Is brake cleaner too harsh?

[stone knife]

Would brake cleaner be a good choice to get the oil out of the barrel ect.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I don't think it's that much of a problem if any at all. It's designed to cut oil and grease and remainder is meant to evap as dry brakes are happy brakes, but it does leave metal open for rust right away.

LD

 

[MikeC]

Use non-chlorinated brake cleaner and you'll be just fine. Does remove all the oils from the metal so if you use it to clean a dirty gun, you must oil the metal before putting it away. I use it on new guns that are packed with cosmoline grease.

 

[MSW]

thanks for the post - didn't know there was a difference.

 

[2172]

I just used it to get a briggs and stratton engine to start..Hank

 

[RushCC]

Would brake cleaner be a good choice to get the oil out of the barrel ect.

As far as I can tell, yes. Like other people have said, it only cleans, not protects. Be sure to put on something like Barricade to protect the metal.

 

[necchi]

Would brake cleaner be a good choice to get the oil out of the barrel ect.

Use it all the time.
I don't think we can get "chlorinated" brake cleaner any more.
Tri-chloral-ethelene has been being groomed off the consumer shelf for years now.

 

[hawkeye2]

Either brake cleaner or carb cleaner are excellent for that. Berkebile products (http://berkebileoil.com/special.htm) are the best in my opinion but the cheap stuff (Cen Tech?) from Wally World will work.

I spent years turning wrenches and a long time teaching auto mechanics and you need to listen to this: Do not get them on any finished surface you care about. Wear gloves. latex wont last, I prefer the blue nitrile but even these go to pieces with just a little exposure to the chemicals. Wear eye protection. You do not want to get any in your eyes and you will no matter how careful you try to be. Use only with adequate ventilation. (http://www.ehow.com/list_7426582_hazards-chlorinated-brake-cleaner.html) I can detect even the smallest spritz in my basement work area which is half the size of my house. Do not use them near an open flame or smoke while using them (http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm). Don’t apply them over or in conjunction with other cleaning materials as you may end up with an unhealthy brew. Place your used patches, rags, paper towels, etc. in a sealed metal container or a plastic bag that you can leave outside till you can get rid of the trash. All my used cleaning materials go into a sealed container which then goes into a self closing industrial safety can.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

i use birchwood casey gun scrubber, just safer to use and wont harm the finish.

 

[Snakebite]

I use a dry patch.

 

[Black Hand]

Would brake cleaner be a good choice to get the oil out of the barrel ect.

Unless you've filled your barrel with oil, the minimal amount left in the barrel can be removed with a couple of dry patches.

 

[S.Kenton]

I've used Brake cleaner for years. I normally use it right after I pull one of my M'lers out of the safe and prep it for a day of shooting. I spray a liberal amount of Brake cleaner down the bore( this helps rid the flash channel of any oil that may be harmfull to detonantion) and run a few dry patches...wait a few minutes and she's ready to shoot. I do this to cut through the REM oil or RIG that I have also liberally put down the barrel for storage purposes..I've never had any issues doing this.
Before I used brake cleaner I had issues with oil mixing with my powder and causing many misfires..I store all my rifles in my gun safe..this is great except gravity pulls any heavy oil to the flash channel and causes it to pool there..spraying some brake cleaner or dumping some rubbing alcohol down the bore.. followed by a clean dry patch always seems to take care of that, at least for me.
My 2 cents...

 

[Black Hand]

I store all my rifles in my gun safe..this is great except gravity pulls any heavy oil to the flash channel and causes it to pool there...

Store them barrel down.

 

[Billnpatti]

Brake cleaner is great stuff for cleaning crud out of your lock, etc but do not use it on your gun where it could get on your stock. The stuff is a very good solvent and can damage the finish on your stock. I also use it on my CF revolvers, especially .22 rf but I always remove the grips before spraying any brake cleaner on them. It is great stuff but ONLY on METAL parts.

 

[Billnpatti]

Mighty fine advice, hawkeye. We all need to read this and follow your advice to the letter. Congrats on a fine safety posting!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Lorne Johnson]

Brake Cleaner works fine on the metal parts of guns, at least in my experience.

Since I started using Ballistoil in my muzzle loader barrels after cleaning, I have found that I don't need to do anything to them before shooting. It's very convenient.

 

[S.Kenton]

Its much easier for me to store my rifles my way.. buttstock down and spray some brake cleaner down the barrel. I'm a creature of habit and have done this for a long while.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use carburetor cleaner occasionally on my muzzle loaders. It is very effective but precautions mentioned must be taken.

 

[David W.]

Brake cleaner is great stuff for cleaning crud out of your lock, etc but do not use it on your gun where it could get on your stock. The stuff is a very good solvent and can damage the finish on your stock. I also use it on my CF revolvers, especially .22 rf but I always remove the grips before spraying any brake cleaner on them. It is great stuff but ONLY on METAL parts.

You're spot on about not getting it where you don't want it. I learned the hard way many moons ago, not to get brake cleaner on your painted car surface!

 

[ohio ramrod]

Brake cleaner won't harm your barrel, but it will do a number on wood finishes. :idunno: