This is a quick tutorial on how to quickly clean and maintain your firearm after a range session.
Make SURE your firearm is unloaded before you start the cleaning process.
- Remove the magazine and set it aside.
- Physically inspect the chamber to MAKE SURE it is unloaded.
Field strip your gun.
(Please refer to your pistol model's handbook for the exact steps to follow for this procedure)
Cleaning the Barrel.
- Start by pushing the bronze brush through the barrel, starting from the breach end and never from the muzzle end.
- Take a soft cotton flannel patch and pour some Nitro solvent onto it.
- Push it through the barrel using your cleaning jag.
- After the inside of the barrel is clean, take a clean patch and put some gun oil onto the patch. Ram it through the barrel to lightly oil the inside of the barrel and prevent corrosion.
- Take an old rag and clean the outside of the barrel.
Frame and slide.
- Use a clean rag to wipe off most of the dirty areas which can be accessed with your fingers.
- Use a cotton earbud to clean those hard to reach areas.
- Use the same oily patch you used to lubricate the inside of the barrel and wipe over as much as possible of the inside of the frame and slide to lightly coat the metal areas with oil.
- Be careful not to over-lubricate your pistol, as too much oil can be damaging.
*A note on polymer pistols: the polymer parts of your pistol do not need lubrication, as they do not require a lubricant to function. The steel areas do, however require a very thin coat of oil to protect them from rust, especially in wet climates.
Lubricate when done.
- Take some of your favorite gun lubricant and lubricate all the metal contacts where metal parts move against each other.
- Never oil/lubricate the firing pin though, as it will attract dirt and grime and could cause malfunctions.
- Remember to add a little bit of lubricant on the barrel as well.
Re-assemble and function test.
- After cleaning and lubricating your handgun, re-assemble it and function test (cycle the gun without magazine) to make sure it still works.
