There is a big difference between owning a gun, firing a gun, and cleaning a gun. Just because you own a gun doesn’t mean you know how to clean it properly. Let’s review some of the basics.
The first thing you need to do is to keep yourself safe. There is just too much at stake if you clean your gun improperly.
Do’s
- Read your gun’s cleaning manual. You will learn which parts need oiling and which do not.
- Use cotton swabs to apply the oil to your gun. It allows you to control the amount of oil to use.
- Lubricating all parts that have steel-on-steel contact is a must. The manual has information on where these parts are located. But the feed ramp must be free of oil.
- Make sure that the brush that you use is dry. Scrub all of the parts of the gun meticulously. You need to brush the magazine as well.
- Wipe excess oil off the gun. It will give you a better grip of the gun and minimize your chances of dropping it.
Don’t’s
- Do not clean a loaded gun. Always make sure you check if the gun is loaded. If it is, then take the live ammunition out before your proceed.
- Do not place your bullets near the gun while you are cleaning it. Move ammunition to storage to avoid accidentally dropping oil on it.
- Over oiling your gun is a big NO! The bad thing about applying more than enough oil is more debris will stick to it. Just a small amount of oil is needed.
- Do not forget to clean your magazine. It is important that your magazine is free from debris, too.
