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Take a few minutes, clean your carry gun

s4mt3k

s4mt3k

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I realize that a lot of you are going to read this and think; well duh! Regardless, hopefully this will come as a friendly reminder for those who don't do this already;

I was recently sitting at my desk and realized my gun was still in my pocket. Took it out, and instead of just laying it down as I usually do, within reach. I randomly decided to clear it, cycle through the rounds...

Well, to my surprise, I couldn't rack the slide back enough to even clear the chambered round! So I'm thinking, what the hell? Safety's off, gun doesn't look broken, try again, and again and finally I literally had to muscle the slide back all the way (was stuck in a specific point) and I cleared the gun. I then proceeded to break it down and clean it THOROUGHLY, taking care to clean the shrouded hammer, oiling the slide rails... After 10-15 minutes, the gun was cycling flawlessly as it's supposed to.

Now, I usually shoot what I'm carrying every time I go to the range. I also usually clean my guns immediately after the range trip. I think however that I hadn't cleaned this particular gun yet. Add to that pocket lint... WHO KNEW pocket lint could cause so much issues!!!

Well, the whole time I kept thinking to myself, this is so bad, I rely on this gun to save my life, yet all I had in my pocket was 1 shot and the gun would've been useless. I was mortified. Anyway, I've decided that regardless whether I get to shoot the gun or not, I will clean my carry gun regularly, range trip notwithstanding.

Hope this helps someone out.
 
Yup, mine is quite fuzzy at the moment.
... and I didn't clean it the last time I took it to the range a few weeks ago before carrying again... [shocked]
run her dirty!
 
my model 60 usually resides in my pocket. It gets a lot of gun fuzz that way. no, not a duh at all, I have cop friends whove come to me asking why they can't get the mag out of the gun.....yeah, department shall remain nameless and after they get a thorough reaming from me as to why Im paying x amount in tax money and you dont maintain your gear, I usually oblige and fix.
 
I read a book years ago written by a NYCPD Brooklyn North Homicide detective during the 1970's. He talks about getting ready to arrest a known violent criminal and having his partner joke about blowing the dust bunnies out of his j-frame. The author decided to do the same. After taking it out of the ankle holster (which was in vogue back then), he tried to open the cylinder. He couldn't even get it open. He had forgotten to clean it the last time he qualified with it. It was so gummed up that he took it to the armorer (after borrowing one from another detective for the arrest) and when they couldn't get it open, they took it out to the range and blew it up because it contained live rounds (seemed a bit excessive).
That story stuck with me. Every time I take my j-frame off, I open the cylinder and "blow the dust bunnies out."
Aloha
 
For those of you who carry pepper spray remember to clean out the spray nozzle from pocket lint as well. I went to check mine out and make sure it was still pressurized but ended up with a hand full of juice. Some lint got in the shroud that covers the nozzle and completely blocked it making it useless.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 
My wife's BG 380 did the same thing (locked slide) but it wasn't because of lack of cleaning, it was because something in the laser mount came loose and prevented the slide from, well, sliding. Couldn't rack it or take it down. Sent it to the factory and they fixed it and told us it was a "known issue" with these guns. That, plus the fact that it's hard to believe that pocket lint would keep you from racking the slide on a gun that shot fine the last time you used it, leads me to suggest that you have S&W check out your gun. You may still have a problem even if you got it working again this time.
 
It is far better to have your carry gun "dry as a bone" or with very little oil. The lint and crap picked up by the oil will cause a greater problem than a dry gun for the limited round count of a self defense encounter. Just remember to get some oil on it if you take it to the range for an extended session.
 
s4mt3k said:
HMMMM!!! I'll have to call up S&W then. Don't want to take any chances of course. Thanks for posting this ^^
Click to expand...

Just spoke with someone. They said it's not that common but they see laser screws coming a bit loose and getting in the way of the slide. I'll be sending it in for a check up regardless. Already submitted a form.

I still maintain though that I will be cleaning/clearing/checking my carry gun regularly since I rely on it for protection. I guess I may have learned a lesson "indirectly".
 
