The more I test and use handguns, the more respect I have for the operating reliability of these machines. Tolerances held by Kimber, Colt, Glock, Ruger, Smith and Wesson, SIG, and CZ are excellent. When we fire these handguns on the range, we should have every confidence that they will fire time after time without any type of problem. After all, many of these handguns are based on service pistols that were designed to function in horrific situations.
The Colt 1911, as an example, is famous for operating when soaked in mud or snow. The SIG P226 came out on top in a rigorous test in which 228,000 cartridges were fired in a grueling program. Just the same, these handguns need maintenance. They need cleaning and lubrication. Many will run dirty, but they will not run dry.
If a handgun isn’t cleaned properly, eccentric wear will impede function. Normal wear is simply even wear. The finish is worn and the pistol becomes worn as it is used. The springs eventually wear and need to be replaced. The bore becomes worn. Eccentric wear is different.
The finish or the handgun’s parts are gouged by foreign material. Dirt, grit, and unburned powder make for eccentric wear. If the tolerances are such that good accuracy is guaranteed, the pistol simply will not be as accurate if the operating mechanism is filled with powder ash from firing. Lead buildup is even worse.
The question that is often asked is how often should we clean the handgun? The answer really depends upon the firearm. .22 caliber rimfire handguns should be cleaned most often. Due to the powder used in this caliber, the .22 is the dirtiest cartridge in common use. Few .22 handguns will go more than 300 rounds without a malfunction if they are not cleaned.
A modern 9mm self loading, firing good quality factory jacketed bullet loads, may go several thousand rounds before function begins to become sluggish due to the buildup of unburned powder—but we really don’t wish to abuse our firearms. Even handguns that will perform well without cleaning at a high round count still demand lubrication.
Revolver springs seem to never go out of whack, as they are not compressed when in storage. Self-loading pistols should have their recoil spring changed every 3,000 to 5,000 rounds in the case of the 1911 .45 at a similar event with the Glock, SIG, Beretta, and other quality self-loaders.
We all know of handguns that have been going since World War II without changing the springs, but this simply isn’t optimal performance. We purchase high-end pistols so we will not have to worry about reliability, true, but maintenance is part of every firearm.
The Browning, Ruger, and Smith and Wesson .22s are recreational firearms and cleaned as needed. When the chamber begins to look cruddy and the bolt seems greasy with lubricant and powder ash, I clean the MKIII. When the pistol is clean, lubricant is applied for function. When powder ash is present there is a muddy soup. When you go to the range you will lubricate the handgun more heavily because you may fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition. A carry gun is best served with a thin application. I fieldstrip, wipe down, and lubricate the carry gun after every practice session. It gets a thorough field strip and inspection every 500 rounds or so. When you are faced with a critical incident, the events have gotten out of control and there are many factors beyond your control. One thing you can control is that the handgun will be clean, ready, well lubricated, and in top firing condition.
Field Stripping
Owner’s manuals usually have good information on field stripping the handgun. Field stripping simply means removing the slide from the frame of the self-loading handgun and then separating the barrel, spring, and recoil guide from the slide. Revolvers usually do not need to be field stripped at all, although you will need to learn to remove the cylinder from a single action revolver for proper cleaning.
A professional will learn detail stripping, in order to properly maintain the trigger action, but a hobbyist has no need to do so. Most agencies have an armorer to maintain issue firearms. If you seek to modify an issue handgun, let’s hope you and the Chief are on a first name basis.
It is quite easy to damage the ejector, extractor, or firing pin through attempting to disassemble the firearm without knowledge of the correct procedure. As an example, it is easy enough to field strip a Series 70 1911. The firing pin simply slips out after removing the firing pin stop. A modern Series 80 with a firing pin block is another matter.
Some pistols have blind holes and other variances that really make a difference. There is only one correct way to do things and that means study. Something as simple as allowing a spring to launch across a room may not be serious, but small parts may take flight and not be found.
