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This isn’t exactly handguns, but it is related to guns, and we can definitely discuss handguns here.
I would like to share the fruits of my shopping adventure today. First, a bit of backstory.
I recently acquired two long guns from my late grandpa’s estate. These are the first guns to ever live in our house. One is an RWS .177 air rifle, and the other is a Westernfield 20GA. bolt-action shotgun. They both work but, to use the words of the smith who first looked at them, they “need a bath.” So I have been researching methods of gun cleaning for a few days (which seems to be a daunting endeavor). My brother and I went shopping today to see what we could get locally.
It was a successful trip.
We found this innocuous shop in a strip that was called “MLC Exotic Class III.” The name bodes well. “MLC” is the initials of the owner and the rest of the name is fairly self-explanatory. They do sell fully automatic rifles and sub guns which they explained to us are perfectly legal to own by anyone able to pay a one-time $200 state tax on the gun (gotta love Oregon). Anyway, they had some products I recognized on the shelves like Hoppe’s #9 and Otis toothbrush tools. We got to talk with the guy behind the counter (who said he goes by “L”) and explain to him what we needed. He pointed us to a starter kit by Outers for the hardware (rods, bore brushes, patches, jags). The kit also included bore mops which I had not heard of before (they seem superfluous to me). The kit has bronze bore brushes for a variety of calibers. It even has .45 & .38 cal and 9mm sizes, so it will work on many pistols, too. We picked up the Outers kit and a bottle of Hoppe’s 9 and a spray lube (“Gunslick Ultra Lube”). And I picked up a set of three toothbrush tools by Otis (nylon bristles, bronze, and steel).
It was great to be able to talk to a knowledgable and friendly gun shop worker, and it looks like I found everything I need to start cleaning up these old guns. I know what I’m doing tomorrow!
We’ll see how my cleaning regiment fleshes out should I expand my arsenal (which I plan to when I move out of the house). I’d like to try a milder, multi-purpose oil like Prolix for maintenance cleaning, but we were advised to try Hoppe’s now since it is more powerful and these guns have years of dust to be busted through (just gotta keep it off the wood). Hopefully the Outers kit can be with me for a long time for the rods, brushes & jags.
So, here’s my loot:
I am curious about the tool in this last picture. It’s called by Outers a spear-pointed jag. I assume it’s for wrapping patches around instead of using a loop attachment on a rod. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
Hopefully I can get some pictures of the gun cleaning project tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it’s going if you’re interested, though.
From you guys, I’d like to hear what you do to clean a gun—after a day on the range, after pulling a dusty antique out of the safe, or in preparation of storing a firearm for an extended period. What’s your usual cleaning regiment? What products have worked for you, and what methods?
Feel free simply to talk about your own guns and your experiences. This thread doesn’t have to be all about me & my project.
How does that sound to everybody?
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