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I've done some searching on this and see it has been discussed before but I'd like to start a new thread on this topic to see what folks use for cleaning and lubrication.

Right now I use an Otis cleaning kit (http://www.otisgun.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) along with some brass and nylon brushes and q-tips and scrap rags from t-shirts to accomplish most of my cleaning needs. I bought a boresnake for my M1 but I'm not really sure how well it works. I use Breakfree for my cleaner and lubricant along with the surplus grease pots in my M1.

My M59 cleans up great but the M1 seems to take a long time to clean well. I will run a bunch of patches through the bore but seem to have a hard time getting a patch to come out clean. When I check the bore with a borel ight, it seems shiny and clean. Any recommendations on what I could do differently?

What do you all use for your cleaning and lubrication needs?

SQLGeek wrote:I've done some searching on this and see it has been discussed before but I'd like to start a new thread on this topic to see what folks use for cleaning and lubrication.

Right now I use an Otis cleaning kit (http://www.otisgun.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) along with some brass and nylon brushes and q-tips and scrap rags from t-shirts to accomplish most of my cleaning needs. I bought a boresnake for my M1 but I'm not really sure how well it works. I use Breakfree for my cleaner and lubricant along with the surplus grease pots in my M1.

My M59 cleans up great but the M1 seems to take a long time to clean well. I will run a bunch of patches through the bore but seem to have a hard time getting a patch to come out clean. When I check the bore with a borel ight, it seems shiny and clean. Any recommendations on what I could do differently?

What do you all use for your cleaning and lubrication needs?

I've been using Gunzilla cleaner / lube / preservative for cleaning and Brownell's Friction Defense oil for handgun lubrication. I also sometimes use a specialty grease on the slide rails, and I use a high temperature / high pressure grease on the bolt carrier and bolt of an AR-15.

For process, I soak the bore with cleaner, run a patch through it, then scrub it with a bore brush, run another wet patch through it and let it sit 3 or 4 minutes.

For materials, I use precut flannel patches of the military style, which is a bit rougher than the commercial types and seem to work a little better for me. I also use Q-tips or a patch folded and grasped with an angled tweezer to get into the slide cuts and similar tight areas.

After letting the cleaner soak a bit, I repeat the bore brush scrub and patch treatment which usually gets it pretty clean, and I follow that with the boresnake treatment and check the results with a clean patch with a little bit of Gunzilla on it to leave a coating on the bore and verify all the crud is gone.

I don't start out with the boresnake because I get the worst of the fouling out with the disposable patches so I don't have to keep washing the boresnake.

Semiauto handguns take me about 20 minutes. Rifles take a bit longer because they often take more repetitions of the brush scrub / wet patch cycles, depending on the number of rounds fired.

This process leaves a mirror bright finish on the bore at the end.

Strongly agree on flannel patches!

For the M1 Garand, a patch wrapped around a worn-out .22 caliber brush works well to loosen deposits. Also for the M1 you may want a bore guide like this one from Midway http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?p ... ber=669772" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - it works really well to keep the rod centered and prevent damage to the crown.

I use some CLP but mostly Ed's Red - equal parts acetone, mineral spirits, automatic transmission fluid, and kerosene (or google it and find the formula with the added lanolin). It is inexpensive and works very well, just store it in screw-top metal cans (like the ones paint thinner and spot remover used to come in).

Lubriplate grease on the M1 and on semi-auto pistol slides, and on AR-15 bolt carrier. I do not recall which Lubriplate number - it may be 130 - but it is in the M1 manual.

I like that little round Otis cleaning kit for my M1A and AR15s, and I use a one-piece coated cleaning rod and bore guide with the usual implements of destruction for my bolt rifles, and a one piece brass rod with attachments for my pistols.

For solvents and lubricants, I like the SLIP2000 products. They are environmentally safe, clean and lube very well, and they don't stink — so you can clean your guns inside inside the house on those cold, wet, and windy days without getting the stink-eye from She Who Must Be Obeyed. They even have a thick "grease" which can be purchased either in a regular tub, or in a syringe. I use a tiny dab of the grease on slide rails (because it doesn't run), and on the M1A bolt roller, and anywhere else where a thick grease would be preferable to a thin oil type lubricant.