I started carrying my mags in a pocket pouch to keep that from happening.
I shot my carry piece on Saturday and just tossed it back in the holster. I guess your little story will get me to clean it up - thanks.
 
My father worked with a local police department for a long time, he once had to clean out the locker of an officer who passed away off-duty. His duty sidearm was so dirty that he had to soak the leather holster to get it to release gun. He then had to soak the whole gun, still loaded, in cleaning solvent over night before he could get the gun open so he could unload it. And the gun still had bits of leather where the holster had stuck to the sides.

Based on the fouling left on the gun, he believes it was holstered straight from his last qualifying without being cleaned or even allowed to cool.
 
ShadeWPI said:
My father worked with a local police department for a long time, he once had to clean out the locker of an officer who passed away off-duty. His duty sidearm was so dirty that he had to soak the leather holster to get it to release gun. He then had to soak the whole gun, still loaded, in cleaning solvent over night before he could get the gun open so he could unload it. And the gun still had bits of leather where the holster had stuck to the sides.

Based on the fouling left on the gun, he believes it was holstered straight from his last qualifying without being cleaned or even allowed to cool.
Click to expand...

I don't understand why not cleaning a gun would cause it to stick in a holster. The gun is dirty on the inside; the holster touches the outside. What am I missing?
 
scatter said:
I don't understand why not cleaning a gun would cause it to stick in a holster. The gun is dirty on the inside; the holster touches the outside. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

I don't think you are missing anything. What likely happened was at one point the holster got wet with the gun in it, and when the holster dried, it form-fitted the revolver around it. In any event, such stories are not uncommon. I've heard some better hard-core police issue firearms abuse stories over the years.
 
i carry a glock.
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atilla said:
i carry a glock.
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+1 nuff said for now lol

Though i think im buying a keltec p3at so i will have to baby it more than a glock, damn heat in summer makes me want a nice small gun.

Found a nice od green / hard chrome slide p3at for sale. 175$ guy must hate it for that price.
 
Mike-Mike said:
It is far better to have your carry gun "dry as a bone" or with very little oil. The lint and crap picked up by the oil will cause a greater problem than a dry gun for the limited round count of a self defense encounter. Just remember to get some oil on it if you take it to the range for an extended session.
Click to expand...


this is the best advice, a firearm is very similar to an old clock, oil is

good but sued sparingly, especially one thats in your pocket.
 
Queen Bee said:
+1 nuff said for now lol

Though i think im buying a keltec p3at so i will have to baby it more than a glock, damn heat in summer makes me want a nice small gun.

Found a nice od green / hard chrome slide p3at for sale. 175$ guy must hate it for that price.
Click to expand...

That's over paying. I paid $150.
 
scatter said:
I don't understand why not cleaning a gun would cause it to stick in a holster. The gun is dirty on the inside; the holster touches the outside. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

shooting also gets a gun dirty on the outside, especially at the muzzle. Guns also get very hot when fired. Putting a hot gun back into an oiled and waxed leather holster drives some of the oil and wax out of the leather, exposing it to the gun's surface. Also, when you carry a metal firearm from a cool, air conditioned house/office/car into a hot, humid outdoor enviornment, the cool metal likes to attract condensation, which can be absorbed by any unsealed leather. Wet leather shrinks as it dries and also sticks to things, like guns.

Even after it was out of the holster, it took an overnight soak in solvent to get the gun apart enough just to unload it, so it was a lot more than just sticking to the holster, the gun itself was frozen as well.
 
JimB said:
sorry but i don't think that makes a difference.....

- - - Updated - - -

anyone thought of carrying a revolver, i would think

there would be a whole lot less problems, less complicated.


YMMV
Click to expand...

less problems, but almost as many moving parts with very low clearances to get gummed up with oil, lint and fouling if you're not cleaning it. I watched pocket lint at the front of a cylinder catch fire once when the revolver was fired. Didn't do any harm, but made for an interesting surprise.
 

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