How do yall clean your handguns?

[skiwi]

I guess the cleaning frequency depends on how often, how much and what ammo you shoot.

I shoot about 300-400 lead reloaded ammo per week, so every couple of weeks I field strip and clean depending on what I see. Mostly involves some Hoppes down the bore and some on the breech face. Haven't experienced leading, but will occasionally wrap a brass brush with a piece of Choreboy (copper scouring pad) to make sure, then pass patches until clean, finished with some oil or CLP down the barrel. Grease (synth Mobil 1) on the rails and friction surfaces, and oil/CLP on the pivoting parts.

Every 1000-1500 or so, I'll either detail strip or use my ultrasonic cleaner for a deep clean.

CCW and HD firearms should be reliable, thus cleaning is important, but not obsessive.

 

[ghostwriter]

every 3-4 boxes for the autos, every time the accuracy falls off for the rifles and the handguns get hoppes #9 solvent down the barrel with a brass brush... then dry patches and some 3 in 1 oil or gun oil or whatever I have around. No WD-40 for me, it dries and leaves a gummy mess. No dry moly lube either... gummy stuff.
I use warthog ammonia based bore cleaner for the big rifle and a nylon brush because using a brass brush confuses the results on copper fouling removal. Usually follow up with a dry patch, gun oil and then a dry patch or two.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

No WD-40 for me, it dries and leaves a gummy mess.

sheesh...

 

[CajunBass]

The only guns I've ever stripped down to individual parts were Com-bloc military surplus ones, that came packed in cosomoline. Those I cleaned with hot water, and Dawn dishwashing soap.

The rest I spray down with gunscrubber, WD-40, Break-Free, whatever I happen to have handy, run a few patches through the barrel, wipe off the excess, put a drop or two of oil in the working parts, and call it a day.

 

[Dogguy]

I clean my guns every time I shoot them because I always shoot a lot of ammo at each range session.

I'm pretty obsessive about cleaning and lubricating. I field strip and use powder solvent, bore brushes, nylon brushes, Q-tips, picks and lots of patches. After scrubbing, I spray it all down with one of the action cleaners (poly-safe because there's plastic in everything these days) to flush out the crud and degrease. The parts get blasted with compressed air to blow out any remaining liquids. Then I lube the action with oil and the frame rails, barrel and recoil guide rod get a coat of gun grease.

Revolvers are slightly different. I remove the grips but no field stripping. I just scrub the barrel, chambers and frame and blast it all out with a spray cleaner/degreaser. Follow up with compressed air, a little oil dropped into the action and external moving parts, wipe down with oily rag.

Reading many of the previous posts, I am reminded why I seldom buy used firearms. Too many people consider cleaning their guns to be optional.

 

[JTQ]

Dogguy wrote,
Reading many of the previous posts, I am reminded why I seldom buy used firearms. Too many people consider cleaning their guns to be optional.

I'm less concerned about a lack of cleaning and more concerned about the owners that think they are gunsmiths, but aren't.

 

[Hurricane]

I go no farther than field stripping. I wipe down all parts, remove all residue, use the brushes (starting with the softest and increasing with resistance) on the chamber/ramp/bolt face or other key areas, and then clean the nooks/cranny's of the frame.

I then use the copper bore brush to knock out the big stuff, soak a patch in Hoppe's 9 and run it through, then run clean ones through until they come out white. If it's extra dirty I'll send another Hoppe's soaked patch and repeat. Every so often, I'll use the Remington 40x bore cleaner.

I then use a rag with a little rem-oil on it to wipe down almost all internal areas (not where powder residue collects) and then reassemble and give a total wipe down with the same rag.

This happens every time I use them. I almost never do an oil patch down the barrel as I use them quite frequently, but every few months they all come out and get a wipe down.

 

[sniper5]

Revolvers? Hoppes 9 and an M-16 toothbrush, brass brushes and patches. Toothbrush and H9 on anything that's dirty, then brass brush bore and cylinders and follow with a patch. Maybe a little drop of oil on things that move from time to time.

Rifles (all bolt actions)? Boresnake the bore and clean bolt with toothbrush. Wipe with rag and a drop of oil on things that move.

 

[Smith357]

Present Arms

I just clean all my firearms the way I was taught in the Marine Corps. Do a complete field strip, soak and scrub every part in a quality bore cleaner and use whatever brushes, patches, Q-tips and picks needed, wipe down the parts with a clean dry cloth and inspect them for hidden grime and possible wear issues, put it back together and oil as needed, then a function test. When finished it had better be able to pass a Marine Corps white glove inspection.

 

[O C]

Clean? You guys CLEAN? Just like underwear, when it gets dirty, buy new. Shoot untill it won't, go buy a new one, repeat as necessary.Then, when you get as old as me, sit down and clean....all 87 of them....yip, yip yahoo.