Non carcinogenic bore cleaner

[ucsfl05]

Anything but ballistol out there thats worth it’s salt?

I use butches bore shine but damn. It eats through nitrile gloves and more than half of the ingredients are known carcinogens. Not like California prop 65 garbage but the real deal. Call me a pansy. But don’t call me stupid-

appreciate the help

 

[KZP]

Boretech eliminator looks safe. I've been using it since late last year, it works well.

https://www.shootingequipment.de/out/media/eliminator_bore_cleaner_security_data.pdf

 

[6.5SH]

Anything that works well is going to be dangerous, anything "safe" is going to be nothing more than a surfactant.
You still don't want Boretech products on your skin but are safer to breath around than most real VOC solvents.

 

[Triple BB]

I use Thickster rubber gloves when doing my cleaning. Never had anything eat through my gloves...

 

[Baron23]

Anything but ballistol out there thats worth it’s salt?

I use butches bore shine but damn. It eats through nitrile gloves and more than half of the ingredients are known carcinogens. Not like California prop 65 garbage but the real deal. Call me a pansy. But don’t call me stupid-

appreciate the help

BoreTech Eliminator. It works very well IMO

Screw Butch’s or Sweets. Stuff is awful

 

[Maxduty]

Just use whichever you like. You don't need gloves either, there's no harmful side effects. I can count on one hand the 7 times I've ever had any detrimental effects from spills. Just make sure you chick up your rod in a drill and have at it. And as a bonus, if you don't want to use cleaners at all, just use a stainless brush.

 

[deersniper]

Wipeout and or Patchout.



You’re cleaning a gun with lead copper powder fouling etc. It’s not going to be something you can eat

 

[Huskydriver]

Clr and wipe out

 

[ucsfl05]

Just use whichever you like. You don't need gloves either, there's no harmful side effects. I can count on one hand the 7 times I've ever had any detrimental effects from spills. Just make sure you chick up your rod in a drill and have at it. And as a bonus, if you don't want to use cleaners at all, just use a stainless brush.

this is golden. Thank you for the laugh

 

[ucsfl05]

Wipeout and or Patchout.



You’re cleaning a gun with lead copper powder fouling etc. It’s not going to be something you can eat

I usually prefer to cook the barrel to an internal temp of 165F before eating.

I dont think people realize the additive effects of small exposures over the years. Just because we cant see cells mutating and bone marrow suppression doesn't mean they aren't happening. I read butches MSDS and seriously- this shit will give you cancer.

IF anything for the skeptics, just consider this as a PSA. I'm on your side- want you guys to be around to shoot for a long time.
Attached are the MSDS for some very popular options...

 

[6.5SH]

Another thing to consider when cleaning, regardless of what you use, you will be touching other potentially hazardous material in the fouling you remove along with whatever chemical changes your cleaner of choice makes to it.

If you want to be safer wear gloves, if using something with VOCs wear a carbon filtered mask. You should be wearing safety glasses regardless.

 

[deersniper]

Yet another reason to not clean

 

[Huskydriver]

I usually prefer to cook the barrel to an internal temp of 165F before eating.

I dont think people realize the additive effects of small exposures over the years. Just because we cant see cells mutating and bone marrow suppression doesn't mean they aren't happening. I read butches MSDS and seriously- this shit will give you cancer.

IF anything for the skeptics, just consider this as a PSA. I'm on your side- want you guys to be around to shoot for a long time.
Attached are the MSDS for some very popular options...

Lol do you want to live forever?

I'm not here for a long time but I'm here for a good time

 

[Baron23]

In addition to Eliminator, I too find Patchout works well

 

[DJL2]

I am so fucked... the amount of shit I've been exposed to, much of it long before I had any concept of things like MSDS, etc. is gonna catch up with me at some point. That's gonna suck... I've watched cancer claim family members... bad deal.

 

[chutinlead]

Check out Gunzilla. It is plant based and you can literally drink it and it wouldnt kill you. And it works.

 

[BullGear]

I've been using Ed's Red for 40 years. I make it up in the old kitchen sink. There is 2 recipes, one which includes lanolin and 1 that does not. The instructions are easy to follow.

 

[chongoMT]

"Metal Fever" by Jim Schatz | Soldier Systems Daily

A horrible scourge is stealing the health from many of my friends, and taking the lives of still others. Heavy metal poisoning is an affliction we are just ...

soldiersystems.net

Be advised, PPE is important. For you active duty and DOD guys, push for more detailed and inclusive blood draws. It's a lot more than just lead that will get you over time.

Sorry if this is a little splintered from the initial conversation.

Worth noting, Jim was a pretty good dude.

 

[BurnOut]

KG1

 

[chevy_man]

Everything is a carcinogen if you eat enough of it.


I've not had any issue melting gloves with butches. My last bottle is probably 15 years old so it's still the good stuff. Once it's gone I'll go a different route if the new formula is that abrasive to the gloves.

