Thinking Man's Corner

Article by: William G. 

By now, you have figured out I am a little different. I actually like to clean guns. Probably because I have a phobia of dirty guns. Always hated the idea of having my own gun kill me in a gunfight because I didn’t properly maintain it. When I was 12, I learned how to detail strip a 1911. From the first time I ever went to the range, I wasn’t allowed to leave until the gun was field stripped, cleaned, lubed, and put back together. First actual class I went to after graduating the police academy was the Glock Armorer’s course, taught by my long-time friend, Chris Edwards. Chris probably did more to convert people over to the platform, and sold more Glock’s than all of the company’s advertising dollars ever did. I know he is the only reason that made me even consider a Glock years ago, and believe me when I tell you I resisted it hard. Over the years, I have been sent to all sorts of armorer schools, and sought out as much info as I could on how guns work, and how to maintain them. Additionally, I have been responsible for maintaining a whole lot of guns at agency level, and almost everyone that knows me brings theirs to me when they have a problem. 

A few weekends ago, Big Dick (his real name is Richard, and he is really big), went to a match run by my buddy Bob (not Stuntman Bob, but the greatest match director ever, and an incredible range master as long as you remember to do what Bob says). The match was a mixture of Pistol Caliber Carbine and Pistol. First stage, I am borrowing Big Dick’s FM Products PCC, and come up to take a shot on my target and get a click. I run the bolt, and get a click. So, I slapped the mag hard to make sure it was seated (it was, and I saw the two previous live rounds fall from the chamber when I ran the bolt, but slapped the mag anyway out of frustration and also hoping magically that that would correct the problem) and ran the bolt, only to get a click. *I didn’t switch to my pistol because the stage directions were to engage certain targets first with the PCC, and I have learned to do what Bob says, or else.* At this point, someone offered to let me use their PCC to finishes the stage. 

After my targets were scored, I took the FM Products over to the next range to figure out what the problem was. Luckily, I carry a full kit in my vehicle that has spare parts, tools, cleaning supplies, etc. I opened the gun up, and saw that it was dirty, but that is no surprise since Big Dick doesn’t clean his guns. Although, that is not his fault, because I clean them. I can’t sharpen a knife, so Big Dick sharpens them for me. It is a symbiotic relationship that has worked for several decades. At first, I thought that he may have cleaned it, and reinstalled the firing pin retaining pin wrong, but realized it was too dirty for that, and the firing pin wouldn’t move at all. So, I took it out, and saw the problem. He had just been adding oil. It is a blowback design, and the combination of cheap ammo, more oil, and not cleaning developed a carbon sludge that caked up. It had been ok when the weather was warmer, but since it was COLD, it shut the gun down. Not good had it been a gunfight. I hit that firing pin with a few passes of a brass toothbrush, added a light coat of oil to the bolt, and we were back in business. 

Another shooting buddy of ours, Capt. Randy B. shoots the same Glock 34 he bought when they were first introduced. He shoots lead handloads out of it (he knows Glock says don’t shoot lead, but he doesn’t care, and you can’t change his mind). Randy has well over 20,000 rounds through that gun since the last time he cleaned it. He occasionally may add oil, maybe. It hasn’t given him an issue yet. His reloaded ammo occasionally does, but it looks like the gunfight at the OK Coral when he shoots, so the quality of his reloads isn’t that big of an issue. Now, Randy is a very good shooter, knowledgeable firearms instructor, and a very well respected and professional peace officer. His actual duty guns are well maintained, and he just abuses his match guns. Point is why does his work, but some don’t with that kind of neglect? Different reasons. I will expound, eventually. 

