Outdoor Adventure USA

Firearm Maintenance

Firearm maintenance is a complex field and an important topic, if for no other reason than safety. It does not end there however, because it also involves issues such as reliability, damage to firearms, performance, value, and protection. The topic is further complicated by the abundance of products made to maintain your firearms, or at least claim to be so.

Often times we find ourselves favoring a product that Dad. a friend, an advertisement, or a magazine recommended. When it becomes a habit, it is often difficult to be told that that you favorite product, is not really effective, or worse yet, dangerous. And, when you add to this difficulty the fact that there are so many products out there that all claim to be the best, it makes your choices even more difficult.

The main purpose of this net is to explore the many options available for keeping your firearms in tip top shape. And, while it is not our purpose to disparage any product, we will present information that you should consider when you make your purchases.

Given the huge number of maintenance products on the market, there is no way that we know them all, so we encourage everyone to step up and add your advice.

Firearm maintenance covers a lot of ground, and is not just limited to the solutions that are used to clean the bore. So, these are our suggested topics for discussion:

Bore cleaners
Preservatives
Rust protection
Lubricants
Storage devices
Desiccants
Wood stock cleaners and preservatives
Torque wrenches
Tools
Cleaning brushes
Cleaning related items

CLEANIING TOOLS

A B-1 B-1 C D E F


MISC MAINTENANCE ITEMS

A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 A-5 A-6 A-7
NOTE: Forster make a good assortment of high quality hollow ground Screwdrivers
(https://www.forsterproducts.com/product ... ewdrivers/)


B C D

BORE CLEANERS, LUBRICANTS AND PRESERVATIVES

This field is CROWDED, and while that is generally a good thing, there are some important things to know, most of which will be covered on the net. There is one product however that seems to have some very conflicting information and opinions surrounding it, and it is WD-40. So, this is where I will start.


Putting the WD-40 controversy aside, your bore solutions need to perform one job, and that is to clean the bore and protect it from the elements (rust/corrosion). To do that job, and depending on the type of bullets used, the cleaners need to remove either copper fouling, lead fouling, powder/primer residue, or some combination of the three. And, ideally, the solution should protect the bore from rust/corrosion for a reasonable amount of time.

Perhaps the most well known bore product is Hoppe's No 9. It has been around since 1903 and despite its age, it is still one of the most used firearm bore cleaners on the market. It does have limitations, and while it is able to tackle powder fouling rather well, there are a number of products that are much better at dealing with copper fouling. Hoppe's says this about No.9:

Hoppe's Traditional #9 solvent cleans fouling and loosens abrasive dirt from firearm parts to prevent wear and protect your investment. A strong rust inhibitor, it protects your firearms from costly corrosion damage and aids in cleaning and preventing carbon and lead build-up in barrels to maintain top accuracy. It helps keep firing pins and strikers clean and moving freely to prevent light strikes and misfires. And of course, it has a classic smell that only comes with Hoppe’s No. 9.(https://www.hoppes.com/cleaners-and-lub ... 00347.html)

A
B C

STORAGE


A B C D E FGolden Rod Dehumidifier(https://www.lockdown.com/products/moist ... ml#start=1)




DISASSEMBLY

On the net.

CLEANING TECHNIQUES

On the net.

Barrel Maintenance

As we all know, shooting is a dirty sport. While the vast majority of the projectile and propellant leaves the barrel, some gunshot residue remains in, on, and around the firearm in the form of burnt (carbon) and unburnt particles from both the primer and gunpowder and from vaporized lead. Even worse, forcing a lead, copper, copper-plated, or copper-jacketed projectile through the barrel smears that material throughout the inside of the barrel and gets caught in machining imperfections. Subsequent projectiles will build up on existing deposits, thus frequent cleaning is a benefit.

Cleaning products, such as the old faithful Hoppes No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner, are formulated to remove carbon, powder, and metal fouling. It basically works, with a solid five-star rating at online sales sites such as Amazon. I suspect it cleans as well as most other products that don’t specifically target lead or copper.

But Hoppes No. 9 still takes some elbow grease. I suspect, like me, most shooters have a small (maybe large) shelf full of cleaning products that they've tried, perhaps in the hope that some product would do all of the work. ** Or at least in the hope that something good doesn't smell as bad as Hoppes No. 9. Even the Hoppes website states: "And of course, it has a classic smell that only comes with Hoppe’s No. 9." My wife get very upset if I use Hoppes No. 9 while she's at home. Used patches make a beeline to the outside trash can.

(Hoppes does now make an "Elite" version of their firearm cleaning product line that they specifically claim is "low odor". It costs at least twice what the No. 9 formula costs.)

** I am randomly working my way through my shelf of cleaning and lubrication products.



Dealing with Leading

But no cleaning product is perfect (hopefully I'll find out differently during the net), and I've yet to find anything that is.

I started using polymer coated lead bullets (of course, I reload) to save some money, mainly from Missouri Bullet Company. I thought that the polymer coating would both protect my bore from leading even at fairly high velocities besides me to safely handle lead bullets. After I few months, I noticed that no amount of cleaning would result in clean patches. There were more and more of those black streaks on my patches.

