Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber

Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber

I discovered Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber almost 20 years ago while at Parris Island for basic training. We had a company commander’s inspection later that day, and it was imperative that our rifles were as clean as possible. The last thing you want the inspecting officer to see is carbon on his finger when he checks various parts of your rifle. One of our drill instructors threw a can of this stuff out into the middle of the squad bay during weapons maintenance time, barked something to the effect of, “how did this get here?”, and then went back into the senior drill instructor’s house (what they call their office.) Wink. Wink. Somehow that can disappeared after the inspection, never to be seen again as we went back to scrubbing our rifles with the standard-issue cleaning brush and CLP.

Those of use recruits who didn’t grow up around guns were amazed at how well this product removed every last trace of gunk from even the smallest crevices of our rifles. There were a number of country boys and hunters who recognized the can immediately and knew what we had. For the record, our platoon did well on that part of the inspection, however I suspect that the other platoons in the company may have had similar chemical assistance bestowed upon them by their benevolent drill instructors.

The packaging states that you can clean your firearm with this product without disassembly. While I’m sure it would do a decent job at removing the residues and carbon that result from a day at the range, you should treat your firearms with more respect than that and break them down to clean them properly if you want them to last long enough to pass onto your heirs some day. Because it is so effective at removing gunk and residue, it’s imperative that you reapply CLP or your preferred gun oil immediately after you clean it, as any metal it touches will be unprotected from rust that will inevitably start to form.

As I said above, Gun Scrubber removes everything except for the bluing or parkerizing. Be careful to keep it away from synthetic stocks, as it leaches the color out of them and turns them a dull gray. The company also makes a synthetic-safe version, although I haven’t personally tried it and cannot attest to claims that it won’t discolor every brand of synthetic stock out there.

Take extreme caution to not spray this on any delicate surface such as furniture or a lacquered workbench. This isn’t a product to use at the dining room table. Put down cardboard or towels, because this will strip finishes in no time. Make sure you have adequate ventilation (even a small fan helps), as you don’t want to breathe anymore of it than you have to.

Anyone who owns a firearm – be it a rifle, shotgun, or pistol – needs a can of Gun Scrubber in their kit. I liken it to brake cleaner, which is absolutely indispensable when working on cars, but for firearms. In fact, I believe the chemical formulation of the two products is similar.