I've always felt a little guilty that I don't clean the guns after I shoot them. I take them to the range, shoot for about an hour and then bring them home to My Mike. He dutifully goes out to the garage and makes the shooty things shiny again.
(No Hoppe's 9 in the house please. But I have heard that if you single ladies want to attract a yummy gunnie of your very own, you should dab some behind your ears. Potent stuff, that.)
Yesterday, I joined Mike out in the garage to watch him clean the guns. He was taking out the last pistol and I asked him to teach me the steps. So he sets out the little swabber things, the little wire brushes, the Hoppe's 9, hands over the revolver and walks me through the steps. All was going along well until I got to the firing pin area. It was seriously dirty and had all these little nooks and crannies. Fed up with the itty bitty wire brush I say to Mike, "Go under the sink in the kitchen and get me a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser."
He said, "Do you really think that will work?" (Will it work? Pshaw!! Do not doubt the mighty Magic Eraser!)
So move over Hoppe's! Mr. Clean and I tidied up that gun in a flash. A final wipedown, and it looked near to new. Shiny!
Sometimes old tasks need new eyes.
Friday, November 2, 2007
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12 comments:
Back when I got my SKS, I cleaned it by boiling the internals in hot soapy water and put the barrel/receiver assembly in the dishwasher:
http://fearsclave.livejournal.com/561542.html
Worked like a charm.
I'm lazy. If I'm shooting modern (non-corrosive) ammo, I often don't clean range guns for several sessions. Carry guns are different--They get cleaned every time they are shot, and periodically when they aren't.
I wouldn't put a gun in the dishwasher, but that's because I don't want lead and other gun residue on my dishes.
Yeah, Hoppes #9... turns me on.
I at least clean out the action and barrel of my firearms every time I shoot them... no matter what.
I am a recent convert to the glory that is the magic eraser... last December when we were selling our house, my wife brought some home and basically cleaned the entire house with them... I never thought about applying them to a firearm, I'm gonna try it now though!
In WWII the US had a hybrid powder, black powder with high-power. It was widely unloved. Most M1 Garands got cleaned in that same tub of hot soapy water. Of course, through the civil war field cleaning was accomplished by urinating down the barrel. I think you'd better shut up about the Hoppe's.
That cologne-code is as touchy as the color of a protruding handkerchief. Hoppe's behind one ear, WD40 behind the other sends a powerful pheremone message.
Now, I do like the smell of WD-40. However, I have delicate skin, I have to be careful about what I put behind my ears.
CURSE YOU WOMAN!
I am a big fan of the MCME and I'm uber-anal about cleaning. If I wouldn't get kicked out, I'd bring my cleaning gear with me to the range and wipe everything down after each magazine.
The nooks and crannies get to me as well. Unfortunately, I'm obsessive about cleaning but also quite lazy, so I stay in a perpetual state of irritation. You may have given me hope!
Robb & west - try it and report back!
"No Hoppe's 9 in the house please."
Blasphemy!
My wife doesn't like Hoppes #9 either, but probably because I slosh it all around and contaminate it with gun-gunk so it doesn't have the pure clean notes but smells kinda dirty.
I have to clean in the garage - if somebody made a gun-dishwasher kinda thing I'd buy it.
I always carry a small can (2 oz) of WD40 in a pocket out shooting or hunting; it is good for cleaning grit and such out of firearms without dismantling out in the field.
Try Hoppe Elite no smell & works faster than #9
Sorry, I'm a CLP man myself. Keep the cleaning regimen simple. I have Hoppes in reserve.
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