How often to clean a suppressor - Banish 30

[USAF Ret]

I got my Banish 30 today. Since I ordered the baffle removal tool, I was trying to research cleaning. In my research, I see many folks not even breaking it down, but putting it into a sonic cleaner with solvent. I was also reading one article that said 10s of thousands of rounds before cleaning a rifle suppressor, if not ever cleaning it at all.

A few questions for suppressor owners...

How often do you clean your suppressor?
How do you know when it needs to be cleaned?
Do you not clean it at all?

Would love to hear folks thoughts and experiences.

 

[Lowlight]

Weigh it now clean,

Then monitor the weight, and you can clean it when it gets heavier, but you really don't have to clean them very much, if at all... some even work better dirty; they carbon up and act as they should.

But it will tell you, just keep the threads clean on both suppressor and rifle.

 

[rmfield]

Weigh it now as Frank says.

The amount of carbon that builds up in a suppressor depends on both the number of shots fired and the specific powder in the loads. (Someone at TBAC once told me that H1000 is particularly bad.) If too much carbon builds up, the additional weight may cause a change in barrel harmonics, but this is also dependent on the barrel contour. Most suppressors continue to function well in suppressing sound with a fair bit of carbon in them, but eventually this will become a factor. The longer you let carbon build up, the longer it will take to get it out. Also, if you let too much carbon build up, chunks of carbon can end up in your bore and chamber (ask me how I know) when you are carrying your rifle muzzle up.

Personally, I drop mine into a container of the Zep version of CLR after every match or 100 rounds or so. Without going into more detail about my cleaning process, I keep at it until I get it down to within .02 - .04 oz of its original weight after I've dried it out in the oven.

 

[USAF Ret]

Weigh it now as Frank says.

The amount of carbon that builds up in a suppressor depends on both the number of shots fired and the specific powder in the loads. (Someone at TBAC once told me that H1000 is particularly bad.) If too much carbon builds up, the additional weight may cause a change in barrel harmonics, but this is also dependent on the barrel contour. Most suppressors continue to function well in suppressing sound with a fair bit of carbon in them, but eventually this will become a factor. The longer you let carbon build up, the longer it will take to get it out. Also, if you let too much carbon build up, chunks of carbon can end up in your bore and chamber (ask me how I know) when you are carrying your rifle muzzle up.

Personally, I drop mine into a container of the Zep version of CLR after every match or 100 rounds or so. Without going into more detail about my cleaning process, I keep at it until I get it down to within .02 - .04 oz of its original weight after I've dried it out in the oven.

I need to get a little larger electronic scale.

 

[USAF Ret]

I got a kitchen scale off Amazon. I will weigh it in the 9" and 7" configuration.

 

[Baron23]

I use Bore Tech carbon remover. Plug the end, pour it in, let it sit, flush with hose.

I tend to not let the new weight increase by more than 3 oz before cleaning.

Is cleaning with it? Dunno. But this was the advise I got from TBAC (the 3 oz part).

 

[carbonbased]

I have a Banish 30 and Banish 223. I did shoot a decent amount of rimfire through the Banish 30 (in short config) because for quite some time it was my only can.

If you shoot rimfire through it, you’ll have to clean it more often.

Since they are easy to open (when new, at least), take a peek at about 500 rounds, just to see. You’ll answer your own question. I’d answer you directly but I don’t know yet.

I’ve cleaned both my cans just once so far, and the Banish 30 had 4-5 prairie dog trips under its belt (and lots of rimfire). It was a bear; I waited too long. The 30 must’ve had at least 3000 rounds down it, conservatively.

