Cleaning for open gun comp - carbon build up

[KellyB]

Looking for how to clean the comp on my open guns. Made the mistake of “googling it”. Saw all kinds of things:
*dremel it lightly (umm, no)
*ultrasonic cleaner machine
*dentist tools to scratch it out (?scratch the finish?)
*50-50 mix of hydrogen peroxide & vinegar
*carb cleaner for a car
*shooter’s choice bore cleaner
*?some kind of acid? (not the kind the hippies use from the 60s)

And once it is clean use Dillon case lube to keep it from building up. Apparently the lanolin in the Dillon lube is better than the One Shot spray.

I have 2 that I’m cleaning.
One is an STI, it’s all one piece.
The other is threaded on the barrel & a special loctite is used to keep it on the barrel & can only be applied by the manufacturer. So this is one of my concerns with using certain cleaners.

How do you clean your comp & keep it looking pretty?

 

[Wall]

Looking for how to clean the comp on my open guns. Made the mistake of “googling it”. Saw all kinds of things:
*dremel it lightly (umm, no)
*ultrasonic cleaner machine
*dentist tools to scratch it out (?scratch the finish?)
*50-50 mix of hydrogen peroxide & vinegar
*carb cleaner for a car
*shooter’s choice bore cleaner
*?some kind of acid? (not the kind the hippies use from the 60s)

And once it is clean use Dillon case lube to keep it from building up. Apparently the lanolin in the Dillon lube is better than the One Shot spray.

I have 2 that I’m cleaning.
One is an STI, it’s all one piece.
The other is threaded on the barrel & a special loctite is used to keep it on the barrel & can only be applied by the manufacturer. So this is one of my concerns with using certain cleaners.

How do you clean your comp & keep it looking pretty?

I dont

 

[CBR]

Hoppe's

 

[KellyB]

I dont

Won’t it fill up the comp eventually?

Hoppe's

Do you let it set in it for a certain amount of time that seems to work?

 

[yury]

I dont

I guess dirt more than 1/2 inch falls off by itself

 

[Wall]

Won’t it fill up the comp eventually?

Doubtful

 

[Matt1911]

There's a lot of pressure coming through those ports on a major PF 9mm. I seriously doubt it would ever clog up.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

It's sometimes better to "show" stuff rather than try to explain my madness:

These are the internal baffles and spacers from my suppressor. I let things go for a bit longer than I should have with cleaning, but being there is very little actual labor involved with the process I prefer, the soak just takes a little bit longer.

I faithfully use the 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and vinegar solution. Fifteen minutes in the solution, then check progress. If parts are still fugly lookin', anothe 15 minute soak and then another inspection. This goes on, in 15 minute increments, until the parts look like so:

After I get to this point, a rinse in hot water and then a spray down with EEZOX. Let the EEZOX sit for a half hour and wipe excess off with an old piece of cotton t-shirt.

This synthetic CLP provides a coating that stuff finds it hard to stick to, so the next cleaning goes much easier. I have not ruined any of these parts as some say will happen. I've used this solution on a Smith & Wesson Model 27, that had a nasty build up of too soft of a lead used to make cast bullets. If any of you know what the bluing looks like on an older Smith & Wesson Model 27, you knows it's pretty dang nice. The solution did NOT hurt the finish one iota. Again, after this bore was shiny again, instead of gray and fuzzy lookin', I ran two wet patches of EEZOX through the bore, waited a while and then a dry cotton patch. Wiped the bluing down with EEZOX and gave it back to the culprit who leaded it up.

 

[Matt1911]

Buildup in a suppressor is different from a comp. The comp can blow debris out where the suppressor is enclosed.

Shooting a .22 suppressor, yes it will get lots of gunk in a short amount of time, which is why all the rimfire cans I've seen come apart for cleaning.

Not the same with centerfire cans. Some do, some don't.

It really depends more on the ammo you use in your centerfire gun. Jacketed bullets, I doubt you'll ever really need to clen it unless you're doing 15k rounds a month.
Lead bullets, yeah it's gonna get gross.

