obsessiveshooter Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Hi all,I typically clean my pistol after every match. I also shoot handloads using titegroup so I have a lot of crud inside my gun. When I clean it I mainly clean all the crevices in the slide and I clean the barrel and chamber, just to keep the action smooth. I don't like to do a detail strip very often. My question is, am I risking anything if I just spray down the cruddy areas using non-chlorinated brake cleaner? The only issue I can think of would be my grip tape on the front and back strap coming off prematurely. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yardbird Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 It will take your grip tape right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teros135 Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 IIRC, it also does a pretty good job of eating grips (except the thin aluminum ones, of course). As they say, "try a small dab first in an unobtrusive area..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teros135 Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 TG isn't all that dirty that it needs special chemical treatment. The usual bore cleaners work pretty well. For general "douse the whole thing" cleaning, Hornady One Shot works well for me (and is safe for grips). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnut Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Carb cleaner not break cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 Carb cleaner not break cleaner.Why?Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kells81 Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I used to use brake cleaner on everything. As long as there wasn't any plastic, rubber, or wood involved. I have lately switched over to rem oil in the spray can. It cleans what you point the straw at and usually does a good job. My dealer had some other kind of oil in a spray can I am trying currently. It has some rattles in it and seems to work so far but only time will really tell. I also have a sonic cleaner. That thing is cool but unfortunately when my wife bought it for me she got the smaller one. It will not fit a whole gun in it but it will fit the dirty parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 i use contact cleaner as well. field strip, spray down, wipe with blue disposable towel, blast with air, run bore brush through a few times, re-lube, put back together. i have remoil as well in the spray can and sometimes use that as well. contact cleaner has sometimes messed with the finish on parts but nothing that truly bothers me. i also must be judicious with it, as it hasn't take my grip tape off nor harmed my VZ grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 i do a wipe down on my guns after a match...barrel/slide/lower usually using cotton swabs to get to tighter places.... After every 3-4 matches, i get out the brake cleaner and go to town. By the time im done, no more crude. Ive done this using brake cleaner(non-chlorinated) last few years and it works great. I reoil immediately after everything dries which it does very fast. Grip tape and any stickers will come off but I always have replacements ready to paste. It hasnt harmed any pieces of the gun so no worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultimase Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 A little less harsh would be the electronic contact cleaner, a bit more expensive as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I use non chlorinated brake cleaner too. just keep it away from FO sights. works great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvc4you Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Acetone works for me, does not affect polymer but I don't have grip tape on my guns. Cheap at Home Depot. It dries fast and the residue that is left can be brushed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 12 minutes ago, dvc4you said: Acetone works for me, does not affect polymer but I don't have grip tape on my guns. Cheap at Home Depot. It dries fast and the residue that is left can be brushed off. Brake cleaner is around 75% acetone, with toluene and another solvent or two composing the rest of the can... Buts it very very much like using an aerosol can of acetone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecolyer325 Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I've used auto brake cleaner, I have a larger supply being a tech, on many guns. It works really well at removing all the grim. It also works really well at removing oil from anywhere it gets into. So if you spray it into the trigger parts it may take away to much of the oil and you will want to strip it and re-oil/lube everything. If I'm not detail stripping the gun I will usually just use the brake cleaner in the slide and barrel and it you're careful you can hit the frame rails. Also you can just spray it right onto a rag and wipe everything down. And brake clean destroys fiber optic and and adhesives. So be careful but it does work well, that's why gun scrubber works, it's brake clean with firearm marketing. Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheels Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Breathing that stuff is not good for you. Why not brush the inside of the gun down with solvent and then blow it out with compressed air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvc4you Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Do you think the fumes from Acetone are worse than solvent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheels Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 1 hour ago, dvc4you said: Do you think the fumes from Acetone are worse than solvent? Yes, acetone and toluene are quite a bit more toxic than solvent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvc4you Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Ok will switch to solvent. Is mineral spirits / thiner the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Cans of compressed air cost more than cans of brake cleaner and are smaller (at least up here in Canukistan). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheels Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Mineral spirits is what I use and I have a compressor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daytona955i Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 How often do you need to do it? Once a year I put my whole frame and slide (in two pieces) in a pan of simple green with the grips removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Yeah non-chlorinated brake cleaner is fine. It works well to blast out dirt. Just be sure to re-lube well as it will displace all the lube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheels Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I only do this about once a year. More typically, I just wipe down the gun, run a patch through the bore, and put on fresh oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregJ Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I use Hoppes #9 and a brush to scrub/loosen all the crud, then Birchwood Gun Scrubber to blast away all the grung, then hit it with air gun from my compressor. Does a good job for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muncie21 Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 On 3/14/2017 at 9:55 AM, twowheels said: Breathing that stuff is not good for you. Dammit, am I the only person that sorta likes the smell of #9 and brake cleaner? Not that I huff the stuff, but the smell doesn't bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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