[usmarine0352_2005]

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How do you guys first clean a new gun and get the grease off?


I also only have WD-40 right now and would like to clean up my new gun tonite.



What cleaners and lube do you use?




It's a Sig P220 Elite Carry Stainless with wood grips.




We can clean, shoot and strip the guns, just not do any permanent modifications like change grips, or add night sights.


We have to have the armory add grips and night sights have to be sent to the manufacture to be added, not just any gunsmith.



And I'm not supposed to tamper with any parts of the gun, like taking the grips off. I'm going into a police academy.



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[joker4096]

I'm going to be doing the same with my new gun. I guess we can use nitrosolvent gun cleaner and the gun oil to lube it up. Just to get the grease stuff off of the gun.

[Izaak Walton]

Rags, Q-Tips, tooth picks and the WD.
Lots of rags.

[hso]

What do you have that is covered in cosmoline? Usually this is only on old milsurp rifles and the milsurp collector sites are great about providing cleanup info.

Take the wood off and use kerosene or diesel to clean the cosmoline off the metal. Obviously this needs to be done outside or in a well ventilated space that spillage won't hurt.

Use the kerosene to clean the gross cosmoline off the wood then clean with mineral spirits and pack it in clay kitty litter or flour and bake at 250 repeatedly to draw the worst of it out. Clean with mineral spirits between the "bakes". You'll probably do this 3 times before you get a wood surface that you can rub boiled linseed oil into (or tung oil).

[kilo729]

Boiling hot water, a steam gun, mineral spirits.

I'm sure the first two are safe on wood, not sure about the spirits.

[usmarine0352_2005]

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Your right, it's not cosmoline.


It's just some greasy type of stuff.


So, do I still have to take the grips off?


Because it's for the academy, I am not supposed to do anything like that, and they will find out if I do.


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[Mello]

One article I read about cleaning cosmoline raised a good point. If you let the cosmoline get in your drain pipes you will be asking for a clogged drain that will resist most methods of clearing.

A small steamer was found to be most effective by the writer of the article at the following link.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/index.asp

The article at this link http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu23.htm liked mineral spirits and an air compressor.

[usmarine0352_2005]

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Fixed, not cosmoline.


That should make it easier, right?

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[Bozo]

Because it's for the academy, I am not supposed to do anything like that, and they will find out if I do.

Why are you not supposed to do that and how will they find out? Who owns the gun, you or the agency you are working for?

[Timradcliffe345]

The academy should teach all students how to properly care for their firearms. Did they not provide you with instructions on how to care for your sidearm?

[usmarine0352_2005]

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The academy should teach all students how to properly care for their firearms. Did they not provide you with instructions on how to care for your sidearm?


Yes, but I want to shoot my new gun and get used to it before the academy.

Plus, I want to "handle" it.

hahaha.


Who doesn't want to touch their new gun?

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[eng23ine]

Did you buy the pistol out of your pocket, or did the academy assign it to you?

If you bought it, screw 'em...field strip it and clean/lube properly.

If they bought it, don't touch it until instructed to do so.

[usmarine0352_2005]

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I bought it, they reimburse me.


They didn't say we can't field strip, clean it, or lube it, they just don't want us to take off grips, add night sights or modify the guns on our owns.



Plus, I don't need to get into any trouble. Making it as a cop is a long process and I don't need to be known as the guy who doesn't follow policies.

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[Deus Machina]

Well, check it out and see if it really needs torn down to the nuts and bolts.

Some guns like the grease, and what they put on might be the actual lubricant, not just shipping grease.

If it needs it, decide if it needs it enough that you can't wait until after schooling. If it's the proper lubricant, just do the normal break down and clean like you would after going to the range.

Edit: If they said not to take off the grips, they likely meant not to replace them. If they're stock, take them off and clean to your heart's content. As long as they go back on, there's absolutely nothing for them to complain about.

[usmarine0352_2005]

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My gun game with wood grips and their not allowed in the academy.

I have to order Sig plastic grips, but they said they have to install them.

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[floods]

Edit: If they said not to take off the grips, they likely meant not to replace them. If they're stock, take them off and clean to your heart's content. As long as they go back on, there's absolutely nothing for them to complain about.

My thoughts as well.

[bigwhiteyj]

I have to order Sig plastic grips, but they said they have to install them.

It sounds like they take you for incompetent. If your not confident about how to clean it, use the videos on the Sig website for reference. I'd also recommend getting some Mil-Comm TW25B for the slide rails and barrel, its the recommended lube for Sigs. Good Luck.

*BTW WD-40 is a very poor lubricant when it comes to guns, Great for sticky hinges, but especially if you are working as a LEO, spend the extra few bucks to treat your weapon right, your life may depend on it.

[usmarine0352_2005]

Thanks.


