Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Fall cleaning...

So, there I was, in the blowing desert sands of the second to last stage at the Crimson Trace 3 Gun match and my M&P doesn't go back into battery. I clear it and keep shooting and think to myself, "Self, when was the last time you really cleaned this thing?" And the answer, which I do not like, was that the last time I could honestly remember taking it apart and really cleaning it was... ...late October of '11?

I mean, I usually pull a bore snake through it after shooting, and I keep it lubed, but it doesn't really get torn down and, you know, clean-type cleaned very often. See, I have the second M&P 9 that I do most of my range shooting with, and now the M&P 357, so my carry gun doesn't get shot that much. Except for classes. And matches. And those times at Blogorado. And...

Checking my records, this is apparently one Blogorado, one AFHF, one MAG-40, and two Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun matches worth of cack. I've seen cleaner rental guns.
When I got home from Oregon, I moved the Lasergrip and Lightguard to the M&P357 for the time being, holstered it up, and SWORE A MIGHTY OATH that I would clean my M&P 9 ASAP.

ASAP, apparently, being two months later...

Anyhow, the .357SIG is all put away and the 9 is cleaned and back on my hip, and all is right with the world. Now I've got to remember to order a .40 barrel for the .357 from Brownells.

I am never letting that thing get that dirty again. And this time I mean it.

22 comments:

pax said...

So did you clean it before you wrote the post, or was the post a way to put off cleaning it just a little longer...?

Tam said...

I actually cleaned it before I wrote the post. I am SO proud of myself! :D

Joe in PNG said...

I expect some rather fun comments on the PF 'overcleaning' thread in the near future...

Scott J said...

"I am never letting that thing get that dirty again. And this time I mean it."

I said the same thing about the 1911 I let get that bad. My round count wasn't as high as yours I bet but all mine was cast lead lubed with liquid Alox.

Then there was also the time I went to shoot my 28-2 and discovered the cylinder would barely rotate.

I've done good with the 1911 but sometimes the 28-2 only gets a dab of Rem Oil where the yoke and cylinder meet and then a few turns with the muzzle up to distribute.

will_1400 said...

Looks like some of Todd's habits are rubbing off on you.

Murphy's Law said...

Uh, if you're in a pistol-cleaning mood, can I send you a few and a return shipping label?

Mike said...

This is why I own an ultrasonic cleaner. Hot water, a little soap, and a stripped pistol. All I have to do is tear the gun apart, drop it in some hot water and walk away for half an hour. Then come back, dry the pistol (if you boil the water for the cleaner, it'll just evaporate as soon as you take the gun out), lube and assemble.

Worth every penny.

staghounds said...

It's easier to let matte black guns get dirtier.

I need a matte black car...

Anonymous said...

Tam
I may have missed it but what do you think the round count was?

Phillip said...

When I was being taught to shoot as a kid, my father and brothers drilled into me that the shooting wasn't done until the guns were cleaned. Thirty something years later, I'm not as likely to clean after EVERY range trip, but if it's much more than three I get really antsy about getting them clean again.

Amazing the things that stick with you when it's drilled into you as a kid by adults you respect.

Skip said...

I clean after every range trip looking for anything that might stop it from going bang.
Have found some from time to time.

Cincinnatus said...

Why does this sound like the end of Larry Miller's routine ...

http://www.psillakis.com/humor/5_stages.html

Yep. I knew it.

Robert Fowler said...

"I am never letting that thing get that dirty again. And this time I mean it."

We all say that.

Tam said...

Anon 8:57,

Having the Blogorado in there makes it hard to give a definite number, but it's at least 2,500 and almost certainly less than 3k.

Tam said...

Robin,

Yup, that's exactly how I heard it in my head. ;)

Anonymous said...

Try the dishwasher. Seriously. Partially detail strip (very small parts like firing pins and recoil springs are best left out, or at least contained in a well-closed, well perforated container), use the bottom rack and the "sanitize" setting, with a small dish of white vinegar on the top rack (helps cut the grease/oil), and stop it before the dry cycle.

The filthiest gun will come out squeaky clean and hot enough that it will air dry in less than a minute (things like firing pin passages will still require a quick brush), leaving only the re-oil step to do.

Pro tip: Use this cleaning method when you are the only one at home and run an empty half-load cycle afterward with regular dishwasher soap and a little more vinegar.

Stretch said...

Between my Army vet uncles, Dad the Colonel, and ROTC I cleaned my weapons every time I shot.
I'm more "relaxed" about cleaning now. But I still feel guilty about it.

Cincinnatus said...

Tam, I gotta pat myself on the back when I spot the reference ... no one is going to do it for me.

;-)

Fred said...

Mine looks about the same... probably should clean that up before I take it through the academy this spring...

Ancient Woodsman said...

You've done well.

And all this time I thought that "refuse to clean the dirty handgun" dirty is when you SWAG adjust your Dan Wesson 715V6 out maybe a half-turn so the cylinder will still rotate. And then do it again a few times during that multi-case weekend - back when I could get multiple cheap cases of .38 & .357. In the mid-80s, but I digress...or maybe I was just lazy and in a shooting & not cleaning mood.

Nice to know that the M&P will do what you've been doing with it and still run.

Larry said...

Funny, I just had a similar experience with a .22 Marlin rifle...

The Old Coach said...

Dishwasher, Yup. Used to clean the parts for my racebike engines that way. Years later I got into auto engine plants, and had to work with the machines they use to cleanup blocks and heads for inspection. Yup, giant industrial-grade dishwashers.