Cleaning Winchester SX3 / SX4 Shotguns

The Winchester SX4 is my Go To shotgun for everything - clays, doves, ducks, geese, pheasants, whatever.  It is an awesome firearm.  The drawback?  There are multiple moving parts and a few of them like to collect carbon.  And this carbon sticks as if it were put on those parts with super glue!

Specifically, the magazine tube and the gas piston are the main carbon collectors.  Those parts come out more black than silver & gold.


The inner components of an SX3 / SX4 with highlights where carbon will form

So what is my trick for cleaning those bits?  I drop the gas piston into my Hornady sonic cleaner.  Inside the cleaner I put in about a cup of Hornady's One Shot Sonic Clean Solution for gun parts, add some DI water, a couple squirts of Dawn liquid dish soap, and then top it off with a dash or two of the citrus version of Dr. Bronner's pure castile liquid soap.  I have found that the citrus Dr. Bronner's is awesome at removing grease and oil.  All of that bakes in the sonic cleaner for about ten minutes.  BTW, this also works great for AR parts - heck any small gun part that needs to be cleaned!


The Hornady sonic cleaner on my workbench

The Hornady One Shot cleaning solution I use

Out of the cleaner, I wipe the parts down with paper towel to dry them.  Then I spray them with Shooter Lube's Weapon Cleaning Solvent.  Any parts that do not fit in the sonic cleaner just get the Shooter Lube Solvent treatment.  I like to use a dish washing pad to scrub the parts, but when the really stubborn carbon does not like to come off, I use a stainless steel "toothbrush" to break up the carbon.  By now, the parts are gleaming like they are brand new!  All that is left is to put a light coat of oil on any parts that require it and reassemble.



On the left is "Stage One," Shooter Lube's Weapon Cleaning Solvent.
If you own a gun, you should own this cleaning solvent!


None of these products mentioned above are 'sponsors' of this here blog.  I have received zero compensation for any endorsements.  These are the products that I use because they work for me.  And they work very well.  That Shooter Lube Solvent?  That stuff works miracles!  Can't say enough good things about it.  Every gun owner should be buying that product.  Spray on and wipe off the carbon.  It really is just that easy.



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