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  1. #1
    Steve M1911A1's Avatar
    Steve M1911A1 is offline Senior Member
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    How Do I Clean and Maintain My New Gun? What Else Do I Need?

    I don't know whether the manual that came with your new gun contains all of the information that you'll need...but I bet that it does.

    All guns require the exact same cleaning and maintenance supplies. Brand-name is not important, as long as the stuff has a good reputation. I have always had good service from KG-brand chemicals, Hoppe's #9, Birchwood-Casey, and, currently, Ballistol. Others are just as good. This is not something to obsess over.

    You will need either a really good cleaning rod, or a BoreSnake, or both. (I use both.) Maybe a rod will come with your gun. I suggest that a steel cleaning rod is better than an aluminum one.
    You will need some sort of patch-holding tip for your cleaning rod, and at least one bronze-bristle bore brush.
    You will need an old toothbrush. Also, a brass-bristled, toothbrush-looking brush is another good thing to have.
    You will need hundreds—nay, thousands—of cotton patches of the correct size.
    You will need a spray-can of "gun scrubber," a small tube of high-quality gun-lubricating (not preserving) grease, and a lot of high-quality gun oil.

    The very first thing you must do to a brand-new gun is to remove all traces of the sticky preservative grease with which it was coated at the factory.
    This is a very useful job in more ways than you think: You will learn to detail-strip your gun, while you're cleaning the grease off of it. Then you will learn how to put it back together again. Follow the manual's instructions to the letter. If something goes wrong, read the manual again, this time more carefully.
    Places where there are sliding or rotating metal-to-metal contacts get at least a little oil. Many people prefer lubricating grease here. I go either way, depending upon my mood that day.
    Everything else that's metal gets a light coating of oil, which is almost immediately wiped off. Your gun should not feel oily, nor should any part drip oil. (Your kit should now include a soft cotton cloth that feels a little oily. Use this cloth to wipe the gun down, after every time you've handled it.)

    Get snap caps. Use them for dry-fire practice. Daily. (Ten minutes a day is enough.)
    When you dry-fire practice, take every bit of ammunition out of the gun. Check the chamber and the magazine well. Check the chamber again. Now take all of the ammunition out of the room in which you'll be practicing.
    Come back and check the gun's chamber once again.
    Now you can load-up with snap caps for practice.

    Dry-fire practice is supposed to help you learn how to press (not squeeze) the trigger, while maintaining a proper sight picture and complete concentration.
    Use a blank portion of interior wall to do this. Do not use a photo of your mother-in-law, or the TV.
    Even aiming at a blank wall, you will see whether or not your sights waver excessively, as you press the trigger. Work toward eliminating most of the waver. (You can't get rid of all of it, so don't try.)

    You will need at least two extra magazines for your new gun (for a total of at least three).
    These serve as backups for when your most-used magazine finally dies, and as reloads for serious social occasions. (When you are armed, you should carry at least one reload magazine.)

    Soon, you will also need a good holster, an excellent belt, and a reload-magazine pouch. (The Fobus is not "a good holster." Sorry, Fobus.)
    Someone else observed, recently, that the quality of the belt is more important than the quality of the holster. He was correct.
    You should expect to spend almost half of the cost of your pistol—at the very least one third of it—on a belt/holster/magazine-pouch set.
    Then, to break in the new, tight holster properly, you should make about 100 presentations ("draws") from it, each one including a good sight picture and a very good trigger press.

    Now you are well on your way toward mastery of the pistol.
    Let us know how you're doing.

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  3. #2
    Tnic is offline Junior Member
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    Great write up. Thanks.

    I might add that there is likely a good YouTube video for nearly any gun you can imagine that will clearly demonstrate field and detail stripping and cleaning your particular firearm.

    It's been a great resource to get familiar with guns that I'm considering for purchase and has been very helpful in my final choice.

  4. #3
    chessail77's Avatar
    chessail77 is offline Senior Member
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    Steve
    Very informative thanks for sharing..............JJ

  5. #4
    skullfr's Avatar
    skullfr is offline Member
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    yeah great write up-good to see ya back

  6. #5
    Mik3e is offline Junior Member
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    I'd like to put in a plug for safe cleaning. Even 'natural' or 'organic' solvents can cause harm, remember, poison ivy is both natural and organic. Wrap-around safety glasses are usually not necessary, but something should be in front of the eyes. Gloves will keep chemicals off skin and out of internal organs. 'Chemical' rated Nitrile, lined latex or vinyl gloves should provide adequate protection. That's my view, and I'm sticking with it.

  7. #6
    Steve M1911A1's Avatar
    Steve M1911A1 is offline Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mik3e View Post
    I'd like to put in a plug for safe cleaning. Even 'natural' or 'organic' solvents can cause harm, remember, poison ivy is both natural and organic. Wrap-around safety glasses are usually not necessary, but something should be in front of the eyes. Gloves will keep chemicals off skin and out of internal organs. 'Chemical' rated Nitrile, lined latex or vinyl gloves should provide adequate protection. That's my view, and I'm sticking with it.
    Wuss!



    (No offense intended.)

  8. #7
    Mik3e is offline Junior Member
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    This 'wuss' also wears a seat belt, hard hat and ear plugs, just in case something happens during the night.

  9. #8
    twisted is offline Junior Member
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    Steve,
    A great concise primer for the newly armed. Due the number of new gun owners, I'd like to see a lot more of the basic safety, etiquette and maintenance information provided to promote responsible ownership.

  10. #9
    jennifersmith is offline Junior Member
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    Apply a drop or two of oil onto the friction surfaces of the bolt locking lugs to reduce wear. This should help keep the bolt lock-up nice and tight.

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