what do you like in a handgun cleaning kit?

[vash]

i need to get one. mine has scattered to the wind. it was nothing more than a rod, a couple of jags, and a few brushes. cheap bag of pads, and a bottle of Hopps #9 (?)..and maybe breakfree.

embarrassingly enough, i let my brother do the handgun cleaning. everytime he shows up at my place, he wordlessly starts cleaning everything whether i have shot it or not. usually not.

i need to get something..and shoot more.
do i need anything special? OTIS or something?

[surflvr911sc]

Not to hijack, but I'd love to hear pistol and revolver cleaning techniques too!

[jyl]

Plastic rod (no chance of damaging the barrel crown). Brass brush. Swabs. Hoppes. Light oil. Old toothbrush. Old soft cloth for wiping the gun. That's all I've ever had. Use the rod from the breech end not the muzzle end, if possible.

[azasadny]

Hoppe's Bore Snake is what I use!

[Tim Hancock]

Being a typical Glock IDPA shooter, I do not understand what this "handgun cleaning" business is all about I probably went through 6000 rounds practicing and competing this past summer with not one hiccup. I only "cleaned" my Glock about 5 times this past summer and that was typically just prior to "big" matches at which time I would also install a new piece of fiber optic in the front sight. Some guys only clean them once a year.

I do however clean my .22 Ruger and Buckmark target guns every week prior to winter indoor bullseye matches primarily to ensure my lightened triggers are smooth as silk.

On occasion I use a cleaning rod with a brass bristle brush on barrels with some Hoppes #9 I typically make my own patches out of cloth or paper towels. I use the "plastic safe" spray cleaner for other parts along with a toothbrush and some small scraps of soft aluminum to use as scrapers.

I also sometimes fill a small metal tray with solvent to soak small parts in while cleaning.

If you have the right size brass bore brushes and have some bore cleaner and gun oil, I don't see why you "need" a new cleaning kit.

[Gretch]

Patches are ok, however, I prefer swabs fitted to the barrel. Silicone cloth........... very important. cannot be without it.

One, single pass with the wire brush, brass or not................ "one ping, only".

[futuresoptions]

Over the years I have learned to keep Qtips and cut up Scoth Brite pads in my cleaning kits... The Qtips for getting into tight spaces and the Scoth Brite for knocking off surface rust without scratching the surface... This allows me to dip a Qtip in my cold blue and do touch ups as needed...

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by azasadny

Hoppe's Bore Snake is what I use!

right on, too simple and no excuses for a dirty spoon. cleanliness is next to godliness as far as im concerned. and i hammmer the hell out of mine! but i am old school military raised by a 5 year pacific war vet who carried a m-1 carbine and a .45 in combat who killed alot of people in the most barbaric of south pacific jungle conditions.


my basic drill is i only take (3) spoons with me shooting. not too many to have an excuse NOT to clean.

i shoot, and then come home, grab a cold one, run the hoppes bore snake thru, and then take a swab of hoppes #9 or some sweets 7.62 and run a few swabs thru, let sit for 10-15 minutes and then run swabs thru til clean, and finish with CLP until clean.


now if we shoot combat wombat with one spoon(my son and i) i will tear it down to the frame and clean it with q-tips for the next match.



NOBODY shoots mine......................unless THEY CLEAN THEM ALSO!




cant tell you how many times i hear "i just shoot 'em clean" and then theres a FTF or FTE and i get to feek with it and figure the problem out.



MY SPOONS ALWAYS GO "BANG"!

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by vash

i need to get one. mine has scattered to the wind. it was nothing more than a rod, a couple of jags, and a few brushes. cheap bag of pads, and a bottle of Hopps #9 (?)..and maybe breakfree.

Almost perfect. Add a beer and it will be.

Make sure you use a good, stiff, steel rod. Plastic and aluminum rods flex too much, retain grit, and are actually more prone to damaging guns than properly used steel rods.

I rarely use a brush of any kind. If you are shooting jacketed bullets, you should never need to use one.

My routine is to disassemble autos or pop the cylinder out of revolvers, then run half a dozen kinda sorta snug patches down the bore and each chamber on the cylinder; I use Hoppe's #9, Shooter's Choice, or something along those lines. Usually after about half a dozen wet patches, they come out clean. Then I'll run a dry patch through it, clean the little parts of the auto and around the frame and such on the revolver, lightly oil the moving parts, and reassemble.

I think more guns get damaged or needlessly worn through excessive cleaning than through shooting.

[jyl]

Plastic and aluminum rods flex too much, retain grit, and are actually more prone to damaging guns than properly used steel rods.

I never knew this. Thanks, Jeff.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I think more guns get damaged or needlessly worn through excessive cleaning than through shooting.

I would agree that many folks are a bit too anal when it comes to cleaning guns. Some folks go way overboard with the oiling too which ends up attracting crud. Sure it is good clean them and make sure they are coated in oil if they will be stored for indefinite periods, but people who think it is mandatory to tear their weekly range guns all the way down every time they fire a shot with it crack me up........ That said, cleaning one's guns can make for a relaxing afternoon.

[jyl]

Tim, when I first got my Glock (20 years ago) I decided to not ever clean it and see when it would malfunction. A year and several thousand rounds later, I gave up and finally cleaned it.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by jyl

Plastic and aluminum rods flex too much, retain grit, and are actually more prone to damaging guns than properly used steel rods.

I never knew this. Thanks, Jeff.

Yeah, they kind of act like a lap, in that they hold grit, where a steel rod won't. Granted, it's more of a problem with a longer cleaning rod like we use for a rifle. A guy would really have to lean on a short pistol rod to get it to flex. But, if it does go off center, the smooth steel is less damaging, even though it's harder.

