[wk5h]

I looked through quite a few threads here dealing with the ultrasonic cleaners; most were on brass, and several on guns, but, I didn't come across anything relating to the lubrication side of it.

I know several manufactures sell lube to put into the US cleaner, then dunk your parts into it and run it for another cycle. The instances I saw of this from looking around, just related to barrels and some trigger assemblies, mainly rifles.

Surely, I wouldn't want to clean my glock, then put the entire gun back into the cleaner full of of lube and run it again? I'm thinking that for polymer striker fired guns like glocks that don't like to be dripping with oil, you'd wanna dry it completely, then hit the important spots for lube per the manual.

Am I wrong on this?

 

[MajorD]

Does not need it why bother ? Clean enough to keep it running is clean enough anything more is a waste of time or an effort to feed an OCD disorder.

 

[Glock+2]

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Am I wrong on this?

:dunno:

 

[ptmccain]

No point in it....

 

[gunsmoke92]

Clean it as you like, lube it by the manual. Easy peezy. :supergrin:

 

[johnwestphal]

I work for one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country. While being assigned to armory/firing range duties full time, this is the system we used for our .223 rifles, shotguns and pistols. These are excellent systems. Ours were the large size due to the need to also clean .223 rifles and shotguns as well as up to 15 pistols per range training day. A water based cleaning solvent and a dry lube dip tank works to get weapons very clean while reducing maintenance man hour costs. Again, if you work a range or larger agency and are charged with firearms maintenance or are just looking for a little side business, the L&R systems are very well made and work excellent on all guns, including polymer pistols.


http://www.lrultrasonics.com/industries/weapons/weapon/products.html

 

[janice6]

On occasion I used to put the frame in my US cleaner with mineral spirits and let it run for a while. When I took it out I blew it dry with compressed air. Then I oiled it carefully and again blew the excess out off. It works, it's fun, might be cool, but I quit doing it.

I often thought about parts in contact being vibrated against each other and didn't like the idea of accelerated wear. You may be comfortable with this.

I never experienced degradation of the plastic, I just didn't like putting it back in service without visually going over each assembly as I would when doing it by hand.

I suppose you could do this exclusively, but not me. I am anal about checking things over in detail. Just for the hell of it. I have found mechanical parts in the process of failing in other machinery and cars in my past through preventive mantainence and I will continue to do this.

 

[bustedknee]

I think you are over-thinking it.

Per the manual, and I'm quoting bustedknee, put one drop of oil on a finger tip then smear it on the lube points shown in the manual.

That's it! .... Go fishing, your Glock is in fine shape.

 

[Cashgap]

I work for one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country. While being assigned to armory/firing range duties full time, this is the system we used for our .223 rifles, shotguns and pistols. These are excellent systems. Ours were the large size due to the need to also clean .223 rifles and shotguns as well as up to 15 pistols per range training day. A water based cleaning solvent and a dry lube dip tank works to get weapons very clean while reducing maintenance man hour costs. Again, if you work a range or larger agency and are charged with firearms maintenance or are just looking for a little side business, the L&R systems are very well made and work excellent on all guns, including polymer pistols.


http://www.lrultrasonics.com/industries/weapons/weapon/products.html

How do you assure that the firing pin, spring, spring cups, sleeve, channel liner and firing pin channel have ZERO (0) lube? Or, assuming they are getting lubed, how are you dealing with the massive debris buildup that lube there attracts?

Any complaints about failures to fire which usually result from lube in the channel, or is the agency content with "not yet" as an answer???

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Great for M4's and "wet" guns like a 1911 or Beretta. It doesn't hurt a glock, it just isn't necessary and does leave a little too much lube behind. For folks that don't know how or just don't want to clean their gun properly, cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner is fine. Just avoid the lube phase. Our cleaner comes with/uses both.

 

[Bren]

I'm thinking that for polymer striker fired guns like glocks that don't like to be dripping with oil, you'd wanna dry it completely, then hit the important spots for lube per the manual.

