Oil/cleaning kit for M4

[Jonnylaw]

Sorry for the newbie question, but what does everyone use/recommend for bore solvent/cleaning kit and oil for the M4?

Kleen-bore solvent or CLP and FP-10 oil or the like? Or are there better options for the M4. Is the Benelli oil any good?

Does anyone use a silicon cloth for the receiver and barrel or a coat of oil to protect the finish?

Thanks!

[Unobtanium]

I just use Slip2000 EWL, a boresnake, a tornado brush, a toothbrush, and microfiber cloths. This pretty much handles it.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Unobtanium

[StrangerDanger]

If you do a lot of gun cleaning, I'd recommend getting an ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight. I filled mine with Hoppes #9. That thing makes sort work of most carbon deposits. The solvent leaves a nice protective film behind. I don't use the heating element since it isn't needed. Running the ultrasonic for a few minutes agitates the bubbles to the point that the parts will be hot to the touch. I just leave the liquid in the ultrasonic tank with the lid on it. Having a dunk tank of sorts improves your efficiency in cleaning systems. Like when I tear down a Glock, I'll strip the slide and pull out the striker assembly, then dump the slide, main spring, barrel, extractor, plungers, back plate in. I have a small wire basket that I put the tiny parts in. I'll only do the striker if I feel necessary to disassemble the striker. Same applies for something like the Benelli. You wouldn't want to throw an assembled trigger pack into it, but the components, absolutely. Bolt carriers and ARGO system parts fit perfect. The Hoppes #9 leaves some sort of protective film behind. I then lubricate as needed.

I think I'm on my fourth liter of Hoppes after 8 years of use. So the evaporational losses are minimal. I kind of abuse it too, like I clean nasty greasy tools from automotive type work. For an example, I inherited nearly a 1,000 sockets of various sizes from my dad last year, he didn't take very good care of his tools, so I put all of them thru the ultrasonic tank to clean them up. There is probably a layer of sludge on the bottom of the tank, but I don't see it or have any issues with it preventing the system from working or cleaning right. Having the tank with the cleaner open is great for dipping Q-tips into for cleaning larger parts that won't fit into the tank.

For bore work, I do the bore snake and have a Tornado brush for removing lead.

The ultrasonic tank is surprisingly cheap. I'm certain there are better models out there, but this is a solid entry level model.

https://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-63256.html