Cleaning The Gun
Cleaning is one of the most important parts of gun care and respect. Like any other tool, it should be maintained properly as needed. If there is any dirt, mud or any damage that can cause a gun won´t work properly, you can have a serious problem. You are betting your life on the gun working when you pull the trigger. The more care you take about your gun, the safer and reliable it works. If you carry your gun a lot, even if you haven’t shot it much, it should be cleaned, lubricated, and function-checked at least once every three months as while carrying, a gun is exposed to body oils, sweat, dirt, dust, lint, moisture, etc. for each and every handgun you own, you should read the owner’s manual for specific disassembly, reassembly, lubrication and cleaning instructions.
How To Do It
- First of all, with a gun facing in a safe direction, remove the magazine and make sure your gun is not loaded. To be sure, dry fire the handgun.
- Disassemble the pistol into its main component parts according a manufacturer´s manual
- You will need these following major materials to properly clean your gun:
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- disassembly tools, you need the tools that are required to disassemble your gun - some weapons have special tools that are made just for them. Most of the time they are not necessary and can be replaced by normal consumer tools, but help a lot.
- cleaning rod, at least as long as the barrel of the rifle you are cleaning.
- cleaning patches, for the caliber rifle you are using.
- solvent
- rust protector
Keep in mind, guns with wooden inserts, handles or stocks will take some extra care. Depending on the type of wood, you can use a wax or sometimes a polish just like you would on your wooden furniture.
Always make sure the gun is not loaded in any way. In addition, some of the chemicals or solvents used when cleaning are toxic to breath or touch so wear the proper safety equipments (gloves, respirator etc.)
As unnecessarily it might seem, a simple cleaning, oiling and storing the gun in a case or safe can preserve it for a long time. With a proper maintenance your gun can last for generations, not years.