Pistol Cleaning Guidance/Suggestions

[rugersol]

All good advice... let me clarify because I'm look for what I should specifically do with these guns....

My XDm I run FMJ through, 200-500 a time at the range. All new, no reloads. Good quality ammo. Remington, Winchester, MagTech (which is my favorite 45ACP ammo that is impossible to find by the way...), UMC, etc. Usually the day of my shooting afterward or within the week at the most, I clean it as noted in my previous post by using a boresnake through the barrel (no cleaner or anything on the boresnake). I shoot anywhere from 1-2 a month. This is also my carry weapon which sits (for now) in a cheap nylon holster until I can get a better one after my belt purchase.

My Ruger Mark III 2245, I clean the same way, run CCI and other good ammo through it, more rounds per sssion, but still a sameday/same week cleaning with the boresnake etc. Non-carry weapon.

I appreciate all the good advice and hopefully me clarifying what I shoot and how much will help.

no exact science ... but if yer askin what I'd do, in yer situation ...

about every 5,000rd ...

1 patch 40X
followed by 1 dry patch
followed by 1 patch hoppe's
followed by 1 dry patch
followed by 1 lightly oiled patch

... shoot nother 200rd before carrying it, again!

that's the bbl ... I'd otherwise strip it every 1,000rd, and with a toothbrush, and patches wet with hoppe's, I'd scrub it out a skosh! ... oil the rails and outside of the bbl ... and shoot nother 200rd before carrying it, again!

if it were me ... I'd buy a 2nd gun ... shoot 1,000rd+ thru it .... clean it real good .... shoot nother 200rd ... and then don't F with it fer 6mo+ ... that's my carry gun ... then I don't always gotta worry bout shootin nother 200rd every time I otherwise clean the gun!

... no clue what yer bore snake is buyin ya?!

[aaron878]

All good advice... let me clarify because I'm look for what I should specifically do with these guns....

My XDm I run FMJ through, 200-500 a time at the range. All new, no reloads. Good quality ammo. Remington, Winchester, MagTech (which is my favorite 45ACP ammo that is impossible to find by the way...), UMC, etc. Usually the day of my shooting afterward or within the week at the most, I clean it as noted in my previous post by using a boresnake through the barrel (no cleaner or anything on the boresnake). I shoot anywhere from 1-2 a month. This is also my carry weapon which sits (for now) in a cheap nylon holster until I can get a better one after my belt purchase.

My Ruger Mark III 2245, I clean the same way, run CCI and other good ammo through it, more rounds per sssion, but still a sameday/same week cleaning with the boresnake etc. Non-carry weapon.

I appreciate all the good advice and hopefully me clarifying what I shoot and how much will help.

I would check out youtube for some tutorial videos, but if you're shooting that volume with zero solvent, (lubrication??) I'd be willing to bet that your bore has a decent amount of fouling.

[farmerj]

several years ago, just for my own piece of mind, I did a "torture test" to see how far my Beretta 92 could go without a real cleaning. At about 3500 rounds, I would have to wipe the slides with lube every 50 - 100 rounds because of FTF issues. But it continued to run.

At around 4100 rounds, things were really slowing down and after that range session, around 4300 rounds. I finally stripped and cleaned it entirely. All of these were 115 gr hand loads. Mostly with Berry's plated bullets and 5 gr of Clays powder.

Carbon build up on EVERYTHING. I used a small bottle of CLP to clean the parts themselves. It took about 12 patches of Sweet's 7.62 solvent to finally get rid of the copper fouling in the barrel. I think it had more to do with using Berry's plated and not jacketed bullets.

Another dozen or so to finish the cleaning for the barrel.

I never really used any lead bullets, so that wasn't an issue for lead fouling.

The slide and frame members were the worst parts to get rid of the carbon fouling. This stuff was thick, and running it soaked with lube only exasperated the situation.

But I learned how far I could push my gun and still have it function.

Now I clean them about every 500 rounds or so. It gets a field strip and wipe down with a rag and lube after each session, but a really deep cleaning isn't very often.

[Snowgun]

After experimenting with many solvents and methods, Here is what works the best for all my guns:

Chemistry:

Gunzilla -CLP type of solvent that is much less harsh on you than hoppe's etc. but will clean carbon and fouling like no tomorrow. Also the more you use it, the more it lubricates the surfaces, making cleaning easier. Pretty much all I use unless I have some serious fouling.

KG-12 -> Bar NONE the best ass kicking hard core solvent out there for getting ALL the crap out (hardened carbon, lead, copper). Scientifically better than the rest. In fact you have to be careful with your Jags and Brushes, it will eat them too, yet be more gentle on your bore than ammonia based cleaners. Also takes rust off. I use this every once in a while when I have a super dirty bore.
http://www.eabco.com/KG12Test.pdf
http://www.shootersforum.com/gun-cleani ... -12-a.html

Kroil -> for super fine lubing, oiling bores for storage, and breaking apart rusted components.

