Collecting and Shooting the Surplus Rifle

It Stinkith no more�.By R. Ted Jeo

Recently I was looking through a copy of Gun Week (Jan 10, 2004) and came across an article about a line of gun cleaning products by Pantheon Chemical out of Phoenix, AZ. The article was talking about a line of cleaners called M-Pro 7. These were originally developed for cleaning the big boy guns on US Air Force fighters. The story of the company starts as many we are familiar with today�in the garage. The company went on to capture customers such as the US and Japanese Armed forces as well as a number of law enforcement agencies around the country. Of late, Pantheon will form a partnership with Hoppe�s to sell their cleaners under the name of Hoppe�s Elite. More on that later.

The M-Pro 7 line includes a spray cleaner, bore gel, gun oil and Cleaner Lubricant Protectant (CLP)

I was intrigued because the Gun Week article said it was �odorless�, �non-flammable� and �environmentally friendly� and did not contain �toxic solvents�. Intrigued, because every single time I open a bottle of my standard cleaning solvent, the spouse would be knocking on the basement workshop door complaining of the smell. You know the smell I am talking about. A few of the guys at the range consider the smell �perfume� to their noses and they would not mind if their significant others used it by dabbing a bit behind the ears etc. You see, up here in the Great White Freezing North (better known as Minnesota) we do not have the luxury of sitting in our garages or on the deck outside cleaning our toys during 4 to 6 months out of the year. Or, at least, if you do not want to get severe cases of frost bite on your extremities. Our only other alternative is NOT to shoot in cold weather!??! Yeah like that is going to happen.

How does it work? According to M-Pro 7 information, the cleaner is a special blend of chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors and surfactants in a non-toxic solvent base that penetrates the pores of metal. The M-Pro 7 line of cleaners can be legally carried on commercial airlines because of their non-hazardous and non-flammable contents.
It is safe to use on all rifles, handguns, black powder arms and shotguns, and, for those who have them, machine guns, and your common grenade launcher. Their information repeatedly keys in on the words �carbon fouling�. Carbon fouling starts with the very first shot of a brand new weapon. This fouling embeds itself into the pores of the bore metal and acts like glue, attracting more fouling, lead, copper and/or plastic, layering it, shot after shot. In some cases, there can be carbon residues that actually were impurities in the metal used to make the barrel. M-Pro 7 gun cleaner is designed to remove the carbon, lead and most copper fouling down to the pores and then condition the bore to repel additional fouling. They say if you have extreme copper fouling, you should first use the M-Pro 7 cleaner to remove as much fouling of all types first, then use your copper removing solvent. It will work more efficiently on the copper then it did before with all the carbon gone. Using their complete system of cleaners, lubricants and protectants, they claim that subsequent cleaning time and effort will be reduced by 80%.

Image Supplied by Pantheon Chemical

Thinking caps on�..

Surfactants: (short for �Surface Active Agent�). This is probably the most important part of the cleaner. Basically, a surfactant molecule attaches itself to oil, grease, metal ions, and dirt and then allows these �impurities� to be lifted into the cleaning solution and removed. Essentially soaps and detergents are surfactants.

Chelating agents: (kee-lay-ting), from the Greek word �chele� meaning claw. Chemically, a chelating agent has a �claw� that binds with metal ions, making them soluble, and therefore can be removed by the cleaning solution. By taking up the metal ions, the chelating agents also help the surfactants to do their cleaning job better. In medicine, a person with lead poisoning may get �chelation therapy� where a chelating agent that is administered will solublize the normally insoluble lead and then the person can excrete the soluble lead in the urine. In household cleaners, such as laundry detergent, phosphates used to be a chelating agent to soften water and allow the surfactants to work better on the dirt.