As a rule of thumb, the better quality firearms are simpler. As an example, Smith and Wesson revolvers follow a template that hasn’t been changed in many years save for an upgrade to a transfer bar ignition. Less expensive clones of the Smith and Wesson have small parts that are easily lost, and which do not make sense such as springs in blind holes on the sideplate that complicate disassembly. On the other hand, Ruger has made the revolver simpler, more durable, and has taken the SR 1911 automatic and permanently attached the plunger tube. This results in one less item of concern in this venerable design. Take each handgun as a problem unto itself, and be completely familiar with the design and take down. Take down and disassembly is found in several tiers of difficulty.
Possibly the simplest to take down and clean are the Beretta 92, SIG P226, and Walther P 1-type self loaders. Unload the handgun, press a takedown lever forward and move the slide forward and you may perform routine maintenance. The CZ 75 is a little more complicated and the 1911 even more complicated, although not difficult. The smaller the handgun, the more difficult in some cases as downsizing parts results in design compromise. Depending on the handgun, the difficulty in fieldstripping may be a deciding factor when choosing your handgun.
When you begin to care for the handgun, get in the habit of setting aside a designated work area. The cleaning materials you use can be dangerous in some instances, although the primary concern is the strong smell. This odor is more pronounced in a small work area. A well ventilated area is important. You are dealing with chemicals that have certain properties intended to cut through lead and powder deposits.
A heavy plastic covering over a table is a good idea. Even a trash bag will work well. A wastebasket will serve to handle your cleaning patches when you are done with the chore. Cleaning is necessary and should be learned properly.
Before you clean, be double certain the handgun is unloaded and the ammunition isn’t in the same room. Many of the chemicals used in cleaning, kill the ammunition’s priming compounds so keep the material used to clean the handgun well separated from ammunition. Double-check the handgun’s chamber after unloading. Be certain the magazines are unloaded; they will need attention as well.
Wear eye protection. There will be droplets of solvent thrown in the air as you vigorously clean the barrel. Do not clean over an expensive table cloth! Field strip the pistol into its basic components. If cleaning a revolver, simply swing the cylinder open. Carefully remove the stock or grip panels before cleaning if you are going a bit deeper than fieldstripping.
The bore of the handgun is where most of the cleaning is needed. Powder and lead deposits are found in the grooves of the barrel. It takes a bit of effort to clean the bore even if you have used only full metal jacketed bullets and do not use lead. There is nothing wrong with lead bullets, they are both accurate and economical, but they do leave more deposits in the barrel.
Modern hard cast bullets such as those available from Magnus Cast Bullets are very hard and not really similar to factory swaged lead bullets. I use such bullets exclusively in my handloads. I run the brush into the solvent bottle and get it sopping wet.
I run the brush through the barrel several times, loosening the deposits in the bore. A mixture of solvent and powder residue will run from the barrel. I switch to cotton patches next. These patches are run through the barrel. Some of the first patches will be black with powder ash. Keep going until the patches come out clean.
If the deposits are very heavy, you may move back to the bore brush. If fairly light but consistent, then soak the cotton patch in solvent and run it through as well. But the last patch should be a dry patch. The final patch should have a light coating of gun oil. This helps preserve the bore from rust.
The procedure is modified with the revolver. While the barrel is cleaned in the same way each individual chamber of the revolver cylinder is cleaned. The area at the chamber step often collects powder and lead residue and should get particular attention. The recoil plate of the revolver gets dirty and may impede function.
When cleaning the self-loader, wipe the slide rails and long bearing surfaces. The feed ramp and the outside of the barrel should be clean. Check the cocking block and locking lugs. The cocking block is the section of the slide toward the rear that cocks the hammer during recoil. The locking lugs are the part of the barrel that locks into the slide.
Look for collected grit, powder ash, and lead. The firing pin channel collects powder ash and even brass particles, so clean the firing pin tunnel occasionally. The breech face of the self-loader gets dirty and must be addressed as well. This area should be cleaned often. You do not have to bathe the handgun in solvent, but be certain that you use an adequate amount in cleaning. Once you have cleaned the handgun, it should be lubricated.
