The Gunsmithy Blog: How to spend less time cleaning and more time shooting

We have all been there, busy day of burning out barrels and loosing a ridiculous amount of lead back into the environment at very high velocity. Shooting guns is a ton of fun (especially if you read my previous blogs), running around and placing rounds on target is so much fun it can turn the staunches anti-firearm advocate turn traitor to their cause. 

Then the dreaded part comes, the time to pay the proverbial piper and conduct the proper maintenance on the tools that you just spent hours abusing. Sure, the guns might let you get away with a quick wipe down and some oil, but eventually they will let you know that you suck and they hate you. What's an avid shooter to do, when there's other fun to be had like lifting weights and eating a gratuitous amount of red meat?

This was my pistol after I had put a lot of 9mm through her, and to the old Beretta's credit 1000 rounds and not a peep of complaints from her. I do know, however, that she won't take this kind of crap from me for very long. So here's how you (yes you) can make a solvent tank on the cheap and avoid those embarrassing trips to your local gunsmith who will gladly take your money to clean your guns.

As you can see in the above picture, I'm using a metal basket from other projects (I think it ran me about $20), and a disposable turkey pan that are available almost anywhere. 

Using a high speed, low drag, specialty formula developed by NASA doctor people and a revolutionary advanced solvent application device (RASAD), cleaning a weapon using the set up previously described is easy. The solvent is called mineral spirits and combined with the RASAD the price tag jumps to a whopping $12. Just spray the solvent onto the parts that need to be cleaned and pour the spirits back into the RASAD when it's empty. Be sure to set-up some kind of filtration system to keep the gunk out of it when reusing the spirits. This is an incredibly difficult challenge that takes a precisely engineered solution....

or, you know, a rag attached to a funnel with a rubber band.

After the parts are sprayed down thoroughly, they will develop a gross ashy residue. This is probably because you messed something up. Don't worry though, because you are a light coat of oil away from forgetting all about how you messed up and this is totally not part of the process at all.

While applying the oil coat use a nylon brush to scrub off the trouble spots, and make sure you address the barrel (I prefer to use a bore snake). After the oil gets a little time to settle in, start some handling drills while it is still unloaded. You will likely be amazed at how much smoother and more responsive your pistol is now. I don't think my pistol felt as good as it does now, even when it was fresh out of the box.

I cleaned, from start to finish, two pistols in about 30 minutes. You might even be able to do it in an hour. If this helped you out in any way please like and remind it, and I personally look forward to any questions you may have. As always have a good time out there.