Question About Care And Maintenance Of YOUR Self Loader?

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's From The Opposite End Of The North Pole-

Just sitting here wondering how you folk's make sure
that your self-loader is in PERFECT working order
after a trip to the range? Such things as how far do you
field strip your weapon; as well as cleaning
and proper care need to be addressed. I'm just
trying to cover all the base's; and make sure we
are giving our firearms all the TLC that they
richly deserve.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Bren]

Hello Ala Dan, Mine get cleaned after the range and the carry guns get the FP channel and extractor cleaned more often.

I don't believe in detail stipping guns alot for no reason and over cleaning ( like barrels) can actually cause more harm than not. Bren

 

[sm]

Hello Ala Dan, my friend...gonna watch me get into trouble on this one huh?

Depending on the gun, I have made mental notes on springs , round count on cleaning...etc. So I may simply field strip , inspect, q-tip/pipe clean chamber, extractor, drop of oil, back together, insert mag , run a mag or two ( not to slidelock) insert carry mag, holster and done.

Depends on round count. I ran 2 mags of old carry ammo, inserted new carry ammo, run about a half a mag, topped off , holstered and done. Since last cleaning /inspect/maint...this one only about 100 rds through it. This particuar 1911 style gets field stripped b/t 400 and 500 rds.

Keltec P-11, "niche" gun...Well been about 800 rds, since I last did anything other than the pipe clean dealie and oil. I went ahead and did the inspect/maint dealie only because someone was curious and gun buddy and I used mine to demonstrate. Actually I have been known to unload chamber, drop mag and use a can of Dust Off ( cannned air) to get the nelphs outs, lube if need, reload, test fire, top off mag...done.

Guns are inspected and maintained, they always run, you know how picky I am about reliability and ammo reliability. I just made notes in the testing carry ammo stage before I CCW a gun and do my maint. accordingly. Semi's get 3- 500 rds of a particulr carry load before I carry it...I have a variety to chooes from.

Been known to give to gunsmith buddy and say here..."I'm gonna shoot , you are the gunsmith...you do that while I shoot these other guns" . Only costs me lunch.

 

[boing]

My 228 was reloaded with JHP before I left the shooting stall today, that's how I know it will work. Same for the P11, but it gets shot less.

My carry guns will function even when filthy, so special maintenance isn't required. I change springs regularly by mental note, but they'll run on worn springs, too.

Surface rust is my biggest problem, but it's not functional.

TLC = shooting them.

 

[tcdrennen]

Boresnake and mag brush after a match or range session, clp and wipe down, reload and away we go.

Field strip maybe every 1000 rounds OR 5 or 6 range sessions OR if an odd failure to feed or eject occurs (NOT odd = mags need cleaning and I know it.)

Range/match mags get cleaned more often; carry mags get cycled once a month or so, inspected, cleaned if needed, refilled.

 

[cslinger]

Standard field strip and cleaning after every range session.

After the cleaning and re-assembly I check the following things.

-Does the slide move freely and cleanly?
-Does the magazine seat and eject properly?
-Does an empy magazine lock the slide back?
-Dryfire double action.
-Dryfire single action.
-Test Decocker if equipped.
-Test all active safties if equipped.
-Load up with defensive ammo taking not as to how it strips from the mag.

That's about it.

 

[standingbear]

very very clean.detail strip 1x a month or more often if its shot much.Sometimes,I might get them all out on a cold rainy day when theres nothing to do and just detail strip each one,reassemble and lightly oil them.

 

[Island Beretta]

Get armorer training like I did.. But even for those who do not want to take it that far get at least a schematic of your gun and understand how it works..

I live in a hot, humid and salty climate so I have to clean regularly even when the weapon has not been fired. Contrary to popular belief for hot climates, grease is a no, no because of its dirt-attraction powers. I have discovered that light, frequent (weekly) oiling is best.

The level of cleaning depends on the level of filth I see and how the weapon feels. For example the trigger pull has gotten gritty or the safety lever has gotten a bit stiff. Functional checks are ESSENTIAL after cleaning since something may not have been reinstalled correctly or a part may have been damaged or displaced. One often overlooked check is the magazine function check for drop free (when empty), feeding, and slide lock back. You also get to check extraction when doing this.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ala Dan]

Well, as many of you know I've owned, carried, shot,
and maintained many different makes and models
of self-loader's over the years. Besides the
ease of operation, the ease of maintenance has always
been a very high priority on my list. With that
said, I consider that another great big + for the
"P - series Classic" self-loader's from SIG-SAUER or its
American counter-part SIGARMS.

In the case of any firearm, I always like to field
strip it upon my return from the range. Always on the
lookout for problem areas; not only within the firearm,
but visible signs on the spent cases as well.
With the panic a few year's back of cracked frames
on the SIG P226, makes one always be alert for the
possible signs of danger!

Like my friend Bren stated earlier, I do not want
to become paranoid and clean my weapons needlessly
or excessively; as barrel life could be diminished
by such tactics. Besides the use of a good, quality gun
cleaning kit; I recommend a lot of patience, and a little
"Break Free CLP".

