Cleaning a new to me pistol

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Joe's

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
132
Location
Iowa
I purchased a used S&W M&P this winter. I took it out 2 wks ago and 2 times since. Heck of a shooter by the way. I'm shooting alot of 125gr lead. I think it's time to clean it.
I took the barrel out of it however it doesn't look to bad. I'm gonna clean it anyway. Now for the question,
#1 - What type of cleaner do you folks use to clean lead out of the barrel? I also need something that won't melt the plastic body of the gun.
#2 - Do I need to drive the 2 roller pins out so I can get to the trigger group to clean it? Or is it okay to just flush it out? I'm not very good with springs and things.
#3 - What type of oil do you use to lubricate the gun if your going to use it again in 2 wks?
#4 - What type of grease do you use on the slide?
#5 - What type of oil do you use for long term storage? Say over the winter.

Thanks for you help,
Joe's
 
Clean the bore & chamber with a bronze bore brush, any bore solvent, and follow with cotton patches till they come out clean.
Follow with a lightly oiled patch to protect the bore.

Do not drive out roll-pins for any reason, short of replacing broken parts.
Blow it out with an air compressor if you have one.

Use any light gun or auto engine oil to lube.
But use it sparingly.
Too much oil just collects and holds dirt in the gun.

Grease can range from auto chassis grease, to auto wheel bearing grease, to copper anti-seize compound as used by Glock on new guns.

Long term storage?

I use RIG grease on a RIG-RAG to wipe down every gun in my collection every time I handle them.

http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...ag-universal-grease-applicator-prod31843.aspx

Never had a speck of rust on anything in 50 years I have used it.

rc
 
rcmodel said:
Do not drive out roll-pins for any reason, short of replacing broken parts.
Blow it out with an air compressor if you have one.
Click to expand...
While I have become pretty lazy about cleaning my guns and have sometimes just given them a quick brush before a match, I'm not sure I understand the bolded above.

When I do clean my M&P, I remove the trigger assembly and sear block from the frame to clean/flush them or soak them before relubing, with Slip 2000, prior to assembly. I've never had a problem removing or reinstalling the pins...following the instructions from Apex Tactical Specialties

I'd be interested in any elaboration of your reason(s) for advising against removing them.
 
Kay.

Roll-pins are harder & bigger then the holes they fit in.
That's why they stay in place.

The more times you drive them in & out, the more the holes wear out, the less tension the worn pins provide, and the looser they get from then on.

Perhaps there are firearms that use roll pins that are designed to be taking apart for cleaning all the time.

But I am not aware of any.

Most Roll-Pin applications in machinery, and even the old west German SIG slide that used duel roll-Pins to hold the breach block in place strongly suggested you replace the roll-pins with new ones every time they were removed.

And they also strongly suggested they never be removed unless they had to be to replace broken parts.

rc
 
rcmodel said:
Roll-pins are harder & bigger then the holes they fit in.
That's why they stay in place.
Click to expand...
I thought i understood that the reason for roll pins was that they didn't need to be bigger than the holes...the slot cut in them lets them compress to enter the hole with less wear.

The more times you drive them in & out, the more the holes wear out, the less tension the worn pins provide, and the looser they get from then on.
Click to expand...
This does make sense. I thought that was why there were so many sizes of roll pins

Perhaps there are firearms that use roll pins that are designed to be taking apart for cleaning all the time.

But I am not aware of any.
Click to expand...
AMT Backup?

Most Roll-Pin applications in machinery, and even the old west German SIG slide that used duel roll-Pins to hold the breach block in place strongly suggested you replace the roll-pins with new ones every time they were removed.
Click to expand...
Yes, they are considered a disposable item

And they also strongly suggested they never be removed unless they had to be to replace broken parts.
Click to expand...
Well, they do recommend that they be taken out whenever you detail strip your gun...so maybe every 30-50k rounds. Dry Firing will also stress the pins if you're no using something to cushion the hammer fall...a friend usually tracks his dry fire snaps (he's pretty OCD) and replaces the pins 3-4 times a year (7:1 dryfire snap to live rounds)
 
But, they must be bigger then the hole to compress, or they would fall out.

They are also made of hard spring steel in order to compress.
Harder then any alloy or mild steel pistol frame.

What's gonna wear out first sticking it in the hole and driving it back out too many times?


AMT Backup?
Click to expand...
That the best example you got??
Come on! :D

rc
 
rcmodel said:
But, they must be bigger then the hole to compress, or they would fall out.
Click to expand...
That is one way of looking at it

The other would that be that they are smaller, that is why they need to expand so as not to fall out :p

I usually compress them before inserting them...makes it much easier to fit into the holes

They are also made of hard spring steel in order to compress.
Harder then any alloy or mild steel pistol frame.
Click to expand...
The M&P is polymer. Like my latest polymer wonder gun...SIG 320...they were designed to be taken down for cleaning

That the best example you got??
Come on! :D
Click to expand...
LOL, no just the first that came to mind...because I'm always reminded how irritated I was to discover it was harder than the S&W M39
 
Gun cleaning, service....

If you are new to guns & the shooting sports, Id offer these tips:

First, Id read the S&W owner's manual to learn what you should or should not do. If the used M&P didn't come with a owner's manual then you can request one from S&W customer service. :D
Second, there are many manuals, online videos and books to help with gun cleaning or service work.
I've owned/shot 03 M&P series guns; 02 9x19mm and 01 .45acp compact. They are robust, well made and easy to clean(even for a new shooter). M&Ps are gaining in popularity with many CCW license holders and sworn US law enforcement agencies.
Id look into a simple well made CLP like Froglube, Ballistol, Gunzilla, Weaponshield, LPX(Mpro7), Slip 2000, Rand CLP.
Unless you plan to shoot 1000s of rounds all day long, these gun care products can be fine.
For barrels or solvents, Id look into Breakthrough-Clean, FireClean or maybe Hoppes #9 synthetic. Breakthrough-Clean is coming on strong with many gunsmiths, shops and 3-gun match shooters.
The main point is to not use tons of solvent or gun oil on a firearm. Less is more. I have a 4oz CLP bottle of Froglube that I use to clean/protect my guns.
It's CFC free, non toxic(use with bare hands), has a light mint(Pepto bismal) smell.
I use a Otis Ripcord on my 9mm pistol barrel & a Bore-Snake Viper on my Glock 21 .45acp gen 04 barrel. It cleans/oils up in a snap.

Rusty
PS: Another handy tip is to wipe off or spray a little gun oil/CLP on your weapons prior to any range shooting. It will make functions/shooting easier and clean up after the range/shooting faster.
 
The other would that be that they are smaller, that is why they need to expand so as not to fall out

I usually compress them before inserting them...makes it much easier to fit into the holes
Click to expand...
But the point is that the pins are an interference fit in their holes, and driving them in/out will potentially displace material from the softer material (in this case, the frame) over time.

AR-15 FCG pins are an example of pins that are NOT an interference fit, since they have a retainer (spring leg) that keeps them in place. But roll pins are by design an 'interference fit' approach, and are not designed for frequent removal/replacement.
 
But roll pins are by design an 'interference fit' approach, and are not designed for frequent removal/replacement.
Click to expand...
That's true.

I'm thinking once a year doesn't fall under "frequent"...I might be mistaken; I do tend to clean more frequently now that I'm shooting in competitions again
 
All,
All I had was some Hoppes till I can get to the LGS. It doesn't begin to attack the powder burned spots however does a good job of cleaning the burnt powder residue. I just left the roll pins alone as I found a nylon brush about the size of a tooth brush. Did a good job.

Thanks for all of your help.

Be Well,
Joe's
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top