Pretty much every gun owner loves to go to the range with their trusty firearms and do some target practice. Nothing truly beat the satisfaction of being able to nail the targets again and again. Nonetheless, after an extensive shooting session, not all people pay enough attention to the issue of weapon maintenance and that may lead to serious troubles. If you don’t know how to look after firearms, it’s only the matter of time before you experience repeated failures with your guns. That is why one of the very first lessons that shooters have to learn is how to take care of firearms in an appropriate manner.
You are a novice gun owner and could use some tips with weapon maintenance? Then this article is for you. Down below, you would find virtually everything shooters have to remember in order to keep ordinary firearms in good condition. Check out the provided information and then see if you could incorporate changes into your current maintenance procedures or not. The more time and effort you invest in maintenance, the smoother your firearm operations become.
The Best Times To Clean
There are a lot of discussions and debate regarding when you must clean firearms, different shooters would have different ideas. That being said, it’s widely advised that you give your guns a thorough clean after shooting sessions and after several months of no use. Nowadays, shooters could secure high-quality ammo from gun stores without much difficulty so fouling is not a big deal. However, you should nonetheless clean your firearms every time you send some rounds down range. If you shoot old/surplus ammo that contains corrosive materials, you have to clean your guns to prevent the components (barrel, chamber,…) from being corroded.
To home defense weapons, it’s highly likely that their owners would leave them locked in a drawer or a cabinet for quite some time. Given the purpose of these firearms, it’s essential they are cleaned and oiled periodically.
The last thing that you ever want to experience is to get stuck in a house invasion scenario with a malfunctioned gun so be careful. In the case of hunting rifles/shotguns, you should break them down and clean them in between hunting seasons to keep their components in shape. Overall, any firearms that have to sit around without seeing actions must be cleaned at least once every several months.
Cleaning Chemicals And Associated Tools
Using unsuitable chemicals to clean firearms would require a lot of time and the final result is not exactly ideal. As a result, you have to assess available products to decide which chemical could meet your own needs and requirements. In recent years, a number of high-performance cleaners have been introduced to the market, they are designed to soften residue and gunk built-ups. Thanks to that, it’s easy to clean every nook and cranny of your weapon without wasting too much energy. For most of the time, you should consider using one of these: Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner, Break-Free CLP, Ballistol Multi-Purpose Cleaner,…
In term of tools, a couple of brushes and swabs would be more than enough to clean most standard guns. However, it’s strongly recommended that you purchase a purpose design cleaning kit to better take care of your firearms. All you have to do is to go to the Internet then search for best gun cleaning kit, gun cleaning kit and so on. That would bring up a wide variety of cleaning kits for you to choose from. In the case you only have one gun, prioritize kits that are specifically adapted to the caliber of your gun. On the other hand, if you own multiple weapons, go for universal kits as it’s not cost effective buying a kit for each firearm.
- Safety Is Number One Priority
“Always treat your firearm as if it is loaded” is one of the most important rules that you must keep in mind while handling guns. First, point the barrel of the weapon down and away before you do anything else. Next, unload the gun, engage the safety and then you may begin with the cleaning. Since you must work around chemicals and residues, it’s a good idea to equip yourself with goggles and gloves. After a while, you would develop a routine and occasionally become lax while cleaning firearms. Nonetheless, as long as you remain concentrated in critical stages, everything should turn out to be fine in the end.
- Throw In Some Light Oils: Once the entire cleaning process is complete, it’s the time to add in a couple layers of light oils. The oil layers would lubricate the actions of the moving parts while also protecting the metal surfaces from moisture accumulation. Since not all gun oils are created equal, you should ensure that you get something high quality for your weapon. M-Pro 7 LPX, Hoppe’s No. 9 Lubricating Oil and Slip 2000 EWL are candidates for the title of the best cleaning oil.
- Think About The Storage Options: After you finish cleaning your firearm, the last thing you must do is to find a place to store it. A weapon storage needs to be able to satisfy 3 criteria: safe, secured, and humidity-free.
- Safe: You don’t want people in the house to access and discharge your gun by mistake so safety is an important factor to consider. In the usual case, a gun safe should be sufficient to keep the firearms safe.
- Secured: In anticipation of a house invasion, you want to place your precious firearms in a place that only you could reach on short notice. Depending on the house layout and your preferences, you could store the firearms behind a painting or a movable wall.
- Humidity-Free: Exposure to humidity would degrade the quality of your weapon and that is why you have to keep the storage free from it. In the case you live in a relatively wet climate, consider setting up some dehumidifiers.
And that is pretty much it, not too hard to absorb, right? Things may seem tricky at first but after you get the hang of the process, you could clean your firearms effectively and efficiently. Follow the tips above and you would be able to keep your weapon with relative ease.