During the year I have held Free Pistol Cleaning Class for anyone who wishes to attend. Last night many people came out to learn the basics in our pistol cleaning class.
In the past, someone usually tries to sneak in a Ruger MK .22cal pistol for cleaning and I help them with it, but we do not field strip the firearm. These pistols take a little longer and more care to field strip and clean, so in a pistol cleaning class like this I try to discourage it.
Then we had a Glock 21 Gen 1 .45acp that was absolutely as dirty as it could be and it needed to have some love and care it hadn’t seen in a long time. It’s funny how some strange guns come out on cleaning night. Last week I had an old FN-Browning and a High Power. I think people take the opportunity to bring guns out of the safe that maybe have not been touched for a while, and that’s ok.
One of the individuals in class both this week and last wanted a list of what I use and recommend to clean the guns so here goes.
- Hoppes #9 cleaning solvent- ( the real stuff not the biodegradable) (Walmart)
- Good Gun Oil -(I have used Hoppes and that is fine) (Walmart)
- Brass Brush- for cleaning your Bore
- Jags- Jags are the fastest way to thoroughly clean, dry, or oil your barrel. Each jag is designed to provide a tight fit between the patch and the bore. A pointed tip keeps the patch centered and allows it to drop off when the jag exits the muzzle.
- Cleaning Rod Portable Kit- these little self-contained kits are great and inexpensive you can put them in your shooting bag
- Some old cotton Tshirts
- Cotton cleaning patches (you can cut your own or buy them at Walmart
- Some gun Grease ( I use Lubriplate SFL-0)(See Here) Don’t get the wrong one. I have plenty of information as to why this is the one to use.
I have some Cleaning Kits and Jags available for sale in class.
All in all Free Pistol Cleaning Class is a lot of fun. But let’s be real here this is a skill you need to have. Guns especially self-protection guns need to run like a top. If your gun is dirty it may not perform as it should. I clean my guns about every 200 rounds. I never carry a dirty gun as my concealed carry gun. If you missed my free pistol cleaning class watch for them during the year I try to do it several times so people can attend.
Some Articles of Interest: