Q: Is TUF-CLOTH okay to use knife applications? What is the best product for use on both Bark River A2 tool steel and Fallkniven laminated VG10 steel?
A: TUF-CLOTH is great for the care of all types of knives / steel, including Bark River A2 tool steel and Fallkniven laminated VG10 steel.
If your knives will be exposed to extreme humidity (jungle conditions) or salt water MARINE TUF-CLOTH is the best choice.
Q: I have purchased SMOOTH-KOTE and BP2000 Powder to break in my barrel, which is chrome lined. I’d like to know if is it good to break in a chrome-lined barrel? And if yes, could you give me a procedure to break in the barrel?
A: Sentry Solutions does not claim to be experts on barrels but we understand that practically all barrels perform best when they are properly broken in or “seasoned.”
Here is the basic approach:
Clean the barrel: the goal is clean and residue free. Many bore cleaners leave a residue. That residue can be easily rinsed off with rubbing alcohol. After cleaning allow the barrel to dry.
SMOOTH-KOTE is a black / gray paint like liquid; much care needs to be taken to avoid a mess. Many people use gloves when working with SMOOTH-KOTE. Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean up any SMOOTH-KOTE or BP2000 Powder. It is always best to use as little of Sentry Solutions’ products as possible, and a little goes a very long way. SMOOTH-KOTE has an alcohol carrier which is flammable, so make sure you are not smoking and are not working by candle light.
Warm the barrel so that it is warm to the touch. A hair dryer is an easy way of doing this, or I place the barrel in the sun shine in front of a window.
Make sure the SMOOTH-KOTE is well mixed, very strong shaking or stirring does the trick.
You want to use a patch and jag that fit snugly into the barrel. Dampen a patch with SMOOTH-KOTE, you’ll want the patch to be wet with SMOOTH-KOTE but not dripping. The goal is to apply one, thin coating to the bore. You will need to consider the “squeezing effect” of inserting the patch and jag into the barrel; too much SMOOTH-KOTE will drip off the patch and can create a mess if you are not careful. A patch with the correct amount of SMOOTH-KOTE will pass from the chamber to the muzzle and when it leaves the muzzle, the patch should still be moist but not dripping.
When you have accomplished this, allow the barrel to dry. As long as the barrel has been pre-warmed, or is at or above room temperature, drying is complete in a few minutes.
Saturate a patch with BP2000 Powder. Use this patch to polish the interior of the barrel by passing it through the barrel 20 to 30 strokes.
Fire one shot. Re-apply SMOOTH-KOTE; fire one shot. Do this for 5 shots.
After a course of fire (20 to 30 shots), you should note that no copper residue is present. If copper fouling is present, clean with appropriate copper solvent and repeat the break-in process.
For regular barrel maintenance, after a course of fire, pass a dry patch through the bore to get rid of any powder residue etc. Then dampen with SMOOTH-KOTE and pass it through the bore as already instructed.
That’s it!
Here is some additional information you might find helpful:
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/docs/Smooth-Kote_Manual.pdf
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=APL04&Store_Code=SENTRY
I used Sentry Solutions’ products for more than 15 years in law enforcement working in very hot and humid conditions. During that time, I used various forms of weapon cleaners and lubricants—of which the list is too long to mention. It was not until I used the Sentry Solutions’ products that I discovered a significant difference in weapon cleaning and protection. Because of the nature of products and business practices today, I am normally reticent about giving anything a favorable mention. However, in this case, I must say, without any equivocation, this product accomplishes precisely what is advertised.
After retiring, I continue to use the Sentry Solutions’ products. With the results that I have seen with the Sentry Solutions’ products, I now actively recommend the products to my family, my friends and members of law enforcement and the military—both active and retired.
Finally, let me mention that the people at Sentry Solutions know and remember their customers by name—not by account or order number. I found this factor in today’s business climate to be professionally refreshing and reassuring.
Indeed, this is a solid product—backed by targeted excellence in performance.
J. Ellington
Q: What exactly is the proper process in using the Sentry Solutions‘ system? Do you use SMOOTH-KOTE and TUF-GLIDE when you clean your weapon? Is SMOOTH-KOTE just used for long term storage? Is SMOOTH-KOTE for rust protection and TUF-GLIDE for lubrication?