Corrosion inhibitors: These are chemicals that slow down the corrosion rate and minimize the amount of corrosion that will take place. Most inhibitors will protect metal by coating it with some sort of barrier (chemical, physical, or electrical) to air and water thus stopping or at least slowing down the corrosion rate of the metal. A good example where a corrosion inhibitor is used is in your car�s antifreeze. Normally, your antifreeze solution is mixed with water to some dilution. A corrosion inhibitor is in the antifreeze to protect the radiator and engine from rust corrosion. However, over time, the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitor does decrease and the antifreeze needs to be changed.

So, I ordered an 8 oz bottle of the pump spray gun cleaner and a bottle of the bore gel cleaner from Brownells. The bore cleaning gel is actually the same as the pump spray cleaner but in a thicker form. I had read that it actually cuts down on cleaning time the more you use it because it conditions the metal, but, in the beginning, I was more interested in cutting down the SMELL more than anything else. At just about the same time the cleaners arrived, my father�s Christmas gift to me also arrived, a M1917 Enfield from the CMP. Okay, I said, what would be a better test of cleaning capability than a cosmoline covered old war dog that has probably only shot dirty blanks for more than 30 years. This rifle, by the way, will be the subject of a couple of other articles in the near future on stock repair, re finishing and shooting range reports.

I completely stripped the rifle down to its basic parts. Even though the exterior of the rifle was relatively clean, the interior of the receiver and chamber as well as under the front hand guards did not disappoint me and I found plenty of semi-hardened cosmoline smeared on. The barrel was so filled with grease, grit and grime that I could hardly discern any rifling. Judging from the little red paint like chips I found inside the chamber and receiver, this rifle was well used for firing blank ammunition. My understanding was that these rifles were returned to the CMP from VFW posts where, no doubt, the rifle had been used in a number of different ceremonies over the years. By the way, the receiver serial number put the rifle as being made in September of 1918. A perfect test subject for the M-Pro 7 cleaners. Normally, I would be using low odor mineral spirits to clean up rifles in this state, so I was looking forward to using something that did not leave me high on the fumes.

And what about corrosive ammo residues?

According to M-Pro 7, �M-Pro-7 Gun Cleaner and the Bore Gel are awesome for corrosive ammo deposits. No pre-wash is required as the products neutralize the salts and other corrosive components upon contact.�

If the M-Pro 7 cleaners could clean this rifle up, I felt confident that they could clean ANY rifle. Using the gun cleaner pump sprayer, I followed the directions and liberally sprayed the receiver area, let it sit for a few minutes and then gently (and I mean gently) brushed the sprayed area with a nylon cleaning brush (ala M16 type). First off, I noticed no noxious fumes what so ever. As I worked the sprayed area with the nylon brush I noticed that there was some slight �foaming action� and that the foam was taking on the color of the grease. In other words, the cleaner was working. After a bit of brushing, I simply wiped the cleaner off. Presto, the metal was clean and dry, and, on top of that, my eyes were not burning, my nose was not running and I was not coughing and sputtering from fumes. Unlike after using the mineral spirits, the metal did not have an oily film or residue left on it and the cleaning rag did not have to be treated as hazardous waste. And, guess what? No knocking on the basement workshop door by the spouse!

Using the nylon brush on the front sight, the cleaner has a little bit of foaming action and will acquire the brownish color of old grease.

Old grease and crud come right off with a spritz and some brushing. Side view of 1917 receiver.

Bottom view of 1917 receiver after being sprayed with M-Pro 7 gun cleaner.

Continuing on, I sprayed another area, let it sit and then treated it with the nylon brush. After wiping it off, I would move to another area and repeat. The spray gun cleaner easily removed the grease, crud and Cosmoline left on the rifle. It striped off the old grease and oil that was put on the bolt. I cleaned all the internal parts of the trigger, bolt and safety. The cleaner always left the metal dry and clean. To clean the ENTIRE rifle, I used about 2 oz (or about �) of the 8 oz spray bottle. Finally, I came to the REAL rest. The barrel.

What is Cosmoline?