Documentation as to the number of rounds fired, proper
loading data, and date/times a weapon was cleaned or
repaired is essential. As the old saying goes, " the job
ain't finished 'till the paperwork is done"!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[10-Ring]

I normally field strip my guns as far as prescribed in the owner's manual and clean as instructed. The barrel gets a little more TLC every 1000 rounds. THen a good lube & re-assembly and they're good 2 go.
I clean after EVERY shooting session because I never know how long ti will be before I can shoot again. I normally go shooting every weekend, but once a few years ago, I put my guns away uncleaned...had a divorce, moved, changed jobs and it was 4 years before I got back to my guns. Learned my lesson!

 

[Bobarino]

less than 100 rounds, it just gets a wipe down and re-lube. more than 100 rounds, it get field stripped and cleaned and lubed as per the manual. to make sure it functions i just reassemble it properly, rack the slide, test the trigger and safety/decocker, load and put it in my holster. excess worry and diddling of the gun to make sure it works is unnecessary in my opinion. if you put it together right, which is pretty easy considering most modern handguns break down into only five or six main parts, it will more than likely work just like its supposed to. if you put your gun together and there is a little piece left on the coffee table, you might want to try again.

Bobby

 

[HSMITH]

I clean some handguns every time, like my wheelguns. They see a lot of ammo and are FILTHY with bullet lube slime, powder grime and lead mess since I shoot 99.9% lead bullets in them. They turn your hands black when you pick them up, so I clean them each time. I clean some others every 500-1000 rounds, with only a light re-lube when I get home from the range. My Glock 22, it eats FMJ and JHP only, and with dead clean reloads accounting for 100% of its diet. At 1000 rounds it is less dirty than if I had shot one box of cheap crap like WWB or the like. I clean it when I want, not because it is in need.

I don't clean guns every time out as a rule, nor do I not clean them each time out. The gun and the way it was used determine the care it gets.

 

[P95Carry]

Basic maintainance these days would see me not cleaning every single time out .... but ..... I would be starting with all moving parts clean and prep'd ...... by which i mean .... merest film of (old days) RIG .... now I am switching over to minimal Militec ..... so little it is imperceptible.

After that tho all depends for me on the ''crud factor'' - Just how dirty is it??

If limited use has left no more than some soot on feed ramp and barely visible fouling in the bore/chamber .. then no clean. If some evidence of build up and this includes breech face, extractor claw etc .. then cleaning to remove it.

I think cleaning can be overdone but there is a fine line between that and apathy. So - for me - it's ''crud factor'' assessment ... all related to how that may or may not affect functionality and reliability.

 

[Black Snowman]

Well, I clean my Glock 24 and regrease/oil it when it starts to get dry just to avoid excessive wear or when I can see copper fouling in the barrel. Otherwise I pretty much let it be.

Everything else I baby pretty excessively. If I know it's going to sit for a while I'll detail strip and clean everything and soak the whole mess in RemOil so it doesn't rust. I've never had a gun gum up on me using the stuff for long term protection.

If I know I'm going to shoot it again soon I'll usually just field strip, get it clean, and relubed.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I haven't seen a lot of focus on "excessive" cleanliness in this message chain, but an awful lot of folks were trained to clean guns by their dads, who were trained by their drill instructors -- during WWII -- when corrosive ammo was standard.

Unless you're shooting milsurps, corronsion isn't much of an issue any more and a continued focus on operating room cleanliness, it seems to me, is misplaced. With most ammo you can shoot and shoot and shoot without worrying too much. (Lead loads take a different regimen, however.) As has been suggested previously, more wear may be caused by over-cleaning than by not cleaning.

I try to avoid really dirty ammo, and clean the gun when it gets so dirty I'm ashamed to show it to anybody. I may detail strip once a year -- if then, but will clean the firing pin channel every few months if the gun is shot a lot. And the extractor area (depending on the gun.)

Other than that, its a regular wipe down, cleaning of chamber and breechface, and maybe a Bore Snake tune-up after a range session.

I'll field strip my guns periodically -- generally before a match -- looking for obvious problems, and clean it them up up then, too. Sometime I'll use a tooth brush or a dental pick on the hard-to-reach areas. And CLP (although other stuff is just as good.)

About the only problems I ever have come from magazines and magazine springs... and new Wolff springs usually fix them.

 

[lee n. field]

I normally just clean, using Hoppe's or CLP, sometimes Simple Green. Clean the barrel, clean the reachable internals with toothbrush or Q-tip, wipe down the exterior.

If the gun requires absolute cleanliness to work reliably, is it a gun you want to be relying on? No gun is going to be clean after the first shot.

 

[Penforhire]

I do most of the same strip-and-clean as noted above. But it brings to mind an interesting point:

As taken, dirty from the range, you know with absolute certainty the weapon is functional. After you've done the strip-and-clean you don't know with absolute certainty until it is fired again.

Makes you go "hmm?" regards HD weapons. Maybe I should fire one round before I consider it ready for duty?

 

[Series 70]

The 1911 gets a standard field strip, plus firing pin stop, pin, ping spring and extractor removal. This happens after every range trip. I have a thing about crap in the extractor channel. I don't know why.

Every couple years I'll detail strip.

Revolvers also get cleaned (no disassembly) after each range trip.

Hmmmm.... maybe that's why the kids haven't wanted to go on the last few range trips - I was making them clean the firearms.