The self-loading pistol should be lubricated on the long bearing surfaces where the metal comes into contact. Some handguns—such as the 1911—need to be well lubricated, the Glock needs a single drop of oil. Heavy lubrication is needed when shooting a match or during long practice sessions. Lighter lubrication is needed for carry. After cleaning and lubrication, reassemble the handgun and wipe the slide and frame off with a clean rag. And that’s it. Get it down pat and repeat as necessary, and you will have long service from the handgun.
Do you have a tip or suggestion for handgun maintenance? How about a question for the other readers or the author? Share your tips, questions, and answers in the comment section.
[bob]
unless you fire couple hundred rounds through it most handguns do not need scrubbed super clean every time it is fired take an oil soaked rag wipe the chamber clean with a tip and run a light coat of good gun oil down bore .I clean my colt stainless officers to like new every few hundred rounds had it over 20 yrs still fires and runs like new .
Guns, magazines, the wife’s wedding ring and her G26 go into my Lyman ultrasonic dip tank. This I do after almost every shooting session.
There is a soapy chemical that they recommend that cleans every nook and cranny and leaves a bit of protection on the metal. I think that it cost under $70.00.
I also use Hoppe’s and run the brush through the barrel.
I finish with a little dab of Hoppe’s behind my ears because my wife finds that it smells sexy!
An important point that never gets addressed is whether it is necessary to always clean the bore down to the metal. Most people stop the cleaning process well before this happens. The way you find out is by following the last clean patch with a brushing. If the followup patch comes out dirty you have not cleaned down to the metal. I have been told that the bore will last longer if you don’t deep clean it. The slight residue left in the bore protects it from rust and wear from the next time you fire the gun.
I would respectfully suggest that the last step in cleaning any weapon is a complete function check.
Growing up back(anf I mean way bsck) country in climate from 90F to -20-30 a weapon got cleaned sometimrs because of weather.
Never heavy oil the action in winter, nevrr store against outer walls no matter weather, and no never place a pistol where fust can accumulate in long storage.
When packing out of sock or scabbord in adverse weather always clean and if even one round fired clean bore and throat.
used to use linseed on wood grips and even Light coating of Marvel oil but precious was the olin cleaning oils.
IMNSHO ONE cannot find a better means of cleaning than newer sonic.
Yet we have all seen some hundred year old wePons whose barrels are gun metal grey. And with darn near new looking internals and riflings that had seen whatever oil was at hand used.
Leading was always a problem back then but carefull use of brush and soaking in Marvel a bit did. Wonders.
common sence not common cents was best cleaning method then and today.
oil lightly before and clean lightly after firing one to moderate rounds, as a dirty barrel and action do put strain with recoil on all pistols.
The author hinted at a proper way to clean magazines, but never mentioned it again. Does anyone know a good way to clean magazines?
1911 and Berretta mags have a hole kind of centered on the baseplate. In that hole you’ll see a raised section. With a punch or round toothpick, press down on the raised section in the hole and, with the thumb, press the floorplate forward from the back of the magazine. This will position the thumb to keep the spring from coming out. With floorplate removed, lift the thumb to allow the spring to release pressure. Turn the mag right side up and the spring and follower should drop out of the bottom. Note how the spring comes out as, on some mags, the spring is not connected to the baseplate retainer, and the spring must go in the same way. I take a piece of towel over an old toothbrush and wipe out the body with a little Hoppes #9, dry it with another piece of towel, then oil it with another piece of towel, and wipe MOST of the oil out with another piece of towel. The spring, I wipe with a light coat of oil. The follower, I just wipe with a dry cloth. Assembly- place the follower on the spring, insert into mag body, align the baseplate retainer and hold with the thumb toward the rear while sliding the baseplate into place. this works for me.
Thanks for adding this good information .
Glock magazines clean the same way as stated by STEELMAN.. I have had trouble getting the floor plate to slide off, having to put a rag around the bottom and gently put pressure inward to take the pressure off and allow the plate to slide. Can also use canned air ,like for computers, and get out the dust. No oil was used after blowing out any debris and in my opinion in isn’t needed.
