Spray cleaner for my Pistol??

[trixter]

I use and like Hoppe's #9 for cleaning the barrel inside, and then wiping down the whole gun with some on a clean rag. I have a Springfield XDM in 45acp. I want a spray cleaner that will evaporate quickly, and not damage the 'plastic' parts. I have used non chlorine brake cleaner with (what I consider) good results. I just want to be sure I am not harming any of the 'plastic' I used to use it all the time on 'plastic' R/C car parts. So how different Is the gun plastic that the R/C plastic (not the cheap ones--Race grade)? I have looked at some of the brand name gun cleaning sprays and the prices are ridiculous!! I can get the brake cleaner for 1.99 per 16 oz can.

So what do you think?

[w5pv]

Get some CRC contact cleaner It will not harm the plastic.LPS # 1 will be ok also.

[paul h]

I've been using brake cleaner for several years with as far as I can tell no adverse affects. I believe the plastic used on guns is solvent resistant though I don't know what polymer they use. R/C cars are mostly nylon or glass filled nylon for the suspension parts and lexan for the bodies.

[georgerkahn]

I almost never recommend anything. One exception is a product I couldn't "live" without, called G96. It comes in a spray can and seems to be exactly what you're looking for. The web site of the product is: www.g96.com and Midway, Brownells, and others purvey it. I use it on inside and outside of my firearms; have been using it for many, many years; and still love it. It dissolves rust in bluing with harming/removing the bluing; removed dirt; and leaves a microscopic protective smell. (And, it even smells good :-) ). My arsenal of sprays are g96, Ballistol, and Starrett M-1 -- which do everything I've ever needed over the past 40 years or so. Try some g96 -- I'd be most surprised if it didn't exceed your needs. They also have a product called g96 crud cutter which was recommended to me by my 'smith, but I haven't bought or tried it yet. Best! geo

[bhn22]

If you use brake cleaner in a humid climate, sooner or later you need to expect rust to develop unless you oil the surfaces, or take other measures to prevent rust from forming.

[jonp]

For what you are asking I use both Ballistol and Breakfree CLP

[montana_charlie]

I have a Springfield XDM in 45acp. I want a spray cleaner that will evaporate quickly, and not damage the 'plastic' parts.
Are there plastic parts (on an XDM) other than the two grip panels?

CM

[dondiego]

Montana Charlie - Your next post is the BIG one!

[trixter]

Are there plastic parts (on an XDM) other than the two grip panels?

CM

the whole bottom of the gun is 'plastic' or some type of polymer. I love it!!

[Driver man]

I have used brake cleaner for years and then spray with crc556. works well with black powder as well.

[Mike W1]

Birchwood Casey SYNTHETIC

[jmort]

Remington Action Cleaner

"Cleans firearm actions and fire-control mechanisms without disassembly
Leaves no residue - produces a clean, dry surface
Dissolves used lubricants, including grease and oils
Removes gummy, caked-on grime from hard-to-reach areas
Use on ejectors, firing pin assemblies, trigger components and bolt recesses
Contains no CFC's or carcinogens"

http://www.amazon.com/Remington-Action-Aerosol-Cleaner-10-5-Ounce/dp/B0000C50JY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384391204&sr=8-1&keywords=remington+action+cleaner

[JeffG]

I love Remington Shotgun Cleaner on my pistols, it works well, I can shake off the excess and it dries fast. The Break Free Powder Blast is horrible IMO.

[captaint]

Ballistol is hard to beat. And - brake cleaner or carb cleaner is fine, provided we use something else before storage. Those things strip ALL the oils off the metal - and we know what happens after that. Ballistol.
Mike

[BruceB]

Right now I don't recall the exact brand name of the stuff I used, but it was a gun-specific spray solvent. Cleaning my daughter's new Remington 870 "riot gun" (synthetic stock with pistol grip and conventional butt, 18" cylinder bore) I found myself leaving black sticky fingerprints on things... the solvent was reacting with the stock, and actually dissolving the surface.

It would be a good idea to check any chemical that is new-to-you for this problem. In our case, as soon as I wiped all residual solvent off the synthetic stock, the reaction stopped and all was well. I suspect the stuff might not be good for "modern" wood-stock finishes, as well. It WAS a good solvent, though!

[bassetman1974]

I almost never recommend anything. One exception is a product I couldn't "live" without, called G96. It comes in a spray can and seems to be exactly what you're looking for. The web site of the product is: www.g96.com and Midway, Brownells, and others purvey it. I use it on inside and outside of my firearms; have been using it for many, many years; and still love it. It dissolves rust in bluing with harming/removing the bluing; removed dirt; and leaves a microscopic protective smell. (And, it even smells good :-) ). My arsenal of sprays are g96, Ballistol, and Starrett M-1 -- which do everything I've ever needed over the past 40 years or so. Try some g96 -- I'd be most surprised if it didn't exceed your needs. They also have a product called g96 crud cutter which was recommended to me by my 'smith, but I haven't bought or tried it yet. Best! geo

Glad to see another fan of good ol G96. I take it a step further in my procedure. After field stripping, I spray all the parts and inside all the parts that do not come apart easily. After a little soak time I use compressed air from an air compressor to blow all the gunk away. Still a nice film left over for corrosion protection and lube.

[nhrifle]

Gun Scrubber has a synthetic safe spray cleaner that I have used and gotten good results without harm to the plastic

[warf73]

I use a damp rag of Hoppes's #9 on my XD 40's lower, then add a small dab of slide grease on each rail. The upper is tourn down and sprayed down with break cleaner, then with a damp rag of Eezoxx whipe down of all parts of the upper. I also take a damp Qtip and run it down both rails of the upper as to coat the metal. This is my carry gun and have had 0 issues with rust,lint, or dirt sticking to it.
Might not be the best but has worked for me so far (6 years).

[Jon]

I knew a guy that would just use brake cleaner on his Glocks. It does strip off all the oils, so make sure you use some oil after, but it didn't seem to bother the plastic.

[williamwaco]

Many of these recommendations are extreme degreasers. They are very good cleaners and I also use them

BUT

Remember they leave the surface of the gun completely unprotected from moisture. If it is not stainless you must then spray it with something to protect against rust. for that, I like WD-40 or CRC 556.

[detox]

Spray can cleaners will empty quickly. It is just too easy to spray away. So use just a little for longer can life.

I use industrial ASAP. Same stuff as Birchwood Casey's Powder Blaster

[uscra112]

Many of these recommendations are extreme degreasers. They are very good cleaners and I also use them

BUT

Remember they leave the surface of the gun completely unprotected from moisture. If it is not stainless you must then spray it with something to protect against rust. for that, I like WD-40 or CRC 556.

Double down on that. WD-40 is a terrible lubricant, but its' principle ingredient (Stoddard solvent) is what auto shops use to clean parts in their wash tanks. And while it also ain't much of a rust preventative, it won't actively promote rusting as those chlorinated solvents will. When the "flush without disassembly" need arises, I use WD-40.

Old story - I once worked in a high tech heat-treating plant that had a vapor degreaser - active solvent was 111-trichloroethane, same as the old "evil" Brakleen. It would degrease bare metal so completely that we had to immediately immerse the parts in alcohol when they came out. The parts came out at about 150 degrees F, and if you didn't, on a humid day you could see the rust forming on the steel. In five minutes it would be a uniform light tan color. So we cooled them under alcohol, then quickly got them arrayed and into the heat-treat retorts.