How do you clean your gun?

[Gunsmoker]

I have one of those cleaning kits and am confused with what I use for what. For reference I have a Browning Hi-Power 9mm.

Here's my procedure from reading the manual and gathering information off the web. Correct me or add some more useful tips. Thanks.

I use the bore brush and go up and down the bore (by the way, the manual says to go back and forth, but the directions on the kit says to go only in the direction the bullet travels). Then I grap some cotton covered in solution and go through the barrel and repeat until a piece of cotton comes through clean. Then I use the mop to grap all the moisture. And then cover some cotton with oil and go down the barrel. The manual says to clean the slide and then wipe it clean.

1. What is the sponge mop used for?

2. How do I use the bore brush properly?

3. I end up lubing every part of the inside of the gun. It doesn't seem like I should have to lube every part of the inside. Someone with the same gun.... what parts of the gun do you lube.

It seems like I only need to lube the barrel, bore, trigger action, and the slide rails. Correct?

4. I keep hearing about CLP. For the future do I only need to buy CLP to clean and lube the gun?

 

[MachIVshooter]

Dip the bore brush in solvent and run it through the bore 4 or 5 times (back and forth is fine), then run your patches.

I use Q-tips dipped in solvent and paper towels for the rest. On steel parts, carb cleaner/brake clean work great after scrubbing. Just keep such aggressive cleaners away from wood and polymer.

Lubrication: For the slide rails, put a drop of oil on your finger and just run it down them. It doesn't take much. I'll usually put one drop on the guide rod and one down into the lockwork. lube the firing pin and the barrel lugs with a drop on your finger. Just rremember, the gun doesn't need to be dripping. Too much oil, and you'll have black splatter on your face the next time you fire it. Ask me how I know.

 

[Francisco2]

1. I pass a wet patch with solvent on a jag ( you can also do this with the patch holder). Let it sit for a while. Meantime clean out the rest of the gun and mags with the toothbrush and patches or a paper towel. Solvent is not needed anywhere besides the bore un less you've put a massive amount of rounds through it. It depends on how picky you are. After you do all that then scrub the inside of the barrel back and forth with the bore brush. Remember all the way through then all the way back if you don't the britsles will break or it with get stuck. Clean the barrel ramp with the toothbrush Follow it with a couple of dry patches.

2. If the lube is dripping out you used to much. My suggestion is to lube the rails, you can either place a drop on the slide gooves, lift it vertically and let the oil makes its way to the other side or place a drop on each rail of the slide and spread it out with a patch. Lube the inside of the slide except the breech face (where firing pin is). Lube the magwell. Lube the face of the hammer. Lube the slide stop lever on the areas where it makes contact with the inside of the gun. Lube the trigger mechanism. A light film is all that is necessary on all of these components.

3. People use the mop differently. I put four or five drops of oil on the tip tha comes in contact with the walls of the barrel and pass it through the barrel 3-5 times. If you're going to be shooting the gun the next day make sure to run a dry patch draped over a jag to get the excess lube out.

4. Reassemble the gun and give it a wipe down with a paper towel followed with a silicon cloth.

In terms of CLP, some people love it some people hate it. Just use what you're using until you use it up. If you like the solvent / oil combination you are currently use get some more. If you don't switch to what ever you want. I personally don't like anything with Teflon it because it gets me nausious.

Editted because I forgot to mention the use of the bore brush. I need coffee.

 

[Helstrm]

I use the mop after I have run patches through the barrel to ensure it is clean. Use a little oil (Very little) Anywhere the metal moves against metal. I use a little solvent on the outside of my barrel and the feed ramp as well. Not needed but makes everything come out nice and clean.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Fransisco said it perfectly...The only thing I might add is use lube according to how dry/humid of an area you live in. Personally, I might as well live in a fish tank, as humid as it is here sometimes, so I like to keep my guns lubed up good.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Here's some advice I gave someone, once. I think he was cleaning a revolver and a 22 rifle.

Don't get all that bent about cleaning/clean guns. More guns are ruined by bad cleaning techniques than shooting.

Buy yourself two cleaning rods: one for rifle and one for pistol. Each should be one piece rods. That makes them stiffer/better quality. You don't want a rod that "bows" in your rifle bore and grinds away the rifling.

You'll also need a solvent. I use Hoppes #9. It's fine for us "real world" shooters.

You'll need patches. Patches for a 22 and patches for a 38. They'll be two different sizes.

You'll need jagged tips. A 22 and a 357.

You'll also need bronze bristle brushes. Again, a 22 and a 38/357.

Have some rags and you're ready to go.

First step in cleaning a gun. Screw the jagged tip into the rod. Soak the appropriately sized patch in Hoppes. Run the patch down the bore, being careful not to rub the crown (muzzle) with the rod. I've seen guns ruined because people ground the muzzle crown off with the cleaning rod.

Run the soaked patch down the bore but don't pull it back through. Remove the patch at the breech and remove the rod. Let the solvent soak for a moment.

Next, take a rag about the size of a hankie. Put some Hoppes on it. Use the rag and wipe down the gun in the chamber/cylinder, muzzle crown, everyplace there's powder residue.

Next screw the appropriate bronze bristle brush on your cleaning rod. Dip that into some Hoppes. Run the brush down the barrel until it comes completely out the breech. You must allow the bristles to relax before bringing them back out the barrel. Pull the brush out.

Repeat this pushing and pulling about four or five times, all the while, being careful that you are not rubbing the muzzle crown with the rod.

Replace the jagged tip on your cleaning rod. Run two or three soaked patches down the barrel.

Now wipe the entire gun down with a clean rag.

Finally, run two or three dry patches down the barrel. Note: you will rarely be able to run a patch through and have it come out completely clean. It will usually have some black/gray/fouling on it. Don't worry about it. As long as you're not seeing chunks of anything, it's alright.

Finally, put a little Rem oil on a patch and oil the barrel/chambers.

Then I just wipe the gun down with a silicon cloth and store it.

 

[.45FMJoe]

I have used a couple of different methods, including the "dunk the brush and push it through method." I have found, in my opinion, that it is an inferior method of cleaning.

I get the best results when I take a couple of patches, soak them with solvent (I like Shooter's Choice the best) and let it sit in the bore for a few minutes. Then I just run a dry brush through it. Then I alternate solvent soaked patches and dry brushes for a few passes until it looks nice and clean. Then I pour remoil in the bore and turn it so the oil completely coats the bore and finish it up with a pass with a dry patch to get the excess oil.

I use Strike Hold and q-tips on the rest of the gun.

Works great for me!

 

[mljdeckard]

I'm pretty much word-for-word with machivshooter.

It's important to push fouling out the end of the barrel, rather than back into the action. But with most auto-loaders, you are removing the barrel from the action, so that doesn't matter. (With bolt rifles, this is ideal, but then again, remember that with lever guns, the only way you can do this is to run the rod down the muzzle with nothing on the tip, soak the brush in solvent, screw it onto the end of the rod with one finger through the ejector port, and pull it back through.) DON'T push the brush halfway in one direction, and then try to pull it back out the other direction.

I've switched to nylon brushes for my pistols. I have it in my head that I would rather use more strokes with a softer brush than risk altering the interior finish with metal brushes. Once my barrels are clean and dry, I run one patch of CLP down the bore, and then one dry patch to get most of it back out. I just want a trace amount left in there.

I like CLP, but this is a lot because I stole a gallon of it from the army 15 years ago, and I still haven't used it all. I live in the desert, and it's not necessary to use lots of lube to protect against long-term rust than it might be in other places. (I watched the armory techs at Ft. Knox take a spray bottle of CLP and spritz all racks of weapons with it, they were always oily to the touch.) When in doubt, leave it dry. My Kimber manual listed very specifically the moving parts that need to be minimally lubed, and to leave the rest alone. I think this goes for most all guns. Learn a little bit about it, and use your brain to see moving and contact parts, use the least ammount of oil you can, and call it good.

I have seen a few people in threads in here asking about lubricants, say they use mobil-1 5w30 full synthetic for everything. Fishing reels, guns, household, etc. I asked why they would do this, when my GI manual for my M1A specifically said, "Motor oil may be used in emergencies when gun oil is not available, but should be stripped off and replaced as soon as possible", and they said modern synthetic oil is much more detergent in nature, and doesn't attract grit the way regular motor oil does. I can attest, it certainly treats my cars better, but I think I'll wait to run out of CLP before I switch.