View Full Version : Shaving Cream
I was at the local shop of choice last week to pick up a case of Ammo and I heard something intersting. The guy manager was doing a quick POI with a customer who just bought a Colt 6920 and he told the customer that when it came time to clean the bolt and BCG to use shaving cream. Now given the managers past (Marine scout sniper, Army Ranger and has worked with four private contractors in iraq) I would hope he knows what he is talking bout. Has any one else heard of this or tried/used this method?
BushmasterFanBoy
12-07-07, 19:37
I think I saw it mentioned in one of those Preventative Maintenance comics that get posted over at TOS. Other than that, I have no idea. What makes it better than using a regular cleaning solvent?
ETA In the PM comic, it was mentioned in a negative light. Any hint about that may have been that it wasn't spelled "C-L-P".
His was response was that it eats the carbon and make it very easy to clean the bolt and BCG
Never heard of the shaving cream trick..I'll try it why ,not.If it does some type of irrepairible damage it will give m an excuse to upgrade..
I do however use brake cleaner on the BCG if Ive been using cans alot then clean with Hoppes solvent..
What harm could it do? Men put it on there face every day. Isn’t it just a form of soap? I don’t think it would do very well.
We use to use shaving cream on our bolt carrier groups prior to an inspection. Shaving cream + a deep sink with extreemly hot water + bolt carrier group.
It is not an authorized way of cleaning your gun (and I don't know if it has any ill effects on the gun), but it's a trick that many squad leaders show their boots to get their gun clean prior to an instepection (especially after firing a lot of blanks).
Semper Fi,
Jeff
I'm going to echo what USMC 03 says. I think this is a common tactic for inspections and when large groups get together for cleaning. I did this in Army basic training. When you have a bay full of soldiers, CLP isn't always readily available. I think it is just a substitute for a very mild degreaser. I wouldn't make shaving cream my regular cleaning chemical. Many other products do a great job. I'm not pointing out this particular guy making the recommendation, but soldiers from all backgrounds can still make recommendations that aren't optimal. Many habits have been handed down over the years, and are still around. The NCOs in our company got on to our soldiers the other day about not cleaning their weapons, then chastised them after cleaning them for excessive lube. I saw some of the weapons with "excessive lube". Some of them missed the mark on this one, they were wrong. Vickers and many other trainers have highly recommended to run these guns wet as possible. They weren't dripping by the way. Sorry for the digression.
Failure2Stop
12-08-07, 06:51
If shaving cream was the hot ticket, wouldn't some company isolate the "magical" ingredients and sell those without the filler?
I have done the shaving cream thing in the past, but I really don't think that it did any better than CLP would have, and given a choice I would prefer to use a task-specific carbon remover/degreaser.
With all of the excellent cleaners on the market, why use something not intended for that purpose?
Prime example of how the Military can inbred "stupid shit" into troops for no better reason then passing a "white Glove" inspection.
I have heard of the shaving cream trick along with many other"
The shaving cream trick is mild and does not harm (it also does no lubrication either) there are many more that just prematurely add wear on the weapon and finish.
I dropped a lot of those "tricks" when I retired ....once I discovered there were much better ways of doing things.... your buddy should as well.....;)
I remember that being done when cleaning products were in short supply in basic training, but there was an emphasis on lubing heck out of the weapons immediately afterward.
Hand Cleaner (Fast Orange or Simple Green asexample), along with the hot water stuff work well for the white glove crap as well.
But why? Getting a weapon ridiculously clean when it does not need to be such for proper function is bad juju - wearing them out and teaching (ingraining) improper cleaning
I've found spraying with something like MPro7 cleaner letting it sit for 5min and wiping is nearly as effective - better on the weapon - and less messy.
Hand Cleaner (Fast Orange or Simple Green asexample), along with the hot water stuff work well for the white glove crap as well.
But why? Getting a weapon ridiculously clean when it does not need to be such for proper function is bad juju - wearing them out and teaching (ingraining) improper cleaning
I've found spraying with something like MPro7 cleaner letting it sit for 5min and wiping is nearly as effective - better on the weapon - and less messy.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, there was some misinformation put out there by drill sergeants, more for discipline than anything else. It was over 20 years ago that I saw it. I would like to hope that it's better now, but I doubt it.
I have seen that ,but if you want fast and easy Brakekleen is the shit.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, there was some misinformation put out there by drill sergeants, more for discipline than anything else. It was over 20 years ago that I saw it. I would like to hope that it's better now, but I doubt it.
Roger -- but I can teach way more attention to detail with KIMS games than a DI inspection of a weapon will.
and that in the whole of it are half the reasons for that idea
I have used running water, toothbrush, dishwashing liquid and it worked very well. I bet SC does about the same, it is a mild de-greaser.
just re-lube the BCG very well afterwards
I bought a little can of a Break Free foaming bore cleaner. Looks just like shaving cream.
Maybe I'll try and shave with it?
I bought a little can of a Break Free foaming bore cleaner. Looks just like shaving cream.
Maybe I'll try and shave with it?
Let us know if LSA is interchangeable with Astroglide while you are at it.
LSA? :confused:
Lubricant Small Arms (a rather 2-pronged joke when taken in the above context :D )
Gotcha and no, I won't test break free as a "personal lubricant." :p
RogerinTPA
12-08-07, 20:26
I agree, I too heard and was told this by Army Drill Sergeants back in 80-85 time frame to clean out the upper receiver and star chamber. The reason given was that the foam loosened the dirt and carbon , and would adhere to the foam, making cleaning faster. I did it a couple of times, and crude did stick to the foam, but you still had to flush it out with hot water or swabs of Break free soaked rags and patches to get it inspection ready. It seemed to add more work that to just soak it down with Breakfree and walk into the shower and hose it down (Yeah I know, you aren't suppose to do that), wipe dry, relube, then rewipe dry for inspection.
I have used running water, toothbrush, dishwashing liquid and it worked very well. I bet SC does about the same, it is a mild de-greaser.
just re-lube the BCG very well afterwards
Your Dad dosent care that you treat his guns like a cereal bowl. :p
Your Dad dosent care that you treat his guns like a cereal bowl. :p
A thorough de-greasing with dish liquid immediately followed by drying and CLP'ing never hurt anything.
Never heard of that in my military days. But I have seen the following; bug spray used as lube, a drill with a cleaning rod attached to clean the barrel of M16A1s,A2s,M4s etc, transmission fluid to lube the bolts of the machineguns. I have also seen troops cleaning AK 47 with a steam cleaner( ammo was corrosive). Anything is possible with soldiers. They have to be very creative.:D
usaffarmer
12-09-07, 10:52
it burns for a minute. But gets better the longer you go
my wife is having twins ive used everything.:rolleyes:
(the above comment is a joke) but i really am having twins
Joe Scuba
a drill with a cleaning rod attached to clean the barrel of M16A1s,A2s,M4s etc,
See.. that's the kinda goofy mentality that white glove inspections ingrained in the big Army for many years... and wore out more weapons than firing cycles ever could.
I've seen pretty much everything you can thing of.. easy off oven cleaner.. drills.. shaving cream.. Methyl Ethyl ketone..any harsh chemical you can think off.. parts washers..Dishwashers...steam cleaners...etc..etc..etc..
Your exactly right.. when you make spotless the standard.. troops will amaze you with creative solutions to adapt,improvise and overcome that standard. And the result is cleaning for the sake of cleaning and premature wear of weapons as a direct result.
And you all wonder why guys tell horror stories about there issued weapons in basic training... you wanna talk about purgatory for guns.....
Let's see.. a new training cycle every 8-14 weeks with several firing cycles within those cycles and Drills teaching the same goofy shit they got drilled into them to pass the same goofy inspections.. compounded over the course of years.. Hell.. if anything, that should be a testament to the M16 series standing up to what I consider a much harsher environment then any you could find out in the field.eek:
I asked my roommate if he ever had a problem with the DGI system in the M4's when he went to Iraq. He said he only had 1 problem with it and that was during basic stateside. A wooden Q-tip was broken off/wedged/stuffed inside and NOT coming out/ of his gas key. He took it to the armorer and was yelled at a good bit and it was replaced (he did not do this, but he was holding it when discovered, hence the yelling/lambasting).
I asked my roommate if he ever had a problem with the DGI system in the M4's when he went to Iraq. He said he only had 1 problem with it and that was during basic stateside. A wooden Q-tip was broken off/wedged/stuffed inside and NOT coming out/ of his gas key. He took it to the armorer and was yelled at a good bit and it was replaced (he did not do this, but he was holding it when discovered, hence the yelling/lambasting).
Thats not a problem with the system, thats a problem with a stupid soldier.
TheGhostRider
12-09-07, 20:02
Let us know if LSA is interchangeable with Astroglide while you are at it.
:D
Excellent joke!
Thats not a problem with the system, thats a problem with a stupid soldier.
Yeah, +1
Not everyone in the military is a "gun guy". Most, unless they are infantry or some other combat arms, just qual once a year. Don't belive everything you hear.
Okay, this is a good one. The shaving cream trick is just that. A Garrison trick to make it easy to clean weapons for inspection. Does it work? Sure. Soap works as a solvent and foam a carrier. Hot water flushes it out. Problem begins when you introduce water into the weapon. Hot water(and I mean HOT water! Almost boiling if your going to do this!) is supposed to evaporate away. But what happens is this; as Hot water is introduced into the weapon, the metal acts as a heat sink, bringing the temp of the water down to the point that it doesn't all evaporate away. And water will penetrate places on the weapon that you don't want it to be(Barrel Castle Nut, Barrel-Upper Receiver Interface, Front Sight-Barrel Interface, etc.). Once you get water in some of the tolerance fit Interfaces, you will almost not be able to get it out. Water and steel contact over a period of time produce a product that is highly undesirable in weapons, RUST! If your a GI, who cares, it's not your weapon and if something goes wrong with it, Hell, ship it back to Depot for repair. But most of us own our personal weapons and can not afford or perform a full disassembly to clean out and repair water damage. Recommendation: Do not use any cleaning agent that is water based unless it's any emergency situation and nothing else is available. Use hydro-carbon based solvents and oils unless you want serious problems down the line.:D
BTW: WS6; Good one about Astroglide and LSA....LOLOLOLOLOL! LSA has a bad aftertaste! NO! Don't Ask! Yuk! Ofc.JL
Keep in mind.. Hot water and soap is a throw back to the era of corrosive ammunition. It was the best way to neutralize the corrosive salts left in the bore from the ammo primer.
Modern day ammo and cleaning solvents have pretty much delegated this technique to only a few old timers who got lost in the time warp...:p
Be very careful with brake cleaner and other solvents. Break cleaner and many other solvents, I believe, are readily absorbed through the skin, and they are known carcinogens.
In one of my previous lives, I was an auto mechanic, and a lot of old timers developed cancers. I'm sure that cigarette smoke, booze, and fatty foods were significant factors, but I wouldn't be surprised if the asbestos dust (from the old brake pads; we used to blow it out of the brake drums with our mouths or an air nozzle), break cleaner, and other solvents weren't also contributors.
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