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Page AR-15 » Maintenance & Cleaning
AR Sponsor: bravocompany
Posted: 2/13/2015 7:34:44 AM EDT
He guys I want to get a cleaner I can dilute down into a huge bowl and soak my Bcg pieces in.  I don't want to dump 100% hoppes no 9 into a 1 qt bowl and spend $20 per cleaning.  Thanks
Link Posted: 2/13/2015 9:06:34 AM EDT
[#1]
It would be good for dozens of cleanings.

Really no need to saok the BCG, a bronze brush with some clp will get it clean enough. If you want you can purchase a metal scraper, but they are not really needed.
Link Posted: 2/13/2015 9:46:20 AM EDT
[#2]
I keep a quart sized wide mouth container full of oderless mineral spirits handy.   Small parts get put in a small pill bottle and submerged for soaking, larger parts just get dumped in.   Add a little fresh spirits on occasion to top it off.  It was getting really cruded up a while back, so I strained it through a melita paper coffee filter and cleaned the jug, good as new.
Link Posted: 2/13/2015 10:06:28 AM EDT
[#3]
GI ammo can (you can use one of the smaller 30 cal cans).

Just enough kerosene or diesel fuel (or any other light petroleum parts cleaning solvent) to cover the parts.  Close and seal the can once you're done.  Filter occasionally.  When really, really grodey put the solvent into a motor oil bottle and drop off at a motor oil recycling point or center.

Do NOT, repeat NOT dump it down the drain or on the ground.
Link Posted: 2/13/2015 12:16:00 PM EDT
[#4]
On the BCG, I only soak the bolt after removing the extractor, spring and insert.  And that's only when I want to clean the bolt tail.  I use a small Mason jar that allows the bolt to lay flat, and fill with a loose approximation of Ed's Red, meaning I only mix dino-based ATF with acetone and kerosene from Home Depot.  I wear nitrile gloves and keep the space well-ventilated.  After a couple minutes of soaking, the caked-on carbon on the tail turns into a soft paste, which scrapes off easily with a spent .45ACP brass casing.

Link Posted: 2/13/2015 9:16:44 PM EDT
[#5]
I found a small rectangular plastic box with a sealing lid.  Bolt carrier just fits and room for the bolt. Filled it with CLP. Have been using it for several months. Haven't needed to add any more CLP.
Link Posted: 2/14/2015 6:38:38 PM EDT
[#6]
Thanks guys!
Link Posted: 2/16/2015 3:03:12 AM EDT
[#7]
Hoppes #9 is about 45% kerosene, 45% denatured alcohol, 5% ammonia, and 5% banana oil for smell. You can buy a gallon of kerosene or mineral spirits and a gallon of alcohol for less than $20 at Lowes or Home Depot.
Link Posted: 2/16/2015 9:40:52 PM EDT
[#8]
Get yourself a small parts washer from Harbor Freight and fill it with mineral spirits.
Link Posted: 2/16/2015 10:03:18 PM EDT
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I keep a quart sized wide mouth container full of oderless mineral spirits handy.   Small parts get put in a small pill bottle and submerged for soaking, larger parts just get dumped in.   Add a little fresh spirits on occasion to top it off.  It was getting really cruded up a while back, so I strained it through a melita paper coffee filter and cleaned the jug, good as new.
View Quote


This I do the same, no need to spend bucks on some wiz bang over hyped cleaner when plain old mineral spirits will do the job.

Vince
Link Posted: 2/17/2015 11:34:16 PM EDT
[#10]
Yeah I am not one of the mooches that buys thre oil that Says " this oil will make you shoot better for $20 an once."  Mineral spirits seem like a good idea.  Thanks again.
Link Posted: 2/18/2015 2:19:27 AM EDT
[#11]
Like I said, half mineral spirits, half alcohol. Works ok for a soak.