Gunbutter-> I like this stuff for sears and other trigger components, you can see where it is since it's pink. You could probably substitute any other good lube though...

Gunscrubber/non clorinated brake cleaner -> Sometimes you need to degrease, and this stuff is the best. Great for grips, outsides of frames and slides. NOT AN ALL IN ONE CLEANING SOLUTION like advertized. If you just use gunscrubber on your gun, you will dry out hardened carbon deposits and de-lube your gun. It will jam and rust. Even if you re lube it the carbon deposits will cause jams.

Slide Glide-> My favorite lube/grease for rails, barrels, bushings, and other hard use components. Gooey so it stays put and doesn't run all over, decreases recoil impulse a little, and migrates wear particulate out of the articulating surfaces. Love it in my AR's so I don't' get oil in my face.

Hardware

O-Ring Jags -> Fricking awesome. use with thin hoppe's patches. http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-c ... 24842.aspx

Standard and coarse copper bore brushes -> Everyone uses the regular ones, but you can buy the coarse ones on midway. They are needed when you have a .45 with many rounds through it and that rock solid carbon that won't come out. No more trying to put 300 patches through a barrel. These, some KG 12, and the o ring jag with gunzilla will make your bores shine like mirrors.

q-tips - > Helpful for getting in those wierd areas.

Dentist pick -> also helpful, especially with Kim wipes

Kim Wipes -> non lint forming little durable tissues that are great for cleaning and getting into surfaces.

Air compressor with needle nozzle -> MOST IMPORTANT tool, after hosing your slides or frames or whatever with solvent, scrub around and then air blast the **** out of them. Takes all the crap off in no time. The ONLY way to get complex parts (like a 1911 slide) super clean in under 2 minutes. This is how gunsmiths do it. I use a little 1 gal airbrush compressor, got it for like 40 bucks. Also great for duracoating.

[XDM45]

All good advice... let me clarify because I'm look for what I should specifically do with these guns....

My XDm I run FMJ through, 200-500 a time at the range. All new, no reloads. Good quality ammo. Remington, Winchester, MagTech (which is my favorite 45ACP ammo that is impossible to find by the way...), UMC, etc. Usually the day of my shooting afterward or within the week at the most, I clean it as noted in my previous post by using a boresnake through the barrel (no cleaner or anything on the boresnake). I shoot anywhere from 1-2 a month. This is also my carry weapon which sits (for now) in a cheap nylon holster until I can get a better one after my belt purchase.

My Ruger Mark III 2245, I clean the same way, run CCI and other good ammo through it, more rounds per sssion, but still a sameday/same week cleaning with the boresnake etc. Non-carry weapon.

I appreciate all the good advice and hopefully me clarifying what I shoot and how much will help.

I would check out youtube for some tutorial videos, but if you're shooting that volume with zero solvent, (lubrication??) I'd be willing to bet that your bore has a decent amount of fouling.

You know, I'll check it, but when I look through the barrel (It's out of the gun and I look through it the way the bullet travels), I can see each and every line in the rifling perfectly clear from end to end. I don't think that it's 100%, but I've never had a jam and I think any fouling that may be in there is minimal at best.

[farmerj]

you need to go shoot more then.....

[XDM45]

you need to go shoot more then.....

I'm not into quantity, rather quality. Here's the stats.....

Since 04/21/2012 (first trip the range) until 10/20/2012 (15th trip to the range), I've put exactly 4,200 rounds through the 45 and 4,525 through the 22. I know this because I keep track for my own personal records of when I went, where to, which gun I shot, rounds spent, date cleaned, etc. I also know that's probably not a lot of shots fired by some people's standards. and I'm ok with that. I also don't have 50 guns or lust after any particular gun. I'm not a hobbyist or a collector. If I want one, I buy it. Money isn't an issue for me.

While I enjoy shooting, it's not something I love to do, but something I do so that I may live in a worst-case-scenario. A gun is merely a tool for me, but it's a tool I depend on to be there should I ever need it. I know that's not "sexy", but it's strictly a utilitarian functionality mindset with me and guns. If I lust after anything, it's a ton of land on the Oregon coast with an excellent ocean-front view away from people. I'm working on getting that.

