Perhaps the greatest problem in keeping stainless guns clean is anywhere powder reside builds up. It is especially egregious on stainless revolvers, where the front of the cylinder quickly develops a black color from the buildup of powder residue. Stainless steel gun cleaners will attack powder residue, while also cleaning and polishing the entire gun, so it always looks factory fresh.
Below are our reviews of the 4 best stainless steel gun cleaners on the market:
Flitz Gun Gun Cleaner Kit
Perhaps the gold standard for best stainless steel gun cleaner, Flitz is almost legendary for the ability to clean and restore the appearance of stainless steel guns.
Made of a secret mixture of unicorn tears, fairy dust, and stolen alien technology, Flitz tends to be the default go-to cleaner for the owners of many stainless guns (to those who failed your GED’s, we’re kidding about the ingredients). This particular Flitz kit includes a microfiber cleaning cloth, along with polish for stainless guns, matte finish, and Flitz wax for guns (including blued guns), knives, and gun stocks.
This complete gun and knife cleaning kit is a must have not only for any gun owner, but any gun owner with stainless steel guns (or blades) that need attention and cleaning. Reasonably priced and a one size fits all kit, you need one of these Flitz kits with your gun cleaning gear.
Eezox Gun Cleaner
Another one of the top stainless steel gun cleaners around, Eezox is a constant favorite with gun owners, and one that is constantly recommended without question on gun forums all over the internet.
Eezox bills itself as a “triple action” solution, which is a solvent, lubricant, and rust preventative. For our purposes, we are most interested in the solvent and lubricant properties of Eezox. Perfect for busting through the terrible carbon fouling that builds up in places on stainless guns, Eezox cleans, protects and lubes, which is something that sounds both kind of dirty (yes, our minds are in the gutter) but is also very important for any sort of gun.
Available in a number of different packages for any sort of end user need, Eezox is as much at home in your range bag for quick cleaning or lubricant as it is for your back at home deep gun cleaning kit.
Ballistol Multi-Purpose Gun Cleaner
A lot of cleaning solvents are toxic and petroleum based. However, one of the best stainless steel gun cleaners for the money is also one of the best for the environment. German engineered Ballistol is biodegradable yet manages to cut carbon fouling, lubricate, and protect stainless steel gun finishes.
Equally useful on natural materials like wood and leather, Ballistol is one of those rare cleaners you can use on your gun without having to make sure it doesn’t touch your stock or sling. In fact, using Ballistol will also clean and preserve your wooden stocks, leather slings, holsters and belts, plus stainless steel.
We all know how clever the Germans can be when it comes to making environmentally friendly products (they even have a Green Party in Germany, and it’s actually made of more than 3 people), and they really hit a home run with Ballistol. If you need a true all-purpose gun cleaner that won’t make you sick from fumes or damage your surroundings, then you’ve found what you are looking for.
Miracle All Purpose Gun Cleaning Polishing Cloth
Just like the name advertises, this stainless steel gun cleaner is a fine cloth treated with a highly effective cleaning and polishing agent. Useful for light to moderate cleaning duties, or for prepping your guns for long term storage, or simply a quick wipe down after being out in the field all day.
While you probably don’t want to try and bust the crud of shooting hundreds of rounds from a revolver with the Miracle Cloth, it will work, well, miracles for most stainless gun maintenance and upkeep. This is a great product to keep in your range back or to simply carry in your jacket pocket when out shooting. Naturally, it works great on knives or other stainless steel sporting goods as well.
Like our other reviewed products, the Miracle Cloth is very popular with owners of stainless steel guns, and has a proven track record of efficiency. For the low cost, you might as well grab some. You never know when you might need it!
How to Clean Stainless Steel Guns
For the most part, cleaning your stainless steel gun is the same as cleaning any other gun. You need to use a solvent and brushes to clean the bore, a lube on the moving parts, and maybe a fine wax or preservative to maintain the finish. However, because stainless guns show powder residue more than regular blued guns, you often find yourself fighting a battle around muzzles, revolver cylinders, and any parts that regularly experience powder residue.
Along with using one of the best stainless steel gun cleaners you can afford to keep your gun looking pristine, you’ll want to use a good stainless or brass brush (see it here) on the affected areas. Combined with your favorite cleaner, these brushes will help you fight stubborn powder residue buildups.
Another aspect of maintaining stainless steel guns is keeping the finish up. Many stainless guns have a bright finish, and gun owners tend to like to maintain that. A good polish with a cleaner and wax will keep your gun looking factory new, and also protect against minor abrasion.
Matte finished stainless guns can also be cleaned with something like Flitz Matte Finish Cleaner (see it here), where your main concern is getting fine particles of dirt or other contaminants out of the slightly rough finish on your gun.
Cleaning stainless guns isn’t hard if you have the right products, and as you can see, those products are both cheap and easy to use, so there is no reason not to be well stocked on stainless gun cleaning products! Good luck!
