Xfactor Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Does anyone have any experience with Break Free CLP? I am considering picking up a bunch of the pre-soaked wipes to use for general cleaning of my 2011... I recently picked up an American Gunsmithing Institute video - 1911 armorer's course - and the instructor (Bob Dunlap) recommended Break Free CLP above all others. In terms of lubricating the critical moving parts, I've already settled on my own blend of products (Mobil 1 synthetic mixed with some Lucas transmission lube), but for cleaning, my current process is disassembling the gun and using Cabela's gun oil-soaked wipes to wipe clean all the parts. But after hearing Bob Dunlap sing the praises of Break Free CLP, I was thinking of trying some of those pre-soaked wipes instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgkeller Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 mineral spirits and a rag, a toothbrush and an air gun or skip the air gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) IIRC, Dunlap partly likes Break Free CLP (Cleaner/Lubricant/Protectant) because of its lubricant qualities. You already have that covered. As far as a cleaning agent, I never really found it better than other agents designed specifically for cleaning. Even good old Hoppe's #9 seem to do as good a job. And for protecting the metal surfaces, frequent cleaning followed by application of any good oil will do the job until the next time. It's pretty good as an all in one product, and I still use it since I have a lot, but it's mainly a moving parts lube for me at this point. splng edt Edited April 1, 2009 by kevin c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hoppe #9 or Shooters Choice. CLP sucks, and not in the good way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) For Open and Limited 2011's and SS 1911's I use a standard solvent like Hoppes #9 for getting most of the gunk out of guns and then use Shooter's Choice Polymer Safe Quick Scrub in the pressurized containers to blow out everything else....you get really clean metal at that point. After that I use Slide Glide and if it's really cold a drop or two of CLP on the barrel hood, disconnector area and a few other small spots to lighten up the SG. Still, my Open gun seems to run just fine into the low 30s with just SG Light on it. For duty style guns I use a little CLP or G96 (preferred on our duty guns) and just put a dab on the frame inserts, a light sheen on the barrel and a touch on the slide lockup points. R, Edited April 1, 2009 by G-ManBart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I use it to wipe down guns that are going into long term storage. I live about a mile from the Ocean and have seen rust happen on stuff around the house but I have not seen anything start on any of the guns in 10 years. Exposed steel in mag wells and from holster wear survives just fine. Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganShootist Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I've used CLP a lot.. but mostly on door locks and hinges etc as a houshold lub. I like Tetra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I forgot to add that it sucks as a bore cleaner... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighVelocity Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hoppes #9 and Mobil 1 5w20 motor oil. My guns run in blazing heat with blowing sand or freezing rain and red mud. Pistols, revos, AR's and shotguns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I have used it since it debuted in the Army many years ago. But as others have said it is a better lube than a cleaner. I use gunscrubber to blow crap out of nooks and crannys, Hoppe's #9, Air hose, CLP to wipe down metal. I use CLP to lube before firing and it serves me well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMS42 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I use Break Free CLP just to lube the guns. For cleaning I use either a spray can of cleaner for some things or go over to the parts tank that is filled with GI bore cleaner and really clean the guns. When I'm finished I blow everything out with an air hose. Then apply the necessary CLP. Sometimes I try out the oil or lube that you get in the bags when you enter matches, but since I have a life time supply of CLP I go back to that whenever the other stuff runs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I cannot personally vouch for it on anything but a Glock (which has minimal cleaning and lube requirements) where it works great. However, if you go by the fact that it is was the only product to meet the original Mil-Spec and still meets some very demanding Mil-Specs, it's should be good for everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry cazes Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 In my experience it is a great cleaner and protectant but a poor lubricant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Sorry, just re-read my previous post and realized it was very brief. I'll expand. CLP sucks as a lube. One day after cleaning and lubricating my M-4 in Southern Iraq, my M-4 was dry again. The CLP just couldn't cut it during the high heat days. Everyone in my unit was using Tetra or 30wt engine oil. The CLP was regulated to cleaning only. CLP sucks as a cleaner. Compared to Hoppes or Shooters Choice, CLP does nothing but make baked on carbon a greasy baked on carbon mess. I just don't have 24 hours to let my bolt soak in CLP to get the carbon off of it. I ended up using scrapers and dental picks way too much compared to Hoppes or Shooters Choice. We used CLP in the Desert because we didn't have Hoppes or Shooters Choice. If we did, the CLP would have ended up in the storage room. CLP works just fine to inhibit corrosion for storage. So does any other type of gun oil. For the money, you are better off getting mobile 1 synthetic and using that to lube on really tight fitted guns, or the appropriate slide-glide, and using a gun cleaner that will cut into baked on carbon deposits and lead and copper deposits, and doesn't have ammonia in it. I wouldn't put too much stock in mil-stds for anything unless you actually read what the standards are and understand why they were written that way. When it comes to costic materials, the military is erring on the side of 'green' now a days. Many of the materials the military standardized prior to CLP worked much better, but were more of a health hazzard problem for those exposed daily like firearms instructors. Another great comparison of this is the military's V50 ballistic standards vs the DOJ's ballistic standards. Same stuff measured differently. Some make the carry over, some don't. All depends on how the military wrote the requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al503 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I guess I'm in the minority but I like it. I don't go more than 5-6 hundred rounds (usually more like 3 hundred) between cleaning the top end and rails. The gun is still well-lubed at the end of the practice session. If I get lazy and don't clean it