I find this helps a lot to shoot some compressed air into the gun as a cleaning aid.   Soak it down with solvent/oil of choice, then blast it all out.   Seems to get all the internals nice and clean.  

Other than the possibility of blowing loose parts out of the gun (have to watch out for that) does anybody know of any drawbacks of using compressed air?

I've been doing this for about 20 years with all sort of guns with no problems and great results.   (Like I said, just have to watch out for the loose parts and small pins that can get blown out.)

Sort of like when you put it in the dishwasher. High pressure can really get the grime off sometimes.
Wait....I didnt' say that......I'd never do something like that.....

And no, I don't use compressed air. But that's only because I'm cheep. Sounds like a good idea that's workin' for ya.

80 psi does wonders to dry parts and clear out areas that you wouldn't be able to scrub without disassembly.

I got a ball stuck in my muzzle loader once.  The ball puller wouldn't work.  I used my air compressor to blow the ball out .  (after soaking for a while)

I disassemble the gun and put everything in a parts washer tank which I bought from brownells, using petroleum based solvent to clean everything, then finish with compressed air before lube and reassembly.

Works great.

SF

I got my air compressor at Home Depot for something around $90.00.  It was the best money I ever spent.  Compressed air works wonders on cleaning the AR rifle.

Regards,
Gary

thats what I use

I do not have an air compressor but I used canned air like you use for cleaning a computer. I use Rem oil in a can and flush things out then blow it out with air.

Does anyone have any problems with the wator vapor that condenses in the tank getting on your gun. I know you have to drain it(the tank) out quite a bit but I would be a little wary about blowing really moist air into the internal of my guns. Maybe you can put my mind at ease, because it definitely is an efficient way to get stuff cleaned up after coating in CLP. I have used a little of that expensive canned stuff for eletronics to clean some grass seed out of a shotguns trigger group after a weekend of pheasant hunting. That would get a little pricey after couple cleanings.

yes

Quoted: Does anyone have any problems with the wator vapor that condenses in the tank getting on your gun. I know you have to drain it(the tank) out quite a bit but I would be a little wary about blowing really moist air into the internal of my guns. Maybe you can put my mind at ease, because it definitely is an efficient way to get stuff cleaned up after coating in CLP. I have used a little of that expensive canned stuff for eletronics to clean some grass seed out of a shotguns trigger group after a weekend of pheasant hunting. That would get a little pricey after couple cleanings.

When the air is compressed, the water condenses, thus making the air in the tank "dryer" than it was before it was compressed.  The water in the bottom of the tank is that vapor that used to be in the air.  As long as your compressor is keeping the tank at 90 psi or higher, I don't see any problems as the air coming out of the compressor will be dryer than atmospheric air, 99.99% of the time, unless your hose is plumbed from the bottom of the tank, or it has a long run with some elbows in it, or it's exposed to a lot of temperature changes.

I used to maintain a breathing air compressor for my volunteer fire dept.  The biggest "gremlin" in the system was water.  The compressor maxed out at 5,000 psi and the storage vessels at 4,500.  That air was almost completely dry according the air quality analysis.  To ensure the air was always dry, it was equipped with a pressure maintaining valve the prevented air from leaving the drying/purification chambers until it reached at least 1,500 psi IIRC.  I took it a step further and adjusted the valve to 3,000 psi.  Since our SCBA's operated at 2,216, we were assured that the air had always been compressed to a hgher pressure than we used it at, thus we could be more certain of no condensation issues after it left the dryer/condenser.

I know this is more info than you asked for, but in a nut shell, you shouldn't have any worries at all.

Makes sense.  Pressure raises the dewpoint temperature.    This is why the humidity condenses into liquid when it gets pressurized in the tank.  The dewpoint might have been 40 degrees under atmospheric pressure, then jump up to 80 degrees under 95 psi.  So if the air temp. is less than 80 degrees then the water vapor condenses into liquid when it gets into the pressurized tank, removing the moisture from the air in the tank.

That's why you have to drain the tank every so often.  Also, less air volume from water in the tank means you get less tank capacity and the pump will start and stop too frequently, hastening wear and tear.

Brake cleaner and a compressor can do incredible things when cleaning guns. Just be sure to let completely dry and relube all just like the factory afterwards.
Of course I am a strong proponent of cleaning first with hot water then normal gun cleaners/lubes.

Don't have a compressor so I use that pressurized canned air that you get at office supply stores.  Works pretty well.

MadDog

My compressor's too large to fire up for routine gun cleaning.  Besides which, it's in the garage and I clean my guns in the house.  When I find myself really needing to blast out a gun, like for refinishing or detail cleaning, I use brake cleaner.   Compressed air is helpful to have for drying the gun at this point.

95% of my gun cleaning is performed with a few patches and some CLP.