one heck of a good cleaning!

[saddleringcarbiner]

So I found Junior Doughty's great step by step guide to breaking my 94 down for cleaning. The inside was caked with grit, grime and oil, and I spent three hours with rags, brushes and oil, breaking through the crud. Before anyone freaks out thinking that I marred everything up, I'm a musician, so working with metal and keeping it clean and free of blemishes is a 20 year habit. The hardest part was that the tang assembly wouldn't free up and come out! I was able to work around that, and after putting it all back together, it made a real difference.

Can you give me some preferences on gun cleaning solvents and oils? Right now we use Rem Oil in the spray can and it seems to get the job done.

I'm gonna hold off on pictures until I can get a few replacement parts....then I'll do before and after pics!

[Ysabel Kid]

I've always been hooked on the old standby - Hoppes # 9 solvent. I guess since it was what my Dad used, I just took to it.

I use some Handyoil that I got from a fellow levergunner here (who will go unnamed to protect the "innocent" ), and it works really good. Any fine machine oil should work well though for the final coat.

[Tycer]

Remoil is a good lube.

I use Ed's Red:

equal parts of...
Acetone, mineral Spirits, unscented (or not) kerosene, and ATF or Marvel's mystery oil.
Maybe add some liquid Alox if you are in salty places.

[alnitak]

Breakfree CLP.

[kimwcook]

I cannot stand the smell of CLP. Nothing like Hoppes.

[rjohns94]

I use Breakfree and Hoppes. depends what my hand finds first. I rarely do a breakdown, strip down of firearm cleaning job though except in my BP firearms.

[AmBraCol]

Another vote for Ed's Red. I use it (ATF version) and then lube/preserve with an ATF/lanolin concoction. That ATF/Lanolin is the best preservative I've found for IWB carry guns. I've not had a rust problem since I started using it a few years ago. Before I had LOTS of problems since our high humidity combined with my own highly corrosive perspiration combined to cause a serious situation. Daily cleaning was a MUST. Now? I'll go a week or more between wiping down the weapon and no more problems. Anyway, for general duty cleaning I use good ol' Ed's Red (you can google it for a wide variety of information on the subject including variations on the recipe) It's cheap enough you can make up a batch and use it to soak an entire sixgun if you need some heavy duty cleaning action on an old, crudded up gun.

[J Miller]

So I found Junior Doughty's great step by step guide to breaking my 94 down for cleaning. The inside was caked with grit, grime and oil, and I spent three hours with rags, brushes and oil, breaking through the crud. Before anyone freaks out thinking that I marred everything up, I'm a musician, so working with metal and keeping it clean and free of blemishes is a 20 year habit. The hardest part was that the tang assembly wouldn't free up and come out! I was able to work around that, and after putting it all back together, it made a real difference.

Can you give me some preferences on gun cleaning solvents and oils? Right now we use Rem Oil in the spray can and it seems to get the job done.

I'm gonna hold off on pictures until I can get a few replacement parts....then I'll do before and after pics!

Here's a tip for next time. On each side of the lower tang there is a square boss that fits into a grove in the receiver. When new they are VERY tight. Add to that the gunk, dried oil, and other debris and you simply cannot pull them out.
So, once you get the stock off, the hammer screw out, take a brass punch and put it against the front edge of the lower tang, and then drive it out.
This is one of the things you learn by doing. Another way is penetrating solvent. Soak the area until it frees up.
One good solvent for cleaning up rifles like yours is kerosene. Just soak the entire receiver in it for a day or so, then take it apart and clean and lube each part.

Joe

[O.S.O.K.]

I use Rem oil (I like the squeeze bottle), CLP, Hoppes, Hoppes Copper and a newer Hoppes Super Copper remover that is really good stuff. I also use Sweets 7.62 but I like the new Hoppes Super better. Oh, and I use regular anti-sieze grease too on some spots - the silver stuff form the car parts store.

[Lefty Dude]

Hoppes & Kroil, mixed 50/50.

Cleans up real well

[Rusty]

MY dad used to soak his Browning hump back 12 ga. in kerosene once a year then blow it off with an air hose. For him a years shooting amounted to between 5 and 7 cases between quail and dove season.

[piller]

I use Rusty Duck cleaning spray first, then Hoppes #9. I lube the guns with Tetra Gun. Tetra Gun stinks, but it is the slickest stuff I have ever seen and it has done well for me on the corrosion resistance.

[O.S.O.K.]

Just to update my reply - the Hoppes copper cleaner is actually called "copper terminator" and it works really well. Very quick job of completely removing the copper fouling.