gun cleaning and routing home gun maintenance - grit

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Gun Cleaning and Routine Home Gun

MaintenanceProlong the life and performance of your guns, and save yourself some money, by keeping up with gun

cleaning and routine gun maintenance.

November/December 2014

http://www.grit.com/tools/hand-tools/gun-cleaning-zm0z14ndzreg.aspx

By Jack Landis

Whether it’s a handgun for protecting

livestock or a shotgun for hunting pheasant,

maintenance is a must.

Photo by Ron McKibban

The phrase “home gunsmithing” conjures up pictures of a guy in knee breeches tending a forge and

hammering out a rifle barrel from white hot strips of steel. What it actually entails more often is simply the

task of maintaining existing firearms and keeping them up and running safely. Though the concept may

sound daunting to many, if you possess average do-it-yourself skills and have an eye for detail, there’s really

nothing to hold you back.

Supplies

For any basic gun maintenance, you are going to need some basic gun-cleaning items. You can go to yourlocal hardware or sporting goods seller and buy a gun cleaning kit, which will come with some copper and/or

bronze bore brushes for the heavy duty removal of fouling from the barrel, a small container of bore cleaner,

lubricating oil of some kind, a jag or loop to push the cloth patches through the bore, an inexpensive

aluminum cleaning rod with multiple sections, grease of some sort, and maybe a toothbrush-style cleaning

brush.

The rods, bore brushes, loops, jags and patches come in sizes that match the caliber of your barrel; make sure

what you buy matches your firearm. One-piece rods are preferred because they don’t have misaligned joints

that will scratch and damage the bore of your barrels. I prefer the plastic-coated ones, although there is a

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school of thought that says uncoated steel is better.

Always clean the bore from the breech (chamber) end whenever possible. Cleaning from the muzzle will

damage the crown and is one of the fastest ways to ruin accuracy. If you must clean from the muzzle because

you can’t clean from the breech due to the design of the firearm (pumps and semiautomatics mainly), you can

use a pull-through cleaning kit like those from Otis Technologies, or a muzzle protector such as the Pro Shot

Muzzle Guards from Brownells.

Stop by your local discount tool seller and get a package of three toothbrush style cleaning brushes in nylon,

brass/copper, and stainless steel. Generally avoid using the steel bristle ones, as they will scratch the metal

and take the finish off your gun.

You will occasionally need to tighten or remove a screw from your gun. DO NOT grab your handy Stanley

mechanics screwdriver and have at it. Gun screws have narrow slots and nothing screams mistreatment by a

gun butcher like marred screw heads and stripped slots.

Gun screwdriver tips are “hollow ground” and have parallel sides. This keeps them from camming out of the

screw slots under torque and ruining the slot. Once you wreck one, you can’t replace it at the hardware store

because gun screws have different threads than the screws you will find at any place other than a specialtyhouse.

You can find small sets of gun screwdrivers with a handle and a dozen or so bits for under $20 in many

places. Midway’s Wheeler Engineering sets are useful for the casual user as well, and the best can be had

from Brownells and Grace USA. By the way, while you’re at your local hardware store, get yourself a small

brass or rawhide headed hammer to persuade parts to move without damaging them, some dental picks, a set

of tweezers, and a small long-nose pair of pliers. It is a good idea to carry a multi-section steel rod with you

in the field or at the range for those times a cartridge case or bullet gets stuck. A rod is the only way to push

them out — this can save the day.

Routine cleaning

1. Firearms need to be cleaned so they continue to function, this includes dirt and powder residue from the

action and exterior surfaces. Once your firearm is “field stripped” or broken down as far as your owner’s

manual suggests, you can use kerosene or mineral spirits as a low-cost cleaning solution. Place the parts in a

plastic container with the cleaner and brush the crud out of the gun with your toothbrush. The copper brush

and dental picks can come in handy here. Dry with a clean towel and use a hair dryer (available for under $10

at the local Pic ‘n Save — this is a better alternative than getting caught using one that doesn’t belong to

you). Needless to say, do all of this in a well-ventilated area or outside.

For occasional cleaning of semiautomatic rifles and pistols at the range, remove the top ends and spray with

one of the aerosol cleaners such as Gun Scrubber or Shooters Choice. They will dissolve and blow the gunk

out the bottom of the gun (take your magazine out first) and dry quickly. Those of us who clean a lot of guns

don’t use them, because we’re afraid our livers will fall out. Finish with a spray of Brownells Advantage CLP

(cleaner/lubricant/protectant), or Du-Lite Kwikseal. In dusty climates you can do a quick clean and lube with

Hornady One Shot. It is a spray cleaner that dries fast and leaves a dry lubricating film.

2. Fouling needs to be removed from barrels. This includes powder and plastic residues from shot cups and

wads in shotguns, lead and powder fouling in handguns and rifles shooting pistol cartridges, and powder and


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copper fouling in rifles and handguns shooting copper jacketed bullets.