Cosmoline is a trade name for petrolatum, originally trademarked in 1892. According to a web search it is a combination of �grease, shellac and beeswax with copper sulfate added as a corrosion inhibitor�. It is a �Vaseline�-like coating that protects metal surfaces from corrosion, rust and some physical damage. It is resistant to fresh and salt water and most chemicals. It usually does not dry completely rock hard, but it can become more �gum like� over time. It is used by the automotive industry to protect metal and rubber parts. It is used by the government to protect materiel placed in long term storage (i.e. forever). It can be kept in �bricks� and then warmed to a liquid for items to be dipped into or brushed on. Normally, it requires a solvent, such as gasoline, kerosene or mineral spirits to remove it. Stories about removal also including using a putty knife for scraping and soaking it in lighter fluid and burning it off. Arsenals would use steam and soap to remove it as well.

Here is where I switched to using the M-Pro 7 bore gel cleaner. As I opened the bottle, I expected to see, well, a gel. In reality it was more like warmed up honey. The instructions said to �dip the brush� into the container. I did not think that was all that good of an idea for contamination reasons, so instead, I used a small paintbrush and dribbled the gel onto the bronze bore brush (they recommend these over any other type). Using a MTM Case-Gard bore guide, I pushed the brush through the bore, back and forth several times. Then I let it set for about 10 minutes. The instructions said that the more agitation and the longer the cleaner is left to set, the more cleaning action would happen. About 1o minutes later I changed to a jag tipped cleaning rod and ran the first patch through. It came out black as coal, which is what I would expect. A few more patches and they started to turn light gray in color. So I repeated the bore brush treatment, followed by more patches. I figured that I repeated procedure 5 or 6 times, using 50 or so patches. Of course, this rifle was FILTHY, I would not expect to have to do this every time I shot it in the future.

The use of the MTM Case-Gard bore guide (BGW-L) was a perfect fit for the 1917 action.

The first patch to come out of the barrel was, needless to say, black as coal.

Bore Guides�what are they and what good are they?

A bore guide is a specially designed tube that allows a person cleaning a rifle to pass a cleaning rod through a rifle action without dribbling solvent or cleaning agents into the trigger mechanism and magazine. Very importantly, the guide also �guides� the cleaning rod straight into the chamber and barrel, thereby reducing the chance of scratching the chamber area, bending the rod and also scraping it against the internal surfaces of the trigger mechanism.

MTM Case-Gard has a line of 4 bore guides that they make that are designed to fit �families� of rifle actions. I decided to contact MTM and request one of each guide to determine which mil surp action each guide would fit best in.

MTM Bore Guides

BGR-L-for .25 to .378 WBY Mag. calibers. Fits Remington 700, 788, 40X short action; Ruger 77 short actions and similar.

BGR-S-for.17 to .243 (6mm) calibers. Fits Remington 700, 788, 40X short actions; Mauser 300, Ruger 77 short actions and similar.

BGW-L-for .25 to .378 WBY. Mag. Calibers. Fits Remington 700, 788 long actions; Winchester 70 and 54 long actions; Ruger 77 long actions; Winchester 300; Weatherby Mark V long actions and Vanguard actions; Browning A-bolt long action standard and magnum calibers; Savage 110; Mossberg 3500; Sako long action (AV) and similar long actions.

BGW-S-for .17 to .243 (6mm) calibers. Fits Remington 700, 788 long action; Winchester 70 short actions; Savage 110; Weatherby Mark V long actions and Vanguard actions; Ruger 77 long actions.

Notice how the handle of the bore guide �locks� into the slot where the bolt handle would normally be on this M96/38 Swedish Mauser. This is the correct position of the handle.

There are two caliber sizes to choose from, the difference after that is where the little handle on the bore guide is. The handle of the bore guide is used to lock it into place, it would sit where the bolt handle would normal lock into the stock or action. I did find, however, even if the bore guide handle did not fit into the bolt handle lock down, you could use a bore guide that would fit in the caliber, you would just have to hold the guide steady as you work your cleaning rod through it. In these cases you would want to go with the longer action bore guide in correct caliber so that bore guide handle would not interfere with the insertion of the guide all the way into the chamber of the rifle.