before a local match, I just add more of the CLP everywhere and let it pull out the carbon and gunk as it migrates out of the rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xfactor Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I wouldn't expect any multi-purpose (CLP) solvent to necessarily excel at cleaning tough baked-on residue. (When it's time to for a thorough cleaning, there are certainly better methods than a quick wipe-down with an oil-soaked wipe - e.g. Simple Green, or mineral spirits, or one of the more aggressive dedicated cleaning solvents, etc.) But for a quick field-strip clean and lube before a match or practice session, I have gotten in the habit of using pre-soaked gun oil wipes to quickly remove the obvious grime, while at the same time leaving a thin coating of light oil. Then I use the Mobil 1/Lucas mixture on all the critical parts, and some moly grease on a select few critical parts. Really, I'm just trying to decide if the CLP pre-soaked wipes are worth a try over the Cabela's mil-spec gun oil pre-soaked wipes. (Both cost about $5 per container, but the Cabela's wipes give you 100, and the CLP wipes only give you 20!) Not sure whether the marketing (about CLP penetrating the metal and leaving it slick and easier to clean in the future) is legitimate, or worthy of the cost premium over 'Brand X' light oil wipes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earplug Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I use nothing but CLP. I have found that if you use it with other agents the results arn't good. If you only use CLP you can wipe off bullet lube with rag, or at most a GI tooth brush. In the Army I found out that lubing with CLP then cleaning with solvent or brake cleaners etc defeated the chemical package that made up CLP. I shoot cast lead bullets in my revolvers and CLP keeps them happy. I use it on my pistols and there happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_kahuna Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Sorry, just re-read my previous post and realized it was very brief. I'll expand.CLP sucks as a lube. One day after cleaning and lubricating my M-4 in Southern Iraq, my M-4 was dry again. The CLP just couldn't cut it during the high heat days. Everyone in my unit was using Tetra or 30wt engine oil. The CLP was regulated to cleaning only. CLP sucks as a cleaner. Compared to Hoppes or Shooters Choice, CLP does nothing but make baked on carbon a greasy baked on carbon mess. I just don't have 24 hours to let my bolt soak in CLP to get the carbon off of it. I ended up using scrapers and dental picks way too much compared to Hoppes or Shooters Choice. We used CLP in the Desert because we didn't have Hoppes or Shooters Choice. If we did, the CLP would have ended up in the storage room. CLP works just fine to inhibit corrosion for storage. So does any other type of gun oil. For the money, you are better off getting mobile 1 synthetic and using that to lube on really tight fitted guns, or the appropriate slide-glide, and using a gun cleaner that will cut into baked on carbon deposits and lead and copper deposits, and doesn't have ammonia in it. I wouldn't put too much stock in mil-stds for anything unless you actually read what the standards are and understand why they were written that way. When it comes to costic materials, the military is erring on the side of 'green' now a days. Many of the materials the military standardized prior to CLP worked much better, but were more of a health hazzard problem for those exposed daily like firearms instructors. Another great comparison of this is the military's V50 ballistic standards vs the DOJ's ballistic standards. Same stuff measured differently. Some make the carry over, some don't. All depends on how the military wrote the requirements. Agree. CLP is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. I would use it if there was nothing else available. BTW I used CLP exclusively from 1985-2000, literally gallons of the stuff. I ws a "raving fan" of CLP, thought it was great. Then I used solvents that cleaned better than CLP... and lubes that lubed better than CLP... and preservatives that preserved better than CLP... and even multifunction products that did all three better than CLP... so no, I'm not a CLP fan anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisStock Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Agree. CLP is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. I concur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompsongunner Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Mineral spiritsand a toothbrush works for cleaning. Gas and diesel works too! Non chlorinated brake cleaner is great. CLP comes into its own as a lube. Couple of drops here and there, let it sit for awhile and wipe it off. It will leave a dry film that lubes and will not attract too much crap. If I want my weapons wet lubed I will use a grease like RIGs on the sliding portions. To be honest alot of stuff works well. It just depends your special needs. Gunner, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I don't know why I dont use CLP anymore. I just couldn't find it once, and went with No. 9 and the non-chlorinated break cleaner one time and it really cleaned everything well. I use lube that is in a little bottle that the label is long gone off of. I really like it, and will be bummed when I run out as I have no idea what's in that little bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDeath Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 My experience is that breakfree does a mediocre job on three tasks. I'd rather use 2-3 products that each do their intended goal well. When I do use CLP I prefer the Kleenbore product anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingleStacker45 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I've been using CLP to lube my AR lately as it seems to clean up easier. I use #9 on the bore and I go back and forth between mobil 1 and wilson's ultima lube(looks like mobil1) for my handguns. Mule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Being a lazy cuss I picked up a 16 oz bottle of Hoppe's No 9, take the barrel off the frame run a bronze brush through it, and then soak the barrel in a tub filled with Hoppe's to cover the barrel. Next day one or two patches and I got a spit shine in the barrel. I use Brian Enos Slide Glide on the Rest of the gun. This Slide Glide just can't be beat in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiarian Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 (edited) I have found Breakfree CLP to be very good at the everyday sort of cleaning. I use it as a lube in the locations that need only light oil and it works very well for this. As a protectant I spay/rub it on and then rub off the excess. I do this with springs therefore not leaving them oily. Heavy cleaning I use Hoppe's or Ed's Red and for grease applications I use Slide Glide. Edited April 3, 2009 by Apiarian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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