Unless you happen to be one of those individuals that gets great joy out of taking apart your firearm and meticulously scrubbing it, cleaning your guns is one of those annoying things that every hunter and shooter has to go through. Without regular cleaning and oiling, there's simply no way to keep your weapon working properly and firing accurately, as dirt, carbon and oil can combine to quickly foul up your gun. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours upon hours thoroughly cleaning and lubricating each piece of your firearm, as technology has allowed this to become a thing of the past thanks to ultrasonic gun cleaners.
No longer will you have to waste your precious time cleaning your weapons, as an ultrasonic cleaner can do all the work for you. In fact, the best ultrasonic cleaner can do a much better job than you could ever do manually and in a much shorter amount of time. To show you exactly why these ultrasonic cleaners are such a handy item for any hunter, this guide will be focused around providing everything you need to know about these innovative machines, including how they work and the benefits that they provide over manual cleaning. As well, you'll also learn what to look for when choosing an ultrasonic cleaner and can find reviews of some of the top products currently on the market.
The 5 Best Ultrasonic Cleaners
Ultrasonic Cleaner | Capacity |
|---|---|
9 Liter | |
7 Liter | |
2 Liter | |
9 Liter | |
2.5 Liter | |
3 Liter | |
2.5 Liter |
What is an Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner and How Does it Work?
Although they vary in size and shape, all ultrasonic cleaners basically consist of a heated tank. The tank is first filled up with a special cleaning solution, after which you simply place the pieces of your firearm into a basket and then lower it all into the solution. After closing the lid on the tank, the cleaner begins sending out ultrasonic waves that work to gently scrub the entire surface of the gun clean - even penetrating deep into any crevices or other parts that you would otherwise be unable to clean by hand.
In more technical terms, the cleaner produces high-frequency sound waves that penetrate through the water and cause cavitation (tiny air bubbles) that lightly scours the surface of any hard materials placed inside the tank. By using this type of technology and cleaning the parts with liquid and air only, ultrasonic cleaners ensure the gun is cleaned not only more thoroughly, but also more gently.
After placing the parts inside the ultrasonic cleaner, all you need to do is set the length of time you want the machine to run for (usually anywhere from five to 30 minutes) and then let it do its work. Once the cycle has finished, you can then remove the basket with your parts from the machine. From there, it's time to replace the cleaning solution with a special lubricating solution, and then set the machine to run again.
Like the cleaning solution, the lubricating solution will be worked thoroughly into all of the holes and crevices, ensuring that no water is leftover from the cleaning and working to prevent future rust. When you finally remove everything from the machine, you'll be left with spotlessly clean, fully lubricated parts that are ready to be reassembled. All you need to do is gently wipe off any excess lubricating solution and you'll be ready to go.
Benefits of Using an Ultrasonic Cleaner
The process of manually cleaning a gun involves taking apart the entire firearm and then manually scrubbing, cleaning and oiling it piece by piece. With an ultrasonic cleaner, you'll still need to dismantle the gun into its separate components, but after that, the machine takes care of the rest. In fact, you won't even have to get your hands dirty.
Still, that's only one of the many reasons that more and more gun owners are turning towards ultrasonic cleaners. They also provide all of the following benefits:
- Provides a much deeper, more thorough cleaning
- Keeps gun parts fully lubricated and ensures they are free of moisture
- More gentle on the gun than scrubbing by hand with a brush
- Versatile cleaning solution can remove virtually any contaminant
- Machines have few moving parts and are generally built to stand the test of time
- Much cheaper than having your gun professionally cleaned
What to Look For in the Best Ultrasonic Cleaner
Considering all of the above benefits apply not only to cleaning guns, but to almost any hard or metallic objects, you probably won't be surprised to learn that people use these cleaners for a range of other items, including jewelry, auto parts, decorative brass items, etc. However, no matter whether you're shopping for the best ultrasonic cleaner for carburetors, the best ultrasonic cleaner for brass or the best ultrasonic cleaner for guns, there are a few things you'll need to keep in mind.
First, when you start browsing through the available products, you'll soon see that very few ultrasonic cleaners are built specifically for firearms. However, this is simply because they work on a wide variety of items, meaning it's definitely not necessary that you choose one designed especially for cleaning guns as there are other more important factors to consider.
