{"id":54,"date":"2022-08-23T22:33:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T22:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=54"},"modified":"2022-08-23T22:33:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T22:33:59","slug":"a-quick-guide-to-cleaning-your-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=54","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide To Cleaning Your Gun"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A Quick Guide To Cleaning Your Gun<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some people take pride in maintaining their guns, and some people take a perverse pleasure in not doing it. It is a chore to be sure, but like any chore\u2026you have to do it at some point!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Granted, some guns barely need any cleaning\u2026but some need more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So let’s go over why you want to keep your gun clean, how often, and how to go about it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do Guns Need To Be Cleaned?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Guns are basically a Rube Goldberg machine inside a metal (and\/or metal and plastic) housing. If enough carbon and other stuff builds up on the right parts, it can affect operation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The more you shoot, the more carbon, lead and copper builds up in the barrel, and the more carbon and lead builds up in the frame. The longer it goes between applications of lubrication, the more the lubricant breaks down and ceases to work…which can affect operation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, a little bit is not a big deal. A little bit of carbon, a little bit of lead is no big whup, so it’s not the case with most firearms that they have to be kept white-glove clean, but it’s that it does have be done when it’s needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carbon fouling and copper in the barrel will eventually affect accuracy\u00a0and will eventually start pitting the rifling. Carbon buildup on the slide and\/or frame rails can inhibit travel, and yes even on a Glock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So\u2026<\/span>not<\/span><\/em> cleaning your gun can eventually lead to compromised function and reliability. How often do you need to? Well\u2026that’s a little more relative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Often Should You Clean Your Gun?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

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How often you should clean your gun depends on what kind of gun you have, how much you’re shooting and how often. There isn’t a set round count; it’s more that if you’re seeing a lot of carbon inside it, it’s time to clean it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don’t shoot much and\/or often – say a few boxes a year – cleaning\u00a0is not much of an issue. However, if you shoot a high volume of ammunition (say a few hundred rounds in a sitting) and doing so regularly, that equation can change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With that said, some guns – including various pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns – need to be kept cleaner than others or else you’ll start having issues due to the design of that specific firearm. Just like cars, how to maintain them is the same – change fluids, rotate your tires, replace stuff when you have to – but exactly\u00a0how<\/em> you do those things depends on the make and model you drive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s a really simple way to tell. If you field strip your gun, and it looks really dirty…you should probably clean it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Often You Should Clean Your Gun Depends On What Gun You Have<\/span><\/h3>\n

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A modern polymer striker pistol like a Glock, an M&P, a Sig P320 doesn’t need to be cleaned all that regularly. Clean the barrel once in a while, keep the frame rails lubricated and you’re basically good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Glocks malfunction (they can and do, contrary to popular myth) one of the most common causes besides limpwristing is when the frame rails have too much carbon buildup and\/or aren’t lubricated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There isn’t much metal-on-metal contact, so there aren’t many areas that are vital to keep clean. The only contact a Glock frame makes with the slide is four sheet metal tabs set in the frame; keep the frame rails and the tabs clean and lubricated, maybe add a few drops of lubricant to the top of the barrel and you’re good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The classic metal-framed pistols like 1911s, Hi Powers, all the old Wonder Nines (Beretta 92, Sig P226, CZ-75) and so on need – at minimum – the frame rails to be kept clean and lubricated at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n

A good rule of thumb for those pistols is to clean the slide and frame rails after every shooting session, and apply lubricant. It’s also a good idea to add a few drops of lubricant to the top of the barrel, basically anywhere there’s metal-on-metal contact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carbon can eventually begin to act as an dry abrasive, wearing away material. 1911 pistols are especially susceptible; slide-to-frame fit can be worn away if you don’t keep the slide rails clean and lubricated. The same applies to any of the above-mentioned legacy pistols with a lot of slide-to-frame contact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of people believe some absolute claptrap about revolvers, especially in regard to their maintenance. The most common revolver malfunction (besides timing issues)\u00a0is carbon buildup under the ejector star, keeping the cylinder from locking into place or turning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t take it from us; here’s Chuck Haggard – career LE, firearms trainer and SME on OC spray – fondly reminiscing about the revolver era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n