Handgun cleaning products and routine

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Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby INOR on Sun Apr 08, 2018 6:44 pm

What do you guys use for cleaning and maintaining your handguns? And what about for frequency. I admittedly don’t clean and lube mine as often as I should but I do take care of them. Probably clean and lube them every three or so shoots. Mainly use Hoppe products. But use a fair amount of spray solvents to help get the outer grime off first.


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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby crbutler on Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:28 pm

Hoppes #9 for bore solvent unless it's bad, then I will break out either the ultrasonic or the rifle stuff.

Brush a bunch, then a few tight patches and done.

Oil/light lube with CLP

slides get some grease in the summer.

But I've degenerated to cleaning fun guns once a year, maybe as soon as I'm done with it if it was bad weather.

The competition ones get cleaned either before a big match or when they start to act funny.

I used to clean every trip... now mostly 2-3 times a year.
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Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby gun_fan111v2 on Sun Apr 08, 2018 8:48 pm

Boresnake and a few drops of FP10 after each range trip.

Field strip and clean with Hoppe's (most guns) or Gibbs (for melonited guns) after 3-4 range trips. This is when the bore brush comes out.

Been using FP10 to lubricate centerfire guns for a few years and find that is does not dry out as fast as regular Hoppe's oil or even their Elite series. I do still use Hoppe's oil for rimfire.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Holland&Holland on Sun Apr 08, 2018 9:09 pm

crbutler wrote:Hoppes #9 for bore solvent unless it's bad, then I will break out either the ultrasonic or the rifle stuff.

Brush a bunch, then a few tight patches and done.

Oil/light lube with CLP

slides get some grease in the summer.

But I've degenerated to cleaning fun guns once a year, maybe as soon as I'm done with it if it was bad weather.

The competition ones get cleaned either before a big match or when they start to act funny.

I used to clean every trip... now mostly 2-3 times a year.

What's the rifle stuff?
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Holland&Holland on Sun Apr 08, 2018 9:16 pm

Barrels get hoppes #9, wet dry alternated, once in awhile scrubbed with a copper brush. Then 2 dry and a light oil which is removed via dry patch prior to shooting. Mostly wipe everything else down, maybe a bit of action cleaner if it is really bad but usually just a wipe down with a rag and q tips. Oil with zero friction, rails get a small spot of TW25B. Revolvers just get a small drop of zero friction at key spots.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Lumpy on Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:41 pm

Are guns supposed to be completely dismantled for cleaning? After target practice I religiously clean and oil the barrel, slide, recoil spring and locking block; yet the last time I had my gun in for repair they said it was extremely dirty. Were they referring to the hard-to-reach guts of the gun like the trigger and hammer assembly?
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Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby gun_fan111v2 on Wed Apr 11, 2018 6:08 pm

Lumpy wrote:Are guns supposed to be completely dismantled for cleaning? After target practice I religiously clean and oil the barrel, slide, recoil spring and locking block; yet the last time I had my gun in for repair they said it was extremely dirty. Were they referring to the hard-to-reach guts of the gun like the trigger and hammer assembly?


What make/model? They could have been referring to places where extractor and firing pin live.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Ghost on Wed Apr 11, 2018 6:14 pm

I only clean the outside to keep them looking good and keep them oily. I only mess with internals and barrel if there’s an issue or accuracy drop off. I used to religiously clean them after every time out but not so much anymore.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby mmcnx2 on Wed Apr 11, 2018 6:47 pm

When I get home my guns get a oil wipe down. Once they are room temp I fully disassembled them - yes even the dreaded Ruger Mark I and III.

Hoppe's #9 for the barrel
Powder Blast to remove the bulk dirt and any lube.
Breakfree CLP for general oil
Grease for bearing surfaces
Breakfree collector for storage
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby crbutler on Thu Apr 12, 2018 11:16 am

Rifle stuff is either patch out or Barrett bore cleaner.

Put a bunch in and it will get most of the fouling out in minutes or leave it overnight, and pretty much down to clean steel per my bore scoping. The toughest stuff to get out is bronze from Barnes banded solids

I have JB paste, but haven’t used it in years...haven’t needed it.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby andrewP on Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:28 pm

I try to keep my carry gun clean, but the main USPSA gun gets cleaned 1-2x yearly, usually including sometime within a month before the section match in the summer. Occasionally it'll get cleaned "off schedule" if I find that it's gotten exceptionally filthy, but that's pretty rare. As for how I do it, given that I usually wait until it's gotten pretty dirty, I usually hose the frame out with an extended shot or two of the Hornady One Shot aerosol cleaner over a waiting pile of paper towels. The gray sludge that runs out of the guts of the gun is not to be trifled with. :)

As for cleaning the barrel, slide, etc, I usually do that with Liberty Lubricants products; I got some solvent and CLP for free via a promotion, but I like how it works well enough that I'll be buying more when I eventually run out.

Like others, I used to clean more often, but I eventually came to the realization that the only purpose that truly served was to raise my level of chemical exposure. Given that, I gave myself permission to be lazy about it and (probably) reap the rewards of being healthier over the long term.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Holland&Holland on Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:54 pm

andrewP wrote:I try to keep my carry gun clean, but the main USPSA gun gets cleaned 1-2x yearly, usually including sometime within a month before the section match in the summer. Occasionally it'll get cleaned "off schedule" if I find that it's gotten exceptionally filthy, but that's pretty rare. As for how I do it, given that I usually wait until it's gotten pretty dirty, I usually hose the frame out with an extended shot or two of the Hornady One Shot aerosol cleaner over a waiting pile of paper towels. The gray sludge that runs out of the guts of the gun is not to be trifled with. :)

As for cleaning the barrel, slide, etc, I usually do that with Liberty Lubricants products; I got some solvent and CLP for free via a promotion, but I like how it works well enough that I'll be buying more when I eventually run out.

Like others, I used to clean more often, but I eventually came to the realization that the only purpose that truly served was to raise my level of chemical exposure. Given that, I gave myself permission to be lazy about it and (probably) reap the rewards of being healthier over the long term.


Probably very true, but nothing is more satisfying than a clean gun going into the safe after a day at the range, the sent of Hoppes in the air and the oily feeling on your hands.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Denkee on Mon Jun 04, 2018 12:10 am

run mine through the dish washer, blow dry 'em with my wife's hair dryer and dunk 'em in Ballistol. Seriously, I love the smell of Hoppes #9. It's what my wife put behind both of her ears to attract me. Routine cleaning takes me about 30 minutes. Once a year I detail strip and give my guns real good cleaning. I lube with Break-Free CLP.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby LarryFlew on Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:30 am

They do sell a Hoppes 9 air freshener.
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Re: Handgun cleaning products and routine

Postby Holland&Holland on Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:56 am

LarryFlew wrote:They do sell a Hoppes 9 air freshener.


Oh, I am very aware if that! :D
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