I think I'll get some RemOil or Breakfree this weekend.


They do take us for incompetents, because the last academy screwed a lot of stuff up.

One person had their night sights added by a gunsmith and it was all jacked up.

[bigwhiteyj]

What dept. is it if you dont mind mentioning. (or PM me if you'd prefer)

[WardenWolf]

Depends on the gun and how it was factory lubed. Some come ready to go, some come in packing grease that needs to be replaced with proper lubricant. Most newer guns come ready to go. You should definitely do a standard cleaning job on the barrel first, though. That's just a safety matter.

[nutter]

How can I tell if its packing grease that needs replaced, or if its the right lube?

My Rock Island Armory 1911 came drenched in greasy black oil. Do I need to remove it and re-lube? Or can it stay and I just clean and lube as I go?

[TX1911fan]

If you bought a new gun brand new it's just the factory rust preventative. ANY gun cleaner will work. Just field strip it and use patches to clean off the greasy stuff. Lube it up and you're done. You don't need to break it down any further than a field strip and you don't have to do any steam cleaning or anything else. Wipe the Breakfree or whatever else you get to clean it on and then wipe it off. You'll be fine.

Nutter, I always clean a new gun before I shoot it. Clean all the factory stuff off, and then lube it up with a good gun lube. Not WD40 but a good gun lube like CLP, Rem Oil, or any other of a hundred products made for guns.

[Macmac]

They don't want you muggin' around with a regular screw driver which won't fit the screws correctly, raising little burs on the screw heads and buggering the threads when you go to re-install the screws.

Gun Screws have a straight slot, not like any other screws. So if you use a ordinary screw driver they will infact know you tampered with these screws.

I don't know what grease for storage/shipping this gun has but it isn't cosmoline.

If I were you I would pull the slide (Field strip) the weapon, and look down the bore hard for signs of any steel chips, then with any bore solvent like Hoppes Number 9 just clean the gun, as if you just fired it, and look down the bore again, with out firing it.

You are looking for steel chips, either laying around in the bore and action, and or still attached to the gun, which can happen. Sometimes these chips are dangerous to the operation of the gun, and others if any will spoil the bore if any ammo is fired while they are still there.

In theory there should be no chips as most guns get proof fired at the factory, never the less I have seen these chips of steels before.

Most any of the oils you listed are good ones, and will thin and dilute any storage greases, to the point you can use a soft cloth made of cotton, and sop up any excess.

WD-40 is mainly kerocene, and IS NOT a good oil to use for long term storage.

More or less WD is a cleaning agent, and is gone in 3 days.

When a light coat is required, this does not mean 1/2 the can.

It means you dampen a rag, a clean white cotton rag, and not some synthetic rag. A real cotton diaper is one of the best clean white cotton rags you can get, if you can get one.

Anyway would might take a 4" x 4" square of a such a rag and mist it lighty with any oil and wipe the gun down.

You would want to inspect as many parts as you can see. Tooth brushes, tooth picks made of wood and other brushes all have their place as do pipe cleaners on guns.

A Stainless gun can still rust, so you need a light protective film on most any gun. Gun Stainless resists rust well, but in the wrong places for long enough it will rust.

IF!!!!!! You happen to be red headed, you need to take more precautions for high acid skin. Red heads will etch into most any steels in short order, if the steel is bare, raw, unprotected steels.

[usmarine0352_2005]

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Do you need to use a bore cleaner/protectant like "Hoppes #9" to protect the bore after firing and cleaning to store the gun, or is using Remoil or Breakfree CLP in the bore ok?


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[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

I've always used Hoppes 9 to protect the bore. I don't think you want heavy oil in there, especially if you don't remember to thoroughly wipe it out BEFORE shooting.

From what I understand, Hoppes 9 is non-viscous so as to protect the bore without having to wipe the bore first before shooting.

YMMV

[Rodentman]

Hoppes #9 is a solvent; I would coat the bore with a light layer of gun oil.

I personally don't use WD40 on my guns.

[Friendly, Don't Fire!]

Can't a solvent act as a rust preventative?

I don't know, I am only asking as I have always wiped my guns down completely with Hoppes 9 after I clean them and they have never rusted (I've been doing this for about 40 years).

I also never use WD-40 on my guns. I've heard that gun oil, in time hardens. Any oil I use is CLP (Break-Free).

[usmarine0352_2005]

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LOL, now I'm confused.


From what I heard your supposed to use Hoppes #9 to clean the bore, then wipe it out, and lightly coat it with Breakfree CLP or Remoil?

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[SilentStalker]

Um, I thought that almost all Hoppes gun cleaning kits came with the solvent and the oil? So, in that case field strip, clean thouroughly, wipe down thoroughly, and lube all of the necessary parts with the oil supplied in the kit. That should be all that you need to do.