Cleaning and lubing...

[DrStrangelove]

My dealer and my buddy each individually *kinda* showed me how they like to clean and lube their guns. They are both enthusiasts and I have respect for each of them and the knowledge that they possess. However (isn't there always a however?), each has some pretty different opinions on a couple of standard gun practices-- this spills over into cleaning and lubing, too.

So, I was wondering... are there any good websites out there (preferably with pictures) that are descriptive in the most efficient way to clean and lube your semi? I'm sure over the years, I'll learn my own "tricks," if you will and develop my own cleaning preferences, but I need a starting point.

Peace out.

 

[George Hill]

Like skinning a cat...

There are more way than one.

The how to regarding cleaning and lubing a gun involves a lot of different factors.
Make
Model
Action
Caliber
Person Cleaning it.
Location
Time allowable
METT
Cleaning supplies on hand
Position of the Planets.
Day of the week.
Month of the year
Fondness of the gun.
Proximity to a Mother In Law.
Specific Gravity

Too many other factors to list.

 

[catch .22]

There are lots of opinions out there. I found this article helpful though:

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/break-in.htm

 

[catch .22]

I meant to include this page. It has links (with pictures) regarding fieldstripping, etc.

http://www.sightm1911.com/index.htm

 

[RANash]

I remember when I got my first, and I asked my buddy (who is a very opinionated guy) to teach me how to strip and clean my gun. Oh, I thought his way was the Gospel way! There was a separate tool for each part and area, and about 14 different lubes, greases, cleaners, etc. It took an hour per gun.

As time went by, I began to realize that his way was just HIS way, and he did it that way because he likes it! Now, I just swab it down with Break-Free and wipe it up good, barrel included. I personally use a little Tetra oil on the clean barrel and then wipe it out with a dry patch.

Here's a tip: Everyone tells you to keep cleaning until the patches come out clean. Well, they never will be completely clean! If you keep cleaning until the final patch is perfectly clean, you'll take a month per gun!

The parts that are really hard to get to, I do use a blast of brake cleaner on. Brake cleaner is chemically identical to Gun Scrubber but about 1/4 the cost. But I only do that about once a year.

Bill Wilson, of Wilson Combat fame, one of the world's experts on the 1911, recommends cleaning only after every 500 rounds. Some very experienced shooters clean yearly (really!) and have no problems. Personally, I hate the idea of my guns sitting in their cases dirty.

To get you started, here are some pages to check out:

http://www.doubleought.com/cleaning.html
http://va.essortment.com/howtocleanas_rgvk.htm
http://www.tsra.com/clean1.htm (This is funny!)
http://www.deweyrods.com/tips.htm
http://www.wrstone.com/sylranch/firearms/info/clean_gun.html
http://w3.agsfoundation.com/safety/r_cleaning.html (Can you believe it! The gun grabbers want to teach you how to clean your gun! Yeah, they'd love to clean it for you!)

After a while, you'll be the guy writing a page telling others how you think it should be done...

 

[fastbolt]

Everyone's giving you sound advice, but I thought I'd mention something ... Using an excessive amount of ANY cleaner or lubricant, improperly, can create problems.

For example, there have been a few pistols at the range that failed to fire during qualification for reasons related to poor maintenance. When we stripped the slides we discovered the firing pins, springs and firing pin channel had collected so much fouling the pins weren't sufficiently moved by the hammer strike. In some instances these parts were still wet with solvent from the previous cleaning several months prior. The coils of the springs had become so clogged with fouling that the springs wouldn't compress enough to allow the firing pin to sufficiently contact the primer. One of them was so bad the firing pin wouldn't move at all.

An Interesting twist to the situation was that a couple of these pistols also had the reverse problem ... a lack of lubricant everywhere it should've been, such as dry frame/slide rails & barrel exteriors. It's unfortunate that lubricants can "drain" and evaporate from where we want them to remain, but then at the same time accumulate and remain where we don't want them. This is how we get irony in our diets ...

Use care in using compressed air or high pressure aerosol solvents on weapons. These things are fine for their intended applications, but you don't want to use them is such a manner that fouling, debris, dirt & what-have-you is forced into enclosed spaces in your weapon, where the fouling material isn't able to freely flow from the weapon.

We've read threads here, and on other forums, of how Glock owners have to use reasonable measures to prevent lubricant, solvent and debris accumulation in the striker channel, because it can adversely affect striker force. This isn't a condition peculiar to Glocks. It may affect any pistol.

There have been days when I found I used 10-20+ patches to clean my weapon, and then there were days I cleaned the weapon just as well, and only used 4 patches. Maybe I'll get it right someday.