Mineral spirits for cleaning 22lr

A friend said that some of the BE shooters in his club wipe down their 22lr rounds with mineral spirits to reduce feeding and extraction problems. If not mineral spirits, what would you use? Are there negatives to doing this?

I use a cloth rag lightly moistened with a citrus based cleaner called Goo Gone.

I put a small drop on the top round in the magazine. By the time you go down to score and come back the oil has distributed itself across the other cartridges.

I'd have to find the article again, but Ed Harris has recommended a light wipe of heavy mineral oil on externally lubricated 22 LR bullets, particularly older ammo where the waxy factory lube has dried out, oxidized, or the ammo leads barrels chronically. I've also seen white lithium mentioned, dabbed on, then wiped off. I have honestly never tried this myself.

I don't believe "Mineral Spirits" and "Mineral Oil" are the same.

james r chapman wrote:I don't believe "Mineral Spirits" and "Mineral Oil" are the same.

+1

Mineral spirits = turpentine
Mineral oil = baby oil, except baby oil is perfumed

- Dave

Mineral spirits (in the USA) are a more refined version of paint thinner a petroleum based solvent, real turpentine is refined from pine tree sap.  Baby oil is mineral oil with perfume.  Mineral spirits smell slightly less than paint thinner and would have a very slight lubricating property much like Kerosene or Hoppe's number 9.  Stick to gun oil or CLP or other lubricants unless your going to drink it if that is your plan Mineral oil is not toxic (does have a laxative effect though;)

It looks like some here are talking Mineral Oil. My question was about Mineral Spirits. However, would mineral oil have a cleaning effect on the waxy coating found on 22lr cartridges? Also, would mineral oil burn and leave a residue. Dan, I think I have some Goo Gone on my reloading bench and will give it a try. Most of the failures with the S&W Model 41 seem ammo related.

If all you are trying to do is get rid of excess lube then just dump 500 rds on an old t-shirt lightly sprinkle some Hoppes on them and then grab the 4 corners and rock back and forth like you are polishing a bowling ball.

- Dave

Mineral oil does not have a lot of solvent power, Mineral spirits do.  Seems like a lot of work.

Almost forgot, Mineral oil is not very flammable, mineral spirits are more so.

A little mineral sprits in your tumbling media helps clean brass, would not use it on my guns.

Mineral oil is reputed to burn "clean", without building up in the bore.

358156hp wrote:Mineral oil is reputed to burn "clean", without building up in the bore.

But this topic is not about "Mineral Oil" its about "Mineral Sprits"




"Mineral spirits are volatile, and include naptha and similar paint-thinners.

Mineral oil (food-grade) is an inert mineral oil used for sealing wood, sharpening knives and other similar uses - and as a laxative"

I don't mean to divert the thread, but the gist of the OP was how to deal with excess or perhaps old lube issues - something I have been dealing with as well as I shoot up old ammo in my 22LR stash during this drought.  If the lube is soft but excessive, I roll the cartridge in my fingers to melt/distribute the lube as I insert it into the magazine.  If it is dry, then additional  lube is required.  Eley uses paraffin on lower qual ammo and beeswax/tallow on higher end stuff so it could be softened with a solvent like mineral spirits or Stoddard solvent, or mineral oil and additional lubricant can be added (your choice - a small-bore shooter I spoke to just yesterday uses RIG) by inserting a cartridge in a hole made in a sponge that has been appropriately treated (solvent, lube, whatever).

I had a bunch of Wildcat (I did say I was digging deep!) that leaded badly until I lubed it with some beeswax/vaseline mix as above.

dronning wrote:If all you are trying to do is get rid of excess lube then just dump 500 rds on an old t-shirt lightly sprinkle some Hoppes on them and then grab the 4 corners and rock back and forth like you are polishing a bowling ball.

- Dave

You can use this method to put a little lube back on them too.

- Dave