I have been using your products on all my weapons. I read from an article involving a product called prolix that some dry lubes can damage polymer firearms. And, are your products currently in use by the military or the government?
A: Sentry Solutions’ products are still purchased by and used by various groups within our government including the military, law enforcement, public safety and general maintenance applications. D.O.D. still buy our TUF Products, but rather than issuing them to our troops, the products are sold in the PXs. During the war, more than 50% of the deployed troops were issued TUF-CLOTHs and TUF-GLIDE. The Army even presented both of these products to the Soldier Enhancement program. TUF-CLOTH and TUF-GLIDE were slated to become adjunct issue items along side CLP, just as desert boots and winter boots are supplied to our troops depending on the conditions their missions put them in. That did not happen when the bureaucrats decided to stay with wet / oil based 
small arms lubricants. While exhibiting at the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Sentry Solutions was visited by a representative from RDECOM of the U.S. Army; we will be revisiting our military’s use of our products.
Sentry Solutions products can be used individually or as a system. The quick answer to your questions are:
We hope this answers your question on using our products. Please also visit these web pages were you can download the instruction sheets – http://www.sentrysolutions.com/docs/Tuf-Cloth_Tuf-Glide_Manual.pdf
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/docs/Smooth-Kote_Manual.pdf
(left) This French Berthier Model 1916/1927 probably saw use during World War I and has a less than perfect bore. Its bore can be improved by lapping using a lead slug. (center) Coffield uses a hot air gun to heat the barrel prior to casting the lap in the bore. (right) Make sure you have a very sturdy rod for the lap. Coffield uses an old surplus M14 steel cleaning rod
If someone suggested you rub the inside of your rifle barrel with sand, would you do it? That’s a pretty stupid question, right? Of course you wouldn’t.
From day one, we’re taught to treat the bore with TLC. We’re admonished by every gun expert, self-proclaimed and otherwise, to be extra careful and never allow the slightest amount of wear or smallest bit of abrasive to make even the tiniest scratch inside the barrel.The rifle bore is one of those mysterious and sacred areas we can only approach with care and by following the specific instructions of experts. After all, if we do anything wrong, we’ll ruin the barrel, or so we’re told. But like so much popular wisdom, that’s not always true.
Over the years, I’ve developed an interest in older military bolt-action rifles. One of the things I’ve discovered is if I can afford the rifle, it’s probably not in the best shape. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say it’ll be darn rough! That’s okay with me; I’d much rather have a rifle that saw use than a mint-condition example that was never issued.
This excerpt is taken from Lapping a Rifle Barrel by Reid Coffield of Shooting Times. To read the full article, click here.
Q: Can I use either TUF-GLIDE / MarineTUF-GLIDE and their corresponding cloths on my SIG P226 that is already nitron finished?
A: TUF-GLIDE and Marine TUF-GLIDE are excellent for virtually all types of finishes including Nitron. If you have any concerns or would like to see how it looks after applying the products, you should perform a test on a small inconspicuous surface area of the pistol. SIG Sauer has used Sentry Solutions’ products for many years and sells our full line at their Pro Shop in Exeter, NH.
Q: I have heard about your product reading a book by John Plaster. He shows Hoppes #9 as a cleaner, etc. I was wondering what you recommend for a cleaner and copper solvent. Do not know if it matters, but I would be planning to use your products on a Remington 700. Also, wondering if you recommended using moly coated bullets with your SMOOTH-KOTE product? Thank you.
A: Sentry Solutions includes Hoppe’s #9 among the cleaners we feel are effective. There seems to have been an explosion in new wonder cleaners to the point that we don’t know what to make of them. The key of course is to select a cleaner which cleans the metal of whatever “fouling” your guns are afflicted with. In order to allow SMOOTH-KOTE the best chance of working its magic (our customers description, not mine, but they are right), it should be applied to a clean, residue-free surface. That often means using something such as rubbing alcohol to rinse off any residue which a cleaner leaves behind. You may have difficulty on this point, as we have noticed many of the new gun cleaners describe themselves as “residue-free” or “leaving no residue” and then in the next sentence say their cleaner leaves a protective film. In our world there is either no residue or there is a residue which might be the protective film they refer to.
