Fire Clean review

[Mojoe]

A while back I did a review on Frog lube cleaner and lube. I was recently asked about some advice on cleaning products and lube and that reminded me I had not done a write up on Fire Clean.

http://www.cleanergun.com/

 

As many of you know, I shoot quite a bit. I don't shoot high end super clean ammo either. Run of the mill factory reloads or off the shelf are fine for me in target shooting or training. The weapon I choose to test this with was a Ruger SR9c. I have this gun on me for all my training classes and it is my primary for training I do here at the house range. I heard about Fire Clean some time in late 2014. I ordered it in at a cost of $29 for two bottles. For application, I cleaned the firearm with Fire Clean and them did my normal wipe down and lube, once it was clean. In all, I estimate I fired just over 4000 rounds before cleaning the weapon. I'll pause here to bring up some of the posted concerns with Fire Clean.

 

http://www.vuurwapenblog.com/general-opinion/lies-errors-and-omissions/ir-spectra-fireclean-crisco/

 

The above link talks about allegations that Fire Clean is simply Crisco Pure Canola. You can read the details and see the chemical break down posted in the link. I'm not here to argue any of that info, and find it to be believable.

 

I did read about UV exposure with weapons that use this product. That is what has me writing this review. In my experience with Fire Clean, 4000+ rounds and about 8 -10 months use, I experienced NO malfunctions due to weapon being dirty or gumming up of cleaning product or carbon build up. When I did finally clean the weapon, all carbon and gook that was in the gun, it looked BAD, came clean with a simple wipe down. The was no carbon cooked to the metal any where. So, it did what it said it would, it fired clean.

 

That said, In our August Pistol One class is where I found things to be interesting. It was a very hot and humid day. With five people shooting the course and teaching, we went through 60 bottles of water in less than 8 hours. After the training was done, most of use were soaked in sweat from the heat and the stress shooing portion of the course. It was 3 days later that I notice surface rust on all the metal area outside my holster, to include my rear sight which looked horrible. At first I couldn't understand it. After doing some reading about the UV reaction and Fire Clean, it made sense to me that it had promoted rusting with all the UV exposure. I'm sure there are better details to why it does this. I've not seen a write up about it though, and don't have the ability to do a test that would explain things better.

 

I don't like rust on my fire arms. Therefore, I have not continued use of this product on my guns. I shoot outside in direct sunlight = UV rays 99.9% of the time. To me there was a reaction promoting corrosion. Some may say it was my sweat from it being so hot that day. There are parts of the gun that were rusted that were never in contact with my hand, or any sweaty area. UV reaction or not, I think there are better products out there that even with them as a lubricant there would not have been corrosion.

 

Has anyone else had any experience with this product that they can share?

 

TLTR:

It does fire clean.

It may just be over priced Crisco Pure Canola oil.

It may rust your weapon with exposure to UV.

[schmuckingham]

I have used it my guns for awhile and experienced no issues except that my 1911s do not like it very well. For those I stick with traditional grease. They function fine but when racking the slide it feels slow or sluggish especially after running 1000 rounds of steel case through them. I could switch to a 20# recoil spring but I would rather not just so use a certain lube.

 

 

I have never experienced any issues with the rusting problems in the heat. I mostly shoot corrosive ammo ( AKf0lyfe) so I run water through all my guns after each use so that might cause the corrosion to slow or stop.

[Mojoe]

Good to hear similar functionality.

 

I run water through all my guns after each use so that might cause the corrosion to slow or stop.

 

Soap and water does wonders. Many people fear water with their guns. I have had to shower with my M4 a few times to get it clean. The last one was for it getting thrown form a vehicle and the weapon landing in amazingly pudding like mud. Aimpoint and weapon were completely sunken into the mud.

[schmuckingham]

Good to hear similar functionality.

 

 

 

Soap and water does wonders. Many people fear water with their guns. I have had to shower with my M4 a few times to get it clean. The last one was for it getting thrown form a vehicle and the weapon landing in amazingly pudding like mud. Aimpoint and weapon were completely sunken into the mud.

 

Here in Ohio and shooting corrosive ammo you have to be pretty diligent with running water through them after use, especially AKs in certain areas. Humidity can suck it

 

 

I do like Fireclean on gas tubes, gas blocks and other internal parts that see gas and heat directly but not necessarily sunlight. I have taken apart my AR just to see what the VDI life coat looks like after some rounds and the gas tube slide right out of the gas block with no real effort and any ash wiped right off.