If you’ve been shooting old military ammo with “corrosive” primers, use Hoppe’s No. 9 to clean the bore. It

was originally designed to neutralize the corrosive primer salts and prevent the rusting and pitting they can

cause. It also works great for lead and powder fouling. Shotgun shooters need a bore cleaner that dissolves

the plastic fouling, such as Shooter’s Choice Bore Cleaner. It also dissolves and removes the copper fouling

from jacketed rifle and pistol bullets. If you use it on brass or copper bore brushes, be sure to rinse them

afterward with alcohol or lacquer thinner, or the solvent will dissolve them as well.

Wet a patch and push it through the bore and remove it after it comes out. Do not pull it back through the

barrel, why drag all of the dirt you just pushed out right back through the barrel? Let it sit for a few minutes

and then wet the brush with solvent and push it back and forth through the bore a dozen times or so, then

repeat with patch and brush until the patch going through looks clean upon exit. Run a couple of dry patches

through, followed by a last one with a bit of gun oil or CLP.

3. Black powder fouling needs to be removed from the barrel both during extended shooting sessions and

after hunting. If you lube your bullets properly, the fouling will stay soft enough to use through the second or

third shot you might need.

At the end of the day, the bores should be brushed out with warm soapy water, followed by clear water and

dried with patches. Finish with a patch with a few drops of CLP to protect the bore. The nipple — or

pan/frizzen/touch hole — can be cleaned with the same soapy water and pipe cleaners.

4. Firearms need lubrication to function without excessive wear or cessation of function during extended

shooting, whether that be competition, practice sessions, or other events.

The same lubricants already mentioned are excellent for general gun lubes, while the rails and operating parts

of centerfire semiautomatic guns need heavier lubes like Slip 2000 EWL or Shooter’s Choice All Weather

High Tech Grease.

5. Firearms need to be protected from rust and corrosion with oils, greases, or special coating. The particular

chemicals used are greatly dependent on where you live, hunt or shoot. You need a heavy-duty protectant like

Shooter’s Choice Rust Prevent in marine or rainy, humid climates. In dusty desert climates, a lube that feels

dry to the touch like Frog Lube CLP won’t attract dirt and grit.

6. Firearms need to be inspected either during the cleaning and lubrication process (the best time), or prior to

use for proper function, feeding and extraction of the ammo you intend to use. The fire control system needs

to be checked to ensure the safety works, and that a jar to the gun does not cause it to fire. Failure of these

systems to work properly, and with 100 percent certainty, causes very loud, unintentional noises, emotional

upset, possible property damage, injury or death, and is referred to by professionals in the field as “a very bad

thing.” The American Gunsmithing Institute makes DVD courses on the design, function and repair of many

popular firearms. They use cut-away guns to show how parts and systems operate, and more.

The addition of sights, the collimating (“sighting in”) of those sights, addition of recoil pads, smoothing

actions, and everybody’s favorite, the “Trigger Job,” are topics for another article and more experience.

The temptation to “improve” a firearm strikes many of us over the course of the years, and giving in to that

temptation is what drove many of us into the gunsmithing field — we were forced to learn how they worked

and where to buy expensive parts and tools to correct our ignorant (and in some cases, dangerous) mistakes.

Learn from someone who learned the hard way — avoid giving in to those temptations until after you learn


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what to do and how to do it. The information is available today at a reasonable cost and you won’t have to go

to Europe for a five-year apprenticeship.

You wouldn’t turn your 5-year-old loose to “improve” the brakes and throttle systems on your new Ford

pick-up, so don’t do the same with your guns. But with proper knowledge and training, a seemingly

overwhelming trade may be approachable for those willing to dig in.

Looking for more on hunting? Fifty fall hunting tips that’ll make you more successful in the field.

Firearm Safety

The four basic rules of firearm safety as taught by Col. Jeff Cooper are difficult to improve. They are:

Rule I: All guns are always loaded.

Rule II: Never let the muzzle cover anything that you are not willing to destroy.

Rule III: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

Rule IV: Be sure of your target.

Gun maintenance and repair

For gun maintenance and repair, we add:

• Always remove the magazine and make sure the firearm is unloaded before you begin any repair or

maintenance operation.

• Work the action several times to ensure that no rounds are hung up in the tubular magazine.

• Visually inspect the chamber and stick your finger in it if possible.

• Never have any live ammunition in the same room where you are working.

• Inert action proving dummies for checking feeding are available from Brownells.

Resource

American Gunsmithing Institute

Hundreds of video courses on DVD covering design, function, repair, gunsmithing, maintenance and cleaning

of firearms.

800-797-0867

Jack Landis is the tech services manager for the American Gunsmithing Institute, the editor of GunTech

Magazine , and instructor in their series of gunsmithing video courses. He can be reached at

[email protected] for questions.


10/15/2014

gun cleaning and routing home gun maintenance - grit

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