The lubricant is military approved for use on the M16 and other small arms in dusty environments because it does not attract dirt or get tacky. It displaces moisture, etc., etc., etc.

I know I sound like a salesman for their products, but I'm not. I'm just a very happy customer who is not just satisfied, but impressed with the products' performance.

+1 on Gunzilla and a tad of Mobil 1 on the rails.

Eezox and Break Free CLP.

Ed's Red rocks! It's the only cleaner I use. Mobil 1 5W30 and Lubraplate round out my day to day cleaning and lube products. I'll use Sweet's if I have a copper problem and about once a year I'll use a little JB Compound to shine up the bore.

Ed's Red is very economical, you can make a gallon for about what a quart of "bore cleaner" costs. Here's the link to Fr. Frog's Ed's Red page. http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Bore" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Cleaner

I've used Hoppe's #9 since I was a kid...a LONNNGGGGG time ago. Soak a bronze brush then scrub the bore. Leave it wet for several minutes, then come back and scrub some more. Then a wet patch with #9, until it's not dirty any more. Then dry patch it, then some CLP on a patch. Then a quick once thru with a dry patch. That's it for the barrel.

I clean all the other parts with #9. Wipe clean until the patch's are clear of dark spots. Then light coat of CLP. Then lightly rub off excess.

The patches I use are cut up t-shirts cut to about 2" square.

+2 on the Gunzilla. Cleans great, doesn't stink up the house and makes cleaning the next time a snap.

Also use Gunbutter, Militec 1, or some specialty grease on the slide rails depending on the mood I'm in.

Love using q-tips, patches and toothpicks to get to everything.

Cleaned my XD in about 10 minutes a little earlier.

I use Slip2000 It just works

Thanks for the great info everyone. TAM, why do you use the Otis system for your semi-auto rifles and a cleaning rod for your bolt rifles?

I think I'm going to give that Slip2000 a try. Do you order it online or is there a retailer that carries it?

I've just been using CLP to lubricate the slide on my M59 and it seems to work fine. Should I consider using a grease instead?

SQLGeek wrote:Thanks for the great info everyone. TAM, why do you use the Otis system for your semi-auto rifles and a cleaning rod for your bolt rifles?

I think I'm going to give that Slip2000 a try. Do you order it online or is there a retailer that carries it?

I've just been using CLP to lubricate the slide on my M59 and it seems to work fine. Should I consider using a grease instead?

um...I picked it up at "The Gun Store" and I'm still using it, and I clean my guns ALOT.

Ed's Red and elbow grease.

SQLGeek wrote:I've done some searching on this and see it has been discussed before but I'd like to start a new thread on this topic to see what folks use for cleaning and lubrication.

Right now I use an Otis cleaning kit (http://www.otisgun.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) along with some brass and nylon brushes and q-tips and scrap rags from t-shirts to accomplish most of my cleaning needs. I bought a boresnake for my M1 but I'm not really sure how well it works. I use Breakfree for my cleaner and lubricant along with the surplus grease pots in my M1.

My M59 cleans up great but the M1 seems to take a long time to clean well. I will run a bunch of patches through the bore but seem to have a hard time getting a patch to come out clean. When I check the bore with a borel ight, it seems shiny and clean. Any recommendations on what I could do differently?

What do you all use for your cleaning and lubrication needs?

CLP (Breakfree) contains a surfacent that continuously works to break loose carbon deposits embedded deeply into the pores of the metal, which is why the barrel seems to never quite get clean. I wouldn't worry about it.

Ed's Red for 95% of the cleaning. I dump it in a large shallow pan, get the brushes after everthing, and when done, put the cleaner in a tall skinny glass jar with a tight lid.
After a couple of days, all the gunk selltles to the bottom. I pur off all the good stuff, wipe out the bottom with a paper towel and use until it's gone.

For stubborn leaded or coppered barrels, I use a jag, bronze brush and Butch's Bore Shine. It's very effective for copper or lead removal.

RIG Grease for the Colts, FP3 oil for everything else.