PrOlix: One Bottle Gun Cleaning Solution

As opinionated as gun owners can be about everything from what gun is best to the most concealable holster to why my carry position is better than your carry position, one thing we can all agree on (hopefully) is that guns need cleaning, at some point at least. We may not all follow the same gun cleaning schedule – cleaning every time we shoot vs. a lot less frequently – but no matter how often you clean them, guns get dirty. It’s a fact of life. What is also a fact of life is there are a multitude of good cleaning supply companies out there offering a wide variety of excellent products to keep your gun in top notch working order. One such company is a relatively small player in the industry: PrOlix.

Started in 1972 by a guy who got tired of cleaning guns for an Olympic small bore shooting club, the new solution he created on his own proved every bit as capable as the old cleaners he had been using but was much easier to apply and wipe off, cutting down his time spent cleaning very dirty guns. Once ha nailed down the exact formula, the product was introduced at the Los Angeles Law Enforcement Expo in 1980 and by 1986 was in stores all over the country.

What’s so different about PrOlix? Unlike other cleaning systems that require a bottle of this and a bottle of that to work together for various purposes, Prolix is all in one bottle. No separate solvent and oil bottles. Also, unlike many other lubricants and cleaners, PrOlix is not petroleum-based, so it will not harm accessories such as grip tape or other adhesive add-ons or cause them to lose stickiness and fall off. It will also not damage Cerakote or special paint jobs.

One drawback to many otherwise excellent cleaning systems is the need for different fluids for different purposes: oil, solvents, lubes all in different bottles. With PrOlix, it’s all in one. All you choose is what size bottle and applicator to use. Formulated as a one-solution-does-all, PrOlix works best when sprayed on and left to work for a few minutes before wiping off or as a dip solution where you place your firearm or parts that need cleaning into a small tub of solution and then wipe off.

The other advantage of non-petroleum-based solution is it won’t soil clothing like other cleaning supplies. This is especially important if you need to clean a weapon before going on shift or are worried about rubbing a freshly cleaned and lubed gun against your clothes when putting it in a holster. It will also not harm blued or nickel finishes. The non-acidic chemistry is formulated to be non-corrosive, maintaining the specialized finish longer.

The unique PrOlix solution does not dissolve dirt and grime but rather lifts it off the gun parts, essentially suspending particles in the solution until it can be wiped off. This not only makes post-shooting cleaning easy but also allows for the gun to be pre-treated by spraying or soaking the gun before use, making cleaning even simpler because it might get as dirty in the first place.

As a traditional gun solution cleaning guy, I was skeptical at first of how a universal cleaning and lube formula could do both. Often “combo” packages don’t work as well as dedicated formulas. But I wanted to give PrOlix a fair shake. So I took two dirty guns and cleaned them both – one with PrOlix, one with another name brand gun cleaner – and compared results. The verdict? There was hardly any difference. Both left the guns shiny and spotless, even after several hundred rounds going through both.

If you’re looking for a one-bottle cleaning solution, PrOlix is a great option. ~ David

David Workman
David is an avid gun guy and a contributing writer to several major gun publications. In addition to being an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and RSO, David trains new shooters on basic handgun skills and CCW requirements and is a strong advocate for training as much as you possibly can. "Real life shootouts don't happen at a box range."

‍