Had another guy that hadn’t cleaned his gun in quite some time. It started having malfunctions during a class. When I looked at it I was repulsed by how dirty it was. So, I detail stripped it, and when I did, found out the slide stop lever spring was broken. You couldn’t tell upon casual glance due to how dirty it was. Part of the reason to clean your gun is to inspect if for broken parts, and to hopefully catch overly worn parts before they do break. There have been a lot of personal guns I have found things early enough, just my monthly inspections. Over the years I have seen just about every kind of pistol, rifle, revolver, and shotgun have some type of breakage or malfunction. They are man made objects, and no matter how good the parts, how expensive the gun, or what the company’s reputation is; eventually something will break or wear out. 

There are four times I recommend to field strip and clean your gun: 

When you first get it

If it is new, the factory probably put some oil or grease designed for preservation for long term storage. No telling how long it has been on there, and may be congealed or hardened. Clean it off, re-lube, and inspect it, because even the best guns can have a broken or poorly made/fitted part from the factory.

After every range trip

Don’t be like Big Dick and let the carbon harden, shutting down your gun. Prevent the problem before it starts. Also, cleaning the chamber helps a lot for when you have an out of spec round, so you don’t get a stuck case when you don’t want one. 

After the gun is exposed to inclement weather

I have watched Glock’s, Smith’s, SIG’s and others turn orange after a night out on patrol during hurricanes and storms. After the shift, take care of your gear, then take care of yourself. In that order. 

Once a month, whether you think it needs it or not

Knock off the dust bunnies (an attorney friend of mine, Mark, actually had his high-end Springfield custom shop 1911 stop working. He sent it back to the Springfield Custom Shop, and Debbie called to tell him the problem with his gun was that there were dust bunnies between the hammer and sear………), replenish evaporated or run off oil, and make sure everything is in working order. 

Any gun specific oil is probably ok. I like Mil-Com, Slip, Shooter’s Choice, and Lucas (Lucas is a little thick, and can get tacky in very cold weather, but is good for high volume shooting, and temperate climates). Others are good too, just the ones mentioned are what are in my tool box. I would recommend you stay away from Frog Lube, Seal One, Weapon Shield, and Fire Clean on any gun you use for serious purposes. I have watched those lubes congeal, and turn into glue, shutting guns down to where they needed a soak to get back to running. 

I do like grease for pump action shotguns. Especially, in the SE United States. AR’s get a medium coat of Slip. 1911’s get a medium coat of Mil-Com. Glock’s get a light coat of SC or Lucas. Sig’s get a light medium coat of Slip, SC or Lucas. Finally, revolvers get a light coat of Slip or SC. That is just what I like, and works for me. I like to wipe all of them down with HillCo wipes or Birchwood Casey Barricade, yes, even the Glock’s or 1911’s with Cerakote or DLC. If you are storing any guns for a while, run a wet patch of your chosen oil through the barrel. Just remember to wipe it out before you shoot it. I came close to ruining a Steyr rifle barrel once, by not running a patch through the bore before I put it up for the season. The next year, there was almost a problem with the rifling at the crown, due to moisture that had gotten into it. Luckily, I was able to save the rifling. I have had revolver barrels pit on me by not storing them with a light coat of oil in them. 

Why do some guns work better than others with neglect? Tolerances or engineering. Glock’s have loose tolerances. HK’s are over engineered, and have very heavy springs. Revolvers and pump shotguns work better with little to no lube because the way you are manually cycling them, or the heavy triggers; though revolvers will shut down quickly with too much debris or carbon build up. SIG’s tend to be a hybrid between Glock’s and HK’s they have tighter tolerances and better engineering than Glock, and tighter tolerances and less complicated engineering than HK. 1911’s work well with correct tolerances, and without too much added or taken away from what John Moses designed. AR’s work a lot better than some think, as long as they are properly lubricated, and haven’t been pieced together with the wrong parts. At some point any gun will fail with neglect, so why let it get that far? Recoil and other springs, as well as, magazines, need to be replaced at intervals to keep the gun running – just like oil changes, suspension, and brakes on a car…….

Keep your powder dry, your guns clean, and do what Bob says; you may come out the other side not too much worse than the wear inflicted upon Big Dick’s poor, neglected guns.