Firing pin, oil or not
- Thread starter alexlacelle
- Start date
+1.agilent_one said:
CLP or Rem Oil or similar...too much or too thick just attracts crap.
Owners who are used to oiling/lubing the #### out of 1911's tend to go overboard on the firing pin.
'Tupperware' units...Glock, XD's, etc, do well with one of the 'dry lube' products..i.e. Sentry Products or similar.
Wow..this gives me an idea... a thread on cleaning and lubes products..
Yah, I know, it's probably been done, but it never hurts to 'stir the pot'!
Please!!foxbat said:+1.
Wow..this gives me an idea... a thread on cleaning and lubes products..
Yah, I know, it's probably been done, but it never hurts to 'stir the pot'!
I have been guessing the last couple weeks, using the CDN tire $13 kit, but it scares me, especially paranoid to get the solvent on the plastic. On the lower half of my P99, i'm using a 3-1 lube/cleaner that i have always used on my rifles.
Now, I'm no expert, but...
Amongst those who do bother to clean their firearms, I have observed a trend to "over lubricate"...
Depending on how much "crud" my particular firearm seems to be plastered with, I will scrub the crap out of it with a mild solvent, then apply lubricant SPARINGLY where required on moving parts. Some differences in my general technique is as follows:
.22s: As generally, I find there ain't a whole lot of stuff to scrub out of the bore, or a whole lot of cooked on carbon, I just use one of the triple-action products (currently G96) on everything. I leave a LIGHT film on all moving parts, and if the .22 is going to be stored, some in the bore. Otherwise, bore gets dried out.
Centrefire auto-pistol (would use same technique on revolver): Scrub the crap out of everything with a generous dose of Hoppe's 9 and a toothbrush, blowing goo away with canned air or a compressor (EYE PROTECTION!!!!!!). On my work gun, I am only allowed to use Hoppe's, nothing stronger. On my privately owned pistol, I do on occasion use Sweet's in the bore, depending on how many rounds have gone downrange. If possible, firing pin removed and bits cleaned with alcohol. Lubricant of choice applied SPARINGLY to slide/frame contacts, barrel/slide contacts. Mags scrubbed with alcohol or soap and water, and left dry, or possibly with a wipe of silicone.
Centrefire rifle: Bolt-actions, of course, don't need much except for a good cleaning of the bore, with an appropriate solvent. Let the chemical do it's work, and don't over-scrub with a bore brush! If shooting "questionably" primed ammo, I flush bore with 2-4L of water from the kettle to neutralize salts. If rifle is going back to the range within the week, leave bore dry. Otherwise, a light coating of preservative of choice inside, and a silicone wipedown outside. Semi-auto rifles have the added fun of layers of baked on carbon... I like my Swiss, as I can actually get into the appropriate parts to remove that fouling, as oppsed to the ARs of the world. I have found that a Scotchbrite plastic pad and a little dish soap works WAY better than any "gun solvent" on removing the carbon from the gas plug/piston area. Moving parts get a light coating of lubricant (currently "Militech"), gas parts left dry, exterior wiped with silicone, bore coated with Militech if going into the safe for awhile...
Gosh, sorry... Went off there - I hope info is useful! Basically, only lubricate enough to keep things moving. Any more just gets spilled on the sheets - Er... I mean gets splatterred all over the range!!
Neal
Amongst those who do bother to clean their firearms, I have observed a trend to "over lubricate"...
Depending on how much "crud" my particular firearm seems to be plastered with, I will scrub the crap out of it with a mild solvent, then apply lubricant SPARINGLY where required on moving parts. Some differences in my general technique is as follows:
.22s: As generally, I find there ain't a whole lot of stuff to scrub out of the bore, or a whole lot of cooked on carbon, I just use one of the triple-action products (currently G96) on everything. I leave a LIGHT film on all moving parts, and if the .22 is going to be stored, some in the bore. Otherwise, bore gets dried out.