Am I wrong on this?

No, you are right. I have been shooting Glocks since about 1989 or so. I have owned and shot a lot. My wife and I have about 5 or 6 at home right now and we have shot many thousands of rounds through them. I have never had a malfunction, other than when testing the minimum velocities I could get from loading underpowered ammo. None, ever.

The only lubrication I use is what I can't wipe off after cleaning, plus I usually put something like Militec or Rem-oil on a Q-tip and rub the connector and the slide rails with it.

Great for M4's and "wet" guns like a 1911 or Beretta. It doesn't hurt a glock, it just isn't necessary and does leave a little too much lube behind. For folks that don't know how or just don't want to clean their gun properly, cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner is fine. Just avoid the lube phase. Our cleaner comes with/uses both.

I do the same with 1911's and Berettas. Most malfunctions that are blamed on lubrication are shooter-induced.

 

[jeremiahjj]

If I've been shooting anything over a box of ammo I do what the armorers did at a Glock Days show I went to. They took the pistol apart in 10 seconds or so and threw everything in a dish of Liquid Dawn. They took the parts out a minute or two later, wiped 'em off with a rag and put the pistol back together. The last thing they did was lube it the way the manual says do it. If it works for them, it works for me.

If I've shot fewer than a box of cartridges I just field-strip the pistol, wipe it down with a little CLP, run a Bore Snake through it a few times and it's good to go. Having spent a career in a southern law enforcement agency where it's humid, hot, and the weapons were mostly blued steel revolvers (think wiping them down every day with an oily rag), keeping a Glock in good running condition is something we only dreamed about.

 

[danielschauder]

If I have fired 100 plus rounds thru my pistol it goes in the ultrasonic. I use M-pro7 cleaner.
1- Strip pistol
2- Run ultrasonic for 10 min.
3- Rinse with hot water
4- Blow off with air and wipe dry
5- 30 min. in the dehydrator to be sure all internals are dry
6- Oil recommended areas and wipe pistol down with lightly oiled rag
7- Reassemble

Sure, its overkill but I enjoy keeping my firearms clean. The ultrasonic does an amazing job with little to no effort.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

That's fine for a touch up. It works for temporary use. It's not for long term or ongoing use. We do it all the time. For a day or two. It's not cleaning. That requires a bore brush and solvent, as well as brushing other contact areas before wipedown and lube. They're pretty easy to maintain no matter how you look at it.

If I've been shooting anything over a box of ammo I do what the armorers did at a Glock Days show I went to. They took the pistol apart in 10 seconds or so and threw everything in a dish of Liquid Dawn. They took the parts out a minute or two later, wiped 'em off with a rag and put the pistol back together. The last thing they did was lube it the way the manual says do it. If it works for them, it works for me.

If I've shot fewer than a box of cartridges I just field-strip the pistol, wipe it down with a little CLP, run a Bore Snake through it a few times and it's good to go. Having spent a career in a southern law enforcement agency where it's humid, hot, and the weapons were mostly blued steel revolvers (think wiping them down every day with an oily rag), keeping a Glock in good running condition is something we only dreamed about.

 

[Cashgap]

5- 30 min. in the dehydrator to be sure all internals are dry

Very important. Got a pic or a link? You just added something to my wish list!!!

 

[boilergonzo]

I can see why someone wanting to quickly clean large numbers of firearms for a large armory would want this.

For me, I do not. I just use my ultrasonic cleaner to thoroughly clean disassembled parts. I reassemble and lube the proper points. I do not put an entire gun in mine (some of my full-sized guns would probably be tough to fit in my ultrasonic cleaner due to size, but I admit I have not tried!). I don't want lube (even a thin one) all over the gun, just where I put it!

I always avoid highly flammable cleaners...

My wife dislikes it, but I use one of our kitchen ovens for drying. The electric convection oven at 150 degrees provides circulating, dry air to get the parts moisture free.