Size and Solution
Generally speaking, the most important factor in choosing an ultrasonic gun cleaner is the size, as the best ultrasonic cleaner for reloading purposes is not necessarily the best if you plan on cleaning larger rifle parts. For this reason, it's important to consider the average size of the parts you plan on cleaning. If you mostly plan on using it to clean out old cartridge shells before reloading, then you can easily get away with one of the smaller models, while you'll definitely need a larger, longer tank if you plan on cleaning larger parts.
Of course, if money is no option, then you're definitely best to get the biggest tank you can find, as this will give you that many more possibilities. However, keep in mind that the bigger tank you have, the more money you'll need to spend on cleaning and lubrication solutions in order to ensure that the parts are fully covered. While on the topic of cleaning solution, it's also important that you do a bit of research and find the best ultrasonic cleaner solution for guns, as not all cleaning solutions may be safe to use on all firearms. In fact, you'll need to choose a cleaning solution designed specifically for steel when cleaning gun parts and one designed specifically for brass when cleaning cases.
Quality
Although it may sound obvious, the other main thing you'll need to consider in addition to the size of the tank is the overall quality of the unit. As you'll be trusting the machine to clean your high dollar weapons, it's important that you choose a product with a good reputation to ensure that your firearms get the gentle treatment they deserve.
Ultrasonic Cleaner Reviews: Ranking the Top Products
To help make it easier to determine which brands are reputable, here are some reviews of the best ultrasonic cleaners for guns.
Hornady Lock N Load Sonic Cleaners
One of the only companies to produce ultrasonic cleaners specifically designed for guns, the Hornady Lock N Load series of ultrasonic cleaners contains several different sized models suitable for almost every purpose.
For those looking for something suitable for larger rifle parts, the Hornady Lock N Load Hot Tub more than fits the bill. With more than 16 inches of internal space, this cleaner can accommodate an AR-15 upper and also features a basket for smaller pieces. The cleaner has a 1.7 quart (9 liter) capacity, making it one of the biggest ultrasonic cleaners on the market. As well, this cleaner also gives you more flexibility by featuring five adjustable heat settings, allowing you to turn the heat up or down depending on what you're cleaning.
The Hornady Lock N Load is also available in a slightly smaller 7-liter version, which should still be plenty big enough to clean all but the largest parts. One of the benefits of this 7-liter model is that it also comes with a smaller 1.5-liter tank, which can be used to help save cleaning solution when you only have small parts to clean.
If you're planning on using the ultrasonic cleaning many for reloading purposes, you should definitely consider the smaller 2-liter Hornady Lock N Load. It costs quite a bit less than the larger versions, while still providing enough space to accommodate up to 300 .223 cartridges or 150 .308 cases.
iSonic Commercial Ultrasonic Cleaners
Another major producer of ultrasonic cleaners, iSonic produces a range of units ideal for nearly any purpose. Like Hornady, iSonic produces one of the largest cleaners currently available, the iSonic P4890, which has a 9-liter capacity. With this cleaner, you can fit even the largest parts, as it measures 25.5 inches long. It also features five adjustable heat settings, providing all the cleaning power you could possibly need. However, it also costs a bit more than the Hornady Lock N Load Hot Tub, so it's only really necessary if you actually need all that extra cleaning room.
In addition to the massive P4890, iSonic also produces a range of excellent smaller models, including the 2.5-liter/2.6-quart P4820 and the 3-liter/3.2-quart P4830, which also features five temperature settings. Both of these models are outstanding choices for cleaning a wide range of gun parts and accessories.
Lyman Turbo Sonic 2500 Ultrasonic Cleaner
Last but not least is the Lyman Turbo Sonic. This cleaner features a 2.5-liter capacity tank and is specially designing for cleaning bullet casings, capable of cleaning more than 900 9mm cases in just 15 minutes. Although this ensures that the Lyman Turbo Sonic might just be the best ultrasonic case cleaner, the size of the tank on this cleaner makes it suitable for cleaning smaller gun parts as well. In the world of ultrasonic gun cleaning, Lyman is definitely one of the biggest stars, as not only does it produce outstanding cleaners, but it also makes some of the best cleaning solutions out there.
The Final Word of Ultrasonic Gun Cleaners
All of the above products are definitely considered amongst the top, and each one could easily vie for the title of the best ultrasonic cleaner. For this reason, you really can’t go wrong no matter which of these brands you choose. At the end of the day, nothing will give you quite the same thrill as seeing just how clean and shiny these ultrasonic cleaners can make your gun and thus how easy they can make your life. So what are you waiting for? Stop wasting your time cleaning and start doing things the smart way by ultrasonic cleaning.
