The following is written for rifles rather than handguns, but should still give you an idea of what to do. (This has been through several revisions!)
Removing copper fouling (step 5) probably isn't necessary for a new gun.
Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber is great stuff, but expensive! (You can also try using Gunk or GumOut carburetor cleaner; lots cheaper, but may ruin plastic parts or the finish on a wooden stock.)
The break-in procedure is especially important for new firearms, especially rifles, as it enhances accuracy.
Good luck and enjoy!
Proper Gun Cleaning and Break-In
(Cleaning info from Field & Stream, February 1994, p. 71)
Supplies:
Tools:
· One-piece stainless steel or plastic covered steel cleaning rod. (I use a one-piece brass rod and have had no problems.)
· Phosphor-bronze bristle cleaning brushes.
· Correct bore-size patches and 12-gauge patches.
Chemicals:
· Venco Shooter's Choice or Hoppe's No. 9 Powder Solvent
· Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber
· Barnes' CR- 10 or Hoppe's Bench Rest No. 9 Copper Solvent
· Rem Oil
Tip: Shooter's Choice and Barnes CR-10 smell bad, use them outside or in the shed or garage; use the Hoppe's products (with adequate ventilation) when you must clean indoors.
Cleaning Procedures
1. Clamp the rifle down in something solid, like a padded vise. Place something under the muzzle to absorb drippings from the it. (I rarely do this step and even less with handguns!)
2. Get a cleaning patch wet, not soaking, with Shooter's Choice or Hoppe's No. 9 and run it through the bore. Throw the dirty patch away and do it another three times with new patches each time. Do it until the patches come out gray instead of black.
3. Drip a few drops of Shooter's Choice or Hoppe's No. 9 on the bristle brush and scrub the bore a dozen times each way. There should be a spiral pattern of black goo in the rod, wipe it off, and clean off the brush with a squirt of Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber.
4. Go through the bore with new patches wet with Shooter's Choice or Hoppe's No. 9 until they come out nearly white.
5. Remove the copper fouling:
Using Barnes CR-10:
a. Wet a patch with CR-10 and run it through the bore halfa dozen times, it should now come out blue.
b. Wait a minute and do step 5 again, repeating it until the patch comes out with no blue on it. Using Hoppe's Bench Rest:
a. Run a patch through the bore with some Hoppe's Bench Rest on it.
b. Let it soak for about 12 hours and do it again with a clean patch. Do this until the patch comes out clean. It may take a couple of days.
6. Wipe down the rest of the gun using Hoppe's No. 9 on a 12 gauge cleaning patch or clean it with Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber and give it a little oil.
7. Dry the bore thoroughly and give it a coat of oil (Rem Oil, etc.). Then stand it on its muzzle on a newspaper to absorb the extra oil as it runs out.
Breaking-In A New Firearm
(from Sports Afield, January 1994, p. 19)
On a new firearm, for the first nine shots clean the bore after each shot. After the tenth shot, clean the gun thoroughly, until the patch comes out clean. Do the same for the next ten shots. Some recommend this procedure for the next 100 rounds that go through the barrel.
[This message has been edited by seronac (edited July 13, 2000).]