Having said that, I much prefer Mpro-7 for most of my cleaning because it's faster and doesn't stink up the place. For something I'm going to soak for a day I use the mix of mineral spirits and alcohol.
Link Posted: 2/23/2015 10:43:58 PM EDT
[#12]
I use a similar concoction with mineral spirits, alcohol and some liquid Kroil.  I store it in a new paint can you can buy at hardware stores for mixing your own colors.  Small parts go into a cage you can buy for tea (took from kitchen, wife is still looking for it)

77
Link Posted: 2/25/2015 11:59:58 AM EDT
[#13]
1 Gallon of no mineral spirits and I add 1 quart of SYNTHETIC motor oil (10W40 I think in this batch).  I pour this mix over parts in a stainless dish and it eats away all the carbon and crud.  I will put stuff in to soak and leave it for days.  I use a nylon brush if I need too.  After soaking I pull out the parts and let them air dry, you have a nice then coating of the synthetic oil when done.
I pour it back in the gallon jug when done.  When it gets too contaminated with carbon and gunk, I take the jug to the recycle center and make a new batch.
Link Posted: 2/27/2015 1:01:09 AM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I use a similar concoction with mineral spirits, alcohol and some liquid Kroil.  I store it in a new paint can you can buy at hardware stores for mixing your own colors.  Small parts go into a cage you can buy for tea (took from kitchen, wife is still looking for it)

77
View Quote


Nice.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 9:31:36 PM EDT
[#15]
Paint thinner odorless type
Link Posted: 3/8/2015 11:14:18 AM EDT
[#16]
I use a tall narrow jar that came with olives in it. I mixed Hoppe's and mineral spirits 50/50. The BCG fits nicely. I tie a short piece of tie wire to the back of the carrier to make it easier to fish it out of the solvent. A half hour soak while I clean the rest of the rifle makes the crud just about fall off. Top it off with new Hoppes and mineral spirits as needed.
Link Posted: 3/13/2015 5:43:41 PM EDT
[#17]
I was so impressed with Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out Brushless Foaming Bore Cleaning Solvent's ability to mobilize and "lift" gunpowder residue out of my
AR bores that I experimented with placing loose BCG parts in a zip lock bag along with with a good spritz of the foam, messaging the parts to spread the solvent well, and soaking them overnight. Never looked back and never found a chemical cleaning product that cleaned a crummy BCG better. After soaking the parts in the foam, I'll rinse then down with a blast of aerosol Gun Scrubber degreaser or any comparable spray product (odorless mineral spirits will do) then lube and protect the squeaky clean parts with liberal application of Weapon Shield CLP to protect against flash corrosion.

Link Posted: 3/14/2015 12:45:42 AM EDT
[#18]
I do something similar to this. ODORLESS MINERAL SPIRITS/CLP BOLT CLEANING PROCEDURE

Works great.
Link Posted: 3/14/2015 7:14:30 AM EDT
[#19]
For dirty bcg's with baked on carbon I use a cold tank.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DSMEL2A/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000BXHVQ2&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0NVXV66HTB8YD2PJ9AMJ

20 minute soak and it's spotless.  The tank lasts a life time.
Link Posted: 3/14/2015 7:47:50 AM EDT
[#20]
Years back I was fixing and cleaning a local shooting ranges rental guns. The first one took me 3 hours to clean. Next I tried a Ultra sconic cleaner. But what I finally end up with was to get a cheap throw away meatloaf pan from the grocery store and fill with odorless mineral spirits from your local Home Cheapo. Let the parts soak for a hour. put rubber gloves on and pull the part out. scrub the bad areas like the front and tail of a bolt with a stiff tooth brush and then let soak another hour. For really bad jobs you can let soak overnight. it wront hurt metal parts.
Make sure you relube after the part comes out and is fully dry.
Link Posted: 3/14/2015 8:19:40 AM EDT
[#21]
No matter what you use, in the end, you want to (!) thoroughly clean buildup off, (2) remove solvent residue, and (3) lubricate to minimize future buildup while putting the firearm into "fire-ready" condition.

I recommend that you stay away from moonshine recipes and petroleum-based products.  

Find something that works, and don't mix different chemistries.

In the end, you want to be minimally invasive on these finely precision parts with tight tolerances.
Page AR-15 » Maintenance & Cleaning
AR Sponsor: bravocompany
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