The bore guide does not lock into either the Swiss K31 or Austrian M95 straight pull action rifles, but I found I could still use the guide, I just had to hold it in place when inserting the cleaning rod.

To select a bore guide, first find the correct caliber family. This is important as the tapered end of the bore guide fits into the chamber of the rifle to stop cleaner leakage. So, you could fit the smaller 6.5mm guide into a .30 cal chamber, but you may run into the problem of leakage or your larger diameter cleaning rod may not fit the guide.

Here are some examples of which guide to use with which rifles:

BGW-L: American M1917 Enfield, French MAS 36, Swiss K31 (does not lock into place), Austrian M95 Steyr (does not lock into place)

BGR-L: Yugoslavian M48A, Japanese Type 99, Austrian M95 Steyr (tight fit, does not lock into place), Spanish FR8 Mauser.

BGR-S: Swedish M96/38 Mauser, Italian M1938 Carcano

I found that the Russian Mosin Nagant and British Enfield rifle families do not take any of the four guides. The reason is because the actions on the rifles are too narrow to accept the guide.

I had only one guide prior to writing this article. It is the long action .30 caliber one. I used this guide pretty much for all the .30 caliber family of rifles, whether the guide locked into place or not. I could never find any of the other guides at local stores. I have found for the roughly $7 cost, the guide is affordable and very easy to use and does the job.

You should be able to find a MTM Case-Gard guide at your local sporting goods store, however, if you cannot, try contacting them and picking up their shooting products catalog at:

MTM Molded Products Co.
3370 Obco Ct.
P.O. Box 13117
Dayton OH, 45414
(800) 543-0548
MTMcase-gard.com

By the way, MTM Case-gard is well known in reloading circles for their ammo boxes, reloading trays and component storage cases. They also have a great line of cleaning boxes and cradles as well as plastic gun cases. They even make a cartridge display case.

You know how on other cleaning solvents the directions say, �use bore brush and cleaner, run patches through until they come out clean�? In all the time I have cleaned rifles or pistols, I have NEVER been able to get that CLEAN patch. There was always some sort of �bad� coloring on it. The M-Pro 7 instructions pretty much say that you will probably only get to a �light gray� color on the patch. These are the residual microscopic carbon deposits that are coming off and that these will eventually all work their way out in subsequent cleanings. I can live with that.

A Trip to the Dentist�.

Here is an interesting side note. Most of the tools that your dentist uses or that you can find at your local drugstore, come in VERY handy for cleaning your mil surp weapons. Of course the various picks (both plastic and metal) that have all sorts of angles and tips can reach into the nooks and crannies of the chamber and such. Brushes some in handy for sweeping out particles and brushing cleaners and solvents. One of my favorite cleaning tools is the rubber or silicon �gum exerciser�. The tip of this device is soft, so it will not scratch metal. I either use the tip as is or place a cleaning patch over it and then clean along edges and corners, getting out those last resisting patch of crud. Another handy item is the �Interdental� brush by Oral-B. These are tiny cone shaped brushes that work wonders going into screw holes or threads. The brushes are soft enough that they can be forced into the smallest of screw holes. Now�I just have to figure out where the old electric toothbrush will come in handy�.

The Oral-B Interdental brush comes in handy for cleaning out screw holes.

The rubber or silicon gum exerciser is very handy and will not scratch metal surfaces.

What about the wood on the rifle? Well, I liberally doused part of the wood stock (which is varnished and will be re done anyway) to see what it would do. I scrubbed the spot with a nylon brush. Other than being cleaner than the rest of the stock, it did not do anything to the finish or color. BUT, read on. The company states that, �Test before use on finishes because M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaner can safely and instantly remove unprotected oil-based wood finishes, water based paint/finishes and some �cold bluing.� In other words, test it on a spot if you are worried. I take the warning as; if the stock is finished with some sort of sealant on it, the gun cleaner will not hurt it.

