Thoughts on Ultrasonic cleaning SS Ruger Mark III

[george tirebiter]

I've got a Ruger Mark III stainless steel gun that I have yet to clean after about 8,000 rounds. I really have no interest in taking it apart and tormenting myself. Does anyone have experience with cleaning it an an Ultrasonic bath? What medium is recommended? Eds Red, Windex, Soap?

[Izzy43]

Don't know what to use as a solvent (medium) except that I wouldn't use anything that is water based like Windex, etc. How about Hoppe's #9 or CLP and not even sure about that as how will you ensure that all the solvent is out of the action and won't start to gum it up? I'm just thinking on the fly here.

Maybe give a local gunshop/smith a call and see what they recommend.

[SB61]

Careful there is a lot of energy in ultra sonic cleaners and you can dull the finish if left in too long. I know a soft solder finish will dull in about 10 seconds with DI water.

[Tom Slick]

I'e cleaned mine with dish soap and water in my ultra sonic cleaner with no issues.

[Spiggy]

I've got one. It will clean a fouled up CZ75 slide and an AR15 bolt at the same time. But it does not eliminate the need for scrubbing the harder spots like behind extractors and inside the bolt carrier key.

I've used simple dawn dish soap and warm water. But there's other solvents and solutions you can buy that are more effective and safer on certain materials and finishes.

If you want a cheap one, Harbor Freight has a Chicago Electric 2.5 liter heated cleaner that pops up for sale for $75 once in while. And the cool part is, the company is the OEM for the Lyman Ultrasonic Case Cleaner. I've had mine for little under a year and half and it still runs like a champ.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-prep/turbosonic-casecleaner.php

And you're in luck, they're on sale

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

[justpaul]

lots of youtube videos on taking your gun apart and cleaning it.. after the 3rd time you can do it fast..

[sdfire]

Find someone in your area that has one and, let them help you take it apart and clean it. If you are near San Diego, I could help you out. Throwing a whole gun in an ultrasonic usually doesn't work how you would expect, and if you don't take the gun apart, you cant get all the water out, leading to rust issues.

[kmca]

I clean my steel guns with Simple Green/water, blow the water off with compressed air, then soak in diesel for a few minutes to displace the water and leave a film of protection.

[RandyD]

Years ago, I watched an American Gun Institute video on disassembly and cleaning of a Winchester 94, and I was surprised they used Simple Green as a cleaning solvent. I followed their recommendation and have used Simple Green to clean my firearms since, and have not had any problems.

If you are going to immerse your handgun into any solution, you need to insure that all of the solution has drained. Water based solutions can cause rust, and any solution left in the action will probably squirt out in all directions when you fire the firearm.

[INFAMOUS762X39]

lots of youtube videos on taking your gun apart and cleaning it.. after the 3rd time you can do it fast..

Yup I agree, take down is not hard at all after a few times.

Even if I shoot 1 brick or 5 bricks of ammo, I will clean my 22/45.

Also really clean your trigger assembly/area, you'll be surprised in the trigger pull. A nice polish mod wouldn't hurt.

[gwanghoops]

I clean my steel guns with Simple Green/water, blow the water off with compressed air, then soak in diesel for a few minutes to displace the water and leave a film of protection.