Bore Solvents and cleaning your firearm

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  • Last Post 18 June 2017
hunterspistol posted this 17 May 2008

:armyhelmet:     Following a short section in Mr. Brennan's book (I think that's where I read it), an idea hit me.  He mentions cleaning firearms with just about any solvent you can think of.  Recently, I bought a quart of Hoppe's #9 but, if I have a headache, I don't care for the smell. It does seem to get where it doesn't clean good somedays-might be me.

I walked out in the carport and picked up a rusty can of thinner for oil-based paint that I use to coat silhouette targets on the range. The stuff smells like white kerosene and , after putting it in a glass jar, I found out it looks exactly like kerosene. Undoubtedly, that's what it is. And it's cheap. So, I tried cleaning a pistol barrel with it, just to see if it cleaned good enough to consider-hey, it's my money, okay?  Well, it does work, and better than you'd think. It's a little oilier than Hoppes with less light ends that evaporate, and seems to clean quicker. I see nothing but sharp-edged rifling down in there after just a few passes with a brush and then a few with a patch. Seems to work wonderfully fast without being too high in specific gravity(never mind, it ain't gasoline is what I'm sayin').

There's my Dollars and Sense, hmmm....

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devin1955 posted this 18 May 2008

I often use kerosene for cleaning my handguns. I pour a half inch or so into a square stainless steel cakepan, and set the parts in there to soak. Scrub the barrel with a bronze brush, relube everything and put it back together. Works for me!

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codarnall posted this 12 July 2008

Instead of kerosene one might try ethanol and household ammonia.  I first thought of getting ammonia to mix with kerosene but it would probable take a lot of alcohol to do it. So I think that cocoction is fine and of course it's the ammonia that gets the copper out anyway.  A small amount of light oil in the mix would tend to leave a little lube in the barrel when the rest of the stuff evaporates.

Charlie

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hunterspistol posted this 09 September 2008

:coffee  That's a good thought, copper solvent. The paint thinner turns out to be called mineral spirits, still kerosene-just the cheap second rate kind. I don't shoot any jacketed bullets but, that's really worth mentioning. Thanks for the recipe!

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jimkim posted this 10 September 2008

I just use Ed's Red now. It works as good as, if not better than, anything I have ever used. I don't know which ingredient it is but there is something in it that really brings out the luster in the finish. I took an old barrel and dipped it in a jar of Ed's Red. You can see the “water line on the metal.  It seemed to take years off the treated metal.

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mike morrison posted this 17 November 2008

for the last year i have been using this for bore cleaner on my cast boolet guns.

50% turpentine 50% automatic transmission fluid

 

 

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smokiejoe posted this 15 September 2009

I use Eds Red all the time but like to try something different also, I got a bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil and that works good also with a nice smell, You can mix it also with other cleaner, Joe

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codarnall posted this 15 September 2009

I know of nothing that dissolves lead.  Throw it in Sulfuric Acid .... nothing.  Use it to clean your bore and all you'll have left is the lead tube... and no steel!

Charlie

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mcskipper posted this 28 October 2009

My 2 cents.

First a good cleaning with a electronic bore cleaner, I thought a could do a good job of cleaning until I got my electronic system. What an eye opener!

I treat my barrels with Microlon Gun Juice. one time after the first step.

Then Ed's Red for ever. Very little build-up, super quick cleaning.

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codarnall posted this 28 October 2009

Microlon Gun Juice about $10./oz.  Huh, Chivas.... well.. is $23./liter.  Lewis lead remover for  me!----Charlie

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mcskipper posted this 28 October 2009

Hi Codarnal,

I am very snug w/ a $. Yes, the Microlon is pricey but you only need to wet 3 or 4 patches with it so it goes a very long way. You only do the bore once & it's treated for ever. Only way to remove it is to machine it out.

I use the heat gun method of treating the bore. I've tried the range method and the heat gun works just as well and I have better control of the barrel temp.

As for the electronic bore cleaner chemicals. We had a store closing just down the street & picked a gal. for 1/10 list.

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Dirtybore posted this 12 May 2016

Removing lead from a barrel. Mercury removes it like magic. It treats lead just like gold. What really takes place is that it amalgamates the lead, just as it does gold. That's why it was used in the gold mining industry.

The problem is getting the Mercury in the first place. I don't know of anyplace that would sell it to you. Once you have it, you have to wear gloves and keep it contained because it is a liquid and the last thing you want is to allow it out of control.  It is a worse contaminant than lead and to make matters worse, it's a liquid.

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Dirtybore posted this 12 May 2016

Has anyone had any good luck with any of the Off The Shelf lead removing bore solvents? If yes, let me know what it was.

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codarnall posted this 12 May 2016

Acetates, like vinegar will attack lead. All acetates are soluble in water. Now vinegar is off the shelf, but you really need to add some peroxide to it. The acidic mixture is really not and acid as much as a chelating agent grabbing the lead every which way you can, the oxidizer in the peroxide to help move things along.

Personally I do shy away from chemical cleaners myself as some do things your don't want like taking off bluing. Some swear by the the concoction, I am moving to painted bullets myself where no leading is evident so far.

Charlie

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JSH posted this 12 May 2016

Dirtybore wrote: Has anyone had any good luck with any of the Off The Shelf lead removing bore solvents? If yes, let me know what it was.Short and sweet, no. I use Kroil and JB bore paste if I need to on my cast guns. IMHO if you have a continuous leading problem, you have a problem period. No sense in fighting it,fix it. 

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Ross Smith posted this 10 June 2017

All: I love reading these older posts. There is a wealth of info here.In my cb experiments I've had some real lulu's and had to dig out lead. Ain't nothin' faster or easier than a copper chore boy wrapped around a plastic brush and some hoppe's.   Ross

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Maven posted this 10 June 2017

 This!  Ain't nothin' faster or easier than a copper chore boy wrapped around a plastic brush and some Hoppe's.  Actually the Chore Boy/Chore Girl works just as well with Kroil, Ed's Red, WD-40.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 10 June 2017

... for 50 years i have used 4x steel wool on a copper brush with any light oil or wd40 .  ... lead or mj ...  never saw any wear at all and a dozen strokes will do-er .  then a couple clean patches with light oil . ( not wd 40 ) .

fwiw mobil 1 in 0-30 or 5-30  is a great gun oil ( stays wet ) and at that weight can be sprayed with a flower spritzer although in my next batch i think i will add 10 per cent atf to further thin it .

ken

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shake posted this 10 June 2017

I use Ed's Red,  have no problems or complaints. Use the exact formula including anhydrous lanolin.

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R. Dupraz posted this 10 June 2017

I know that this is an old thread but it is beyond this poor knaves comprehension why anyone would want to use some HS chemistry lab concoction to remove lead and clean firearms when we have "Ed's Red" to clean and copper "Chore Boy" pads to remove the leading. Safe, simple and effective. Oh, did I mention fast.  

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lotech posted this 11 June 2017

For all cast bullet guns, I've found Ed's Red and #9 can be used interchangeably; both work very well. As for kerosene, I've never tried it for bore cleaning, but it may work fine.

With the the exception of the bores (for which I use a copper solvent), I soak AR bolt assemblies and guts in kerosene for a few minutes before scrubbing. This works well and when parts are wiped down, a slightly greasy residue remains. These guns were never designed with cleaning in mind; carbon fouling is significant regardless of the number of rounds fired, and I use only jacketed bullets. 

  

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