# Degreasing question from Newbie



## chiltech500 (Mar 12, 2013)

Hello,

I have read the sticky about gun cleaning and many bits here and there on the internet. Does anyone use carburetor spray Or a similar solvent)
to completely degrease and dry any moist areas in hard to get at places, then re-lubricating with a light gun oil?

Thanks


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

*Never, never, never* use carb spray on firearms. It's way too harsh. It can and will destroy plastic parts, and can discolor certain metals, as well as destroy the bluing.

Matter-of-fact, I never feel the need to use any harsh chemicals on firearms. I use Hoppes #9 on the bores, and Rem Oil to lubricate.

I'm just not a big fan of a pressurized spray can with a small straw stuck in it.

One of the best things I've found to lube a firearm with, is an old-style shaving brush. Just a few drops of Rem Oil on the bristles and it applies a perfectly light coat of oil to the surface. I actually have two brushes. One for dusting off and one for lubing. Don't get them mixed up though. The shaving brushes can be very hard to find though. Most of the small(er) drug store type businesses carry them.


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## chiltech500 (Mar 12, 2013)

thanks, I did read on the internet non-chlorinated brake cleaner, take off the handles plastic and wood, and never carb spray


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> *Never, never, never* use carb spray on firearms. It's way too harsh. It can and will destroy plastic parts, and can discolor certain metals, as well as destroy the bluing.
> 
> Matter-of-fact, I never feel the need to use any harsh chemicals on firearms. I use Hoppes #9 on the bores, and Rem Oil to lubricate.
> 
> ...


Brush sounds like a great tool that a rag might not reach. Just be aware of any bristles coming loose


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## XD40inAVL (Feb 1, 2013)

I have converted to Simple Green, cleans it all, nothing toxic, no strong smell, then use Froglube as the CLP. Ah! a minty fresh gun.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Brake Parts Cleaner is okay. I use it on my motorcycles, as it's not too harsh. Safe for most plastics and painted surfaces. 

And yes, if you use a shaving brush, watch for bristles that might come loose. After cleaning, I always run some controlled compressed air throughout the firearm, as well as a good once over with the ole eyeball.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

XD40inAVL said:


> I have converted to Simple Green, cleans it all, nothing toxic, no strong smell, then use Froglube as the CLP. Ah! a minty fresh gun.


Gun COLOGNE.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

XD40inAVL said:


> I have converted to Simple Green, cleans it all, nothing toxic, no strong smell, then use Froglube as the CLP. Ah! a minty fresh gun.


Atlanta Lawn Care | Alpharetta Lawn Care | Lilburn Lawn Care

SORRY WRONG LINK,, PLEASE DELETE


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## chiltech500 (Mar 12, 2013)

thanks for all the feedback guys

My whole thought process began as I was trying to get off the oil the factory gobbed on my new Beretta 92fs - what a mess, it took me over an hour using cleaning patchs, qtips, toothpicks for the patches etc. to get that oil off. I thought wouldn't it be nice to squirt something that dissolved that from all those little grooves.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

chiltech500 said:


> thanks for all the feedback guys
> 
> My whole thought process began as I was trying to get off the oil the factory gobbed on my new Beretta 92fs - what a mess, it took me over an hour using cleaning patchs, qtips, toothpicks for the patches etc. to get that oil off. I thought wouldn't it be nice to squirt something that dissolved that from all those little grooves.


I bought a NIB Beretta 92FS about a year ago. It was lubed just fine, but not so much that I had to remove any.

I keep hearing about people buying new firearms and having to clean them well before firing them. I just haven't experienced that as of yet. :smt017


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> ...I keep hearing about people buying new firearms and having to clean them well before firing them. I just haven't experienced that as of yet. :smt017


I bet that you have experienced it, but don't know it. (It's all very mystical, you know.) 

Most guns come from their manufacturers coated lightly with rust-preventative oil or grease. Rust preventative is very thick and sticky, so it can't easily be displaced by handling, but there needn't be very much of it.
Rust preventatives are not lubricants. Indeed, many of them are a sort of "anti-lubricant," the better to adhere to the gun. As such, they impede gun functions. They can cause a semi-auto to malfunction.
That's why I suggest that a new gun be thoroughly cleaned before it is first fired.

Your mileage, as they say, may vary.


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## TAPnRACK (Jan 30, 2013)

^ Agree with Steve.

All manufacturers ship their firearms with different amounts of grease/rust preventative substance. My Berettas & Sigs were almost unnoticeable, while my CZ was globbed with a thick, overly generous coating all over (inside & out). 

Either way it's best to clean it off (mags as well) and do a propper oil/grease job using the right type of lubricants.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I bet that you have experienced it, but don't know it. (It's all very mystical, you know.)
> 
> Most guns come from their manufacturers coated lightly with rust-preventative oil or grease. Rust preventative is very thick and sticky, so it can't easily be displaced by handling, but there needn't be very much of it.
> Rust preventatives are not lubricants. Indeed, many of them are a sort of "anti-lubricant," the better to adhere to the gun. As such, they impede gun functions. They can cause a semi-auto to malfunction.
> ...


Maybe it's just me, and that's it. I've purchased plenty of new firearms over the past 40 yrs. or so, and not once, did I feel the need to clean a new firearm before putting it thru it's paces.

I've seen firearms while in the military, that did indeed, new to be cleaned, or rid of excess packing grease before using. But, because I wasn't an armorer, I didn't need to do it very often.

After firing a new gun, then yes, it will get cleaned. I can also say that of all the new guns I've fired, not a single one malfunctioned due to excess grease or oil. And, I do inspect them right out of the box, and then, they get fired.

What I'm saying is, in the civilian world, I just haven't needed to clean a new firearm before use. None that I had bought were so bad, that excess grease would have affected it's performance.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...As I previously wrote, "Your mileage may vary."

It's your gun, so you just go and do whatever you want to it.
But I think that cleaning it right away is cheap insurance, requiring very little effort and, in the process, teaching you about your new gun's inner workings. How could that hurt?


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Doesn't that void your warranty if you remove the rustproofing?
Up north here they use a lot of salt on the icy roads,lol.


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## chiltech500 (Mar 12, 2013)

My new browning buckmark 22 was having a lot of FTE and stovepiping, being new to guns I just went out and started shooting it. Internet queries about my problem told me to clean it. Sure enough there were thick yellowish residues and after cleaning the problem went away. That taught me a lesson. My Beretta was probably overdone by an overzealous employee of the more is better school


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## BigCityChief (Jan 2, 2013)

XD40inAVL said:


> I have converted to Simple Green, cleans it all, nothing toxic, no strong smell, then use Froglube as the CLP. Ah! a minty fresh gun.


I've also used and swear by both of these products. I cut the Simple Green to 50% strength with distilled water.


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

I've never had much trouble cleaning and lubing a new CIVILIAN gun.

I'm sort of a .308/7.62 NATO gun nut. A few years ago in was in the back room of a local gun store.
They had got in a shipment of Indian "Ishapore" 2A1 rifles. On the design of the British SMLE Mark III.
But in 7.62 NATO instead of .303 British. OK, the magazine and a few minor details are different.
So, I picked out the best of a not real prime lot of military bolt-action "non-assault" rifles. For $99.

After trying. And trying. And trying to get as much Cosmoline as possible off that sucker, 
I just took it out and ran 20 rounds through it as fast as possible. Heat does help. And then I
realized it would have been cheaper to use a commercial hair dryer. :mrgreen:

I was never in the military. I'm kinda thinking you Vets "know Cosmoline". :smt1099
_MIL-C-11796C Class 3, that are a brown colored wax-like mass._ THAT is a gross understatement.

Cosmoline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

_Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a generic class of rust preventives, 
typically conforming to MIL-C-11796C Class 3, that are a brown colored wax-like mass; 
have a slight fluorescence; and have a petroleum-like odor and taste
(as detected when working with it)._


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

Manufacturers are different,read the manual.I believe it's Baer that says shoot the gun as is for a few hundred rounds before cleaning it ( I'm guessing the slurry helps lap out some of the tightness),but HKs come with a thick rust preventative that can cause malfs if not removed first.My HK was caked with something that looked like thick Vaseline.Usually the operator's manual will tell you if you need to clean it first or not,but not always.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

DanP_from_AZ said:


> ...After trying. And trying. And trying to get as much Cosmoline as possible off that sucker...


In his book _See Here, Private Hargrove_, his "adventures" in the US Army of early WW2, Marion Hargrove recounts his first encounter with Cosmoline (paraphrased):
I was given some shop wipes and a case of rifles. The wipes lasted through the first rifle, after which I was reduced to wiping the sticky grease off of the rifle with my fatigue uniform. After that, I used the next rifle to wipe the grease off of me...

Hargrove also recounts his failure at drill, when he almost dropped his rifle while achieving Order Arms (again, paraphrased):
"Where is the balance of your rifle, Private Hargrove?" demanded the Drill Sergeant.
"I don't know, sir," I said. "This is all that the Supply Sergeant gave me."


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> ...As I previously wrote, "Your mileage may vary."
> 
> It's your gun, so you just go and do whatever you want to it.
> But I think that cleaning it right away is cheap insurance, requiring very little effort and, in the process, teaching you about your new gun's inner workings. How could that hurt?


I guess I've pretty much gotten to the point that I really don't enjoy shooting that much anymore. It's become rather mundane for me, and as you know by know, a bit on the expensive side.

Now that I'm retired, it takes a team of horses to get me to a range. Anyways, in regards to cleaning a new firearm, I just don't see a need......unless it is so gooped up with lube from the factory, it could be an issue. I do inspect them before shooting.

I do enjoy collecting and selling / trading firearms. I don't mind cleaning them as well, but I do have other things to do with my spare time.


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## DanMN (Feb 12, 2013)

I bought a new SW 1911 3" Lew Horton a month ago. I always do a quick field strip, clean, lube before I shoot a new weapon. Happy I did with the smith. There were metal shavings in the bore and so much preservative on the slide it was gooped up inside. To me it just seems like a good idea to do a quick field strip, clean, and lube on a new gun. It gets you familiar with the weapon also. Just my opinion.


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