I want to be able to scrub and wash my gun. I hate to do the tedious cleaning with just solvent. If I dry it and oil it, do I still run the risk of rusting it up? Although I want any easier way to clean it, I want to make sure I am doing what is best for it. Any lifelong gun owners with some advice?
2007-06-11 11:33:25 · 13 answers · asked by The GMC 6 in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
Apparently none of these guys have been in the army. It was SOP to take your rifle to the shower and scrub it with soap and as hot a water you could stand on your hands. When the weapon gets so hot you can't hold onto it any more, it will dry almost immediately. Oil it good and reassemble.
2007-06-11 15:41:26 · answer #1 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I guess it works best with weapons you can take completely apart, but I would use really hot water but no soap.
I'm in the military as well, and I've had to clean C9 and C6 machineguns (M249, FN Mag58) that had several rounds put through them in a single sitting. A slops sink and right hot water, and stiff brushes will do wonder to remove most of the fouling. Of course, we would dry it as best we could but there are so many nooks and crannies that we can't get to all of them. WD-40 is your friend here, so long as you follow it up with a good oiling.
Following that, we would just soak the weapon in CLP-22 and let it sit for a few days (typically the weekend) so that the stuff would have the time to work its magic and loosen up everything that was left behind and on Monday we'd give it a right thorough cleaning job that would leave them inspection- and battle-ready.
As for rusting, any weapon left uncared for will rust. That's a fact of life, my friend.
2007-06-11 23:38:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My friend has run his stainless Ruger Redhawk through the dishwasher, it doesn't get hot enough to cause any issues and the rubber grips don't suffer. He dries and oils it immediately after the cycle ends and it hasn't seemed to do any harm.
However, the solvents that you use for cleaning a firearm are much stronger than the detergents you use for washing dishes, so while they might clean off some carbon they won't take the fouling out of the bore. So it's a waste of time.
2007-06-11 14:27:35 · answer #3 · answered by Chris H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Smokeless powder and its leftovers after burning are not water soluble. They are usually carbon compounds which will dissolve best in a non-polar solvent. Water will not properly remove the junk left in the barrel.
Plus, water will not do anything for lead or copper fouling. The only way to remove these is with a solvent that also contains ammonia. This is necessary to react with the copper left in the bore and then brush the bore to remove it.
The reason water works with black powder and pyrodex is because the leftover compounds from black powder are polar. Water is a very polar solvent.
2007-06-11 16:23:43 · answer #4 · answered by Matt M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only gun you should use soap and water on it a black powder gun. Even then you have to be very careful or you will end up with a hunk of rust.
It's not as easy as saying " I'll wash it in soap and water" There is more to getting the water out than using hot rinse water and compressed air. There are a number of small springs, coil or flat in most firearms. These may be recessed into a very small hole. Compressed air will not get all the moisture out and that spring will rust.
If you have to try this, at least soak the gun in WD40 overnight after you try to ruin it this way.
You can get alot of information on how to properly clean a firearm from the manufacturer of your gun or on the Internet. I don't know of any factory that will tell you this is a good way to clean a modern smokeless firearm. It would probably void any warranty.
2007-06-11 13:41:17 · answer #5 · answered by Ret. Sgt. 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Remove all the wood and scrub till your heart's content. I did it frequently with a black powder rifle and two revolvers. While I wouldn't normally do it to a smokeless gun I don't see any problem. I strongly suggest three things.
1) Don't us a metal brush, a toothbrush is fine.
2) Rinse thoroughly then Rinse thoroughly and finally Rinse thoroughly with as hot a water as your water heater makes. This will aid in drying.
3) Make absolutely sure the gun is dry, completely including all the little corners. I use compressed air to blow out all the crannies.
Then oil it thoroughly and you're done.
2007-06-11 11:45:22 · answer #6 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Fine, but the solvent's easier in guns firing smokeless powder, and you'll still want to do something periodically about leading/copper fouling.
2007-06-11 20:31:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gimpalong said:
"2) Rinse thoroughly then Rinse thoroughly and finally Rinse thoroughly with as hot a water as your water heater makes. This will aid in drying"
I disagree. Use boiling water to rinse. It will heat the metal and make it dry faster.
2007-06-11 18:41:23 · answer #8 · answered by Doc Hudson 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once shot through a World Shoot Competition washing my gun with soap and water every night, didn't have any problems. And i came in 14th overall...
2007-06-11 21:27:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cylinder & Slide make a product called Dunk-Kit. You just soak your gun and give it a scrub, dry it and lube it.
2007-06-11 15:30:13 · answer #10 · answered by shootingsportsnw 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