Gun scrubber vs. brake cleaner: what shall I use to clean my gun? Are both the chemicals same, and if not, what is the difference? Let us find out the answers to all these questions below.
People who own a gun are very likely to hold a Gun scrubber. A Gun scrubber is effective in cleaning parts and lubricating them. On the other hand, a brake cleaner also has the same function to clean the features of the brakes and lubricate them to function correctly.
People often get confused since both the Gun scrubber and the brake cleaner have the same functionality. They are curious to know whether they can use a single thing for both purposes or not. If they can, then what is the efficiency of the cleaning? We will discuss in detail both these cleaners in this article.
What is a gun scrubber?
Use
Gun scrubber is a unique solvent that comprises several different chemicals. The primary purpose of this Gun scrubber is to clean the gun. People use Gun Scrubber as it evaporates very quickly. If you clean your gun with a Gun scrubber, your firearm won’t jam. A Gun scrubber also improves the accuracy of the weapon.
You can also thoroughly clean the parts inside a gun, such as the bolts, barrels, slide actions, and other gun parts. A gun cleaner can clean different types of firearms like shotguns, muzzleloaders, handguns, and others.
Versatility
A significant advantage of using a Gun scrubber is that it is very versatile. You can clean the gun’s metal parts, but you can also clean the other parts. Other parts include plastics, wood, rubber, etc. Cleaning with the Gun scrubber will prevent your gun and its components from corrosion.
Precautions
Although with all the benefits of a Gun scrubber, you cannot use it without a bore cleaning solvent. The bore solvent will remove all the oils from your gun; hence it will be needed to be lubed again. You will also have to lube the entire gun after cleaning it.
What Is A Brake Cleaner?
Uses
A brake cleaner consists of chemicals, and these chemicals are designed for cleaning parts of the engine and the brake. The primary purpose of using this brake cleaner is to degrease the metallic surfaces. You will find those brake cleaners are much stronger than a Gun scrubber. They also don’t leave any residue once the solution evaporates.
Types
Brake cleaners are mainly divided into two categories. These two categories are chlorinated and non-chlorinated cleaners. Most modern brake cleaners use chemicals consisting of aliphatic or aromatic compounds—some polar solvents like ethanol, acetone, methanol, and isopropanol.
Use of Chlorinated Brake Cleaners
People have stopped using chlorinated brake cleaners as they were found to hurt the ozone layer. Because of the environmental implications of these cleaners on the ozone layer, we don’t use chlorinated brakes.
A chlorinated brake cleaner also produces a by-product which is called phosgene gas. Even in smaller amounts, the phosgene gas can cause scarring in the lungs and nose when you inhale it.
You might like to read: Brake Cleaner On Aluminum – Is It Ok
Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaners
Otherwise, the non-chlorinated brake cleaners are less riskier than other cleaners. This type of brake cleaner can irritate the individual’s skin when someone comes in contact with these cleaners.
If you inhale this gas for a more extended period, you can suffer from dizziness, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, nausea, and dermatitis. This chemical brake cleaner can also corrode wood, plastic, and paint because of its strength.
Gun Scrubber vs. Brake Cleaner: Which Cleaner Should You Use?
If you are confused between getting a gun cleaner or a brake cleaner, then the purpose for which you want to buy a cleaner will help you determine the right cleanser. You should consider some factors before you purchase any of these cleaners. These factors are:-
Efficiency
The main reason a person uses a Gun scrubber on their gun is to remove the gunpowder residue. The cleaners will work effectively on the metal parts, but if your weapon has some wooden, plastic, or rubber parts, a brake cleaner would not be ideal. With time, there is a build-up of dirt, grime, and oil on the gun.
Price
The cost of the cleaning fluid is also an essential factor that will decide whether you should buy a cleaner or not. A brake cleaner is much cheaper than a Gun scrubber. A 12 fl.oz. bottle of brake cleaner may cost you around $5, whereas Gun Scrubber will cost you closer to $13.
So you can use a brake cleaner to clean your gun if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. You must remember not to use a brake cleaner on a non-metallic gun. You can only use a Gun scrubber on a non-metallic gun.
Safety
The gun cleaning chemicals are made from solid substances. You should be careful when you are buying or handling these solvents. You must read the label and the instructions mentioned on the cleaners.
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. Can I use brake cleaner to clean my Glock?
Yes, you can use a brake cleaner to clean your Glock. There are cleaners and scrubbers available in the market. But you can also use a brake cleaner instead of a Gun scrubber to clean your Glock.
This brake cleaner can be directly sprayed on the Glock, and it will remove all the oily residue left on the Glock. The brake cleaner will be the most effective between the Gun scrubber and the brake cleaner.
#2. Can you use brake cleaner to clean a gun?
Yes, you can use brake cleaner to clean a gun. However, you are not supposed to do that. A brake cleaner is designed to clean the dirt from an engine which is more intense than a gun.
Instead, a brake cleaner is more effective and robust than a Gun scrubber. But you have to be safe while using a brake cleaner on the gun.
You might like to read: How To Use Brake Cleaner Without Removing Tire?
#3. What does Gun Scrubber do?
A Gun scrubber cleaner is helpful for cleaning a gun and its parts. This cleaner tends to evaporate quickly, and it will harm products such as wood, lamination, plastic, composites, and a rubber grip on the gun.
You can try and use such chemicals on other surfaces so that you have the surety that this Gun scrubber will not harm any other characters.
#4. What should you not use the brake cleaner on?
You should not use the brake cleaner on lighter and less durable surfaces. Because of the intensity of the brake cleaning chemicals. You should avoid using brake cleaner on surfaces such as plastics, rubber, or any other characters that you want to maintain or paint on.
#5. Is a brake cleaner better than a carb cleaner?
No, in reality, a brake cleaner is not better than a carb cleaner. A brake cleaner is helpful in cleaning the brakes, whereas a carburetor cleaner is helpful in cleaning the car’s carburetor.
If you have nitrile gloves while cleaning, they will not be affected by the brake cleaner, but these gloves will quickly be useless if you use them with a carb cleaner.
A Few Final Words
We hope that the above content helps you select the best cleaning device among the Gun scrubber and the brake cleaner. A brake cleaner is not the ideal solution for cleaning a gun.
The brake cleaner is not suitable for cleaning the non-metallic parts. Similarly, a Gun scrubber is not ideal for cleaning a vehicle’s brakes. You need to remove the carbon particles on a gun with chemicals as water and soap are not strong enough to remove the stubborn carbon chemicals.
Thank you for reading the article.