SHTF Gun Cleaning

Someone asked me about this, cant find teh comment right now but here it goes.

I don’t have money anymore for fancy gun cleaning stuff. Not at the current prices.
I have some H&R bore cleaner still left, but mostly use cheaper stuff.

Guys, pick pen and paper. Better yet, get your knife and carve this little list into your arm so you don’t forget!
Write it down and buy plenty of it next time you go to the hardware store:

*Red High Temp GREASE
*OIL
*KEROSENE
*WD40
*LIQUID SILICONE

Oil

Synthetic motor oil works just fine. Some people like it better than your favorite Hoppes.
I heard good things about Dexron Automatic Transmission Fluid too.
The best part is that you can buy large amounts of it for little money. Refill a smaller bottle for ease of handling.
Unlike expensive cleaners that come in little bottles and costs a fortune when you calculate how much money it’s all worth, here you buy quantity too. How much would a quart of Hoppes cost!?

Kerosene

Kerosene has many uses, its cheap, and cleans barrels as well as most stuff. Maybe a bit better than most. I use it just for the barrel, some people dunk the entire gun but some worry about plastic and finish.


Red high temp auto Grease

Red grease (thanks Nomad for the tip!) is great stuff. You can almost clean all the gun with it and will keep your rails lubricated 4x longer than Hoppes oil.

Cotton Rags

Hoppes Cleaning patches is what Angelina Jolie uses to clean her H&K USP.
Men uses cotton rags from old t-shirts.
Don’t waste your money!

So guys, this is a double treat.

1)It’s all VERY cheap
2)Buying large amounts not only saves money, but it ensures you have years worth of cleaning goods when SHTF. Something the guy that has all those little expensive bottles wont.

The way I clean guns:

Basic disassemble.
I put some kerosene in the barrel and let it soak in for a few hours. Scrub well and run some tight fitting kerosene rags through it, the tighter the better.
After that, and if wont be using that gun for a while, I put a few drops of oil and run another rag until it’s dry.
Some people say this creates a micro film that increases the pressure… but I’m hetero, so I just dry it up well and forget about it.

My guns work fine this way. I dry it well mostly to avoid oil getting to the primers. Even thought sealed primers are safe, I prefer not to risk it.
I clean slide and frame with an oily/greasy rag. Use a screwdriver to clean the rails and other groves.
I put some grease in the rail and contact surface of the barrel/slide, and oil for springs and smaller parts.
Try not to overdo the grease and oil, it attracts dirt and might do more harm than good.
I put a bit of grease on the exterior and rub all the exterior surface with the oily rag.
I try to avoid chemicals getting into much contact with plastic, but I don’t worry that much either.
Plastic is usually better left alone. Just rub some silicone once in a while.(also cheap and found in quantities in auto shops)
That’s basically it. Scrub the barrel, protect all surfaces with rubbing with oil/grease and dry everything up nicely, then put small amounts of oil and grease where necessary.

If my gun gets wet, I also spray it with WD40.
I used to clean everything with WD40 (drying it up with a rag) but it’s getting too expensive as well, so only use it when water or a lot of sweat is involved.

Ed's Red Bore Cleaner

Some people say pure kerosene can ruin a gun finish.
For those that want to try it and also very cheap, there Ed’s Red homemade bore cleaner:

1 Quart Dexron II, IIe or III ATF (automatic trans. fluid).

1 Quart 1 part Kerosene - deodorized

1 Quart 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 Quart Acetone, CAS #67-64-1

Mix in a well ventilated area.


That's it guys, take care