Disassembly and Cleaning

While some pistols are more tolerant of neglect than others, not caring for a “tool” intended to preserve your life is foolish. People tend to depend on firearms when they need them most. And a neglected firearm is much more likely to fail than one that is properly maintained.

Cleaning Kit

You're going to need to purchase a good gun cleaning kit. And the market is flooded with cheap, popular, and often incomplete gun cleaning kits. The most common “corner” they cut is either leaving out a Rifled Jag or including a cheap plastic (rather than a brass) “Rifled Jag”.

Forget about the brand names. They’re often the worst. Many firearm SMEs recommend the gun cleaning kits made by Shooter's Choice. Their products are all high quality, complete (typically even including a brass “Rifled Jag”), surprisingly inexpensive, and made in the . The ONLY negative comment I have about the Shooter's Choice gun cleaning kits is that they include a small bottle of CLP (Cleaner, Lubricant & Protectant)… which many serious gun owners simply throw away (read: "The Problem with "CLP-Type" Gun Lubricants") or ONLY use on the exerior of their pistol. Alternatively, Winchester gun cleaning kits are good and inexpensive - but typically manufactured in .

<note important>Another problem with CLP is that the “protectant” could harden over time. So if your firearm isn't used very often (e.g., it's in long-term storage), the protectant may need to be removed and your firearm cleaned before use. While the Internet is rife with opinions on this topic, many proponents of CLP are either former military (where their firearms were used - and cleaned - regularly) or people who took the advice of military veterans - and then set their firearm aside without using it for months or even years.</note>

As an add-on, MANY people LOVE the “Breakthrough Clean Technologies” BATTLE ROPES™ (aka “Bore Snakes”) because the cloth portion can be disconnected from the brushes portion so that the cloth portion can be washed (e.g., in a washing machine or dish washing machine). Unfortunately, they're made in .

There are generally 3 other products you will need: a mild solvent, oil, and grease. And everyone has an opinion about which ones are best. If you have a Firearms Instructor, they would probably be your best resource for recommendations. However, recognize that the most common firearm lubricant throughout the world is motor oil… and it works just fine. So don't get too “hung up” on seeking out “the best”.

<note>While not all of their products are made in the USA, Breakthrough® Military-Grade Solvent is highly recommended - and it's made in the </note>

Disassembly
While revolvers don't really require any disassembly (and therefore are generally the easiest to maintain) most pistols are simple to quickly disassemble - often with no tools required.

For example, Glock pistols are quickly disassembled into only 4 parts. And the 1911 only takes a few seconds longer (as it breaks down to 8 parts).

While you can try to decipher how to disassemble your pistol using the manufacturer's manual, most people quickly find an online video to show them the process… which usually also includes the cleaning process.

Cleaning
Once you disassemble your pistol, you should use a mild solvent to clean the dirt, residue, old oil & grease from your firearm. The first thing that most people do is spray solvent into the barrel and set it aside - allowing it to dissolve as much residue as possible while you clean the other parts.

<note warning>Solvents typically contain carcinogens. So purchase some nitrile gloves to wear when cleaning your firearm(s).</note> <note tip>If you're in a hurry, a popular shortcut to improve efficiency is to disassemble your pistol (which is usually very quick), and place the parts in a small tub filled with mineral spirits (a mild solvent). Allow the parts to soak for about 20 or 30 minutes while you attend something else. After soaking, a quick wipe down should do a decent job of removing the vast majority of debris. Then you can focus on oiling and reassembling your pistol.</note>

After removing all of the dirt and debris (e.g., with a brush, cloth, and some cotton Q-tips - or equivalent), you should wipe down the parts to ensure that all of the solvent has been removed.

Then you should oil some parts - while placing grease anywhere there is metal on metal contact. Then, re-assemble and check to ensure that it is in proper working order.

<note warning>DO NOT add oil/lubricant to your pistol without cleaning it. Some lazy people think this is a temporary “fix” until they have time to properly clean it later. Instead, all this does is create a lapping compound within your pistil to facilitate its wear and deterioration.</note>