BarreL cleaning

[watopeka]

My general purpose cleaner/lubricant is Ballistol and water mixed 1:10 using distilled water. That is all I clean my guns with and I have not had a speck of rust on anything even guns that were in storage for a year. Water dissolves and washes away the fouling BP or sub and the Ballistol leaves the surface lightly oiled.
Since I shoot some almost daily ( retired with a range in my back yard) it is imperative to have a fast, easy and efficient system.
Works for me should work for you. The best easily obtained solvent for BP/Sub residue is plain room temperature water.
Mix in it what you like, but my money is on Ballistol.
Respectfully
Bunk

I’m jealous a range in the back yard

 

[Ranger94]

I use water and Eezox mostly. Well, Eezox always, but the solvent varies.
I've used Hoppes BP solvent, CVA stuff, homemade “moose milk“ (tapping fluid and water) soap and water, t/c number 13, (smells nice) windex, olive oil, olive oil and beeswa mix, jojoba oil, plain hot water, cold water, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten others. They all worked to one degree or another, most anything water based is fine.
Protecting the metal after the black powder fouling is removed is the most important part of the process IMO.. I’ve not found anything better than Eezox to date, it works and dries to a non oily film.

I love Eezox. But it does have a terrible odor. My wife hates the stuff. But it is a proven product.

 

[SOLANCO]

Tried so many different things over decades. In basic training we disassembled our M1's and hung all the metal hardware on the operating rods and dunked everything in a huge GI trash barrel of furiously boiling water. So hot they air dried almost instantly. Guess that's not an option now.
Discovered Ballistol several years ago. The more I used it, the more of the other stuff I got rid of.

 

[Carbon 6]

Once you understand the principles and fundamentals of cleaning and protecting, you can go anywhere, into a gun shop, grocery store, hardware store, garage or kitchen and find what you need to get the job done properly. Heck even nature provides.

 

[charlesk]

Gunzilla first mop up with ballistic no rust