EugeneStoner Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 Annual bonus/"money burning hole in pocket" time is coming up soon and I'm trying to come up with a plan to spend it wisely. I used to only go to the range with my rifles on an annual basis to get ready for an upcoming deer season so cleaning them after this and a second time when the season was over wasn't a big deal. Trading off my old school sporting rifles for battle rifles (thanks in part to 308ar.com) has resulted in me becoming a bit of a range lizard though and I have started visiting pretty frequently just for the enjoyment of shooting. This has of course necessitated the need for more cleaning and I'm wondering if an ultrasonic cleaner would be a good investment. I have done my due diligence and searched the forum for posts that might already answer my questions but have not found anything that is necessarily exactly in line with them or more recent. So, here goes: 1. Should I buy an ultrasonic cleaner at all or just stick with more traditional/regular tools such as my (really cool) Otis MSR/AR cleaning kit for.308/7.62MM? Beside their greater initial cost are there any reasons to avoid ultrasonic cleaners altogether such as potential damage to finishes, etc.? 2. I think a larger ultrasonic cleaner that can fit an entire upper might be a good choice. I'm seriously considering Hornady's Lock-N-Load Hot Tub. Can anyone provide advice on this product (including vouching for it) or recommend a better alternative? Its Amazon URL is below and it has several good reviews. https://smile.amazon.com/Hornady-043310-Lock-N-Load-Sonic-Cleaners/dp/B00AU6CK20/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540416664&sr=8-2&keywords=hornady+ultrasonic+cleaners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtallen83 Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 I have a smaller Hornady ultrasonic cleaner. Bought it mostly for cleaning suppressor parts and pistols. It is handy for the pistols in that I don't have to break them down totally. Most often the traditional methods are best with AR's, I did run 1000+ suppressed rounds on a 300 BO and found it useful to get a good bit of the gunk off the BCG but still had to do the traditional clean to get it all. Found the same on suppressor baffles, gets the big stuff but hand work is still needed to finish up. I have not seen any damage to finishes to this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeneStoner Posted October 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 (edited) 37 minutes ago, jtallen83 said: I have a smaller Hornady ultrasonic cleaner. Bought it mostly for cleaning suppressor parts and pistols. It is handy for the pistols in that I don't have to break them down totally. Most often the traditional methods are best with AR's, I did run 1000+ suppressed rounds on a 300 BO and found it useful to get a good bit of the gunk off the BCG but still had to do the traditional clean to get it all. Found the same on suppressor baffles, gets the big stuff but hand work is still needed to finish up. I have not seen any damage to finishes to this point. Thanks JT, your response is really helpful ?. So you can safely drop field-stripped/assembled pistol slides(e.g. Glock) into one of these ultrasonic cleaners? Edited October 24, 2018 by EugeneStoner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtallen83 Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 1 minute ago, EugeneStoner said: So you can safely drop field-stripped/assembled pistol slides(e.g. Glock) into one of these ultrasonic cleaners? No plastic pistols in the inventory but my 226's and 938 do fine, frame slide and all. I use a heat gun on low to dry them out then oil while warm yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeneStoner Posted October 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 12 minutes ago, jtallen83 said: No plastic pistols in the inventory but my 226's and 938 do fine, frame slide and all. I use a heat gun on low to dry them out then oil while warm yet. No plastic pistols in the inventory!?...the heck!? Just kidding, pretty sure my Glock pistols' slides will be fine with one of these cleaners too but will do a bit more research on this. Thanks again for the response, sounds like I'm on the right track, at least so far, when it comes to buying one of these fancy ultrasonic gun cleaners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgecrusher Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 I have a smaller Hornady that works well. I always follow up with a traditional cleaning but they cut off time for sure and get places my sausage fingers can’t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeneStoner Posted October 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 Thanks edgecrusher ?. It sounds like these type of gun cleaners may not necessarily entirely replace traditional/regular tools and techniques but can still be a solid complement that is worth the investment.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 5 hours ago, edgecrusher said: I have a smaller Hornady that works well. I always follow up with a traditional cleaning but they cut off time for sure and get places my sausage fingers can’t. He does have some SERIOUS sausage fingers, too. I'm just sayin'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robocop1051 Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 On 10/24/2018 at 4:48 PM, EugeneStoner said: Thanks edgecrusher ?. It sounds like these type of gun cleaners may not necessarily entirely replace traditional/regular tools and techniques but can still be a solid complement that is worth the investment.. It makes the DEEP cleaning a LOT easier. Especially with caked on carbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeneStoner Posted October 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, Robocop1051 said: It makes the DEEP cleaning a LOT easier. Especially with caked on carbon. Thanks Robocop1051! I appreciate all the feedback and can now buy with confidence, just have to wait for the $ to hit the bank. Edited October 26, 2018 by EugeneStoner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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