Cleaning is largely a personal choice. Some have their own favorite mixture of solutions while others don’t care. We have seen WD-40 used exclusively as well as near rusted out cans of window cleaner. Gun cleaning is also one of those topics people will argue for hours over. Here are five things you might be doing wrong when it comes to cleaning:
1. Pretending You Know Everything
No one knows everything. There are some people who come pretty close, but traditionally it’s the ignorant who aspire to educate. We have seen people walk in the store having a well enough knowledge regarding the workings and details of the weapons which leads them to believe that they have an equally strong knowledge over keeping the gun neat and clean from inside-out. 5 minutes into the topic, it all turns doom and gloom.
2. Cleaning Too Often
Wait....isn’t it bad to leave a gun dirty? Yes & no. This largely comes down to knowing your firearm. With rifles, ultimate accuracy can come with a dirty barrel. Due to this in shooting competitions, competitors will purposely fire rounds into the ground or into a practice target just to dirty a clean barrel before a match. Others won’t clean their firearms before a big match. As a general rule, you should make it a habit to clean your firearm before storing it for a significant length of time and often enough so carbon and build-up won’t negatively affect performance and functionality.
3. Forgetting Oil
Imagine nails on a chalkboard, and how much that annoys you. A dry firearm should bring out the same reaction. Some guns like oil more than others, but friction shouldn’t be the overbearing factor (pun intended). Actions should run smoothly.
4. Using Just One Patch
One patch is not enough. Whether you are cleaning a rifle, pistol, or shotgun, it will take several wet and dry patches to properly clean a firearm, even if there are just a few shots through it. The type of cleaner and jags/brushes you use can impact the number you need.
5. Assuming a Dirty Gun is Never the Problem
Even if you keep your gun clean, carbon rings do intend to form, things get stuck, debris accumulates. If pressure increases, your gun starts malfunctioning, your first reaction after ensuring the gun is safe should be to clean the gun. A barrel cleaning rope is especially helpful for evaluating hard to reach areas in long guns.
These are only a few of the nearly uncountable things people tend to mess up. Regardless of experience, we all get lazy sometimes. Others just don’t know. Take out time to protect your weapons and ensure that no matter how much you use them, your guns are in good, working order.