Cleaning sequence question...

T

twoblink

New member
I had a few questions about cleaning sequences and I thought maybe you guys would help me out, here's what I do, is it "correct"? (Is there such a thing as correct?)

1) I unload and visually inspect everything.
2) Brush with my hand anything of considerable size. Blow a little with my mouth.
3) Bust out the Hoppes Mombo #9, and start swabbing like a deck hand..
4) Degrease with some PowderBlast!
5) Depending on what part of the gun it is, I lub with some CLP, or else some Tetra grease.
6) Wipe off the excess with a clean dry towel.

That's it. Does that sound right? I am getting my new handgun tomorrow, and if I'm doing something wrong or missing something, I want to know BEFORE I do it on my new baby..

Also thinking about naming my gun...

Albert
 
Based on what I've read here on TFL over the last year and a half, there are more ways to clean a gun than build one. Your #1 is fine, #2, well if you have chunks that large, you're doing something wrong! ;) #3 I have found that Butch's Bore Shine is best, buit not available at the local store...however, Pro-Shot is, and it does a much better job than Hoppe's IMHO. Let is set inside for a few minutes, then use a solvent dipped brush for a few strokes. Follow with dry patches with a tightly fitted jag until the patch is clean. Sometimes, it just won't come clean it seems, and there's one tiny spot of dirt every pass. I just stop cleaning at that point. #4 Powder Blast? I'm really not sure it's necessary...frankly, I've never used it, and I don't think my life would be any better with it. #5 and 6 need to be reversed. Every drop of the solvent should be wiped up or the lube you apply will be destroyed by the solvent. The new #6 lube lightly , with a two drops on each slide rail, and a light coat of oil everywhere. I SAID LIGHT! ;) Avoid adding oil into the action. Maybe a few drops a year is enough there.

BTW, if the name does not leap into your mouth when you first handle or shoot it, then it's not her name. I only have one gun with a name.
 
When I first started shooting, I did much like you propose -- You'd think I was like getting ready for serious surgery.

Over the past couple of years I find I clean the guns less frequently, but try to clean them well every couple of hundred rounds. After doing this for several years I see no obvious wear, and have had no failures to function that can be attributed to this different maintenance scheduled. This has led me to believe that too much cleaning is a waste of time.

If you shoot lead, you SHOULD clean or at least check frequently for buildup.)

Get yourself some CLP, a BORE SNAKE (or similar tool), Field strip the gun, wipe it out, wipe it down, run a bore sname through the boor, wipe off the breech face, remove any obvious buildup, and lightly lub contact/wear points. Just enjoy shooting it.

Then, once in a while, when you've got some time to spare -- or just want to do something that gives you pleasure -- clean it thoroughly.

I agree with Frontsight about using too much of the cleanign spray. (And you can use auto break cleaner instead; its cheaper and essentially the same stuff.)

As for too much or too little oil: no two experts seem to agree. It's clear that too much is messy and too little leads to wear.

(That said, I've seen top-notch competitive shooters with so much oil on their guns that they literally splatter; these guy do well in competition.)

This is all kinda like sex, religion, and politics: few people really agree and in teh final analysis, its different strokes for different folks.

[This message has been edited by Walt Sherrill (edited October 12, 2000).]
 
Just to add to all the comments above:

I watched a Wilson video on cleaning several years ago and the most useful part was that he wiped out as much powder residue as possible with a paper towel BEFORE breaking out the solvent.

I was making a grade A mess with all that residue mixed up with solvent. Get the major crud out first with a dry paper towel, patch, rag, whatever. THEN break out the chemical cleaning arsenal. The resulting cleanup will be easier and faster.

JiminCA

[This message has been edited by JiminCA (edited October 13, 2000).]
 
I do what JiminCA says. You will have a significantly less mess on your hands by wiping down the parts with papertowels first(Q-tips too). I use Tetra Gun on my Beretta and Witness.

I forgot, instead of blowing in the action, get some canned air. It is more powerful and you won't risk the chance of developing moisture/rust in small places impossible to clean. Hope this helps.

Mike

[This message has been edited by BigMike (edited October 13, 2000).]
 
The routine for my .45 has stayed the same for a couple years, so I guess it works. And I can go on autopilot while I do it. Check for a chambered round, disassemble, clean the interior and exterior with an old toothbrush dipped in Hoppes, wipe with paper towels, and use canned air to spray any excess solvent out of recesses like the trigger area in the magazine well. A patch of Hoppes followed by a bore brush then a couple of patches, repeat twice, then three patches of Leadwipes, a patch with Hoppes and two patches to dry. Lube with a Q-tip and reassemble.

Revolvers are a b**ch for me, which is maybe why I don't shoot them as often. I soak the cylinder in a small glass of solvent overnight, but getting at the forcing cone area is a pain.

Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
 
Watch the degrease! Do not power spray degreaser in the internals unless you plan on fully stripping the gun to the bare frame. If you do use it a lot spray it out with compressed air. I would suggest a small air compressor at your local home improvement shop and it gets all parts pretty clean and leaves nothing behind and tends to have more pressure then canned air. Always remember if you degrease/de-oil then add that lost oil before you assemble your gun! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top