One seldom goes wrong following the manufacturers recommendations. Do I do it? No.
Hoppes #9 is older than I am, so I use it a lot. I also use a bottle of 3-1 Gun Conditioner in small amounts, and I LOVE the Bore Snakes for my revolvers/long guns so I can easily clean from the breach!
(Dad always warned me not to ding the crown with my cleaning rods) Lots of differing opinions, some guys say you can "overclean" your guns and will let them set between sessions, only cleaning after two or 3 outings. With today's non corrosive powders, and shooting anything but lead bullets we don't have to clean as much as we used to 40 years ago.
Ok, I am not a neat freak, but I take care of my firearms. For that reason, I spend money for quality supplies as needed. I am sure others have their own idees!
Eli

Bump for input on my original post... anyone?

I ignored the manual for my Buckmark. It tells me not to disassemble the gun at all to clean it, which makes it impossible to clean except for with a bore snake, which isn't very thorough. So I YouTubed a how-to video, and bought myself an all-in-one Hoppe's .22LR cleaning kit. I got bore cleaner, lube, patches, rods, and brushes. Worked wonders!

My $.02, I like simple, but I prefer a separate cleaner and lubricant. Then I know I'm using two separate products to their full effectiveness as opposed to one easy combo cleaner/lube that may not work as well. Besides, how can a solvent clean while leaving behind a coating of lubricant? Wouldn't a solvent that removes old lubricant and residue also remove the new lubricant right away?

Sorry for getting carried away! I've had a bit too much caffeine today!

I don't get bore fouling too much with my handguns and have started using one of the foaming cleaners. Spray it in, let it sit and tale a bore mop and clean it out. I MAY spray it in others places to loosen carbon and wipe it off after a bit. Started using Hornady's One Shot degreaser/dry lube and really like this for flushing hard to reach places. Leaves slickum in the crannys. Then a touch of mil spec Break Free on auto rails and some other spots and I'm done. I've never found ONE cleaner that I'm satisfied with doing it all but this is close enough for me.

Originally Posted by clockworkjon

I ignored the manual for my Buckmark. It tells me not to disassemble the gun at all to clean it, which makes it impossible to clean except for with a bore snake, which isn't very thorough. So I YouTubed a how-to video, and bought myself an all-in-one Hoppe's .22LR cleaning kit. I got bore cleaner, lube, patches, rods, and brushes. Worked wonders!

My $.02, I like simple, but I prefer a separate cleaner and lubricant. Then I know I'm using two separate products to their full effectiveness as opposed to one easy combo cleaner/lube that may not work as well. Besides, how can a solvent clean while leaving behind a coating of lubricant? Wouldn't a solvent that removes old lubricant and residue also remove the new lubricant right away?

Sorry for getting carried away! I've had a bit too much caffeine today!

The idea of a separate cleaner and lubricant seems logical.... how can the same substance do a good job of cleaning and leave behind a lubricated surface at the same time?

So, which products are you using?

Originally Posted by ronmail65

The idea of a separate cleaner and lubricant seems logical.... how can the same substance do a good job of cleaning and leave behind a lubricated surface at the same time?

So, which products are you using?

I wanted cheap and easy so I got a basic Hoppe's .22LR starter kit. Came with #9 solvent, lube, patches, rods, and brushes. Cost $10 and so far has done a fine job. I might add a foaming cleaner though. I bought my gun used, its from 2007, and I don't think its ever been cleaned until this week when I did it for the first time. Its a shit mess, but the kit made a huge difference. I just need to take a little more time next time.

Here it is, just pick your caliber:
Hoppe's 9 - Pistol Cleaning Kit

The simple kits will get you started ok. I would recommend eventually getting a quality one piece rod with a muzzle protector. I prefer jag tip to the loop type tips for patches. So I ended up buying the brass ones individually. Firearms are a significant investment, good quality cleaning implements will make your life easier.

consumables:
Hoppes #9
Gun oil, I still have Outers & Hoppe's from previous kits. Many people just use Motor oil.
Q-tips
double ended toothbrush things. I have brass & plastic versions.
I have some Barricade for wipe down prior to storage. I'm sure there are other competing products that work just fine.

Lesson learned for me: LIGHT lube. One drop of oil goes a long way, hence the Q-tips.

Lots of good info about damage free cleaning here- Good Gun Cleaning Info

I've fount that BoreTech Carbon Remover can be sprayed on the slide and misc parts, and you can just wipe off the carbon build up. For the barrel, I use BoreTech Eliminator.., it is the best for carbon and copper. Just two wet patches, brush it, two more wet patches, and two dry patches. Treat the barrel with three drops of Lock Ease (or simialr coloidal graphite and oil mixture) on a patch. Works well with Kimber, Tauras, etc. I use Hoppes Oil with a needle applicator to lube the slide.

so how often do you clean ??

Usually a quick bore-snaking is good after any range session. Depending on the ammo you use a complete strip and clean may be needed after 200 rounds, it may be after 1000 rounds. Cheaper ammo is dirtier ammo. I put 450 rounds of WWB and Federal through my brand new M&P 9, and when I stripped it you'd think it was 2 years old.

Hoppes (Q-Tips and swabs) and Bore Snake to clean, Mobil One Synthetic to lube. I'm a simple guy.

break free, a bore snake, an old toothbrush, and patches. that should do it for just about everything out there. and dont worry about using different brands of cleaning supplies. all of them should work for everything. However, i would strongly suggest break free because it is good for a wider range of temperatures than anything else ive been able to find, it both cleans and lubes, and the military uses it, so you know its been put through the ringer and performed.