I finally cleaned some guns

[44man]

I haven't cleaned my .44 SBH or BFR .475 all summer and didn't want a clean gun for hunting either. Just got around to it. The whole outside was full of carbon and lube near the cylinder gap and on the recoil shields.
I started with Hoppe's Elite that I just bought and even with a brass brush on the outside, I was getting nowhere. I wiped it off and went back to Hoppe's no. 9. The crud came right off. After a good scrubbing I went back to Elite and it took some of the carbon out of the steel in the bore. I then went to M-Pro 7 and it removed a lot more until patches were white. The throats are bare, clean steel and the bores shine. I then put in M-Pro 7 CLP and put my STP on the pin and ratchet. With all the shooting, the cylinder never got too sticky with the STP on the pin.
It looks like I go back to my usual cleaning by starting with no. 9 and then M-Pro 7. The Elite is not as good and neither it or M-Pro 7 will remove lube mixed with carbon very well. I also tried Ed's Red and it works somewhat, but no. 9 is still better.
The .475 had a few flakes of lead in the bore and the .44 had none at all.
The nice thing about M-Pro 7 is when I am done scrubbing, I just put the cylinder in the laundry tub and wash it off with very hot tap water. Works with the bore too.
Old no. 9 is still good stuff!

[SharpsShooter]

I have an old quart bottle of the Hoppes No.9 on the bench. So far I have not been impressed enough with anything else to switch. It will even double for aftershave in a pinch.


SS

[lovedogs]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Hoppe's #9 won't touch copper. It doesn't do much for lead, either. It does loosen up soot and carbon fouling. And it's a standard for "Gun-Nut" cologne. Even when using cast lead bullets I've found that some of the strong copper solvents like Barnes and Montana Extreme 50 BMG really draw stuff out of a barrel. And Break-Free CLP left for a few minutes will draw carbon out of the steel even after I think it's clean.

[sundog]

Lovedogs, copper? How in the world could anyone get THAT in a bore? Unless, maybe, LOTS and LOTS of gas checks.... Ya s'pose? sundog

[Nueces]

I liked the refrence to the nostalgic arooma of #9. Was just about out of it when I heard about the 'new' stuff not having the banana oil in it. Heartbreak. Confession: bought a 'vintage' bottle on eBay, just for the smell.

Wonder if a Hoppes #9 AirWick would sell?

Mark

[44man]

Yes, I sure love the smell of Hoppe's. It does a fine job of getting the gunk out of the way before using Sweets or another copper solvent if you so inclined to shoot them kinds of bullets. As far as lead goes, mine just pushes out with a patch, good lube ya know! I only get a few flakes if I push the boolits hot and it never builds up enough to worry about. Hoppe's still helps to get at the lead if you do have leading problems. Since it has to be removed mechanically unless you use mercury or some other nasty stuff, Hoppe's will still help remove it. I have bought all kinds of junk that is supposed to remove lead, none works better then a tight patch on a jag, a bore brush, Curly Kate, steel wool or a bunch of those little guys that will chisel it out. Most of the stuff has kerosene in it that is supposed to get under the lead. It's like dipping a soldered wire in oil expecting the oil to remove the tinning. Sorry guys, there is no magic cleaner that dissolves lead without eating the steel too.

[mike in co]

how do you guys get lead in your bbls ???

and copper...dang how foul!

i have shot two matches(120-150 rds) out of my srh, 280 pb, 1050 fps...felix's magic lube....and guess what...no lead...just a nice shinny bore.........

gotta clean the cylinder, and the frame...but the bbl.....me thinks not( at least not yet!)


mike

[454PB]

I think I've tried about every exotic and expensive bore cleaner known to man, and nothing beats good old #9!

[44man]

I get a few flakes from my PB boolit when I shoot max loads. Just a few little specks or so on the first patch, then it is gone. My other boolits don't lead at all. This gun was shot all summer without being cleaned, then killed a deer at 40 yd's. Dropped her in her tracks and she never even wiggled.
The SBH was not cleaned since fall of 2005 and was filthy dirty but not a speck of lead came out. As you can see, I don't clean too often, old and lazy!
I shot a box of jacketed through my 45-70 BFR last fall to get rid of them and I soaked it with Sweets for 20 minutes but the patches came out white, not a single trace of copper. I consider that very strange! I had to get a strong light and look in the bore because it baffles me. I ran the boolits close to 1800 fps too. I found the 300 gr Hornady shoots as good as my cast, I put 5 in 9/16" at 50 yd's.
I don't consider a few specks leading and expect some with certain boolits. I think it just rubbed off on all the powder and lube crud that builds up during a whole year.

[Char-Gar]

Wow... Sound like you need an old Gilberts Chemestry Set to clean your guns. This..that..the other and then back to this and a little more of that.

I clean my sixguns with Ed's Red and relube with BreakFree. The whole process takes just a couple of minutes.

However, I clean my guns every time they are fired, and before the sun goes down. I don't wait until you have to chip the crud off with a chisel and I have no problems hunting with a clean sixgun.

I see no value..no value..in having a filty sixgun sitting around the house waiting for fall to roll around.

[44man]

Stainless and old, lazy things! But the main reason was just too much other stuff to do around here. Seems as if something is always breaking or wearing out. Plus I had boolit molds to make and other jobs to make extra money so I can shoot more. I have sat and tried to figure out why I have less time after I retired then I had when I was working. How in blazes did I do everything when I had to work?
I have a safe full of other guns that need cleaned too, HEE, HEE, so don't get down on me too much.

[Bass Ackward]

How in blazes did I do everything when I had to work?


44,

You answered your own question.

<<I have sat and tried to figure out why I have less time after I retired then I had when I was working.>>

That Super Glue to the chair routine ruins many a hour. Try a little less thinkin and a little more movin. :grin:

[lovedogs]

How well I understand what you fellas are saying about retirement. Now I don't understand how I got things done when I was still working. Ha, ha!

I have to confess that I do shoot lots of jacketed (slap my mouth) bullets. Besides loving my cast lead shooting I thoroughly enjoy my hotter selections, too. It's hard to shoot prairie dogs at 300 yds. with my .45-70 and cast lead. It can be done, mind you. But they don't vaporize the same as they do with the hot .22 centerfires using jacketed hollow-points. Yes, variety is the spice of life! Anything that burns smokeless powder is what I'm into.

And it's true that we shouldn't have leading problems. Once I get things figgered out I don't have that. But, sometimes, with a new gun, or due to some circumstance I do run into it. We all do at some time or another. It seems we have lots of good suggestions on how to deal with leading.

44 man... shame on you for having all those dirty guns! Didn't yo daddy teach you nuttin'?

[Nueces]

44man,

What boolit lube are you using? Sorry if this is old hash. Sorta seems like you'd like to tell us again, though. :mrgreen:

Mark

[44man]

I alternate between Felix and Lar's carnauba red. Depends on which box of boolits I grab and both work just fine and can be interchanged. I have not seen a difference in point of impact or accuracy between the two. I rub the lube in with my fingers and carnauba red is harder and raises heck with my fingers but I like it. I don't like to size my boolits and I don't have the size die for my .475 to fit the lube sizer anyway. Some day I will buy one and lap it to the size I want. I use a custom, Lee push through to remove excess lube. Make that as "oversize." Big boolits RULE!
I do use the lube sizer for some of my .44's and .45's (Oversize again.) but hate to change lubes in it.

[jar-wv]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that procratinates a bit when it comes to cleanin em. Love to shoot em, not so fond of the cleaning though.

jar

[44man]

I don't mind cleaning them, in fact I love a clean gun. Just a time problem mostly.
I did get my stout made today. Took most of the day. I boiled for 90 minutes. Since I use all grain it takes a lot of time. I will let you know how it turns out. I have a beer in the keg that is out of this world and it is going fast. Friends appear from nowhere to drink it too. I started to use spring water a neighbor brings from farther south in WV instead of my well water. UNBELIEVABLE difference.
No, you can't cast beer, but hey, how many of you turn one down?

[Joey]

After spending my youth and beyond in the military, I always clean my weapons when I return from the range. Your weapon gets cleaned before you do. You take care of it and it will take care of you.

I go to the range the minimum of one day a week and I often take 1 rifle and 2 handguns. All get cleaned before I do.

I reload and use Lee Alox and not had any problems with leading.

[45r]

You can remove lead with JB or flitz or wrap some chore boy copper mesh around a brush.I use flitz a lot and it polishs the bore and throats.I use tetra gun oil and dont have any worries about clean revoolvers.