I could see a bit of leading near the muzzle, but thought the only way to really assess the problem would be to get a relatively inexpensive bore scope such as:


Using that I was horrified to find substantial deposits of lead especially at the edges of the barrel grooves. It wasn't quite as bad as the following picture, but this is an example of what you shouldn't find.


I tried various lead removing formulas (coat the bore, wait fifteen minutes, then scrub with a bore brush), but they just weren't up to removing the heavy deposits, so I did a bit of research. What I found actually worked were Chore Boy Copper Scrubbers.

** There are similar chemicals for removing copper which seem to work reasonably well, perhaps because copper build-up is thinner and more easily dissolved.


Just tear some off the of pad, and wrap it around a bronze brush as shown below. Use your Hoppes No. 9, Kroil, or whatever, and scrub the bore. This dislodged big pieces of lead. (Sorry, couldn't find any pictures.)

I have acquired some of this Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner, but have not yet tried it. It's a "proprietary alloy containing stainless steel, nickel silver, monel, and zinc" intended to remove rust without damaging bluing, but supposedly also works well in the bore. Has anyone tried it?


Another lead-cleaning tool that I've been aware of for decades but never tried is the Lewis Lead Remover. The company was bought by Brownell's some years ago. A brass screen is fitted to a mandrel then pushed through the bore. While it's supposed to be effective, the overall rating on Brownell's is 4 out of 5 stars. Seems like it should basically work, though hard to see how it would get into the edges of the grooves. Does anyone use this?


I will usually try to run a Ballistol wipe through the bore after shooting, as I rarely clean firearms the same day I've used them, hoping that it will protect the barrel and start to loosen barrel deposits. Note that YouTube firearms "guru" Hickok45 appears perfectly happy using Ballistol for everything, though comparison testing I've seen shows it to be a middle-of-the-road product. I like it mainly because it smells, well, good, provides good protection for at least a day or two, and it supposedly won't do harm to items (like wood or plastic) it comes in contact with.


For personal hygiene, after shooting I use wipes that remove lead from my hands, especially before eating (like a burger). There are a number of similar products available. I'm currently using a product from Otis since that's all I could find last year.


I use WD-40 Silicone to protect outside surfaces every few months. It dries to the touch. Note this is NOT standard WD-40 which will dry over months to a sticky orange slime; in my opinion, it should be illegal to sell standard WD-40 as a lubricant or protectant.

Chemicals

I keep a rag with this near any place that I pick up a firearm - like in the Gun safe. After every cleaning, I wipe the entire metal frame with it.
There was a name change. This was called Sheath Rust Preventive with FPR (finger print removal). Birchwood Casey changed the name.
I have been using this for 40+ years. I believe it works since I have not had any rust issues even with a blued j frame that I sweat all over.

Barricade Rust Protection by Birchwood Casey
(From their web site)
KEY FEATURES
• USE BIRCHWOOD CASEY® BARRICADE® RUST PROTECTION FOR ALL FIREARM METAL SURFACES
• BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR FIREARMS FROM RUST
• EXCELLENT FOR HUMID AND SALT-AIR CLIMATES
PLEASE NOTE: THIS ITEM CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO AN ADDRESS WITHIN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
DETAILS
Barricade® rust protection rapidly drives out moisture from metal pores and deposits a transparent protective coating which seals the surface. It’s the best way to protect your firearms from rust. Withstands 500 hours in ASTM humidity test and 96 hours in ASTM salt spray test. Barricade® rust protection is also an excellent penetrant for loosening rusty or frozen parts, as well as a good lubricant and an effective bore cleaner.

About $10 and it can be had in a spray or as a wipe.

Original Name: Sheath but same product

Please check in KF6KOC Randy & KF6RGR Becky, Thanks

Please check me in tonight.

KK6CTT for the online check-in please: 08/03/23

Shooting Shack (SAFETY!)


Recently I had the fortune (misfortune) of helping someone breed life into some older firearms that were no doubt heirloom firearms. The unfortunate issue was the individual would use these firearms as, "This is what I let my nieces and nephews use when we go shooting." "They've been around forever, and I just need them cleaned up for next time." I cringed when I started cleaning one shotgun in particular; it was a wreck, with no trigger-hammer safety and a trigger that had a very "sprung" return spring. Sure, it was functional but was it really the right firearm for "newbies" to be learning on; even if it was a single shot?

Classic words and a great opportunity for children to learn. However, we should always evaluate the safety of the firearms we use to introduce inexperienced shooters to, for example:

• Design (old vs. new)

• Is it serviceable?

• Ability to shoot modern smokeless powder ammunition at the pressures of newer "metallurgy"

• Functionality, sometimes those old relic, pass-me-downs, quite simply, wear out and pass their SAFE-USE service life

• Remember, not everyone will have the proper knowledge to decern an unsafe act when using old firearms and it is very important that we do our sworn best to mitigate any potential hazards when introducing new shooters to the sport!

What I would use on a shotgun with this kind of rust: 0000 for finer finishes is preferred.

Please check me in, Bob ~ WY6R

check in, KC6JGZ