In that short time-frame and with that small amount of ammo, I went from not shooting (except occasionally years ago with someone else's gun), to qualifying for my PTC with the actual gun I'll carry (not with a .22) and being pretty accurate. I'd rather fire one bullet that matters than 1,000,000 which do not. Of course I do agree that live fire practice has it's value and IS needed, but you can also practice all you want and not know how you'll react during the real thing. My focus now is going to be on holster work and getting as close to real-life scenario / situational training as I can. Perhaps that means some league shooting, more classes on tactics, etc, and of course, more range time, but if you have any real suggestions relating to that, I'm open to it.

I've got the belt (once it arrives), I have a holster but want a better one, thus why I posted if anyone has one I can check out ( Safariland 6285 1.50'" Belt Drop, Level II Retention ); and once those things come together, I think that my next step is holster work. Perhaps another class with Don L is due at that point.

[farmerj]

fresh out of ideas.


http://shootingsafely.com/7701.html

I do this class on rare occasion with Phorvick. Paul and I co-teach it. I am a retired MP and small arms instructor with the Army National guard.

Go pick up a shot timer and shoot against it.

[fishdude]

So a followup question more related to a carry weapon.

Does anyone do a quick cleaning of their carry gun if they haven't shot it after a couple months? I notice a lot of dust, dirt, etc getting build up on the gun after carrying it around in the holster for a month or two. I'll usually just run a lightly oiled patch through the barrel and wipe down the action and trigger areas when I see the dust building up.

[farmerj]

Pull a boresnake with clp and lint free rag with clp to wipe it down otherwise

[rugersol]

So a followup question more related to a carry weapon.

Does anyone do a quick cleaning of their carry gun if they haven't shot it after a couple months? I notice a lot of dust, dirt, etc getting build up on the gun after carrying it around in the holster for a month or two. I'll usually just run a lightly oiled patch through the barrel and wipe down the action and trigger areas when I see the dust building up.

I'd be more concerned with re-assembling the gun ... and not shooting it again ... before carrying it! S/b no problem! ... but **** happens!

Don't recollect a gun ever not firing 'cause of "dust"?! ... this is a semi-auto?! ... dust is on the "outside" of the gun?!

If yer gettin' dirt inside yer (holstered) gun, I'd look at how that's happening!

Chances are good, any dust yer seein' is sticking to oil ... maybe less oil?

[fishdude]

I'd be more concerned with re-assembling the gun ... and not shooting it again ... before carrying it! S/b no problem! ... but **** happens!

Don't recollect a gun ever not firing 'cause of "dust"?! ... this is a semi-auto?! ... dust is on the "outside" of the gun?!

If yer gettin' dirt inside yer (holstered) gun, I'd look at how that's happening!

Chances are good, any dust yer seein' is sticking to oil ... maybe less oil?

Not disassembling. Just unloading and running a patch down the barrel, then wiping down. I agree, I don't think dust would cause a malfuction and it's probably more of a cosmetic thing. Maybe too much oil - it's possible.

Mostly I am seeing it build up around the ejection port, under the trigger, and inside the magazine well. This is after a couple months and in a IWB holster.

[rugersol]

I'd be more concerned with re-assembling the gun ... and not shooting it again ... before carrying it! S/b no problem! ... but **** happens!

Don't recollect a gun ever not firing 'cause of "dust"?! ... this is a semi-auto?! ... dust is on the "outside" of the gun?!

If yer gettin' dirt inside yer (holstered) gun, I'd look at how that's happening!

Chances are good, any dust yer seein' is sticking to oil ... maybe less oil?

Not disassembling. Just unloading and running a patch down the barrel, then wiping down. I agree, I don't think dust would cause a malfuction and it's probably more of a cosmetic thing. Maybe too much oil - it's possible.

Mostly I am seeing it build up around the ejection port, under the trigger, and inside the magazine well. This is after a couple months and in a IWB holster.

Sorry ... I'm used to popping the bbl to run a patch!

I ain't sayin' too much dust will "never" be a problem ... in fact, I once ('er twice) carried a J-frame with no pocket-holster ... and a chunk of lint apparently disabled the trigger!

But that's why I always use a holster, now ... one that encloses the trigger-guard ... with a proper fitting holster ... and a semi-auto ... there should never be anything ... dust, dirt, whatever ... inside the gun ... 'er anywhere near the trigger! ... at which, it's a non-issue!

If yer gettin' 'nuff dust to cause ya concern, I'd look at the holster ... and other factors?! ... one possibility is, if the holster ain't lined (smooth-out, on the inside), and ya remove/reholster the gun, daily, ya might be working some of the "rough" of the leather, loose?! ... solution?! ... buy a better holster!

With IWB, I can't imagine how yer gettin' anything ... but maybe a bit of sweat ... anywhere near it?!

Does it set somewhere fer days at a time ... while yer not wearin' it? ... maybe on top of a dresser ... 'er on a shelf somewhere?! ... not in its holster?!