I stole this off another forum. I think this would be a good place to post tips.
1. Gun get wet? Denatured alcohol displaces water, and it cuts through most oils and grease, rinse the gun in alcohol, then apply oil for corrosion protection.
2. Chore Boy copper pads, shredded and wrapped around a bore brush is excellent for removing lead from a barrel.
3. Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mixed 50/50 will also remove lead quickly, but forms lead acetate, so only do this if you must, and definitely outdoors.
4. Cold gun bluing works much better when the metal is warm.
5. A mix of ground up chalk and some alcohol to form a paste will suck the gun oil out of a wood stock. Works even better when left in the hot sun.
6. Windex or straight ammonia work just as well as most copper solvents. You do need to rinse the ammonia out of the barrel.
7. A #7 O-ring between your cleaning rods (8-32) and tips keep the threads from binding.
8. Johnson's Paste Wax is colorless, and makes gunmetal really shine and repel water, works on wood stocks too.
9. You don't need a front sight tool for an AR-15 with a standard front sight - it was meant to be adjusted with the tip of a bullet, same thing for adjusting the M-16 style rear sight and removing the firing pin retaining pin.
10. AK-47s run much smoother and are easier to clean if you sparingly use grease instead of oil to lubricate the action. A $5.00 tub from Wal-Mart is more than enough to do a battalion of AK-47s
11. If you need a flat reference plate for sanding/polishing a surface, a 1.5" thick piece of granite works really well. Most counter-top stores will be happy to sell you (or give you) their sink cut-outs.
12. 2 liter bottles or other resealable containers are handy for disposing of used, solvent soaked cleaning patches. Keeps the house from stinking. Fill the container with water when you are finished to reduce the possibility of spontaneous combustion.
13. Plastic cutting boards are great for cleaning/working on guns, screw or stick a magnetic strip to one side of it, and your small little gun parts will not roll away. Wash with soap and water when you are done.
14. A piece of nylon (like women's nylons), fastened to the end of a vacuum cleaner hose, or the magnet from the back of a speaker is an excellent way to find dropped parts.
15. Disassemble parts that have tiny pieces under spring tension (like a M1 Bolt) in a shoe box. It should limit how far the pieces fly.
15. Given sufficient thrust,
s fly just fine.
16. A length of cleaning rod with a jag attached works pretty well to get a squib round out of a barrel.
17. Don't have a laser bore sight? A laser pointer rubber banded to the end of the barrel will get you in the ballpark.
18. When reloading ammo, weigh your completed ammo against a reference round (one confirmed to have correct powder charge etc) The weight of the completed rounds should be within a few grains of your reference.
19. When in doubt, empty the magazine.