It is absolutely essential to provide an escape for the overpowering odors emitted by the various chemicals used for cleaning firearms. If you live in a region of the country where you experience temperature extremes, you know what a challenge it can be to properly ventilate your home when performing this task. Until now, it seems you had three options: Open the windows and allow the heat or air conditioning to escape while fanning out the toxic vapors; stay warm or cool and experience a bit of contact buzz while inhaling the damaging fumes; or postpone this essential chore until such time when you have access to fresh air.
But actually, there is a fourth option. In this era of plant-based and otherwise eco-friendly solutions for everything from meat to coffee to ice cream, the genre has extended to gun-cleaning products. You don’t have to be national warrior against global warming to appreciate how bio-friendly products can reduce the amount of chemical runoff and pollutants that land in our nation’s watersheds—not to mention your lungs.
We’ve had an extended cold spell in the mid-Atlantic region this year, and thus I put off cleaning some guns for this reason. However, after being sent samples of a plant-based non-toxic cleaner, I decided to give them a try. Dirty Bore Gun Cleaner and CLP (Clean, Lubricate, Protect) from Advance Warrior Solutions is promoted as American-made, “No Scent, Bio Based, Safe on All Surfaces,” including wood-stain and coatings like Cerakote and more. And if you have to, it's also safe to use with other chemicals.
First, I appreciated the spray-bottle format, which is a change up from the sloppy “saturate and spill” technique required by some of the other popular brands of cleaner. Before saturating a bore swab, I gave the products a long smell test. In the bottle, it’s not exactly odorless, but it is pleasant and does not offer that familiar instant lung-warming sensation. No need to put a fan on its highest setting and blow away from your face. The CLP smells a little like rubbing alcohol, and the gun cleaner has a citrus-like aroma (not unlike happy hour at your favorite Mexican restaurant when the margaritas are starting to churn). Neither were overpowering.
But the real proof was after I started to cleaning the bore—which worked well as advertised—but left no lingering scent. Whoa. That was a very pleasant surprise.
Next up was the CLP. I got a little on my ungloved hands upon spraying a swab and noticed a sticky residue, similar to my EDC hand sanitizer. (Hmmm … CLPS?) The liquid applied well, evaporated quickly, and as promised, it didn’t “gum up, create residue or cause a fog.”
I like it when stuff works. And the fact that I’m not further contributing to the pollution of the water supplies or my body is a huge bonus. And I no longer have to keep the dirty guns locked in the safe until the temps change enough to provide adequate room ventilation. I’ll be using Dirty Bore on those remaining filthy barrels long before I’m complaining that it’s too hot outside to open the windows.
For more, visit dirty-bore.com.
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