Originally Posted by jyl

Tim, when I first got my Glock (20 years ago) I decided to not ever clean it and see when it would malfunction. A year and several thousand rounds later, I gave up and finally cleaned it.

Oregonian Ross Seyfreid won the IPSC world championship in South Africa some 25 (maybe 30?) years ago, back when it was still shot with truly "practical" guns. He was adamant that he never take a clean gun to a match. He would clean his 1911 and then fire several hundred rounds through it without cleaning before he would trust it for such an important match.

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

;I would agree that many folks are a bit too anal when it comes to cleaning guns. Some folks go way overboard with the oiling too which ends up attracting crud. Sure it is good clean them and make sure they are coated in oil if they will be stored for indefinite periods, but people who think it is mandatory to tear their weekly range guns all the way down every time they fire a shot with it crack me up........ That said, cleaning one's guns can make for a relaxing afternoon.

The only guns I actually clean every time I shoot them are the ones used with black powder. Other than those, the guns I shoot the most are the ones I clean the least. I'll give them a cursory wipe down several times a session while at the range, and again before going home, but that's just so my hands don't get so dirty. If I know I'm just going to get it right back out the next weekend, it won't get cleaned. When our days get shorter, colder, and wetter, I'll spend a few of those relaxing evenings going through the safe and cleaning the stragglers that snuck through my busier shooting months without getting cleaned.

[vash]

yea..my SIG 226 gets cleaned twice a year..when my bro visits.

come to think of it, i bet he took all my cleaning tools. i had an awesome cleaning rod. one piece steel shaft, for rifles. i have not seen it since moving to california. wierd.

i guess i wont buy a kit. i'll get just what i need.

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

........ That said, cleaning one's guns can make for a relaxing afternoon.

Tim, you have nailed it here. Process may be more important(satisfying) than the product. Keep up the good work.

Best,
Tom

[legion]

Ultrasonic cleaner does the Glocks completly (including the barrel) in 8 minutes without dissassembly. Then lube and put away.

For the revolvers, I generally soak the barrel and cylinder with a foaming bore cleaner, then use a jag to push a few pads through, then stick in the ultrasonic cleaner for six 8-minute cycles. I pull the trigger to rotate the cylinder between cycles. My ultrasonic cleaner is small, so I put the revolvers in upside done, and the wooden grips never touch the water. Only half of the cylinder is in the water at any one time, hence the trigger pulls. When I'm done with that, I still need to brush, clean the cylinder and barrel to get all of the gunk out, but it is a much shorter process having used the ultrasonic cleaner.

For bolt-action rifles I simply remove the bolt, put it in the ultrasonic cleaner, and swab the barrel (after soaking with bore foam).

For semi-auto rifles and shotguns, I disassemble and put whatever parts will fit in the ultrasonic cleaner, then clean thoroghly with q-tips and gun cleaning solution. Bore foam and jags/brushes for the barrel. I also have a lot of specialized AR-15 cleaning tools, like cotton 16" pipe cleaners for the gas tube, and "stars" for the part of the receiver that locks the bolt in place.

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by mossguy

Tim, you have nailed it here. Process may be more important(satisfying) than the product. Keep up the good work.

Best,
Tom

I'll add that whe I do clean my guns, I check for wear / tolerances / defects as well.
That's the time to look for peening, stress risers, loose appendages etc...

[BRPORSCHE]

What would we do without Jeff, Tim, Targa, Rick, and Frenchy on spoon topics?

We'd all shoot crappy and own dirty guns thats what.

[youfamissim]

Now we're talkin! I own a pistol and a revolver. The .45 ACP is my weapon of choice and this list if primarily for semi auto pistols

MY basic pistol/revolver cleaning gear:
1. A bottle of Hobbes #9,
2. Micro fibre clothes/rags,
3. A barrel "Snake"
4. Toothbrush,
5. A cleaning rod with an eyelet tip
6. Lube - Oil & Grease
7. Barrel lug wrench
This kit will service your needs until you push 200 rounds thru the weapon. Then you should do more than field strip and clean the weapon.

A complete kit would also include wire barrel brushes and swabs that attach to the cleaning rod. A punch set - for pins. A set of various hook tools - metal & plastic. A set of Screwdrivers - Small & very small - get a quality brand. Allen wrenches. Some weapons have proprietary tools required to strip the weapon into its several parts. Obviously these should be part of any purchase. A small table top vice with rubber jaws is also a handy gizmo when you need an extra hand.

Hobbes makes several kits and these come in a variety of qualities. I like the Hobbes.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by BRPORSCHE

What would we do without Jeff, Tim, Targa, Rick, and Frenchy on spoon topics?

We'd all shoot crappy and own dirty guns thats what.

sorry..............NOT ME! i forgot to tell you my hidden OCD.



i even use BORE POLISH and if ya havent tried it and think yer bore is clean..............well try it and find out HOW DIRTY IT REALLY IS!



nope dont subscribe to this "shoot it until its clean crap", when it comes to precision shooting at distance, i will leave NOTHING to chance and it has been proven to me countless times.


get some micro-grain bore polish from brownells. shoot a 3 round group with bore dirty from the bench or free standing. then clean the bore as you should, then use (1) swab of bore polish. then use swabs until clean. in the meantime yer bore has cooled down. read the instructions.............only use sparingly!


now shoot a 3 shot group and i will bet yer group IS TIGHTER using the exact same ammo.



dont argue with me about this until ya actually TRY IT. you will then become a believer like myself.


or continue to bet me you can outshoot me and i will gladly take yer pesos away from you each and every time.