Cleaning with Kroil

KHornet

Well-Known Member
Don't know where I read it, or someone told me to try Kroil as
a bore cleaner. Anyhow, I tried it in my 9's, 38's, 44, and 45's and
it seemed to work fine as a cleaner, no better or worse than a lot
of bore cleaners I have used over the years. Have always favored
Hopies #9, but being curious have tried probably 6-8 different
ones over the years. Anyhow, would be interested in comments
on Kroil, and or any other pet cleaners. with emphasis on cast
in handguns.

Paul
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I have used Kroil occasionally when I was removing fouling layers .
I favor Hoppes for general carbon removal .
I've used several others Birchwood Casey and Barnes copper solvents come to the top right off .

What I can say is that if you use some particular solvent over the long haul when you change , mistakenly or deliberately open a different bottle or spill something on your patch box you will lift lots of gunk out of the bores . It's just like changing oil brands from Pennzoil or Quakerstate to GTX or Valvoline and the instant black from the difference in detergent blends . Same thing happens in the barrel with the established chains and compounds .
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
..........What I can say is that if you use some particular solvent over the long haul when you change , mistakenly or deliberately open a different bottle or spill something on your patch box you will lift lots of gunk out of the bores ................

I can't back this up with scientifically derived data, but I can get behind it 100% based on what I've seen or thought I've seen. I'll switch between Hoppes, Kroil, Ed's Red and cheap WM "Spray Lube" for no particular reason and on no specific rotation. Sometimes I'll use a couple on the same gun in the same session just to make sure I'm not "missing something."

My one constant is Break-Free. It's protective and preservation qualities are very good, it lubricates very well, but it seems to just keep cleaning, without being aggressive, for as long as it's left in my bores. It also seems to get along will with cast bullets and associated lubes very well.

I don't have to clean bores that often, but on a new gun, or while experimenting with new loads on an "old" gun, I'll get some leading in bores and Kroil seems to assist in loosening up the metallic fouling when left to soak while I have lunch or something like that.

I also like the smell of Kroil. Not that it makes it work better, but it makes me more inclined to use it than I might be if it smelled badly.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
I cling to Eds Red, the combination of ATF & acetone seem to make a really effective penetrant & cleaner. There is a thread around here where we discussed such things, I'll try to find it again, there's a huge amount of info on it. Found it! https://artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/eds-red.4642/

My "go-to" oil at this point is Royal Purple, primarily because I get it free. My son uses it in his car, and it's one of those cars that requires 4-1/2 quarts of oil, so there's always a half qt or so around here somewhere. I also have a bottle of Breakfree, and one of Lucas Gun Oil as well. I also have Kroil but have not found it to be any more effective than ER. However my experiences with jacketed rifle bullets is limited and outdated, so there may be something there I'm unaware of. Most of the high volume rifle shooters I know usually foam the barrels or use Sweets or Butch's for copper.
 
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Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I'm also a fan of Break Free CLP if I can find it at a decent price. For general cleaning I tend to favor Diesel/ATF or Acetone/ATF simply because it's cheap and I keep it on hand. Just cleaned a gifted SMLE No 3 (I think) my youngest boy was given last evening. ATF/Acetone works good for that type of rough work. I've never even seen Kroil but I know people that rave about it. From what I understand it's rather dear to use for rough work and more of a specialized penetrant/lube.

For sheer aroma and nostalgia, nothing beats Hoppes #9!
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I've not used Kroil as a cleaner, per se, but have tried it as a penetrant to get under copper fouling, though don't know if it is any more effective than a copper remover.

Sometimes I will use Hoppe's No. 9 followed by Ed's Red, but, again, don't known if the combination is any better than using just one of them. However, when using straight ATF for lubrication, I've found it removes stuff that Ed's and/or Hoppe's didn't.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I don't find Kroil very effective for cleaning handguns. But with that said, I use it as the last coat cleaning handguns in the house. I don't normally use flammable solvents in my house because of the fireplaces burning in the cold weather. As a last coat, it seems to bring up anything that is left after a couple of months and get it up by cleaning before going to the range again. Of course I live in the desert, so I don't have to worry about rust.
 

JonB

Halcyon member
I prefer Ed's Red for gun bore cleaning.
I'll use WD40 to blast-clean a gummed up action, like in a 22LR semi-auto. Once clean, I dry the parts and use machine tool oil on them and maybe gunslick on high wear areas.
I like to protect the outer gun metal with G96...Except for gunshows, I use the Gunshow oil recipe for guns that will get handled alot (Mobil One-STP oil treatment in a 70-30 mix).

I use Kroil to coat, Iron bullet molds for storage in 'almost' airtight food storage containers.
I also like Kroil in the garage for penetrating oil jobs and a few other things, and I have a oil squirt bottle filled with recovered used ATF for everything else in the garage, LOL.
 
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MW65

Wetside, Oregon
Haven't used Kroil in years... used to get it for free from the machine shop guys. Liked how it worked. Currently using breakfree & butch's for most of my cleaning.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Am I mistaken or did I read/hear that Hoppe's#9 is no longer made to the original formula? I stopped using it when I ran out of my old bottles. I use Ed's Red for 80% of my cleaning, Montana Extreme for copper removal, and Slip 2000 to make semi autos run slipperier.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I went to Shooter's Choice when Hoppes changed the formula, that's been many years now. If I remember correctly the eco whackos made them change it cause there was something in it they didn't like. :eek: I have no need of a copper remover, the very best copper remover is simply don't put any in there that requires removing. :)
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
There are all kinds of words of wisdom in reply to
this thread. I did read with interest the factor of
changing back and forth with different solvents.
Think there is merit to that discussion. However,
for the present, think I will stick with Kroil for the
next 6 mo or more before I consider trying some
thing else.

Paul
 

Roger Allen

Active Member
I like kroil a lot. Great stuff. However I had about 3 years of cast bullet shooting on a gp100 and only method of cleaning was kroil on a rag wiped down and was pretty cruddy from carbon/lube burning. Decided to try m-pro on it and bam.....removed way more off that gun than I ever did w kroil. I still like kroil and use it more often than m-pro but I stick to the m-pro for the super serious stuff and kroil for the day to day. Why ultra clean your stuff? Quite a burden and often times super unnecessary
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
Interesting Roger, the ultra clean vs less
than ultra clean. I tend to clean well, but
seldom to Ultra Clean.

Paul
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Am I mistaken or did I read/hear that Hoppe's#9 is no longer made to the original formula? I stopped using it when I ran out of my old bottles. I use Ed's Red for 80% of my cleaning, Montana Extreme for copper removal, and Slip 2000 to make semi autos run slipperier.
One of the original ingredients was benzene. Then benzene was declared a carcinogen, it was removed. That reduced the effectiveness, probably in the 1970's sometime. I bought NOS bottles well into the 1990's. If it has the NYC FD warning on the bottle, it is the old stuff.
 
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Roger Allen

Active Member
Suposably it metabolizes somewhat quickly in your body. Normal nitrile glove handling and insidental contact isn’t a big deal
 

Ian

Notorious member
Yep, benzene. Nasty stuff, but a great solvent. Another trick, if you can find it, is GM's top engine cleaner in a pint can, used to flood cylinders from the top to free carbon-stuck piston rings. I don't know what's in it but it's probably not legal in CA.