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Cleaning Time

cs9c1

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
548
Location
Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA
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I was wondering how often and with whatyou all clean you weapon.

I average around every 2 weeks. Before and after I go to the range (always). Also any time I get it wet either by rain or sweat.

When I clean them I use a Bore Snake with Hoppes, Militec oil,and a silicon cloth to finish it off. I take an Otis kit to the range.
 

jimwyant

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
342
Location
Mebane, North Carolina, USA
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My guidelines are similar to yours, meaning that I clean my weapons as soon as possible (within hours) after a range visit, after exposure to excessive dust or moisture, and every 2-3 weeks under normal circumstances. I primarily use a product called MPro7 Gun Cleaner, which I buy from http://www.dillonprecision.com - the same place where I purchased all my reloading equipment. It is a good cleaner, but without the harsh smell and skin effects that most of the solvent-based cleaners have. It doesn't do particularly well for firearms that haven't been cleaned in quite a while, but for those of us who take proper care of our weapons, it works great and keeps the wife from throwing a fit about the smell. I also have great respect for the bore snake. For my SS revolvers, I use an EZ-Brite Wonder Cloth (Dillon also carries this) to clean off the carbon fouling that builds up on the weapon. If I use just the MPro7, I have to scrub quite a bit to get the same result that a couple seconds of rubbing with this cloth will give. Follow up with lube (or not) as recommended by the manufacturer.
 

357luvr

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Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
286
Location
Barboursville, Virginia, USA
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As for what I use to clean my guns with, I use a product called 'Ballistol.' It doesn't do much for neglected firearms but for general clean up, it's all I use. The best part is the smell, it smells like black licorice! I SWEAR! I'm also a dedicated user of bore snakes, they're the best!As far as when I clean my guns, it's immediately after shooting. I have my own backstop at my house and usually clean them right after shooting. However, if I'm dealing with a new weapon, I usually put them through a torture test of 500+ rds without a cleaning. Does anyone else do this sort of thing?
 

cs9c1

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
548
Location
Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA
imported post

357luvr wrote:
I usually put them through a torture test of 500+ rds without a cleaning. Does anyone else do this sort of thing?


I don't mind doing that to Uncle Sam's weapons. Except for how hard they are to clean when real bad. But I am too anal about weapon cleanliness to do it to my own. It would keep me up at night, LOL.
 

Knitter06040

New member
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
2
Location
, Connecticut, USA
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How about if you're not shooting it on a regular basis? My KelTec is my concealed carry weapon, not a range weapon, so I rarely get a chance to shoot it. What's the concensus on cleaning a "clean" gun?
 

molonlabetn

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
450
Location
, Tennessee, USA
imported post

I do an assembledchamber & barrel brushing, cleaning and lube every time I come home from the range, and sometimes before I go to the range.

I doa detail-strip cleaning to one of my guns every week or so, as I have time, on a rotating basis. (Inever have a large enough chunk of time to detail all of them in one sitting, sometimes I do two or three, though...)

And, I do a field-strip cleaning, lube, and ammo & magazinechangout to my carry guns at least once a month or so,if they haven't been shot or detail-cleaned.

I use Simple-Green to clean my parts when I detail-strip, HOT water to rinse, blow-dry, and Rem-Oil to lubricate/coat prior to re-assembly& wipedown. Works great! I use Break-Free (cheap, Wal-Mart stuff), when I field-strip, just to blast any lint or whatever out, before I wipe it down. I always have a bunch of silicone cloths around.

I change my routine frequently, but I keep all my bases covered... I'd say they all get a good detail strip2-3 timesa year, and kept pretty clean between them.

molonlabetn
 

Marmy

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Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
2
Location
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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I clean a little after each range session and detail clean aboit every 3 months, However, my carry pieces get no oil. I went to Sentry Solutions several years ago. It is Moly Disulfide and is dry as it goes on with an alcohol vehicle that evaporates.

Had to degrease the internals first but then it works like a charm and it doesn't attract dust or grit. It is also very robbust and abrasion resistant.

The non-carry stuff I use militec on.
 

cs9c1

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
548
Location
Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA
imported post

Marmy wrote:
I clean a little after each range session and detail clean aboit every 3 months, However, my carry pieces get no oil. I went to Sentry Solutions several years ago. It is Moly Disulfide and is dry as it goes on with an alcohol vehicle that evaporates.