Here’s what I did:

Suppressors - Disposing of the DIP Solution

For anyone who uses the DIP solution (50/50 mix of peroxide and vinegar), how do you dispose it? The reason that I ask is that everything I've read puts it almost off the charts for toxicity after the suppressor is cleaned. That's especially true when a rimfire suppressor is cleaned with it.

www.snipershide.com

Summary:

1. See if you can disassemble with baffle jack
2. Yes? Soak baffles only in CLR. Clean tube by hand. No? Plug end and pour CLR in & let set for days then baffle jack. Don’t let CLR sit on SS threads.
3. Hand clean baffles. Wear gloves.
4. Throw baffles only in a Franklin tumbler with SS pins, Lemi-shine, & Dawn & run for hours and hours

I forgot to weigh the suppressors after cleaning.

I should take a peek inside mine.

It is helpful to take notes while cleaning for the next time. I forget everything so notes have saved my butt in the past.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Both my cans are titanium. I weighed them both when I got them, and clean when I gain about 30g or so (1oz, about 1000 rounds or so). I think I remember TBAC saying cleaning at 1oz makes it easy, at 2 is recommended, and once that shit gets hard/layered it takes forever. On my schedule, it takes about 3x 24hr CLR soaks in an old pasta bottle, with a hot water flush and shake until carbon pieces stop coming out between each soak. I call it good if I can get back to about 6-9g from new.

I’d try the boretech kit with the wand, but honestly for the money spending a couple minutes over a couple days is more cost effective and not a massive PITA. It also probably wouldn’t work as well with my OSS can either.

 

[USAF Ret]

Both my cans are titanium. I weighed them both when I got them, and clean when I gain about 30g or so (1oz, about 1000 rounds or so). I think I remember TBAC saying cleaning at 1oz makes it easy, at 2 is recommended, and once that shit gets hard/layered it takes forever. On my schedule, it takes about 3x 24hr CLR soaks in an old pasta bottle, with a hot water flush and shake until carbon pieces stop coming out between each soak. I call it good if I can get back to about 6-9g from new.

I’d try the boretech kit with the wand, but honestly for the money spending a couple minutes over a couple days is more cost effective and not a massive PITA. It also probably wouldn’t work as well with my OSS can either.

So, you break it down with the tool and just soak the baffles?

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

So, you break it down with the tool and just soak the baffles?

Nope. I drop the whole shebang in the bottle, then fill it with CLR.

If I had stainless cans, I’d do the same thing but use a different solvent. OSS used to recommend any old CLP for soaking.

 

[alamo5000]

To expand a bit more on the broad question as to 'how often' the answer is entirely dependent on what you are shooting through this or any other suppressor.

A 5.56 can will almost never need to be cleaned as the ammo, pressures, and powder types don't give it a chance to build up.

On the other end of the spectrum a .22 LR might be cleaned every few hundred rounds.

In the middle there is going to depend on what and how much you are shooting through it. If you shoot a lot more subsonic 300BLK you could possibly see a lot more buildup in a similar time frame vs something else.

As instructed weigh the can clean and new. Write it down. Every six months or year or so put it on the scale and check if it is in need or not.

 

[USAF Ret]

Nope. I drop the whole shebang in the bottle, then fill it with CLR.

If I had stainless cans, I’d do the same thing but use a different solvent. OSS used to recommend any old CLP for soaking.

Does it strip the black coating? You said you had a Banish 30, correct?

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Does it strip the black coating?

No.

You said you had a Banish 30, correct?

No. TBAC Dominus/OSS HX762ti.

 

[carbonbased]

Does it strip the black coating? You said you had a Banish 30, correct?

I’m the guy with the Banish 30. When I couldn’t get it apart due to the crud within locking it up, I found a skinny stainless pot, plugged the muzzle end with an earplug (tape it in or better yet, find a rubber plug as the earplug leaked) and carefully poured Zep CLR into it with a funnel.

I was careful not to get CLR on the SS threads, as CLR can etch SS (especially over three days, like I left it).

I didn’t just dunk the whole unit into CLR due to Cerakote concerns. Not that it really matters as I always have a mirage cover on it but still…

After three days I could get it apart with the Banish baffle jack.

 

[carbonbased]

I should note that even though the CLR leaked out a little due to just using an earplug, it didn’t mess up the Banish’s finish.