 

[dennishoddy]

My Volquartsen .22 comp gets crazy packed full of powder residue. It had a nice polished stainless finish on it until I ran it through the bead blaster. I tried every trick on the internet to get the cement like residue out. Bead blaster is the only sure way, and it now sports a dull finish.

 

[KurtM]

The 50/50 mix of viniger and peroxide works about the best, but CAUSION!!!! It forms lead acitate, which is quickly absorbed by skin contact!!!! Causing high levels of lead build up.in your system, which is really bad ju-ju!! Always use rubber gloves or nitrile over when using the 50/50. And always dispose of the "used" liquid somewhere where it won't get on you or anyone else. Be causious of rags that come in contact with the used liquid as well!??

 

[racnsoonr]

I use this every time I clean my gun and it seems to help keep the buildup to a minimum...


Hornady 9990 One Shot Gun Cleaner with DynaGlide Plus

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

My Volquartsen .22 comp gets crazy packed full of powder residue. It had a nice polished stainless finish on it until I ran it through the bead blaster. I tried every trick on the internet to get the cement like residue out. Bead blaster is the only sure way, and it now sports a dull finish.

I guess the compensator on my Ruger Mark II didn't get that memo about expelling all the nasty .22 rimfire debris involving lead dust and carbon, out of itself. Some, usually most, .22 rimfire ammunition, and I shoot tons of it, is quite dirty and it certainly does buildup to some extent in the compensator on this pistol:

Granted, some does jet out the ports in the top of the compensator that I made, but it certainly does accumulate. A good 15 minute soak in the 50/50 solution will loosen it up to the point it will flow out with the now acetate embedded solution, which is an easy method to accomplish.

 

[dennishoddy]

I guess the compensator on my Ruger Mark II didn't get that memo about expelling all the nasty .22 rimfire debris involving lead dust and carbon, out of itself. Some, usually most, .22 rimfire ammunition, and I shoot tons of it, is quite dirty and it certainly does buildup to some extent in the compensator on this pistol:

Granted, some does jet out the ports in the top of the compensator that I made, but it certainly does accumulate. A good 15 minute soak in the 50/50 solution will loosen it up to the point it will flow out with the now acetate embedded solution, which is an easy method to accomplish.

What ingredients are you using in your 50/50 mix?

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

It's 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% white vinegar. And no, it has not removed the bluing after a 15 minute soaking from my compensator, for those who might ask. I've used this formula on a Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum revolver barrel, so if anyone knows how "pretty" the bluing is on one of those beautiful revolvers, the solution did not hurt , dull, or remove any bluing, not one iota.
Yes, the solution does contain lead acetate after the soaking, as there are some who will bring that issue up, but you see, the lead and carbon must go somewhere after being soaked off. Nobody should drink or sniff the solution after its use, use rubber gloves during its use and then dispose of the aftermath properly after its use. Common sense adhered to all the way through the process.

 

[dennishoddy]

I'll have to give that mix a try. Mine are all stainless, so there won't be an issue with bluing.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

I got the formula from an old "reenactor" who shoots nothing but black powder firearms, and lives in a tee-pee when he goes to those rendezvous, cooks in a cast iron pot, and does what he needs to do like bears do, in the woods.

 

[JohnCea]

It's 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% white vinegar. And no, it has not removed the bluing after a 15 minute soaking from my compensator, for those who might ask. I've used this formula on a Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum revolver barrel, so if anyone knows how "pretty" the bluing is on one of those beautiful revolvers, the solution did not hurt , dull, or remove any bluing, not one iota.
Yes, the solution does contain lead acetate after the soaking, as there are some who will bring that issue up, but you see, the lead and carbon must go somewhere after being soaked off. Nobody should drink or sniff the solution after its use, use rubber gloves during its use and then dispose of the aftermath properly after its use. Common sense adhered to all the way

I guess you're right about that.