 

[Jim]

How do you assure that the firing pin, spring, spring cups, sleeve, channel liner and firing pin channel have ZERO (0) lube? Or, assuming they are getting lubed, how are you dealing with the massive debris buildup that lube there attracts?

Any complaints about failures to fire which usually result from lube in the channel, or is the agency content with "not yet" as an answer???

I'm sure that putting a lot of oil inside a Glock can cause problems, but...

I used to work in a frequently wet/humid envrionment, and I hate rusty guns. Even though the glock parts are protected by various treatments and coatings, I wanted a little oil in there.
Specifically, after detail stripping I would oil the firing pin, spring, etc and then simply wipe off the excess. After every "ordinary" cleaning, I would do the "shake test" to be sure the firing pin was still moving freely.

One of my G19s was the duty gun, the other was my practice gun that got more rounds through it.
When the practice gun got to about 7k rds and the duty gun to about 4k rds, I did another detail strip. The amount of crud in the channel areas was minimal and seemed dry, less than what would be in my Browning Hi Power after only a thousand rounds.

Light weight oils like are probably typical in an ultrasonic cleaner, tend to either evaporate or drain away after a while.

But don't go squirting you Glock full of 30 weight motor oil.

 

[Lt. Donn]

The ultra-sound cleaners do a good job of cleaning...just remember, it removes any and all lubrication...so do a proper lube after using the cleaner

 

[AgentM79]

I've tried gun cleaning both with and without an ultrasonic set-up (L&R). I can say in no uncertain terms that I have no use for ultrasonic tanks for gun cleaning purposes. Give me MPro7 cleaner, LPx CLP, Brownell's shop swabs, a few pipe cleaners, and a roll of Scott's blue shop towels, and I'll get a Glock armorer-clean and properly lubed in less time than anyone with an ultrasonic set-up. Here's why. The ultrasonic tank won't remove much carbon or lead fouling; it will still be there when you pull the parts out of the tank. Manual scrubbing is required. Plus, nooks and crannies have to be thoroughly dried - like the magazine catch, slide lock, trigger w/trigger bar, firing pin channel, extractor cut-out, RSA, and extractor depressor plunger channel. It takes too long, factoring in rinsing the parts, drying them (possibly with compressed air), re-lubing them, drying them again, and re-assembling the gun.

Just my personal experience as a LE armorer since Y2K.

 

[danielschauder]

I've tried gun cleaning both with and without an ultrasonic set-up (L&R). I can say in no uncertain terms that I have no use for ultrasonic tanks for gun cleaning purposes. Give me MPro7 cleaner, LPx CLP, Brownell's shop swabs, a few pipe cleaners, and a roll of Scott's blue shop towels, and I'll get a Glock armorer-clean and properly lubed in less time than anyone with an ultrasonic set-up. Here's why. The ultrasonic tank won't remove much carbon or lead fouling; it will still be there when you pull the parts out of the tank. Manual scrubbing is required. Plus, nooks and crannies have to be thoroughly dried - like the magazine catch, slide lock, trigger w/trigger bar, firing pin channel, extractor cut-out, RSA, and extractor depressor plunger channel. It takes too long, factoring in rinsing the parts, drying them (possibly with compressed air), re-lubing them, drying them again, and re-assembling the gun.

Just my personal experience as a LE armorer since Y2K.

I agree with what you are saying. There is still some scrubbing involved to remove all carbon and leading from the barrel. Yet, there are areas that are very hard to reach that the ultrasonic will reach. Of course you need to be sure that all of the moisture is removed. I prefer the use of a dehydrator because of the lower temps and air flow a dehydrator produces. I would never argue that it is over kill but for those of us that like "over the top", and don't mind the time, ultrasonic does a great job. When I say "don't mind the time", it isn't time spent scrubbing, it's time waiting for the ultrasonic timer