Replies

"How much maintenance does a semi-auto take? I know you should clean it after a day at the range, but what more is required?" - JCG

Very serious... I've been in a sustained firefight before. I didn't have to worry about running out of ammo because I carried a double combat load - as did everyone else on my team. The bad guys we were shooting at didn't, and when they started running low (and started trying to conserve), we flanked them and cut them to shreds. It is always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

My regularly carried semi-autos get cleaned about once per week... But that is because I go to the range and teach (it's my job) on a regular basis.

Here is the deal on maintaining a semi-auto: It needs to be wiped down with either a silicone gun cloth (or a cloth - with a very light coating of a good quality gun oil - just enough to be barely visible) on a regular basis in order to protect the exterior surfaces (but not to the point of causing it to be hard to maintain a grasp! Too much oil, in not a good thing). This is not as big of an issue on weapons that are coated with an epoxy type finish or stainless as it is with a blued weapon, but all weapons should be wiped down regularly. Now, internally... There are a few bearing (metal-to-metal) surfaces that require lubrication to prevent galling of the metal. Just a drop on each surface - we're not operating a V-8 engine. Those surfaces are the rails, the locking lug at the top/front of the chamber section of the barrel, the barrel where it goes through the front of the slide/barrel bushing. Depending upon the make of the pistol, other surfaces such as the barrel link, guide rod, etc. will also require lubricating. Any pistol should come with an owners manual, and if it didn't the manual is almost always available for free from the manufacturer. (They like to avoid lawsuits, so they want you to have the manual.) In the manual is usually a diagram that will show you how to do a basic field strip of the pistol and where it should be lubricated. It has taken me longer to type these last few sentences that it takes to field strip most pistols. It is really very simple, and you can do it proficiently after only a couple of practice runs.

Now... If you operate in a very dusty environment you have to remember that oil attracts dust and grit. This will require more frequent cleaning. There is a lubricant called Mili-tec with which we have had good success in Southwest Asia. It is a "dry film" lubricant that bonds to the molecular structure of the metal in the weapon and, once the weapon is heated up through firing it, forms the dry lubricating surface. You then clean the weapon, repeat this process a couple of times, and then clean the weapon completely, adding no Mili-tec when you are done - the weapon is ready to go. Keep in mind that this is for a dry, dusty environment.

What about in a humid environment? Standard cleaning and lubricating (I use "Breakfree CLP") is all that is required. Breakfree CLP (the CLP stands for cleaner, lubricant, protectant) works well, as do all products by Tetra - though the Tetra products are a little more pricey.

If you don't fire your pistol on a regular basis, but do carry it, I would recommend a field strip and clean once a month. That is not a big task since the pistol is not really "dirty." It just maintains the pistol in a "ready to go" condition regarding being clean. If you get caught out in a big rain storm and get drenched, it is time to take the pistol down and clean it regardless of when you last did it - even if it was only two days ago. At the same time, if you were not carrying "duty" type ammunition (with sealed case mouths and primers) and your ammo got wet, you need to replace that, too. Save the old ammo that got caught in the rain and take it to the range to shoot - but ammo that has been soaked is not something on which you should bet your life. Wet ammo is pretty rare if you are carrying concealed and use an umbrella - but I mention it because failure to do so could be costly for someone that hadn't thought about it.

I've put a lot of information down here on this post, but I would rather say too much on topics like this than too little. If you go back an look at the basics though, you find that a good semi-auto doesn't require really much more maintenance than any revolver should receive. Yes, you can leave a revolver in the night stand drawer for 25 years and pull it out and it will probably shoot. But you could probably get away with the same thing on a Glock or a double-action semi-auto pistol just as easily. The thing is, no revolver or pistol should go without regular maintenance...

Never pick a revolver over a pistol because someone tells you it is easier to maintain... That is not only discriminatory (people assume that you have no mechanical ability, and do so especially when talking to women) and deprives you of a good tool that you can use to defend yourself. The ability to take the pistol apart in a "field strip" manor is achievable by anyone that wishes to learn it. I could field strip a Government Model Colt when I was in the first grade - and learned to do it on my own. I refuse to believe that anyone else can not learn to do the same thing if they really want to.

Regards,
Raven6