Windex, SImpleGreen as borecleaner???

[bwhoffman]

Got into a discussion with a group about using Windex and Simple Green as bore cleaners.
Granted, I've been with the masses and used hot water with good results, but, What are the down sides to either of these concepts as far as you guys know?

Sounds like a good between the shots wipe, but something goes off in my mind to stay away from it.

Probly been hashed here a lot.

curious,
Brett

 

[Halftail]

Got into a discussion with a group about using Windex and Simple Green as bore cleaners.
Granted, I've been with the masses and used hot water with good results, but, What are the down sides to either of these concepts as far as you guys know?

Sounds like a good between the shots wipe, but something goes off in my mind to stay away from it.

Probly been hashed here a lot.

curious,
Brett

I've never heard if that coccoction works but the only downside i can see is it would cost more then water.

 

[Deadeye]

Water is good, windex is better, 409 is best.
Have heard simple green is good but haven't used it. Remember that anything that cleans your barrel will also be an excellent patch lube.

 

[NORD]

Be careful using Windex the ammonia can hurt the barrel steel... :hmm: or was that Hydrogen peroxide causing rust???

 

[Lone Carabiner]

Correct both ways. Those products will do well to wipe/clean while shooting but for a good cleaning hot water soak/rinse followed by a good cleaner is better, then some lube when the barrel has dryed completely.

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

I have used Windex as long as I can remember, with no adverse results. Actually, I use windshield washer solvent. At 99 cents a gallon, it's more expensive than water, but just barely. No ammonia in this stuff.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Simple green has butyl alcohol in it for a solvent amongst other things. It is very hard on your lungs, but it will dissolve most everything. We bought it by the barrel to use in our plant to clean pine pitch off of the milling blades in our log home manufacturing plant. It takes everything off and leaves it bare, and it will rust. It will clean the barrel to bare metal I suspect, but you need to wash it out with water and then oil it good.

 

[Bearbait2]

When around the homestead, we use the Windex that contains vinegar rather than ammonia. It works great.
Best Wishes

 

[JWP]

When I'm at an event that I'm going to be shooting a couple days - I wipe the gun with "wet ones" as well as cut cleaning patches with "wet ones" and swab the barrel. They do a good job until I can get back home to do a proper cleaning.

 

[LRB]

Which ever of these you decide on, and they all seem to work well, it is a good idea to use WD40 as a follow up to displace any remaining water. Drain the WD, then wipe dry and oil.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Brett,
I know that Simple Green will cause corrosion in aluminum. Found that out when I used it to clean the bugs off of the spinner on my Stinson. Not sure what it will do to steel...
Scott

 

[General]

I soaked some ML parts in Simple Green OVERNIGHT and they showed signs of corrosion the following day.

Hot water works fine.

Wheellock

 

[CoyoteJoe]

All of the products of combustion of black powder, ie: residue, are water soluable. Of all the ingredients in those cleaning products it is the water which does the job. Other ingredients will help to remove grease and lube but nothing removes powder fouling as well as water.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Remember that anything that cleans your barrel will also be an excellent patch lube.

One hundred percent wrong. A patch lube has very different requirements than a bore cleaner. As mentioned, any of the named products will clean but they have no lubricating properties at all, in fact they remove lubrication from the bore. Many of the ingredients in those products may not react well to the intense heat of being fired from a rifle.

 

[nuttbush]

Not to beat a dead horse but,
If I use something other than water I use Windex with vinegar, 409 does good too. Never Never use anything with ammonia, it corrodes. Cleaners that contain alcohol are fine, it evaporates quickly. If you use water or one of these cleaners (which contain water) at the range or when you get home, do as Wick said, use some WD-40
which WD stands for water displacement, swab out later and apply a good lubricant. Just my 2 cents.

 

[buckknife]

Vingar is a acid.Ammonia is a fairly strong base.Both are mix with some kind of alkey in windex.Winex with vingar is still puting a acid in the bore while with ammonia it would tend to be on the basic side.Which IMHO basic is better than acid when it comes to adding to a acidy black powder fouling.The vinagar may actually clean better but its leaving a acid everyware.
Either one sould be rinsed well with water afterwards or the chance for corrosin is there.
Heres a link to ph levels in some of the cleaners among some other stuff.Windex and 409 are both there if you scroll down.[url] http://biology.clc.uc.edu/scripts/pHResl.pl[/url]

 

[rebel727]

Windex with ammonia or ammonia mixed with water works very well to remove copper fouling from centerfires. The ammonia and water mix will remove bluing but works best. Seems to me hot water with a lil dish soap is best for bp fouling.

 

[Snuffy]

Ammonia exists in copper solvents. Vinegar exists in some weaker blackpowder solvents. The spit in our mouths has salts & acids.

What's the big deal?.... I just "rinse" with alky or soluble oil like WD-40, Kroil or Ballistol and oil with Breakfree CLP, Rem-Oil or Birchwood-Casey Sheath immediately afterwards for long-term storage purposes.

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Post: Windex, SImpleGreen as borecleaner???

The solvent harshness needed really depends on your hunting bullets and powder. I have several modern & sidelock muzzleloaders. But I only have (1) now that needs any solvent stronger than alcohol. The plastic and copper from that inline bore is the reason for it.

You can pay $4 for that bottle of Simple Green for that purpose. Does it remove lead-copper-plastic?... I don't think so! I think it's smarter to pay $5.50 for Birchwood-Casey Bore Scrubber 2 In 1 Bore Cleaner that removes copper, plastic & lead in one application.

To each his own - I guess!

 

[Deadeye]

Coyote Joe, so called patch lube isn't really a lube but a solvent for the black powder fouling
in the bore and as such I'll say again, remember if it's a good cleaner it will be a good "patch lube". Windex is both a great cleaner and patch lube with or without vinegar or ammonia. Shoot all
day and never clean between shots. Water with or
without a little soap is good for both also.

 

[CrackStock]

When I went to NMLRA instructor training, they were advocating the use of diluted Simple Green as a cleaner. It worked well, but I just use cold creek water. As long as I am careful about my lube, this gets everything out.

CS