Magazine floor plates come off, remove the spring and follower, clean it, put it back together.
As a former USPSA competitor, I cleaned my magazines after every 4th competition. Since we did rapid mag changes, usually on the run, the magazines fell into dirt, so cleaning was necessary. For recreational shooters, probably every 10 uses? Powder residue does get into magazines, and these are often overlooked.
yes take the spring out n clean it lol.
Thank you all. I never knew that the baseplate was detachable on my Walther Magazines. That will make cleaning a heck of a lot easier. I can’t wait to try it. ( but the sonic cleaner sounds interesting too. I never heard of it, I will research)
Every once in a while I like to clean the bore with a fresh bullet, pushed through with the prescribed MFG suggested pressure followed up by a light lube of freshly burnt gunpowder.
I always wear disposable vinyl gloves when cleaning. I have found that many solvents and oils irritate my hands, It takes multiple washings with soap and a finger nail brush to clean up. I really don’t like to get Hoppes or Break Free on my hands.
Don’t think I read about cleaning behind the extractor. Not going to reread. Anyway, use a slight hooked metal dental tool to scrape away built up powder residue from behind the extractor.
The answer to the question: “How often should I clean my handgun?” is obvious to any experienced shooter. Real simple: Clean it and lightly lube it after every time you shoot it (heavier lube if storing it). And, if it is a carry piece, also brush away lint buildup on a regular basis. This, from someone who has been shooting (and carrying) for many decades – both on and off duty.
wd-40 IS NOT GOOD FOR FIREARMS READ THE LABEL IT IS WATER BASED LUBRICANT YOU NEED GUN OIL NOT wd-40 I HAVE REPAIRED MANY FIREARMS AT WORK DUE TO wd-40 RUST, caps key stuck and i do not want type again srry . bUT DO NOT USE wd-40 ON FIREARMS.
WD-40 is most definitely NOT “water based”, it is oil based, and it works quite well in a good many firearms applications. I’ve been using it for decades, with no ill effects.
Clean them every time I shoot. I have a 60yr old Franchi and Marlin 39-A and a Browing 9mm high power that is 50 yrs old . All are in like new condition because they were well cared for. Though my AR’s and S&W M&P 9 mm are probably more resistant to corrosion, I clean them with
the same compulsion and never have to worry if they will function.
Good article. Because I’m lazy, and don’t have time to clean often, I prefer a stainless steel revolver. Stainless steel will tolerate more negligence than regular steel, and a revolver will bear more neglect than a sem-auto handgun. So,from my perspective, a stainless revolver is the ideal handgun.
I clean the major components after every range trip regardless if I fire one round or a thousand. I use Ballistol and Ramrodz of the appropriate caliber and that’s it.
I use a 50/50 mix of Kroil and Shooter’s Choice bore cleaner on my lead shooting guns. After continual use, the lead doesn’t stick as much and it gets easier to clean.
I find it strange that Springfield was left off of the list of “tolerances” list in the second sentence. I find Springfields 1911’s one of the best, high praise for RO, Operator, TRP…
Just my 2 cents.
There are a number of ultrasonic (ultrasound) cleaners on the market. They work very well for removing the combustion byproducts.
Disassemble the pistol, place the components in the basket, and run it through a cycle or two.
You should still clean the barrel and cylinder with a brush, but the interior of the frame and slide will be very clean.
Dry and lube parts and reassemble.
Very poorly written article. Very choppy and difficult to read.
Thoughts on ultrasonic dip tanks?
Gun should be cleaned every time before you put it away after use.
Springs left compressed do become weaker, newer springs last much longer than older ones with the better alloys.
after a thorough cleaning I put white lithium grease on a Qtip then wipe all metal to metal contact moving parts, on AR 15 i wipe down entire BCG , it makes it much easier to clean next time after shooting, I don’t need a scraper to remove carbon.
