I highly recommend that you never use any type of brake cleaner on any firearm. Brake Cleaner contains a chemical that reacts with heat, producing a fume that can/will render your brain useless. Do a little research and you will find multiple instances where brake cleaner fumes from welding/heating etc.. has ruined someones life. Use carburetor cleaner.
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A Warning about Cleaning and a Question
- Thread starter Beaver Trapper
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Beaver Trapper
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It was a hardware store brand name (Canadian Tire)
Beaver Trapper
36 Cl.
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According to my wife my brain is already useless. I will stick with soap and water in the future.
Dot 3 or higher is synthetic.
Erwan
45 Cal.
Here is what I'm using to clean my rifles:
For very dirty bore:
1 part ammonia
8 parts demineralized water
1 part methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol
3 parts black soap (Olive oil soap) or Murphy's soap (may-be concentrated could perhaps be better for but never tried it)...
Then I clean with some patches and when the patches stay cleans and white, I dry with some other patches.
Wonder lube or TC Bore butter for lubing.
I mostly clean with hot water and dish soap and Wonder lube for lubing, never any lube from petrochemistry.
About the touch hole and just for me, it seems at the right place...
For very dirty bore:
1 part ammonia
8 parts demineralized water
1 part methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol
3 parts black soap (Olive oil soap) or Murphy's soap (may-be concentrated could perhaps be better for but never tried it)...
Then I clean with some patches and when the patches stay cleans and white, I dry with some other patches.
Wonder lube or TC Bore butter for lubing.
I mostly clean with hot water and dish soap and Wonder lube for lubing, never any lube from petrochemistry.
About the touch hole and just for me, it seems at the right place...
Last edited:
I was wondering about the water. Figure I am good with my well water.
25 Years back we lived in Philadelphia and sometimes you could smell the chlorine in the municipal water. When we go out for supper in Lancaster city I often find I do not care for the taste of the water there. I guess if I wouldn't drink it I shouldn't pour it into my barrel?
25 Years back we lived in Philadelphia and sometimes you could smell the chlorine in the municipal water. When we go out for supper in Lancaster city I often find I do not care for the taste of the water there. I guess if I wouldn't drink it I shouldn't pour it into my barrel?
Erwan
45 Cal.
You could but this water contains limestone and chemical pollutants dangerous for the health of your barrels.
hanshi
Cannon
I've used cold tap water longer than I can remember and it cleans completely. That's all I put in the bore to dissolve BP fouling, nothing else.
That’s intersting, I’ve used it for years and years.. both in mechanical applications and to clean the junk off modern firearms, as well as the oil out of my bores of our muzzeloaders. I’ve never used for welding or heating though... not even sure how that would work.As stated, I use it directly before I load, just to dissolve the oil residue from the bore and breech area. I tilt my rifle slightly on its buttplate as to not get any cleaner on the finish. Then swab it out with a clean patch. Carb cleaner won’t evaporate quickly enough and the newer carb cleaner I’ve found is absolute junk. I’ll stick with brake cleaner... just use it outside or in a well ventilated area and you’ll be fine. I’m living proof of that...
Brake clean IS NOT Brake fluid duh!! It is a degreaser used to remove oil and grease from brake disks and drums. Same stuff sold by Birchwood Vasey as a firearms cleaner.
It is not a black powder solvent or hydraulic fluid. It sprays on dilute and evaporates oils and grease. It does not remove black powder residue nor does it dilute the present salts in BP residue. WATER does.
It is not a black powder solvent or hydraulic fluid. It sprays on dilute and evaporates oils and grease. It does not remove black powder residue nor does it dilute the present salts in BP residue. WATER does.
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I wonder why, in a hobby dedicated to old-time shooting, guys would want to use Brake Cleaner on their guns? Way to whiz-bang modern and expensive, when all that's needed is traditional hot water, etc. Thanks for posting, though, you passed along your experience and won't use it again!
Because it works well cleaning the oil out of ones bore before you load... why are we on the computer playing around reading about our old time hobby? I spose I should say, that everyone has thier “ variation” of this hobby... we for sure don’t all do everything the same exact way... some use brake clean to disperse the oil from thier bore.. others dont . Some buy thier supplies, some would rather make thier own.
Yes but where is your tap water coming from? A well? Or a municipal system?
I oil my guns, wipe with a dry patch before loading
I like to get that puddle of oil from cleaning out of the breech so it doesn't mix with the powder and cause a failure to fire. Of course storing the just cleaned rifle muzzle down prevents the oil from puddling up.
Walkingeagle
54 Cal.
I use bear grease to oil my guns after cleaning (with warm water) and drying. Prior to that was olive oil. Muzzle down on a rag for a few days then a single dry patch and done.
Walk
Col. Batguano
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A little bit of oil as a coating is ok, but too much will get gummy on you, and it can turn in to sludge that blocks the touch hole.
Regarding that TH, as others have said, it's huge. It will take a lot of velocity off your loads and require bigger charges. On the flip side, I bet you hardly ever get flashes in the pan! I'm surprised it doesn't serve as a jet to move the barrel to the left!
That might be a good candidate to bore out and insert a vent liner
Regarding that TH, as others have said, it's huge. It will take a lot of velocity off your loads and require bigger charges. On the flip side, I bet you hardly ever get flashes in the pan! I'm surprised it doesn't serve as a jet to move the barrel to the left!
That might be a good candidate to bore out and insert a vent liner
Baggy270
32 Cal
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Brake cleaner....
brake kleen will not rust anything. i have been using it for decades. i am a professional transmission rebuilder/retired. transmission people use it everyday to clean gummed up parts, valve bodies, ect. but it will not clean powder residue. i do spray it on my lock to melt any old grease. i clean my barrels with 50/50 denatured alcohol and murphy's oil soap. when i am done the white cleaning patch comes out white, and i run another down with rem oil. i do not put water on my guns,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
