Carb cleaner

[vanguard138]

I have seen posts on cleaning bolts where they soaked bolts and parts in carb cleaner. I know when I was a kid working on stuff we had a great kit with a basket for the parts, but I am leary of putting rifle parts in carb cleaner without some feedback from this group.

Sounds too good....

[warped]

Simple green works, also you can just use some frog lube.

I polish the tail end of my bolts, they stay really clean.

[hm2 clark]

I spray my AR bolts with carb cleaner,then wipe them off and oil. It seems to work and the rifles still function.

[kamrr4437]

It wont damage the bolt. But with prolonged usage if your leaving the extractor on like most people do the rubber o ring underneath can be weakened or damaged.

Keith

[vanguard138]

Thanks for the responses.

Simple Green...never thought of that. A lot less expensive than carb cleaner. Would there not be a film left on the bolt and parts though after you soaked them? I suppose a good rinse, dry, and oil would take care of that.

[DangerClose]

Carb cleaner is great on metal. Anything else it tends to eat.
I use it as a flush or rinse fluid when im cleaning.

Never used simple green before.....but if it leaves a film, rinse and oil like you said.

[Mutt]

Yep, it won't hurt steel. But, it eats plastic and rubber. Don't get any on your plastic handguards or buttstock. It will whiten / discolor them badly.

[Snew]

Carb cleaner is mostly acetone. It degreases and cleans like a mother but be sure to re-protect with some kind of oil.

[glane5910]

We use simple green in the shop to degrease followed by a wipe off with acetone to prep for bluing/parkerizing etc.

[sneaky one]

Clean with something gentle, like clp. then spray -to protect it-- with jigaloo. no petro's, oils, etc. ( I use it to size my brass. ) It's awesome, and cheap! Orange can, easy to work with, no buildup.

[Mutt]

Sneaky,

What do you use to resize your brass brake cleaner or simple green?? And, how do you use it??

[jwilson1985]

depending on how good/type of finish is in ur rifle be careful near it if you use carb clean...but yah simple green is good i just use brake free ..but all my internals are fail zero coated :-)

[rasp65]

If you use brake cleaner it would be wise to remove the extractor to prevent damage to the little plastic buffer inside the extractor spring. It will strip off any lube it comes in contact with so everything will need to be reoiled.

[Snew]

Be careful using Simple Green on aluminum. They make an "aircraft and precision" cleaner that is better suited for our guns and all their different materials than the more common grocery store version.

[noone]

Many items like brake cleaner, carb cleaner won't harm metal, but can actually dissolve many plastics, or destroy the rubber gaskets, o-rings, and items like that. It is always good to test it out on plastics, rubber, wood, finishes on wood, and other things that solvents can dissolve.

After all, dissolving things is what solvents are supposed to do.