[matanglawin9mm]

Calling on all experienced semi-auto pistol owners! Newbies like me are in the need of tips on how to clean and lubricate our guns. A list of TO DOs and WHAT NOTs would be most appreciated. Your personal experiences with various types and brands of cleaning solutions and lubricants would also help.

Thanks in anticipation of your knowledgeable responses. Fire away gentlemen!

 

[Qwiks draw]

Follow all instructions in the manual. If you use a solvent like Gunscrubber, then be aware that it or carb cleaner can destroy or harm polymer finishes.

 

[Flyer]

DO not oil the firing pin. It will cause FTF's.

 

[jwc007]

For general cleaning I use plain generic Charcoal lighter Fluid as a general solvent, followed by non-chlorinated Disc Brake Cleaner to remove it and get into places I do not want to dis-assemble.

For extreme bore cleaning, I use Noxon 7 Metal Polish/Cleaner, particularly when dealing with cast bullet residue or copper fouling. (note: use only nylon bore brushes with Noxon 7, as it tends to eat bronze bore brushes)

For Lubrication, in warm weather I use Straight 30W motor oil in all locations except the firing pin area. For use in cold weather (30 degrees F and below) I use Mobil 1 10W30 instead. (My AR15 loves the Mobil 1 10W30 in it's bolt carrier.)

 

[frostyeyes]

I have found over the years that to many shooters take their guns apart too much. That said I keep mine pretty clean but don't usually go beyond a field strip. I use Brake clean to get out the loose gunk, some of the foaming bore cleaner on barrel followed by Hoppes # 9 and spray Rem Oil all inside and let it drain for a couple of hours the wipe dry and coat the hard moving parts with Mobil 1 20W50. I se the Mobil 1 on all my pistols and rifles it has not failed me in 12 years of using it and flows nicely in all temps.

 

[kansas45]

+ 1 on the Brake Clean! I have also found that synthetic motor oil is a very good lubercant for firearms. I use Mobil 1 5W/30 for most applications.

 

[shep854]

I pretty much stick to Break-Free CLP for cleaning and lubing. For the locking block, I dab a bit of Lubri-Plate on the bearing spots.

When cleaning, I field-strip and wipe down with patches and use Q-Tips and pipe cleaners for tight spots. A Bore Snake does for the barrel.

 

[beagler]

I am a big fan of RemOil and Bright Bore. These work very well for me. I use them on all of my firearms, and use my weapons a lot in the rain, mud, etc...
Be sure you wipe all solvents off of plastic parts.

 

[matanglawin9mm]

DO not oil the firing pin. It will cause FTF's.

Why will it cause FTFs?

 

[Flyer]

Excessive oil on/in the firing pin channel.

 

[frostyeyes]

I don't believe it's so much the oil in the firing pin channel as the dirt it attracts, I usually spray my Rem oil in the pin channel and after a few minutes I blow it out with compressed air that way its protected against rust but not enough to collect dirt and gunk IMHO

 

[shep854]

Why will it cause FTFs?

The excessive oil can also run down and "kill" the primer by penetrating into the primer area and soaking the priming compound

 

[propellerhead]

I oil the firing pin channel but after cleaning, I dry fire, cycle and wipe my gun for the next 15 minutes. As others posted above, I'd rather have the rust protection.

 

[DogFish]

Be careful of Brake Cleaners. Some contain Chlorine. Advanced Auto Brake Cleaner($2.44 can) is what I use. I clean mine every 200-300 rounds. For the bore I use Butch's Bore Shine, then clp for lube. I use CLP on the rest of the parts and scrub it with a nylon brush. Leave it sit for 15 minutes or so and then blast it out with brake cleaner. Blow it out with air and then spray all the internals with Remington DriLube w/teflon. Works great and the blowback from firing doesn't stick to it. Seems to have reduced wear considerably. I go to the range 2-3 times per week and shoot at least 100 9mm WWB through my 24/7 PRO and 300-400 Remington GB through my Walthers P22 every time. .357 ammo is to expensive to shoot much so my 608 stay home alot. I've never had a failure of any kind in my 24/7 PRO (2000+ rounds) and my P22 (6000+ rounds) only has a FTFire every now and then due to cheap ammo I believe.

 

[beagler]

Any ideas on how to get excess oil or grime out of your firing pin channel?

 

[MoReloader]

Push the striker down with your thumb and squirt gunscrubber down the channel. Then remoil followed by canned air. If you use gun scrubber you should lube some since it will remove all lube. A blow through of canned air or a couple of dry firings will remove enough oil that it can not fall victim to hydrolic lock-up.

 

[Mr Ed]

I use m pro 7 products the web address is www.mp7.com ;D

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

I field strip my 92 and either run it under very hot water for several minutes or actually boil it. That gets the old lube and powder residue out.

I then let it sit in front of a hairdryer until I'm 110% sure it's dry inside and out.

All parts on the trigger group get a light coat of Remoil or similar, and the slide rails and locking block get a light coating of Gunslick, or just get colored on with a #2 pencil if it's extremly cold or if I will be in a dirty environment.

Josh <><

 

[Steelheart]

Be careful with causing excessive heat stress to small parts, especially springs. If a part is not designed to be heated to high-ish temps (like a hair dryer over a period of time) you could weaken something and not know it.

Another cleaning product that can be used once in a while is Simple Green. Yes, that stuff thats under the sink. Its a non-toxic degreaser. I don't use it much but it worked great on cosmoline. And since its non-toxic it safer than some of the other stuff we use. If you aren't sure if it will take off whatever gunk you're trying, give it a shot.

Some lubes work fine in extreme cold. I've had good luck with MP-10 (I think it is). I tested it a year or two back by leaving my vehicle gun secured in my rig overnight when it was due to be sub-zero. Before starting the rig I moved it to the back and insulated it with a blanket so it wouldn't warm up. Drove the half hour to the range and it emptied just fine. After that I ceased worrying about it. I've heard that some dry lubes work fine but I'd rather get the dry grafite spray for locks as its designed for tight clearences. Stuff works fine in my door locks and we had a cold spell not to long ago up here. Don't recall the brand and the can is in the garage. I just remember that the can is small and blue (I know, not much help).

Don't forget to clean your magazines as well. In order for your semi-auto to function well the mags have got to be up to snuff. Most mags are fairly easy to disassemble, just be careful where you point it as you are removing the base. Yes things have flown across the room before.

Steelheart

 

[madmag]

I am a CLP fan. I completely flush out all areas, including the firing pin channel. But then I use my air compressor with non-safety nozzle to blow out the excess fluid. Does a great job and is almost dry enough to use again right away. I don't change to new products easily, but CLP has (for me) been one of the best products I have used.

Don