Re: Suggestions for suppressor cleaning?
..
<span style="font-weight: bold">"Warning
Gas Piston parts / Choke Tube Cleaner removes all oil protection from the metal. "</span> Lube it if required!
So lets talk about this a bit.
Almost every centerfire suppressor design, wet or dry will provide a high level of suppression filthy dirty. This is especially true with wet designed cans. Clean can actually work against your suppression interests. A dirty can is a quiet can. There are limits to this that we will talk about later.
Having said that, there are some primary stages that only work best when clean, much cleaner than any requirement that the can's internals will have. If your suppressor has an oscillating Neilson device, with its springs, mating slip surfaces (hopefully multi and broad) well those devices work best clean and <span style="font-weight: bold">LUBED</span>. In fact, one could make an argument that a "clean Fanatic" would be well within their rights to clean those components after every use as the wear on contact surfaces are exacerbated by blow back. Neilson, clean it. Clean it with whatever you want as long as when you are done...<span style="font-weight: bold">you lube it</span> and....here it comes....thread it back in carefully! Great damage is done to many fine cans by folks wrecking their Neilson threads/Can threads upon reassembling Neilson components that are under spring pressure.
Static mounts require no cleaning more than keeping their barrel interface threads clean.
Now, cleaning the can. Centerfire cans with solid designs shouldn't require cleaning for thousands and thousands of rounds. If you use quality ammo and quality plated bullets, many thousands of rounds. FA? Different issue, but still thousands of rounds. When it comes times to clean a can, the metallurgy, construction methods (welds,threads), finishes, etc. all come into play. There is more than one excellent thread here on cleaning cans. Whereas one should always follow the original manufacturers recommendations...well, I would like to know how WD40 comes up on anybody's list of the right solution for this job. What one wants is a product that can clean that which is found in entrapment cavities. WD40? Ah, no. What one does NOT want are residues from the cleaning agent that are of themselves tacky. WD40? What one want's is an excellent high temp lubricant with good flush in the Neilson. WD40?
Have a clean fetish? Fight it! The best rule of thumb is to only clean the can when you hear a constant and marked suppression deterioration.
