Do you clean with mineral spirits?

[Bill in Oregon]

I saw this Rock Island video on cleaning a 1911. I have never in my life heard of submerging all the parts in mineral spirits each time you clean and lube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4fpmkoV9PI&t=7s

[JimT]

I would never oil a 1911 like that unless I was gonna put it away for awhile. In the dusty country I grew up in that would become a dust magnet and would be gunked up in no time. Carrying during harvest and when making hay! Or just out back country exploring. I guess for city carry it would be OK but I would rather run a little dry lube on the slide rails and let it go at that.

[earlmck]

When they took us Navy boys out to Camp Pendleton for weapons training before we headed over to 'Nam, that's how they had us clean the 45's. A big deep tub of what I thought at the time was kerosene where several of us at a time scrubbed our pistols. I don't remember what we did with all the other gear but standing at the tub of cleaner with those 1911's has stayed in my memory banks.

[Drawdown]

I'm sure it's not gonna hurt anything metal, and it'll about clean on contact. Haven't used it on my gun parts but I've cleaned enough mining parts, bearings, gears, seals, to reassemble a couple trains. Worked for few months right out HS in a rebuild shop, and we kept a 55gal drum cut in half full the stuff. Plus for years we'd take 5 gallon cans underground to do a major gear box of all sizes and types during major breakdown. No cleaning fluid available we'd use diesel fuel same way. Wonder I ain't eat up with cancer cause I've bathed my arms in the stuff! But I'm sure it just the thing for cleaning metal gun parts!

[GunnyMack]

Depends on what you are trying to clean,, old WD40 VARNISH cleans easily with mineral spirits.
The parts cleaner tanks at school were great for dirty guns, the pump really let you move the crud.

Dry lube gets the nod here.

[marlinman93]

Seems like things like this smack of laziness. I was taught to take guns apart and brush parts with Hoppes #9, and dry them. The lubricate key points, and the whole gun.

[4t5]

I learned it from gunblue490
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZZOE_pzjLA

[765x53]

Mineral spirits cleans grease and crud but, won't do much for lead or copper fouling. It does however, instantly dissolve cosmoline.