb cleaner, or brake cleaner. No finish to damage.

Wouldn't let grips, furniture, polymer in the same room with brake or carb solvents.

Listen up . . . Not sure about you, but I have thousands into firearms. I'm willing to spend maybe $40 a gallon for a proprietary solvent designed to remove copper fouling and gunshot residue.

Besides which . . . Nobody has ever managed to equal the smell of Hoppe's No. 9.

 

[don]

The chemical to watch out for is methylene chloride. Read the ingredients on the can. If it contains that chemical, it will damage finishes and some plastics. I use Advance Auto Parts carb + choke cleaner on my rifle which has a synthetic stock-no problems;if I had a wood stock with a finish on it, I would not use it unless I removed the stock. Methanol is another chemcal to avoid as it will damage some finishes.

 

[bdutton]

I use break cleaner when the guns get really dirty. But only on the slide and frame of my 1911. Never use on plastic or wood.

 

[Moondoggie]

I've used carb cleaner and starting fluid for years on any/all of my handguns.

I prefer the starting fluid because it's usually less expensive and it also has more pressure...gets the gunk out better.

None of the chemicals have adversely effected rubber or plastic parts. Same for blued finishes.

I'm not saying that I've used spray cleaners extensively or exclusively. I've also been through a phase where I used a parts washer with mild solvent.

Presently, I have a small air compressor under my reloading/gun cleaning bench. My process is to slather the firearms pertinent parts in CLP, let it stand overnight, then go after it with toothbursh, q-tips, and compressed air.

When it's clean it gets a liberal application of LSA with a 2" paintbrush prior to going back into the safe. Semi auto's get an application of Lubriplate to the friction spots.

 

[Pat McCoy]

Not only are the chemicals in most of these cleaners hard on platics, they are hell on your kidneys and liver.

New non-toxo, biodegradable products are available which do a wonderful job. Do your body a favor and check out "Carbon Killer" by Slip200 for the carbon, and "Eliminator" by Bore Tech for the copper.

 

[Leedavisone]

I would use carb cleaner on my guns, cept that I have something much better... the hot tank in the engine shop. It cleans engine blocks incredibly well... unless you leave them in too long. Works great for my pistols (I remove the grips first). I figure I can do about 30 cleanings before the grips become too large for the remaining handles.

 

[Zach S]

Brake Cleaner...BC Gunscrubber...all same-same. Flip a coin. Brake cleaner is about a third the cost.

It gets cheaper when someone behind the counter orders three cases instead of three boxes. I got a box (12 cans) for the price of eight cans

 

[thebaldguy]

I've used carb cleaner without too many problems. It works good for cleaning. Keep it off plastic parts and oil everything up after use.

Wear glasses while spraying this stuff. Use it outside as well.

 

[ralphie98]

I use the non-chlor brake cleaner on my Glocks with no adverse effects. Usually just use it to clean out those hard to reach places. I still use hoppe's #9, patches and a bore snake, but for gettin the gunk out of the trigger group without pulling it out of the gun, I can't beat the brake cleaner. What you really need to watch out for is exposing it to rubber. Make sure that if you spray any of that stuff on the garage floor that you're not standing in it... not so good for your shoes.

 

[MPFreeman]

Electrical contact cleaner does a nice job if the weapon is dismantled, but don't use it excessively on plastic parts. The spray from electrical contact cleaner freezes parts and the plastic stuff can crack.

Always be careful when cleaning any mechanically operated machine, like a firearm, clock or wiggit.