I have experimented with just about everything to clean guns, and still have not found a good subsitute to stripping them down and using conventional cleaners.

My pistols which get used much more than my rifles see 8 - 9 thousand of rounds every year. I tried the aerosol cleaners and found I just used up more cleaner more often. In the end all I did was move the dirt from one place to an other.

For over a year now I have used Simple Green cleaner. I came to this by an other shooter who recomended I try it. Cleaning chemical cost went way down. My fingers don't dry out and the house doesn't smell like a brake shop. By using the simple green on all parts including the barrel I get all the powder residue and old lubricant off all the parts. The barrel will need copper or lead cleaning solution but not as much as before.

Before assembly I touch all the the small parts with gun oil and lightly grease the slides and frames. Then reassemble.

I have not experimented with long term soaking. or long term exposure to simple green. Just use it and wipe it clean.

longwalker

Longwalker...Did you ever tried any of the gun dips?

I don't know what a gun dip is?

longwalker

Someone, and I can't find it, made a bucket of solvent that you removed the grips and dunked the whole gun, minus the grips, in it and the gun came out clean. Who the he++ made that stuff...Must be CRS or a brain fa++.

Hi there Bushmaster...I think you are talking about " Bill Laughridge's Dunk-Kit "....10/4?

I use Mineral spirits/ Kroil/ Liquid Wrench/Dextron ATF/Marvel Mystery oil.


Shootist

Hi there Bushmaster...I think you are talking about " Bill Laughridge's Dunk-Kit "....10/4?

I use Mineral spirits/ Kroil/ Liquid Wrench/Dextron ATF/Marvel Mystery oil.


Shootist

Yup...That's one. There was onother one if memory serves me...

There is another one , but I cant think of it either ..

Jack

There is this artical about that if you'd like to read it

www.findarticles.com/p...i_85472065

Bill Laughridge's Website showing the Dunk-It kits for pistols

shop.cylinder-slide.co...=cat&ref=4

Dimitri

One of my smith teachers came from C&S and swore by that stuff. Which it really does work but it takes all the fun out of cleaning and tinkering around with them

I think the stuff you're thinking of is "Ed's Red"...

The formula is:

1 part Dexron II, IIe or III ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.
1 part Kerosene - deodorized, K1
1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits, Fed. Spec. TT-T-2981F, CAS #64741-49-9,
or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent, (aka "Varsol")
1 part Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.
(Optional up to 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon,
OK to substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store)

The lanolin is not required if a separate lubricant/rust preventative is used. It's good stuff. I use it to "dunk" mil surp rifles all of the time....

Hutch Welcome to the forums section of this site as you registered a while ago I see

I posted Ed Reds in the Artical section in the complete form if anyone wants to see a week or so ago

Dimitri

The Acetone in Ed's Red will evaporate quickly from the solution. I recomend mixing up a batch of Ed's Red without the Acetone then mix a small batch with acetone that you can use up in a short time.
I have been using Ed's Red for several years now and found that it is a good every day cleaner. Not a copper remover but a great barrel crud removal solvent. I use Butch's Bore Shine for copper removal. I don't use ER for long term storage so the lanolyn is not required.
I have used Simple Green before but like the others I like the brake shop smell

Interesting, but I still clean all my guns the "Old Fashioned Way" using Hoppe's 9 copper solvent and finish it up with Hoppe's 9 oil/Weatherguard. And the liberal use of brushes and patches (old "T" shirt cut to size). When I completely disassemble a firearm for extensive cleaning I use an automotive cleaning solvent/lanolin. Oil and re-assemble. This has served me very well over the last 50 years. I started using Hoppe's products at the very beginning and haven't looked back. The only change is the "Weatherguard"...

I use a number of different gun cleaning solvents that are readily available but was impressed with kroil like shootist mentions.