Here is the finished product. Note the nice clean appearance of the receiver metal. Note the large stock crack and �rough varnish job� directly below receiver.

Absolutely incredible. These words pretty much sum up my experience with the M-Pro 7 cleaners. I actually enjoyed the time it took to really clean the 1917. Of course, it is an extreme example, but one that really tests the M-Pro 7 cleaners. The only issue that **I** would have using this cleaner is the fact that it freezes at 18 F. Up north here, sub 18 F can be most of the winter. What does that mean to me? Well, instead of cleaning the rifle at the range, I will just have to take it home and do the cleaning in the warm comfort of my basement�without the fumes (and wrath of spouse) of course. After I realized how easy and how clean the rifle came out, I contacted the company and asked them to send a sample of the lubricant that is of the same product line. After all, if the cleaners worked so well, how about the lubricants?

The M-Pro 7 gun oil looks and works pretty much like most any other oil that you use on a firearm. It is obviously highly refined, you can tell this by the lack of color. They claim it is slicker than Teflon based products and is non-toxic, non-flammable and biodegradable with no odor. It has a usable temperature rating from �40 F to 650 F. I found the oil to be quite easy to apply to the dry degreased metal that the cleaner left behind. The one obvious thing that I noticed is that a little bit went a LONG way. Once I wiped this oil on the dry bare metal, the color became rich and dark. Had the rifle had actual bluing on it, I am certain that it would have been given a luster and shine that would have made it look like new.

There is one more item in the M-Pro 7 line up that I did not use in cleaning the 1917. They make a Military Grade Cleaner Lubricant Protectant (CLP) also. According to their information, this is used essentially in the field environment for a one-step cleaning/lubrication/protection of the firearm, essentially a �lick and a promise� to clean your weapon later with the deep cleaning gun cleaner. The CLP surpasses mil specs, has a temperature use rating of �55 F to 800 F, is non-toxic, non-flammable and low odor. In talking with Pantheon, I found that the CLP would not remove all the salts from corrosive ammunition, but it would protect the rifle from them. In other words, you cannot use it to remove the salts, but once you have cleaned the rifle with the gun cleaner, and then treat the rifle with the CLP, it will help in protection.

On a final note. As a separate test, I quickly cleaned out the barrel of a recently fired rifle (which had not been cleaned since I shot it a month ago..shame on me) to see how the cleaner would work on a �normal� cleaning job. I had shot about 100 reload rounds through the rifle (FR-8), it took ONE brushing of the cleaner, a 4-5 minute wait and SIX patches to get it to the �light gray� colored dry patch. I was not convinced that it had come that clean that fast, so I repeated the bore brushing. The first patch through looked like the last patch from before, slightly light gray in color. This tells me that additional brushing would not yield much more dirt out of the barrel. That is pretty SWEET!

In conclusion, I have to say that I am completely taken over by the way the M-Pro 7 line works and DOES NOT smell. I am quite pleased with the results of both the M1917 and the FR-8. You can bet that I will continue to use these products. I have no issue what so ever in giving it a �go out and get it and use it� recommendation. Remember, soon, the M-Pro 7 line will be private labeling the technology under their partnership agreement
under the name of Hoppe�s Elite and should be available in your local stores. It will still be sold by Pantheon through their website at www.Mpro7.com or their supplies such as Midway and Brownells. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my QUART size bottle of Hoppe�s No. 9 that I bought�..

M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaner Challenge:

(from their website: www.Mpro7.com)
Start with a gun that you know is absolutely clean. Clean it again with one of your favorite cleaning solvents. Then spray one squirt of M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaner down the bore, wait a minute, run a bore brush through the bore once and dry patch. If you are not shocked by what comes out of the bore, call 800-937-4677 for a full refund including shipping both ways.