I use the black 5mil nitrile gloves from the auto parts store. I go through a pile of them on other projects, and mechanical damage is what kills them. Haven't had any chemical really eat them.

 

[Hawk in WY]

You got it right the first time: Ballistol.

The guys at Sig Academy went to Frog's Lube for a while.

Not sure how that turned out.

 

[huntnh]

I second bore tech great product that works like a champ

 

[chevy_man]

You got it right the first time: Ballistol.

The guys at Sig Academy went to Frog's Lube for a while.

Not sure how that turned out.

Frog lube has been proven to be vegetable oil. It works fine if it's constantly being cleaned and applied, but don't put it on something, get it hot, and toss it in a safe. It will eventually go rancid.

 

[Baron23]

Besides not being very volatile (like don't open a bottle of Butch's and take a sniff), another reason I like Bore Tech Eliminator and Patch Out is that these products can be safely left in the barrel. They will not pit the metal while ammonia based stuff....like Sweet's...will.

I have a bottle of Sweet's and a bottle of Butch's on the shelf, but reach for the Eliminator first. If I really want to get down to it, I will use Bore Tech's carbon remover followed by their copper remover.

 

[spife7980]

Frog lube has been proven to be vegetable oil. It works fine if it's constantly being cleaned and applied, but don't put it on something, get it hot, and toss it in a safe. It will eventually go rancid.

I thought fireclean was vege oil and frog lube was coconut oil? I do know that frog lube hardens up like coconut oil goes into a solid clump of grease basically. Frog lube is shit.

 

[hlee]

I thought fireclean was vege oil and frog lube was coconut oil? I do know that frog lube hardens up like coconut oil goes into a solid clump of grease basically. Frog lube is shit.

Frog lube works, if used as directed. But, no one uses it as directed. Who wants to use a lube with specific directions? I tried frog lube, but went to mobile1 synthetic.

Neither “all natural“ nor “plant based” means ”safe.”

 

[Mwalex]

Frog lube has been proven to be vegetable oil. It works fine if it's constantly being cleaned and applied, but don't put it on something, get it hot, and toss it in a safe. It will eventually go rancid.

Going rancid should not be the primary concern depending on how hot the metal gets. This is the same process used to season cast iron. Vegetable oils will polymerize at a high enough temp and form a film that can be hard to remove.

 

[lclement]

Anything but ballistol out there thats worth it’s salt?

I use butches bore shine but damn. It eats through nitrile gloves and more than half of the ingredients are known carcinogens. Not like California prop 65 garbage but the real deal. Call me a pansy. But don’t call me stupid-

appreciate the help

Plus 1 on boretech eliminator it will remove the carbon and copper.

I have started to use boretec carbon remover as well with great results

 

[scudzuki]

I am so fucked... the amount of shit I've been exposed to, much of it long before I had any concept of things like MSDS, etc. is gonna catch up with me at some point. That's gonna suck... I've watched cancer claim family members... bad deal.

I started my first job as a machinist in 1983 and spent the next 15 years bathing my hands in products containing 1,1,1 trichloroethane (and other chemicals since banned) for at least several hours a week. That stuff has been eliminated from products for a while now and the products no longer work nearly as well.

So far I've not suffered any ill effects and the hand that started growing out of my rib cage 5 years ago comes in handy sometimes working around the house although I do have to buy shirts in XL (so I guess that's a downside).

Seriously, I try to avoid breathing nasty stuff these days and also keep it out of my eyes but the small amount that my hands come into contact with cleaning firearms doesn't frighten me at all. Perhaps I'm being shortsighted and I'm in for a nasty surprise someday.

I use Sweets 7.62, Butch's Bore Shine, Hoppes 9, Brakeclean, Berkebile Carb Cleaner, and all sorts of nasty smelling stuff. I just try to do it when my wife won't be home for a while as she complains about the smells.

 

[Mario1961]

I use MPro 7 gun cleaner. Non Toxic and cleans everything real well.

 

[Rick7353]

Anything but ballistol out there thats worth it’s salt?

I use butches bore shine but damn. It eats through nitrile gloves and more than half of the ingredients are known carcinogens. Not like California prop 65 garbage but the real deal. Call me a pansy. But don’t call me stupid-

appreciate the help

I like Kroil. I also like using CLR, yes The calcium eating stuff that really gets rid of carbon. Then I use a copper solvent called SWEETS 7.62 but I'm pretty sure it's not "green" but if you want to remove copper without getting tennis elbow that stuff works. I've read the ingredients on a lot of bore cleaners and noticed kerosene is in a lot so I picked up a quart of camp fuel to use after the SWEETS and then Balistol or Kroil.

 

[StLPro2A]

Another thing to consider when cleaning, regardless of what you use, you will be touching other potentially hazardous material in the fouling you remove along with whatever chemical changes your cleaner of choice makes to it.

