Suitable Barrel Cleaning Solution

[06awaism0121]

Hi guys. Hope you are all doing well.

First of all, I would like to shout out a massive thank you to all of you on this forum in helping me choose the right gun. I was going to place an order for a gun on justbbguns which I thought would be good until you guys came across and pointed me to the right directions. And thank you "Sitting Duck" for all your efforts. Much appreciated.

 

Aside from Sitting Duck's views, do you guys have any recommended oil, lubricant or any solution for cleaning the gun barrel.

I heard that 100% silicone oil works best. If you can also post some links for 'that' solution from eBay on here, I would really appreciate it.

 

Thank You and take care.

[Mack]

Alcohol wipes do the trick for me.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200pcs-Box-Alcohol-Swabs-Pads-Wipes-Antiseptic-Cleanser-Cleaning-Sterilization-/251900860500?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa6761854

[Adam3088]

Don't really want to be sticking oil down the barrel, will cause problems with the hop rubber.

 

I take the hop unit off the barrel, remove the rubber, cut up 2-3 strips of jay cloth, put one through the end of the barrel cleaning stick, dip it in white spirit and run it through the barrel repeatedly while twisting.

Then take a clean bit of cloth, put that on the stick and then run it through again.

 

Then just put it back together, if the hop rubber is oily then give it a wash in some warm water + washing up liquid.

[Esoterick]

I use alcohol wipes as above, but barrels shouldn't really need cleaning often. The first time I cleaned the barrel in my HK416 it was filthy, then when I have cleaned it 10 or so games later it was more or less clean. This would suggest to me that the original dirt was probably in the barrel when it shipped from the factory.

 

Also if you are cleaning the barrel without removing it from the gun you should be aware that you can interfere with the hop rubber, although it shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't ram the cleaning rod in like you are packing a musket. It is going to be preferable to remove the barrel and clean it separately though, I have wondered if it's possible to push dirt into the end of the barrel the hop run sits.

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Rubbing alcohol, I think it's 91%?

People have recommended silicone oil for a long time (must be the 100% stuff) but it's a lubricant rather than a cleaner so may not work as well as the alcohol

[06awaism0121]

Thank you all for your kind replies. I have also heard that alcohol corrodes metal internals. What are your views on this?

 

In that case, should I purchase isopropyl/alcohol wipes as well as silicone lubricant? So clean the barrel with wipes and after a few minutes for letting it dry, then lightly run down the lubricant?

 

Also, do I have to buy the silicone lubricant especially made for airsoft guns or could I just buy any?

 

Thank You very much.

[Lozart]

Thank you all for your kind replies. I have also heard that alcohol corrodes metal internals. What are your views on this?

 

 

 

That's what we in the know call "bullshit".

 

If you had internals made of carbon steel which was coated with grease then you could conceivably argue that the alcohol would strip the grease away which would (eventually) allow corrosion to take place, however you would also need the internals of the gun to be damp coupled with the fact that if you strip all the lubricant from the inner workings of your AEG it'll grind to a halt WAY before it goes rusty.

 

Also - your barrel does NOT need to be lubricated. Clean it with isopropyl alcohol by all means but keep it dry and polished and you'll be absolutely fine.

[06awaism0121]

Alcohol wipes do the trick for me.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200pcs-Box-Alcohol-Swabs-Pads-Wipes-Antiseptic-Cleanser-Cleaning-Sterilization-/251900860500?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa6761854

 

Thank you for your time. Shall I go ahead and order from the link below which also has a mixture of isopropyl? (I am not familiar with this term so do please pardon my illiteracy)

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/x100-FastAid-Lint-Free-IPA-70-Isopropyl-Alcohol-Wipes-Swabs-Prep-Pads-TATTOO-/252003801914?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aac98db3a

 

Thank You.

[proffrink]

I just use bottles of isopropyl alcohol as I've found it works out cheaper than wipes and I can use it with a cloth for degreasing things too.

[BrightCandle]

The reason that silicon oil is recommended is that it leaves a very thin coating that reduces the BB residue buildup on the barrel. You should do a few clean passes with no silicon oil afterwards but its the current recommended way to clean your barrel by the expert techs out there, nothing else I knows of leaves a residue repelling residue.

 

To begin with just shoot the gun, after a thousand rounds or so it'll need a clean because the gearbox will almost certainly shoot a tonne of garbage down your barrel and you'll need to clean it thoroughly.

[06awaism0121]

The reason that silicon oil is recommended is that it leaves a very thin coating that reduces the BB residue buildup on the barrel. You should do a few clean passes with no silicon oil afterwards but its the current recommended way to clean your barrel by the expert techs out there, nothing else I knows of leaves a residue repelling residue.

 

To begin with just shoot the gun, after a thousand rounds or so it'll need a clean because the gearbox will almost certainly shoot a tonne of garbage down your barrel and you'll need to clean it thoroughly.

 

Thank you for your post. Would this be okay?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Abbey-Silicone-Gun-Oil-35-Gun-Rifle-Care-Shooting-Airsoft-30ml-Bottle-/151623227570?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234d72d8b2

 

Thank You.

[Samurai]

No.

Rubbing alcohol / isopropyl to clean the barrel.

Silicone grease (not oil) to lube the cylinder.

Some thick lithium grease for the gears.

Soapy water to clean the rubber when they are out of the gun.

Teflon based spray or dry silicone for GBB internals.

[BrightCandle]

 

Thank you for your post. Would this be okay?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Abbey-Silicone-Gun-Oil-35-Gun-Rifle-Care-Shooting-Airsoft-30ml-Bottle-/151623227570?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234d72d8b2

 

Thank You.

 

Yes that is the right type of silicon.

[Adam3088]

Surely a layer of oil would just attract residue to adhere to the barrel?

[Snakeeyes75]

brake disc cleaner on a bit of J cloth used in the cleaning rod. Try not to touch the hop rubber though

[Lozart]

Surely a layer of oil would just attract residue to adhere to the barrel?

 

Yup.

[BrightCandle]

The problem is that BBs come with a waxy coating and it hard cakes on the inside of the barrel. When tested the best mechanism for cleaning the barrel and that reduced the impact of the waxy coating was silicon oil. Its not like you leave the barrel dripping with the stuff, its dried off just like when you use anything else but it helps avoid the waxy coating adhering which stops it from trapping actual dirt on the barrel and getting crushed on the inside.

 

Everytime we have this cleaning question a whole bundle of different ways come up and I think in all honestly it doesn't matter all that much. Given you are cleaning the barrel regularly enough to remove the garbage it likely doesn't matter but as far as I can tell silicon oil is what most techs recommend because of the tests done by hunterseeker5 on what causes the wax and dirt to adhere the most/least.