Quick questions on Break Free CLP and cleaning.

[JasonH]

I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to cleaning my pistols after every trip to the range. In that regard I have two quick questions:

Currently I run a soaked patch of Hoppe's Number 9 solvent through the bore and cylinder (if it's my revolver) and then use a q-tip to clean out chambers and hard to get to areas. I let it "soak" a little while then run a dry patch once or twice until it comes out white and then lightly oil with a silicone cloth using Hoppe's oil.

I've been reading a lot about Break-Free CLP and have seen several people mention it here. I see it works as a lubricant as well as a cleaner and a protector. My first question is: Does it work as an actual solvent? Is it really the miracle product they seem to think it is? Could I just not use the Hoppe's solvent and oil and use CLP and be done with it? Or is it better to use a real solvent like Hoppe's Number 9 that is designed just for that purpose?

Second question: How often do you all run the wire brush through the bore? When I regularly clean my guns right after shooting they seem to come very clean. How often is the brush really necessary? I know the metal is softer than my gun's metal but I like to avoid jamming that thing down the bore when I can.

And last one, and this will make me look even dumber: From my searching online on this subject I've seen several people say to be careful about screwing up the crown. Er, huh? What do they mean exactly? I know what the crown is - I'm just not quite understanding this ominous warning.

Thanks in advance.

[stroo]

I have used CLP for cleaning barrels and don't like it for that purpose. It work better for cleaning the action.

I generally keep running a brush with solvent, then patches until the patches come through clean. It generally takes me about three repetitions.

[mr surveyor]

I have been using CLP for a couple of years and find it is very good all around for cleaning/lubing. As for the bore.... I still will use Hoppes 9 and a brush on occassions, particularly when having used lrn's in the semi's or wad cutters in a revolver, or if there is apparant evidence of copper fouling. After every trip to the range or field where rounds have been fired I patch the barrel with CLP until clean. I will admit that I have gone back to using a sparing amount of grease on the rails of my semi's although I know of many hard core comp shooters that use nothing but CLP.

[Stupid]

I am stupid so watch what I say.

I use CLP exclusively on all my guns. The only problem is this thing does dry out over time. I typically use CLP to clean, then put LP on afterwards. I typically re-oil my gun every other month or so.

Only exception is I don't use LP on Glock and Sig. I use a miltec grease.

Just keep in mind, there's a thing called over-clean. As long as your guns are reasonably clean, they should function just fine.

I have heard someone use hot&cold water, soap, detergent etc. and handheld drill to clean their guns.

[JasonH]

I am stupid so watch what I say.

I use CLP exclusively on all my guns. The only problem is this thing does dry out over time. I typically use CLP to clean, then put LP on afterwards. I typically re-oil my gun every other month or so.

Only exception is I don't use LP on Glock and Sig. I use a miltec grease.

Just keep in mind, there's a thing called over-clean. As long as your guns are reasonably clean, they should function just fine.

I have heard someone use hot&cold water, soap, detergent etc. and handheld drill to clean their guns.

Sorry for my ignorance, but I've seen the "over clean" thing mentioned as well. I'm a sucker for cleaning my guns - I actually enjoy it.

If I ran too many patches with too much #9 solvent through my guns, how could it hurt it? It's not corrosive as far as I know so I'm trying to understand how it could be a bad thing even if I did too much.

[badkarma56]

I formerly used BreakFree CLP for everything on my weapons, cleaning the bore, cleaing the internals, lubrication, etc. However, I recently decided to give the M-Pro7 products a try, and I'm impressed!

The only real issue that I ever had with CLP is that the cleaner/solvent portion only represents about 10% of the mixture, so getting stubborn carbon fouling or copper out of the bore was very difficult. So I did some investigation with other products, and came across the M-Pro7 gun cleaner, bore gel, and copper remover. The bore gel is excellent, and completely cleans the bores of carbon and also gets a lot of copper out. Whatever copper is left behind is easily removed by the copper remover. The gun cleaner comes in a spray bottle, and is handy for cleaning stuff like the frames and slides of my pistols. M-Pro7 also makes a CLP formulation, but I'm going to continue to use my supply of BreakFree CLP to lubricate for the time being since I have like three bottles left!

One of the key aspects of the M-Pro7 stuff that really "hooked" me was that all of their products (the bore gel, the gun cleaner, the copper remover, and their CLP) are non-toxic, and don't emit any harsh odors or fumes. Hoppe's #9 is certainly an effective solvent, but my wife would leave me if I tried to clean my guns with that stuff in the house! By the way, the Hoppe's Elite line of products is simply re-packaged M-Pro7, so you can use these if your neighborhood "funshop" doesn't stock M-Pro7.

[TX Rancher]

And last one, and this will make me look even dumber: From my searching online on this subject I've seen several people say to be careful about screwing up the crown. Er, huh? What do they mean exactly? I know what the crown is - I'm just not quite understanding this ominous warning.

The crown has a major impact on accuracy. Dents, dings, and scratches on the crown can reduce accuracy.

One way to protect the crown during cleaning is push the cleaning rod in from the chamber end. Many cleaning rods have metal rod holders and striking the crown with them is not a good idea. Just push the rod the same direction the bullet goes, use a plastic rod, or get a rod guide that will protect the crown.

Regular cleaning wont damage a crown.

As a tactical side note, ultimate accuracy in a defensive pistol is not required. Most engagements will be at very close range, sub MOA accuracy is not required. But it's so easy to protect the crown during cleaning, why not do so?