If you want to be safer wear gloves, if using something with VOCs wear a carbon filtered mask. You should be wearing safety glasses regardless.

Or....pay the Libturd neighbor's kids to do it for you......two birds with one VOC....

 

[MilSpecOkie]

I've used Ballistol and like it. Mineral oil based, non toxic, supposedly the Germans would it on their skin.

How long does it take to cut carbon? I have used it and didn’t think it all that effective, but I didn’t stick with it to see if it would get there eventually.

 

[raider1v1]

i use the boretech line of copper cleaner, rimfire, and, carbon remover, and general bore cleaner. it works really well and doesnt stink or eat through gloves. i highly recommend it.

 

[Expert308]

I've used Shooter's Choice for years and really liked it. They changed the formula a while back I think though, because it doesn't work as well as it used to. I used to use Sweet's 7.62 when I was shooting Service Rifle a lot. It did a great job on copper fouling and I was diligent about not leaving it in the bore for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Smells pretty nasty though, not something you want to use in the garage. Based on the comments here I think I'll try the Boretech stuff out.

 

[BullGear]

I've used Shooter's Choice for years and really liked it. They changed the formula a while back I think though, because it doesn't work as well as it used to. I used to use Sweet's 7.62 when I was shooting Service Rifle a lot. It did a great job on copper fouling and I was diligent about not leaving it in the bore for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Smells pretty nasty though, not something you want to use in the garage. Based on the comments here I think I'll try the Boretech stuff out.

Yes, something changed with Shooter's Choice. That stuff used to be one of the best. Now, it's an also ran for the most part.

 

[Ridgeraider]

Really! I use Butches Bore Shine or Barnes CR-10. Let me see if I’m following this thread correctly.....

You’re worried about your bore cleaner? LOL. What about the lead, nitro and other contaminants in our sport? Maybe get into a different sport and for Christ sake don’t breath when you shoot! Ok wait a minute inhale then exhale halfway then squeeze your trigger; now we’re talking. Take a big breath of the aerosol of all the chemicals that you touched to your face while handling the ammo and fired from the barrel and the sweat that ran into your eyes

gotta love CA prop 65 labels on everything we purchase.

I got a third nut from the hand sanitizer we were forced to use. I named it Fauci!

 

[ucsfl05]

Really! I use Butches Bore Shine or Barnes CR-10. Let me see if I’m following this thread correctly.....

You’re worried about your bore cleaner? LOL. What about the lead, nitro and other contaminants in our sport? Maybe get into a different sport and for Christ sake don’t breath when you shoot! Ok wait a minute inhale then exhale halfway then squeeze your trigger; now we’re talking. Take a big breath of the aerosol of all the chemicals that you touched to your face while handling the ammo and fired from the barrel and the sweat that ran into your eyes

gotta love CA prop 65 labels on everything we purchase.

I got a third nut from the hand sanitizer we were forced to use. I named it Fauci!

Looking for recommendations not for a COVID and politics thread, thanks.
Also, ethanol (70%, in most hand sanitizers) is not absorbed transdermally. That third nut might be something else...

Im not sheeple. I agree the prop 65 labels are stupid. All I'm saying is that you're ignorant if you think that repeated exposure to butches is benign.

 

[CharlieBSer]

So I find all this out at 71 and I've had my lil'Paws in this stuff all these years?
Cain't backtrack and change anything now...guess I'll start drinking hard & chasing Ho's till I keel over...try to make up for all the lost years I'm a'gonna have now!

 

[Ridgeraider]

Trust me I’m not ignorant. Just a Deplorable Neanderthal! If we all have been involved in the shooting sports for 55+ years it’s a little late to worry about a little bore cleaner. I use what works (Butches) and run a patch with 85% isopropyl followed by a dry patch as my last step to remove any leftover solvent from the barrel before shooting. And clean my hands with it. Like other posts in this thread I have been reloading for 55+ years. Well over 250K rounds of 45ACP/38 Super lead rounds. I’m guessing Butches is the least of my concerns. Lol
I do appreciate your health concerns. I try to get the most out of my barrels and chambers. In the grand scheme of things bore solvent use is minuscule

 

[abn31c]

So, about a year ago I jumped into the shower after work. My wife had replaced my beloved Irish Spring with some fukin cube of coconut and lime infused goat soap.....soaking wet I hop out and start searching for some soap, fuck me...nothing....back in the shower I have that conversation with myself (you know the one)
Fuck it, I used the brick sized piece goat creme, hoping my junk don't have some kind of reaction and fighting off evil thoughts of Jenner....Well, son of a bitch, that stuff is awesome. Its all I'll use now. No soapy scum greasy feeling, just pure happiness.


Don't be afraid to change.....


Oh ya, I've been very happy with the Boretech line.
Jusayin....