Gun Cleaning … Is for Husbands?

I am somewhat of a neat freak, and I find myself managing moments of obsessive compulsive behavior by cleaning and straightening various things around our home. But when it comes to our guns, my husband usually cleans them. Why? He actually likes to do it. And I will never get in the way of someone in my household who enjoys some cleaning on his or her own.

For this reason, I asked my hubby if he wanted to share some thoughts and insights on the topic of gun cleaning. He shared so much that I figured I’d just use him as a guest blogger this week. Here’s what Sean had to say:

You know what they say, “Behind every great 2A industry woman, there is a loving husband who supports her, builds her ammo and cleans her guns.” Yep, it’s a small price to pay to be married to the woman of my dreams. In addition to having the essentials kit of life (food, shelter and love), I get the added bonus of hearing about all the cool training she goes through, and I get to play with all the cool gadgets she brings home. I get to be the first person who hears her speeches, reads her articles and welcomes her home.

Now trust me; my wife is perfectly capable of cleaning her own guns, but then what good am I? I enjoy it, and I don’t mind helping. Besides, she can’t do everything, right? I mean, she probably could if she wanted to. She’s a woman, and they are born with eight arms and four fully functional brains that allow them to multitask in inconceivable ways. But what’s the fun in that for me?

The bottom line is: We shoot. A lot. Beth trains and teaches a lot, and we are constantly competing in various matches with all kinds of guns, so I have some experience cleaning the darn things. Pistols both large and small, shotguns, ARs, bolt-action rifles — you name it, I get to clean it. So here are some products I have found through trial and error that I cannot live without when I sit down to clean the seven pistols that we just made dirty during one of Beth’s classes. 

For bore scrubber, I use Shooters Choice MC#7. It’s intense; it’s a lot like battery acid, but for cleaning guns. It removes everything: carbon, lead, copper fouling and powder, and it just works.

For an all-purpose cleaner, lubricant and protectant, I use Hornady’s One Shot Gun Cleaner and Lube aerosol spray. It makes getting into the hard-to-reach places much easier and faster. Once this brake-cleaner-like fluid evaporates, it leaves behind a light coat of oil. I use it to clean and lubricate the various gun parts, and it can be used to protect the finish on the gun. It’s effective and simple to use.   

For regular gun oil, my go-to is Break-Free CLP. CLP is a mystical combination lubricant, protectant and cleaner. It does everything, and it’s awesome.

Beth recently urged me to try Pig Lube. It comes in a really handy bottle that has an applicator that might have come straight out of a lady’s makeup kit. I love this idea because you can put the Pig Lube where you need it without getting excess all over the place. I’m a minimalist when it comes to lube and where I put it; I want it to stay put, do its job and not migrate slowly to other parts of the firearm. The drip and tip lubing method is all good fun, but Pig Lube is on to something with this clever applicator.

For gun grease, I use Mil-Comm TW25B Grease with the re-closable syringe. The syringe simplifies getting the grease into slide rails or other hard-to-reach places. Again, I’m a minimalist, and using the syringe gets me pinpoint, sniper-like accuracy with the grease so it doesn’t end up all over the place. Then there’s the buttery smooth action that this grease gives you; it stays where you put it and keeps the gun lubed.

For bore brushes, the CJ Weapons Chamber Maid cleaning systems are awesome. They are tight-fitting, and they are slightly longer and have more cleaning surface compared to other brands I’ve tried, so you don’t have to run them through the barrel as much.

For rifles, I use BoreSmith’s Cleaner Faster Kit. It’s a patch and brush combo that makes life easier, and it does a great job. Once I’m done with the brushes and patches, I run my Hoppe’s BoreSnake through the barrel, just to make sure nothing is left. I don’t use any solvent on the BoreSnakes. I use them as a final step to finish the job. (It’s probably not necessary, but it makes me feel accomplished.) 

I have a humongous Tupperware container filled with cleaning stuff that I have accumulated over the years. These are the products I use all the time, every time I clean our guns. You know what they say, “Your mileage may vary,” but I have found these to be great gun-cleaning products.