An Introduction to Handgun Cleaning Products

At the far end from the basic kits, you’ll find ultrasonic cleaning systems. The ultrasonic vibrations of the cleaning tank, combined with the proper solvent solutions, does all of the scrubbing for you, producing a squeaky clean gun in a short period of time. Another dip in the tank with the lubricating solution will help to protect the gun from moisture. Although ultrasonic systems are more expensive, they don't have to break your budget. A system like the L&R HCS 200 provides everything you need with a balance of function, tank size and reasonable pricing.

The Dunk-Kit from Cylinder & Slide is a full-immersion cleaning product. Field strip the pistol and place the parts in the bucket of cleaner. The Dunk-Kit deeply penetrates into the fouling to make it easy to scrub off. Soak, scrub, rinse, drip dry or blow off the excess cleaner with compressed air and you’re done. The Dunk-Kit also leaves a protective coating on the gun parts to inhibit rust. Just lubricate as you would with other cleaning methods, and you are ready to go.

When you are ready to expand your cleaning tool set, Tipton offers a variety of professional-grade tools to simplify your life. The Best Gun Vice, though designed primarily for work on long guns, works very well as a handgun vice. The 26-piece Ultra Jag & Best Bore Brush Set will clean every barrel from .17 to .45 calibers. The carbon-fiber cleaning rods are light, strong and easy on the wrist.

Clean-up is fast with Birchwood Casey's aerosol gun cleaning products. The compressed cleaners blow the gunk out of those hard to reach places, and the spray-on preservative gets right down into the pistol where you need it the most. The Gun & Reel Silicon Cloths leave a protective shine on pistols at the end of a cleaning session.

Sentry Solutions offers oil-free lubricants and protective compounds that work together to protect your gear. These products effectively lubricate and defend the gun from moisture, and simplify the cleaning process. The Sentry products form a chemical bond with the surfaces of the pistol. This bonding action helps prevent fouling from sticking to your gun, which in turn reduces your cleaning time.

Hoppe's is best known for their No. 9 formulation of bore cleaning solvent. Few cleaning products on the market today have been around since 1903. Good old No. 9 is effective at removing powder fouling. The Hoppe's lineup has grown to include a variety of products for expanding your simple kit or diversifying your cleaning chemical set.

The Otis Professional Pistol System is not only a high-quality tool set for cleaning, it’s also portable. It offers a much more flexible and complete set of tools then most basic kits. For on the road or out in the field, an Otis kit can travel along on a belt or tucked into a field bag pocket.

The first cleaning kit for many shooters, such as this classic KleenBore kit, is usually purchased off the shelf at the same shop as their first handgun. Kits like these are inexpensive, easy to find and usually have the basics you need to get started.