First, an apology to my readers, I have been absent due to personal and work reasons.  I will try to post more regularly.

Recently, I was asked by a reader about the essential items a person needs to purchase in addition to their firearm. In order to keep your firearm performing like new and last a lifetime its important you take care of it.  Keeping it clean, lubricated. 

Remember, your life may depend on your firearm.  Would you drive a vehicle with out proper tires or seatbelt? I think for most the answer is no.  Why, because those keep you alive.  Since a firearm is a tool, you must keep it in working order so that its ready for use when its needed and you don’t have to worry if it will work when you employ it.

Remember to follow the key rules every time you handle a firearm.

  • 1.     Keep it pointed in a safe direction at ALL times
  • 2.     Consider every firearm is loaded
  • 3.     Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
  • 4.     Know your target and what is beyond it.

When you go to clean a firearm, you must be careful, your safety and that of everyone around you depends on it!

PROPERLY CLEAR YOUR FIERAM

o   LOCK THE SLIDE BACK AND REMOVE THE MAGAZINES, (OR EMPTY THE CYLINDERS ON A REVOLVER)

o   REMOVE ALL AMMUNITION FROM THE AREA AND PLACE IN ANOTHER ROOM

CLEAR YOUR FIREARM AGAIN, THEN CLEAR IT AGAIN!

For many cleaning procedures on some firearms, you must pull the trigger to disassemble, if you do again make sure you know where your firearm is pointed!

So, you need a few basic items. 

  • PPE Safety First, PPE-Gloves and Safety Glasses. Remember cleaning your firearm will expose you to lead, copper, powder fouling, brass, and other chemicals. I recommend wearing rubber gloves to keep these and the cleaning chemicals off your hands and away from your eyes.
  • Mat/Towel/Rags A cleaning Mat is a handy item to absorb any solution as well as protect your firearm and the surfaces where you clean from damage.  Cleaning mats are widely available in sporting goods stores, automotive stores and online retailers. An old, folded towel can server the same purpose.
  • Cleaning kitThere are two basic types of cleaning kits.  The first is a traditional cleaning kit and the second is one that uses a bore snake to replace some items.  In either case, both will clean your firearm.  I find that I tend to use both.  I use a bore snake on the go or at the range and when traveling.  I tend to use a traditional cleaning kit when I am at home for a deep cleaning.
    • A traditional cleaning kit that contains some basic
      • Patches
      • Cleaning rod
      • Nylon cleaning brush or toothbrush
      • A bore brush of proper caliber.  Remember, that 9mm/.357 Mag/38 brushes and jags are the same size due to diameter
      • A jag or patch holder
    • Alternately you could get a kit that has a bore snake.  Bore snakes date back to cleaning kits used in World War II by fighting soldiers to save metal and carry a smaller cleaning kit.  A bore snake contains a weight, attached to a string and cloth with a brush that you pull though the firearm with the string.
  • Various clean rags Used to wipe debris and clean off solutions, wipe oil and dirt away.
  • Silicone clothI use a silicone cloth to wipe down all my firearms.  The oil from your skin and or fingerprints will cause more corrosion to a firearm.  I prefer to buff them with silicone cloth after cleaning before a store the firearm.
  • Cleaning and Lubricating Solutions There are many many cleaning solutions and oils out there.  You need to find one you like. Most of them work but there are pluses and minuses to many of them.  Often people prefer to use a one solution of Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant (CLP).CLP was originally designed for the military but is found in many different types of solutions now. Other common cleaning products include Hoppes #9 which has been a main cleaner for many years. Personally, the ammonia smell is quite strong, though I have used it on very dirty firearms with good success.  Finally, there are modern lines of more ‘natural’ products today.  Some of these are biodegradable and more friendly to the environment.

A few notes about oil.  Any oil will work, sure some are better than others and people will debate on the viscosity and type of oil but from my experience any oil will work.  I do find I prefer some over others.  Finally, on my defensive guns I use a very light grease to lubricate and store them, this prevents the oil from running off and I find keeps my firearms cleaner in the long run. 

While I get no endorsements from products, I find the Lucas Oil line of gun oil and CLP work fine for me.  The Extreme gun oil is very good under harsh use shooting thousands of rounds. For grease I prefer the product called TW25B it a very light grease that sticks well to the firearm.   

My general experience with new shooters, is most of them use too much oil on their firearms.  If your firearm is dripping or oil is coming off it when you shoot, its too much! There is a general rule with semi autos that are coated, if it shines lube it. In other words, the places where there are wear marks on your firearm are the same points that need to be lubricated. Glocks tend to like to run drier, Sig Sauers tend to like to be more wet especially their classic line of P22X series pistols.  Smith and Wessons seem to be in the middle of the two. Revolvers need very little lubrication.  A drop of oil will suffice.

Overall, just clean your firearm and lubricate it and it will serve you for many years to come.  I could spend hours talking about cleaning but there are so many videos on YouTube about cleaning and disassembly that I believe there is a lot of information out there.

–Castle

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