Had to degrease the internals first but then it works like a charm and it doesn't attract dust or grit. It is also very robbust and abrasion resistant.

The non-carry stuff I use militec on.
Militec I know and use,it has always worked well and is meant to be heated thendried off.I have never seen what you use on your carry piece, time to do some research I guess.
 

twobitshooter

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
29
Location
Cary, North Carolina, USA
imported post

Knitter06040 wrote:
How about if you're not shooting it on a regular basis? My KelTec is my concealed carry weapon, not a range weapon, so I rarely get a chance to shoot it. What's the concensus on cleaning a "clean" gun?
I personally would try to find the chance to shoot my carry gun at least every 3-6 months. Keeping a gun loaded for long periods of time can eventually weaken the follower spring causing the gun to not feed properly. So I would recommend emptying a few mags through it at least occasionally to ensure that it is in fact feeding properly and to keep the spring in use so it doesn't freeze.
 

Anubis

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Joined
Sep 16, 2006
Messages
451
Location
Arapahoe County CO, ,
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In summer, I normally use my carry pistols once or twice a month at IDPA matches; around 100 cartridges fired per match.

After a match, I detail strip the pistol, both to clean it and to inspect every part for wear or damage. It's vital to methat my carry weapon function perfectly; I do what I can to make sure of that.

In winter sometimes matches are canceled, so I may carry a pistol for weeks without firing it. In that case, I field strip it every 2 weeks, clean out any accumulated lint between the slide and receiver, and reapply oil where it has evaporated. A little dry fire to test thefunction. Reload.

I never chamber a cartridge more than twice. When I unload the carry pistol prior to field-stripping, I put the previously-chambered cartridge in the "next" box and fire it first at the next match or range trip.
 

GeorgiaGlocker

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
19
Location
, , USA
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I field strip my glock slide and clean it with Breakfree CLP. I also use a old too toothbrush to clean the rails real good. The frame I use a little CLP on the toothbrush to clean the inside of the frame, I also use Qtips to get to those hard to reach places. They do a real good job. I use Hopppes solvent to clean the inside of the barrel and patches to swipe it out clean. I only oil the five spots that Glock recommends. I use Mil-Comm grease on the rails amd Mil-comm oil on the other spots. Too much oil on Glocks can glog them up especially the firing pin channel. I usually take a Qtip and clean out the firing pin channel real good until it comes out clean. You should be able to hearthe firing pinrattle when the shake theslide back and forth. This is normal. If you don't hear it. It is dirty and needs additional cleaning. After reassembling the the slide with the frame. I also rack the slide several times to disperse the grease on the rails evenly. I use a Burchwood Casey slicone wipe to wipe down the entire gun to make sure I remove any oils andand finger prints that have been left behind. Afterward it looks brand new. And it always goes bang when I pull the trigger the nest time I go to the range. I have never had any problems with my Glocks. I always clean then after every range visit.

Shoot straight. Shot placement is everything.
 

GeorgiaGlocker

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
19
Location
, , USA
imported post

GeorgiaGlocker wrote:
I field strip my glock slide and clean it with Breakfree CLP. I also use a old too toothbrush to clean the rails real good. The frame I use a little CLP on the toothbrush to clean the inside of the frame, I also use Qtips to get to those hard to reach places. They do a real good job. I use Hopppes solvent to clean the inside of the barrel and patches to swipe it out clean. I only oil the five spots that Glock recommends. I use Mil-Comm grease on the rails amd Mil-comm oil on the other spots. Too much oil on Glocks can glog them up especially the firing pin channel. I usually take a Qtip and clean out the firing pin channel real good until it comes out clean. You should be able to hearthe firing pinrattle when the shake theslide back and forth. This is normal. If you don't hear it. It is dirty and needs additional cleaning. After reassembling the the slide with the frame. I also rack the slide several times to disperse the grease on the rails evenly. I use a Burchwood Casey slicone wipe to wipe down the entire gun to make sure I remove any oils andand finger prints that have been left behind. Afterward it looks brand new. And it always goes bang when I pull the trigger the next time I go to the range. I have never had any problems with my Glocks. I always clean then after every range visit.

Shoot straight. Shot placement is everything.
 
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