Thread: Suppressor Cleaning.

I have a Hardy Gen 3 suppressor on my T3. Just recently the it has become a little harder to screw on/off. Nothing nasty it just doesn't "spin" on and off now. I am guessing there may be some carbon build up in the thread or similar and was going to soak it in some sort of carbon remover. Apart from a commercial bore cleaner any suggestions?

Originally Posted by Shearer

I have a Hardy Gen 3 suppressor on my T3. Just recently the it has become a little harder to screw on/off. Nothing nasty it just doesn't "spin" on and off now. I am guessing there may be some carbon build up in the thread or similar and was going to soak it in some sort of carbon remover. Apart from a commercial bore cleaner any suggestions?

It always helps to put a little copper grease on the threads when assembling.

GM top end engine cleaner


Dissolves carbon and what it doesn’t dissolve goes all soft

I’d also be tempted to put the suppressor in a sonic cleaner

How much does a dirty suppressor affect POI? I went to the range yesterday and my Savage 22 was all over the show (tried different ammo), I'm talking about a 2-3 inch variation off shooting bags @ 50m. Took the suppressor off and it tightened up. I gave the suppressor a clean with a nylon bore brush, only a little bit of crud seemed to come out.

Carburettor or throttle body cleaner works wonders for carbon, it evaporates well an leaves no residue as well.

After a clean, a light smear of lanokote makes it so much easier to keep clean

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

GM top end engine cleaner


I’d also be tempted to put the suppressor in a sonic cleaner

It cleans them up bright and shiney!

Did that to an A-tec and all the anodizing came off. Made it very clean however.

Originally Posted by vulcannz

How much does a dirty suppressor affect POI? I went to the range yesterday and my Savage 22 was all over the show (tried different ammo), I'm talking about a 2-3 inch variation off shooting bags @ 50m. Took the suppressor off and it tightened up. I gave the suppressor a clean with a nylon bore brush, only a little bit of crud seemed to come out.

.22s are bloody dirty shooters - and will fill up a suppressor with carbon and the wax they coat the projs in...

Only aware of this as the suppressor I have allows me to unscrew the ends and see inside all the baffles allowing to clean them out - and there will be layers of the stuff inside them!! Can be tough to move too...

Originally Posted by Fssprecision

It always helps to put a little copper grease on the threads when assembling.

Best not to use copper anything with Aluminum they are not good bed mates.
Best to go with something more neutral like lanocote.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Best not to use copper anything with Aluminum they are not good bed mates.
Best to go with something more neutral like lanocote.

It does no harm when suspended in grease and cans are generally anodized, thus not direct contact with bare Al. The various brands of copper grease are specifically manufactured to as an anti-seize media.

Originally Posted by norsk

It cleans them up bright and shiney!

Did that to an A-tec and all the anodizing came off. Made it very clean however.

Did exactly the same with my mates A tec ��

Originally Posted by norsk

It cleans them up bright and shiney!

Did that to an A-tec and all the anodizing came off. Made it very clean however.

Which method removed the anodizing ? The sonic cleaner or GM top end engine cleaner ?
I have previously asked about boring suppressors out to suit bigger cals and was advised that it wasn't ideal as boring removes the hard anodizing which will shorten the life of the suppressor and allow it to erode faster ?
If that is the case I'd probably stick to using a carbon remover like CLR or any of the firearm specific carbon cleaners.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Best not to use copper anything with Aluminum they are not good bed mates.
Best to go with something more neutral like lanocote.

I'm with VC here on this. Regardless of copper being suspended in grease with some anti seize products, it still does not accompany aluminium well. Ask any marine maintenance person.
Go with a lanocote product around alloy.

Originally Posted by Mathias

I'm with VC here on this. Regardless of copper being suspended in grease with some anti seize products, it still does not accompany aluminium well. Ask any marine maintenance person.
Go with a lanocote product around alloy.

One of my suppressors specifically says not to use copper grease.
The best grease for the thread is a lithium one with as high a temperature rating as you can easily find.

Thread cleaning with a brush seems to be a must for my 22 suppressor. The grit that appears there is very hard. For me it works best to wipe with hoppes 9 and a patch plus a small bristly brush ( a double ended one the lttle end).

I once had a suppressor on a 22 and it shot well for 30 years then suddenly didnt. The aluminium threading must have got stretched and loose even when it felt tight. Arthur Cleland confidently said “Buy one of these” a new expensive MAE. He was right. It shot well again as soon as I screwed it on.

There was another thread on here asking about suppressors that turned into a bit of a "mines longer than yours" discussion and I commented about my dad's Oceania Defence which has been on a work rifle thats done over 20,000 rounds now (223)
I spoke with dad about it the other day as we had only discussed it in passing during conversation without actually delving much into the suppressor itself. He said he takes it off and puts the whole unit into a sonic cleaner (hornady setup used for brass etc also) once every few hundred rounds and it still performs like it did when it was new