FIREARMS MAINTENANCE

Frank Tooker Avatar

People always ask, “How often should I clean my gun?” My answer is always the same, it depends. A lot of factors go into how often you should clean the gun. How often do you plan to use it? As an instructor, I am on the range several times a week conducting classes and doing demonstrations with my pistols. It isn’t practical for me to clean my gun after every range session. If you are only going out to the range to shoot a few rounds, maybe the cleaning can wait. If you just went through a class where you fired several hundred, it’s probably time to clean the gun. What ammunition are you using? Some ammunition brands leave more residue and debris behind than others. When we burn things (like smokeless powder) one of the byproducts that is left behind is carbon. That carbon can build up over time, and if allowed to build up too much, can prevent to gun from operating correctly. Are you planning on using the gun in the next 30 days? if yes, maybe let it wait to be cleaned, but if you are going to store the gun for the next several months, maybe consider giving it a good cleaning. The carbon that is left behind can solidify and get extremely hard to remove if left to sit over time. Do you carry the gun on a daily basis? You might want to at least wipe it down before you put it back into the holster. You don’t want carbon stains on your clothing. I am sure someone can think of some other reasons that you may or may not need to clean the gun, but you get the idea.

When cleaning the gun, the first step is to clear the gun. That is, make sure there is no live ammunition in the gun, or anywhere near you. Accidents can happen when we get distracted. Clear the gun, then repeat the process. This gives you at least two opportunities to check and make sure there is no ammunition in the gun. For some guns, the first step before taking it apart to clean it is to pull the trigger. You can see how that step of clearing the gun becomes vitally important. Just about every gun has some type of “take down” lever that needs to be manipulated to take the slide off of the frame. The manual that came with the gun, the manufacturers website, or in an emergency YouTube will show you how to do that. Once you have the slide off, you can remove the barrel and recoil spring from the slide. For the average person, this is as far as you need to breakdown the pistol for cleaning. You can disassemble it down to its smallest parts, but if you are unfamiliar with how to reassemble it, you could be taking a trip to your local gunsmith to get it reassembled, and you risk losing those little pins and springs if you are not careful. That can get expensive to fix.

From there it’s a pretty easy task of scrubbing, wiping, and cleaning all the major parts. Some guns include the basic tools that you need to clean the gun, some do not. Unless you have a need for it, refrain from purchasing the big $200 cleaning kit that has every caliber and size brush you could ever need. Get yourself an inexpensive cleaning kit that is caliber specific to your gun, a couple of old rags (old t-shirts work great) and an old toothbrush. Some kits come with all of that stuff. Some will include a type of solvent and lubricant. Use caution with some of the cleaning solvents that are out there, some are extremely caustic and can damage the finish on some firearms. Stay away from penetrating oils like WD40, they can leave a residue behind that can affect your ammunition. There are a lot of gimmicky cleaners and lubes out there that may or may not work too well. I have tried most of them and always end up using a simple gun oil in the long run. Think about putting down an old towel, or some cardboard (just flatten out one of the dozen or so Amazon boxes that are laying around). Use that to protect the tabletop that you are using. A lot of people chose to wear some type of rubber or latex gloves to protect their hands from the solvent as well. Not a bad idea, we are exposed to so many chemicals now a days, why add more to the mix.

Once you have everything as clean as possible, it as simple as reassembling the slide, lubricating everything to the manufacturer’s recommendations, and putting the slide back onto the frame. A note on lubrication, more isn’t always better. Most manufacturers recommend a few drops of oil on the slide rails, and maybe one or two on the barrel. That is all you should need. I watched a student a few weeks ago lube his gun with enough oil for 100 guns. He was pouring it on thicker than I put Syrup on my pancakes. By the time he started shooting, he had oil everywhere. Check the manufacturers manual, it will tell you how much they recommend.

Once the gun is re-assembled, reck the slide a few times to distribute those few drops of oil. it’s also a good idea to make sure the trigger and any safeties are working by dry firing the gun a few times. This is a good opportunity to get some dry fire practice in (more on that in another post)

It is not a bad idea to clean your magazines every few months as well. Especially if you use an outdoor range, and they get dropped in the sand or dirt a lot. Be careful disassembling the magazines, the magazine spring is compressed inside the magazine body and can come shooting out with some force when you remove the base plate. Once you have the magazine apart, it’s as simple as wiping them down. there are some companies that make a brush that is specific to magazines. Do not lubricate your magazines. They are designed to work without lubrication. if you do, it will attract all kinds of dirt and dust and will eventually foul the magazine.

If cleaning your gun is still something you don’t think you are ready to tackle yet, most gunsmiths usually offer a cleaning service. They will usually use some type of ultrasound cleaner that will have your gun looking like the first day you brought it home. It’s worth the few dollars they charge.

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