Grease vs. Breakfree for routine cleaning Ruger pistols

FourCornerm'n · Post by **FourCornerm'n** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:26 am

I switched to Shooter's Choice All Weather Grease or Tetra Gun Grease in my two 22/45's after a friend said these lubricate far longer than Breakfree or other oils. I've got 15 - 20,000 rounds (mostly Wally Fed Bulk) thru each gun and hope to get scads more, budget allowing? I shoot combat formats and clean, or maybe over-clean, these guns every 750 - 1100 rounds.

Am I making any errors, so far? I really want these two guns to wear as little as possible, since I'd like to stay in the Mark II era camp as long as I can (both guns shipped in 2005). What's the best cleaning routine for guns like these?

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:07 pm

Sounds like your cleaning routine is fine. As long as you're not getting functioning issues the interval sounds fine. I avoid heavy oils or greases with rimfires. I use very little, a few drops of light weapons oil, applied to a clean rag to wipe down the components for lubrication in my Marks. The heavy residue typically found in rimfires usually requires as little lube as possible to prevent failures.

R,
Bullseye

FourCornerm'n · Post by **FourCornerm'n** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:38 pm

Thanks. I'm interpreting this to mean that you prefer light gun oil over light gun grease? The concept is certainly clear. Haven't had function failures since I installed VQ Exact Edge Extractors a good while back.

I've heard it's not necessary to clean the barrel of .22's, yet my chambers need cleaning every so often. How do I clean the chamber without effecting the barrel?

Has there been any conclusion reached about Gun Scrubber (Synthetic) being safe and effective? A whole bunch of loose dry powder residue gets into the innards of the lower part of the gun that eventually seems to affect the sear/trigger. I can disassemble my 22/45's, and will on occasion, but it's time consuming to do as often as the lower half gets dirty. If you'd recommend compressed air for drying, would the air-cans that can be bought in photo stores be powerful enough, or do folks on these sites use compressor-strength air flows?

Can you refer me to an old post about making a blast shield? It seems like this "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" type solution might be a help.

Been wanting to know the answers to these Q's for awhile.

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:12 pm

Here's one from an old contributor Yzguy, http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/blastshield.htm And Another set of instructions from Stilgar, http://www.wiztechs.com/knightsrealm/gu ... shield.htm Here's another one found in my Technical Forum http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/vie ... php?t=1175

I just take a copper bore brush and insert it only into the chamber. Then I rotate it clockwise several times to scrub it out. Taking a patch with some solvent on it and then wrapping it around my bore brush also gives me some extra cleaning power in the chamber area. Just be sure not to dip your bronze bore brush into the cleaning solvent or you will be contaminating it, since bronze is a blend of copper and tin.

I don't use gun scrubber so someone else will have to provide that data for you.

R,
Bullseye

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:23 pm

Gunscrubber is good for fast carbon and crud removal. I use it on steel parts. It speeds the cleaning. Gun scrubber will remove all the lubrication since it is contains chemical solvents. I allow the parts to dry and then clean them with CLP, dry wipe and then add a small amount of oil on a cloth.

KAZ · Post by **KAZ** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:06 pm

You should try Eezox just one time. I get mine at Midway, and you can read all the comments. It is a cleaner/lube that goes on wet and dries to a film that you can feel. Nothing to form an abrasive slurry. Makes cleaning the rimfire crud easy. A small dab on a sear and you will be able to feel the difference. Also an excellent rust preventative. Regards

FourCornerm'n · Post by **FourCornerm'n** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:17 pm

I'm going to try to fit a blast shield into my practice gun first to see how much crud that keeps out of the works. The EEzox comments on Midway seem positive enough to test it also, and I'll use some of the Synthetic Gun Scrubber I've been holding on to for awhile, on the inside of the plastic frame when I get to the disassembly stage again. If anything particularly bad or good happens I'll post again. Any other suggestions are of course welcome.

What I'm learning will extend the life of my guns and save a lot of time once I get things set up. The recommendations so far seem to complement each other pretty well. I've been kind of a bull in the china shop cleaning my guns in the past. Don't want to mess these up.

(When I used to shoot about 2,000 - 2,500 .38 spcl. rds a week practicing in the '80's, a friend talked me into using a Clymer (sp?) Deleading tool so I could have a life besides cleaning revolvers. It took out all the lead and eventually most of the cylinder forcing cones, too? I used TSI 301 recommended by a local cop shop steeped in S&W expertise, and the rest of the same L - frame cylinder's chambers became striated and weirdly pitted. Whoops!). Hope no one else falls into these old traps.

KAZ · Post by **KAZ** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:36 am

FourCornerm'n, your experience makes you the perfect shooter to come on here after you have tested Eezox, and tell us your results. I have no dog in the hunt other than as a satisfied user. So many of these products make claims,but for me this one is for real. Regards

FourCornerm'n · Post by **FourCornerm'n** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:23 am

I've used Break-Free more often than anything else on most of my guns and found it adequate. But I hadn't really looked into other products or methods. My other new step will be to get rid of the steel rod I've used in so many bores and find out what kind of bore snake might be most useful. Bullseye's pointing out the difference between copper and bronze brushes came as a surprise. I'm not even sure what kind I have or how to tell the difference.

I don't know that I'll be the best tester of EEzox because I'll be changing so many things at once, and I'm not a real "techie", or whatever. I'm imagining it will make powder remnants and misc. crud adhere less closely to internal parts that a new blast shield doesn't block. If so, it should be a help. We'll see.

If there are any other's confident about some of the many cleaning products available today, it might be a help to viewers here to get further recommendations. I've always noticed that the majority of gun shop employees soon feel their relative advantage over most of their new starry-eyed customers and end up speaking from on high without necessarily being well informed. The more you learn as a serious shooter over time the more you notice that only a few people doing retail sales know as much as they seem to. With some real exceptions, of course. The number of products available at a Cabellas or Sportsmen's Whse is mind boggling. Now if we can just get them to find a way to get us reasonably priced ammo!

(My story's well told here, so I'll back off and let well enough alone! Will report on results later. Thanks very much to contributors).

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:20 am

There's always a new and better product right around the corner. That's how they get your money. I'm a bit of a traditionalist; if the old stuff works just fine - why change it. Some of these retailers are nothing more than modern day snake oil salesman.

R,
Bullseye

OpsMgr · Post by **OpsMgr** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:44 pm

Break Free CLP for lube (A little goes a long way), Hoppes #9 for the bore with patch worm and/or Otis pull through brush, and Break Free Powder blast for inside the receiver. Also use the "Twist" method of cleaning the chamber with a solvent soaked brush as well when needed, finished off with a patch wrapped around the brush.