As far as shooting moly bullets, SMOOTH-KOTE is the replacement for that option. You may have heard reports of moly bullets causing a build up of moly in the bore; that is due to the fact that every coated bullet fired embeds / deposits more moly into the bore’s surface. While SMOOTH-KOTE relies on molybdenum disulfide to deliver its performance, Sentry Solutions uses three different forms of moly to make SMOOTH-KOTE, BP2000 Powder and HI-SLIP GREASE. The major difference in the three forms is the particle size and the processing which promotes the bonding of the moly to the metal surface. Sentry Solutions relies on bonding action while moly coated bullets forcefully embeds the moly into the bore’s surface, with more being embedded with every round fired. This is a similar effect to the one seen when PTFE containing lubricants are used as bore treatments. PTFE does not adhere to metal unless it is applied under factory conditions and it is really just sitting on top of the metal even then. This is why some years ago benchrest shooters stopped using PTFE containing lubricants in the bore; embedding is not a controlled process like bonding is. Once SMOOTH-KOTE has bonded to a metal surface no more can bond and SMOOTH-KOTE bonds better to the metal then it does to itself. Any excess SMOOTH-KOTE is shot out of the bore. With PTFE the embedding occurs wherever conditions are right and it can. This results in a loss of the bore’s uniform surface, assuming it was a decent bore to start with. Once the uniformity of the bore is lost, because more PTFE embedded here or there, there isn’t much hope for accuracy. PTFE is an excellent lubricant and virtually impossible to remove. So just as with moly building up in the bore, PTFE in the bore can actually ruin the accuracy of a rifle.
Sorry for such a long winded answer – the quick answer is no need for moly coated bullets if the bore is coated. When we developed SMOOTH-KOTE, we considered how best to use it to reduce fouling and maintain accuracy. The choices were treat the bore or the bullets. Bore treatment does not result in any build up and is much quicker.
The following excerpt is taken from the 1911Forum.com:
I bought one of their TUF-CLOTHs and liked the dry protectant idea. I’ve heard many good things about it…
After a few uses their ziploc style bag that it comes with got torn at the zip/seal area so I put the cloth inside another ziploc bag of my own (kitchen use ones, kind of thin), but a couple of months later the cloth dried up and I was pretty upset I only got like 1 use out of it….
I emailed Sentry Solutions about it and they said they would send me a replacement. Fast forward 3 days (Tuesday was the email response from them, it’s Friday today), I got a package from UPS. Inside the package were 2 TUF-CLOTHs (the one that comes in a mini jar, not the ziploc bag), 1 small TUF-GLIDE and 4 sample looking TUF-CLOTHs (full size TUF-CLOTH inside).
So I ended up with 6 TUF-CLOTHs and 1 additional product… I plan on giving the other ones to my team mates in my unit.
I wanted to praise them about customer service. I’ve never seen anything like this.
They have my business for life now. I’m amazed how they took care of me.
So, Thanks Sentry Solutions!!!
After serving four years in the army and two deployments, I have plenty of experience with your [Sentry Solutions] product. My M-4 never had any malfunctions when using your product and required less maintenance while in Iraq. I still have my original TUF-CLOTH, and it still works after all these years!
Thank You Sentry Solutions!
Name Withheld, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment,101st Airborne Division
Q: I recently started shooting a muzzleloader and use a black powder substitute (Black Horn 209) which isn’t quite as corrosive as conventional black powder according to the manufacturer. My question is is it safe to use the SMOOTH-KOTE liquid in the barrel of my muzzleloader and just brush out the powder residue after firing extensively? I don’t want to damage my barrel.
A: Here is the best way to use SMOOTH-KOTE with black powder and black powder substitute:
SMOOTH-KOTE provides much of the same benefits in black powder shooting as it does in cartridge firearms: more rounds fired between cleaning without loss of accuracy. The major difference has to do with the corrosive effects of the powder residue. In black powder you will still need to clean with hot (very hot) water and soap. Then you would re-treat with SMOOTH-KOTE. SMOOTH-KOTE can also be used as a bullet coating to ease loading and used on the threads of breach plugs to prevent seize up and ease removal.