I have been using Frog Lube for over a year now on all my hand guns and rifles, it seems to work great. Residue does not stick to the metal as much as with oil. Gun is easier to clean and I brush on a small amount of frog lube as a solvent which also retreats the metal. I do not see any adverse wear on the guns and don’t have to worry about getting oil on my clothing with my carry guns. The frog lube soaks into the pores of the metal and then comes back out with heat, you can actually feel it.
Fine article. But the revolver spring comment is a common misconception. Springs DO NOT lose strength through prolonged compression. They lose it through use (compression/reset.
I carry a colt officers model stainless .45 it gets relubed and a patch with light coat of oil run down barrel unless i have been to range and fired the pistol about once every other month and i check for anything may be loose ,missing etc. i need this pistol to work . I also change the ammo out in the loaded mag in the pistol all the time as oil does run down into the mags overtime being carried vertically i throw those rounds in my range ammo bag and put new ones in periodically .I i have found my colt needs very litle maintenence unless i fire thousands of rounds through it i had it rebuilt with all ED BROWN custom parts about 3 yrs ago at SSK IND. here in Ohio and it runs like a champ .I have carried this same pistol over 20 yrs now along with a back up and i know everytime i pull it out it will fire and work with a little TLC done every few months .
This article totally ignores the use of solid lubricants — very bad!
I use moly powder !
Just keep in mind that oil collects and holds dirt. I carry a Glock. After brushing the barrel then a dry patch ( no solvent needed ), I use an old toothbrush to clean the slide contacts ( four points ). I also push the firing pin out fully and wipe with a dry patch. I use a dab of gun grease on the four points on the lower where the metal is, and wipe off any excess globs. Using the patch that I wiped the excess grease off with, I very lightly lube the contact areas off the barrel that contacts the slide. I never lubricate the barrel inside with anything. After 8 years, the barrel still looks brand new, and shoots as such. The only thing needing replacement is my night sights, which barely glow green anymore. Next thing to be replaced is the sights, and the Gen 3 guide rod, to a duel spring, 18 or 20 pound springs. Glocks rock!
I used to shoot PPC and some pin & plate matches at a club in Boston. There was a guy in his late 70’s there who used a Glock 17. He’d been running a couple hundred rounds a week through it for more than a decade. Some quick math said he was somewhere over 100K rounds.
I asked him what kind of maintenance he’d done over the years, and he said he was sure to clean it every time he’d been out shooting. He said that as soon as he got home from the range, he’d field strip it down to the 4 major parts and drop them in the dishwasher.
We all had a chuckle over that, but he said he was serious. When asked about lubrication, he said he simply shook any excess water out and spritzed a little WD40 in the upper before reassembly.
I never thought about a dishwasher cleaning! But, maybe as long as there’s no detergent used. Vinegar maybe?. Don’t know. Definitely would need the WD-40 to keep the rust/ oxidation from forming, I’d imagine. I doubt I have shot100,000 rounds,as the G32 ammo is too expensive to go shoot 200 or 500 rounds at a time.
I do handload, but brass is even expensive, powder, bullets,primers,etc.
Thanks for the reply M40.
The ‘WD’ stands for ‘Water Displacement’. (originally used by the military as a water displacer in key parts of ICBM systems). It works great on some guns to keep moisture from attacking the mechanism without too much oil buildup to attract dust and gunk.
I couldn’t say what kind of detergent/dish soap his wife used, but it didn’t seem to harm his Glock at all.
As Deplorable Robert says: “Only a dab of grease is needed”. I use wheel bearing grease at 4-points with a toothpick.
Great article! Far too often the basics are forgotten or overlooked I have been shooting handguns since my familiarization range day with a 1911 while I was in the Army. the only thing I might add would be giving whatever holster you are using a visual once over and a cleaning with saddle soap for leather and soap and water for nylon/ cordura. Holsters are part of the whole weapons system, treat ’em like your life might depend on ’em!
BS. The gun should be cleaned after every use. Within a small time window. If never used it should be cleaned and oiled once a year. Or two.
Sorry but no. The military with their clean enough to eat off weapons learned that they were wearing out the guns cleaning them in the 80’s.
BS again. It only matters when it will be shot the next time, and where and for how long it will be stored.