Right. So I've run out of solvent and cleaning patches.

I can just cut up an old sheet to use for patches but is there any household chemical I can use as solvent?

Lots of things are solvents, but I don't know how they'd work in a gun. Might cause problems.

You could use acetone, WD40/CRC, or even boiling water.

Household ammonia
Wash the barrel and oil well after.

cool I'll give it a shot.

So long as you don't have a polymer framed pistol, brake cleaner is excellent for removing fouling.

It also blasts out of the can with a decent amount of pressure, so it is usually enough to get a gun clean and completely dry even without using any patches.

And, about polymer guns, brake cleaner is pretty nasty stuff and can "melt" some plastics.

So you can see why it would be a bad idea to use it on anything but metal.

+1 on the brake cleaner. If left on wood or plastic it will start to eat it as mentioned above.

All you need for patches is an old cotton tshirt. Qtips for tight spaces.

And motor oil(specifically 10w30 synthetic) works awesome as lube. It will clean off carbon, but wont do much for lead or copper fouling.

I never suggest WD40 for guns because as it heats up and or evaporates it becomes a sticky gum mess. If you use it to clean Id wash it off and then oil.

Might have to try brake cleaner, never heard of using it before. I'm guessing it takes the carbon out and leaves the copper?

I used a WD40 soaked rag for ages to clean guns with, and I never had an issue. When I was done I'd put the rag in an airtight container.

WD-40 isn't as bad as alot of people make it out to be, it's just not as good as oil because it has a lower seizing point and doesn't protect from rust as well. when i was younger it was pretty much all i used for my .22's and air rifle and they're all still going strong.

I heard it can penetrate primers and cause misfires.

Never had that happen with guns kept loaded.

Box of Truth disproved this one.