[Skunkabilly]

Is it practical to detail strip a frame, or should I just blow the heck out of the trigger and hammer thingies with brake cleaner?

I still think I should do my slide...

[10-Ring]

A good & thorough cleaning after each use should be enough.

[VictorLouis]

Frame of what? If we're talking 1911, it's pretty easy to do. DA/SA designs can be a pain.

[sam3]

having a qualified armorer or gunsmith detail strip ,clean and inspect your pistol once a year if you shoot a lot is a good idea.
i do our glocks once a year and you find a lot of gunk in places you can't get with a normal field strip cleaning and it's nice to have a worn, ready to break part replaced before it breaks when you need it.

[BHP9]

Well Skunko you bring up a good question. If you happen to have the king of the handguns, the 1911 (the original one built to original John Browning specs) there is no problem. You can strip it in seconds with no damage to the firearm.

Now on the other hand if we go backward in the evolution of handguns ,namely modern pistols, we have a problem. Most are not designed to be stripped down to the bare frame and those that can be can often require the use of special tools and require the replacement of new parts before reassemly like the replacement of sheet metal roll pins. Although they do make special roll pin punches it is far better to replace them than to try and use them over again. Stripping these handguns in never recommended unless you have to replace a broken part. Pin holes in aluminum and plastic frames can be inadvertantly enlarged too easily so it is recommended never to strip down these modern handguns unless absolutely necessary.

So what to do. I basically do not recomend such things as gun scrubber, carburator cleaner or brake cleaner for the cleaning out of the frame. They can often damage things like plastic frames, or painted finishes and I have often seen metal rust within seconds when using this stuff on humid days. I do not even recommend the orignal Ed's Red forumula because of the cancer causing ingredients in it.

What I do recommend is a variation of Ed's red. Its a lot cheaper to make than using commercial gun solvents. I simply mix 50/50 of Dextron transmission fluid with oderless Kerosene, you can use regular kerosene because it is a lot, lot cheaper but it does smell in enclosed places. You can put the stuff in a cheap plastic spray bottle and squirt it into the interior of the frame and you can use an old tooth brush to break up an cacked on gun powder. A large sewing needle is a great help in picking out caked on powder underneath the extractor or trapped in corners.

Most of the modern type handguns can be cleaned very quickly using this method. Most of their slides can also be flushed out with this method with stripping them. The original 1911 slide of course can be stripped in seconds but it is not necessary every time you shoot the gun.

After cleaning just remember to relube the gun with a good grade of gun oil. I have never recommended any automotive motor oil because it has no moisture dissipating qualities and neither do quite a few gun oils. Break free is a good one or LSA fluid along with the greasing of high pressure points like barrel seating and sear to hammer contact and slide rail to frame rail contact..

All this sound like a lot of trouble to go through but it can be done in a lot less time than you think and your handgun will still go on ticking when your friends are out buying their 2 or even 3rd handgun because their guns wore out prematurely.

[Rob999]

Any experience with firing pin disassemblies? I take out the grip panels and try to clean out of there with some solvent and compressed air. Then re-lube with clp.

I was thinking of taking the firing pin assembly apart.. but alittle concerned that I may not be able to put it back together. In the lieu of a detailed strip, whats the best way to ensure that the firing and extractor pins are clean and well lubed before the next detail strip?

How often do you detail strip a semi auto anyway? every 1000 rds or so? I was also thinking of using contact cleaner as they're less aggressive... but not tried it yet....

[Rob999]

wanted to add... what type of grease do you use on assemblies in the frame?

[boing]

...whats the best way to ensure that the firing and extractor pins are clean and well lubed before the next detail strip?

As a general rule, firing pins and their channels shouldn't be lubed because the lube attracts soot, dust, lint, and other unpleasant gunk. This can result in a sticky pin that won't hit the primer hard enough to fire the round.

Worse yet is having the firing pin get stuck protruding from the breechface, which can cause a slamfire/full auto condition. That's pretty unlikely, but still "possible". It's more likely that the round won't feed, getting hung up on the tip of the firing pin.

Anyway, a very light coat of oil (wipe on, wipe off) should be plenty to prevent corrosion on the firing pin and inside it's channel. Same for the extractor.

BUT...we really need to know what gun we're talking about to give specific advice.

I take down my 1911 slides regularly, but hardly ever take the frames apart for cleaning. My Sig slide has never been apart (over 3000 rounds). Gun Scrubber (or equivalent) and a nylon brush gets thing clean.

[BHP9]

Lubriplate was the brand of grease used during WWII for the M1 Garand rifle because of its waterproof qualities. They are still in buisness and they can be found at most automotive or industrial supply houses especially those that sell bearings like "Applied industrial Technologies" (a fancy hot air name for the old Bearings Incorporated Co.)

Lubriplate makes a variety of greases for many applications including extreme cold and extreme heat and very high pressure. Looking over one of their brochures will help you decide which one is best for your purposes and it is a lot cheaper than buying little high priced tubes of national brand gun greases although they are very good but expensive compared to lubriplate which does essentially the same job.

[larryw]

For me it depends on the gun. I don't mind stripping the frame on a 1911, revolver or Mk II when they get grungy, but something like a USP gets a good scrubbing, soaked in a bath of Ed's Red overnight and then blown out with brake cleaner.

[Skunkabilly]

I'm talking about a P7M8 and a Beretta 92G.

Maybe I'll blow the thang out with gun scrubber.

How do I relube the hard to reach parts without getting it all gunky?

If I blow it out w/ gun scrubber I take it I run the risk of the stuff corroding?

How to protect it without diassembling?

[Porter Rockwell]

I use an Ultrasound tank for the tough to disassemble guns.
Rinse in very hot water, blow dry and hose it down with Breakfree, then wipe off the excess.
Do not oil the gas system!