Centrefire auto-pistol (would use same technique on revolver): Scrub the crap out of everything with a generous dose of Hoppe's 9 and a toothbrush, blowing goo away with canned air or a compressor (EYE PROTECTION!!!!!!). On my work gun, I am only allowed to use Hoppe's, nothing stronger. On my privately owned pistol, I do on occasion use Sweet's in the bore, depending on how many rounds have gone downrange. If possible, firing pin removed and bits cleaned with alcohol. Lubricant of choice applied SPARINGLY to slide/frame contacts, barrel/slide contacts. Mags scrubbed with alcohol or soap and water, and left dry, or possibly with a wipe of silicone.
Centrefire rifle: Bolt-actions, of course, don't need much except for a good cleaning of the bore, with an appropriate solvent. Let the chemical do it's work, and don't over-scrub with a bore brush! If shooting "questionably" primed ammo, I flush bore with 2-4L of water from the kettle to neutralize salts. If rifle is going back to the range within the week, leave bore dry. Otherwise, a light coating of preservative of choice inside, and a silicone wipedown outside. Semi-auto rifles have the added fun of layers of baked on carbon... I like my Swiss, as I can actually get into the appropriate parts to remove that fouling, as oppsed to the ARs of the world. I have found that a Scotchbrite plastic pad and a little dish soap works WAY better than any "gun solvent" on removing the carbon from the gas plug/piston area. Moving parts get a light coating of lubricant (currently "Militech"), gas parts left dry, exterior wiped with silicone, bore coated with Militech if going into the safe for awhile...
Gosh, sorry... Went off there - I hope info is useful! Basically, only lubricate enough to keep things moving. Any more just gets spilled on the sheets - Er... I mean gets splatterred all over the range!!
Neal
Sources tell me that the RCMP when they first issued the Smith & Wesson 5946 the standard procedure was to never touch the firing pin when doing field cleaning. However after several years of field use, it was learned that the firing pin could gum up enough to cause binding and problems. Procedure was changed and all members are now supposed to remove the firing pin when they clean, and using ONLY RUBBING ALCOHOL, clean the firing pin and tunnel. No Hoppes or Lubricant is to touch these parts. Obviously doing a thorough cleaning, some Hoppes will, but the final application of Alcohol with a q-tip should remove this and leave the parts clean. The reasoning behind this is that a duty pistol will spend most of its life being exposed to environmental contaminants (e.g. dust, lint, etc) and any oil in this area would act a media to retain these particles.
How you may choose to clean and lube your pistol is absolutely your choice. The average user in Canada, being denied the right to self defense, is not subjecting their pistol to the same exposure, and therefore not likely to need it to work in a life or death situation. If ever our right to self defense is properly recognized, my choice would be to keep the firing pin dry on a carry sidearm.
I should point out that while this is a large sample (around 25,000), this is only using the S&W pistols, all of which are stainless. It would be interesting to hear what other large organizations have found out while fielding their pistols. CF with brownings and Sigs, US DOD with the M9 and M1911 etc.
J
How you may choose to clean and lube your pistol is absolutely your choice. The average user in Canada, being denied the right to self defense, is not subjecting their pistol to the same exposure, and therefore not likely to need it to work in a life or death situation. If ever our right to self defense is properly recognized, my choice would be to keep the firing pin dry on a carry sidearm.
I should point out that while this is a large sample (around 25,000), this is only using the S&W pistols, all of which are stainless. It would be interesting to hear what other large organizations have found out while fielding their pistols. CF with brownings and Sigs, US DOD with the M9 and M1911 etc.
J
If you carry (wilderness, armored car etc), it is important that the primer of the round that is chambered does not contact any lube. If lube contacts the primer, it will turn that round into a dud if left for a long time. This means that certain parts of the action should be lubricated very sparingly. If you only shoot at a range, don't worry about it.
Never lube the firing pin unless you intend to strip and clean it OFTEN. (like every few hundred rounds). Lubing the pin just makes crap stick to it and makes it more likely to crud up so much it won't function properly.
If you really really want to lube it but don't want to strip often, then a light coat of dry lube like spray graphite can be used.
You don't want "wet" lube in the firing pin hole or the extractor hole of a 1911. They just make it WORSE as the crap from buring then sticks in there.
If you really really want to lube it but don't want to strip often, then a light coat of dry lube like spray graphite can be used.
You don't want "wet" lube in the firing pin hole or the extractor hole of a 1911. They just make it WORSE as the crap from buring then sticks in there.
