[cet]

Okay,



Two days passed after my first trip to the range and I finally got my Slide Glide in from Brian Enos' website. I figured it was time to clean and lube. I hope I didn't do any harm by waiting til Thursday to clean after shooting Monday afternoon. I don't believe we put more than 40 or so rounds through our M&P9.



Okay ... Here's what I did, tell me if it's wrong or if I missed anything.



Fieldstripped and squirted a small amount of CLP into the removed barrel with my finger on the crown. Placed another finger on the breech and allowed the CLP to roll around inside the barrel for a moment and then let it drain through the crown. (Yes, the rifling was still there!

)



Sprayed a little CLP on the brass brush and proceed to run it through the barrel from the breech, back and forth, turning the barrel a lttle after each stroke.



Removed brush from rod and put on patch puller. Pulled one patch with CLP on it back and forth through the barrel, twisting the rod as I went, to get the patch to contact as much of the barrel as possible. Removed patch from puller while it was extended through the crown.



Ran two more dry patches through in the same fashion. The second dry patch hard barely any residue on it, so I considered it fairly clean.



Noticed a soft "mop" attachment and figured "What the hell" and gently ran it through the barrel several times. Inside of the barrel appeared shiny when looking through from breech to crown.



Took used patches with CLP still on them and proceeded to use them to clean the inside of the slide. Also used paper towels with CLP drippings from earlier cleaning to go over the slide inside and out. Dried the slide with the remaining clean/dry portions of the paper towel.



Using "cheap brush" purchased from Brian Enos' website, applied very small amount of slide glide to the outside of the barrel -- just like a light film, not "goopy" (possibly erroring on the side of too little).



Replaced barrel in slide and continued to coat all "points of contact" where I had observed paint removed from metal to metal contact inside the slide. Areas covered included the channel where the slide guides ride, the upraised center of the slide behind the little lever that I'm assuming cocks the striker (that area had the most missing paint), and around the little silver button on the slide, (is that the firing safety?) that gets pushed in.



I also lightly coated the guide rod and spring with slide glide as well and put it back in place. On the frame I coated the slide guides, top and bottom, a little more heavily and a piece of metal that is in the center of frame between the piece the takedown switch rotates and the trigger area. Not sure what that is, but it appears to be just a hunk of metal that was exhibiting quite a bit of wear.



Basically, if it was shiny and there was paint missing, I coated it with the slide glide.



I put the slide back on the frame, reset the take down switch, inserted a mag to return the seer deactivation lever to normal, and dry fired a couple of times.



Wiped down the outside of the slide with a dry paper towel (yeah, I need to get some shop rags), and racked the slide a few times. Frankly, I don't feel any difference from before ... thinking that the slide glide would suddenly make the slide pull easier or improve the trigger experience, but that's probably just wishful thinking.



I hear the slide glide is a good product, cuts down on cleaning (figuring I'll just have to brush and clean the barrel next few times until I'm ready to re-apply slide glide again) and increases the longevity of the handgun. Perhaps I'm not using enough? At any rate, I thought I'd start small and build up if necessary. There wasn't any excess being forced out anywhere that I could see, so I'm hoping I did the job right.



Please keep the criticism mild ... remember, I'm new! But I can certainly use any tips or suggestions you have to offer.



Many Thanks!

Cet.

 

[ledge]

If you keep doing that every 40 rounds, the gun will be worn out before you run 5000 rounds through it.

I try to avoid wire brushes like the plague. Unless there is something deposited that won't come out with a decent chemical treatment. I use CLP myself, but I like Hoppe's or Butch's for the bore. I don't clean very often either. Usually, I clean and lube the day before a match, and that's about it.

 

[G56]

You don't need to buy shop towels, paper towels are very good for general inside cleaning, and for wiping down the outside, holy underwear!

Old T shirts etc, often with holes, nice and soft, are recycled for gun cleaning, when they get dirty you have to decide if you want to wash them or pitch them.



For wiping down black rifles (AR's), I bought a cheap black washrag at Wally World, black lint for the black rifles.

 

[PistolPete]

Where to begin???



First off I wouldn't use paper towels because they usually leave the gun covered in paper lint. I would get some gun cleaning patches as they are made from cotton ususlly and absorb a little better.



Second, Slide Guide isn't oil so you really shouldn't be using it on the outside of the slide. I wouldn't coat the whole gun with it as it is a grease and it will attract dirt which can lead to problems as the gun gets dirtier. You should coat the gun with a LIGHT coating of gun oil to keep it lubed. Some people have different thoughts on oil amounts. I go by the rule of thumb a dab will do ya. Others drench their guns with it. Different gunsmiths recommend different oil uses.



Next, I would only use the slide glide on the rails. You can put some on the barrel but I prefer just using oil. Slide Glide is a great product but I use it on my Limited gun andwas told by my gunsmith (Bob Londrigan- www.brazoscustom.com) to never use anything other than a light oil on my open gun. Slide Glide is also temperature sensative (I've never had this problem) and a few guys I know used it during very cold days and it actually caused the gun not to cycle. A quick cleaning and removal of the slide glide and the problem went away. However, I've used it for years and I like the product.



Also, you don't need to clean the gun all the time. And, if you go a few days after shooting before cleaning don't worry about it. I've shot several thousands of rounds between cleaning without any problems. Except of course, having to spend a lot more time cleaning the gun. I also use Hoppes cleaner with great results. Other than that I use the spray automotive brake cleaner. It works great all all metal surfaces and cuts cleaning time in half.



Good luck,

Pete

 

[Bloodnut]

Cleaning is important, but perhaps a little over-rated. When my agency switched to Glocks, we took them out of the box and proceeded to put 1k rounds through them over the course of the next few days - no cleaning per the Glock rep's instructions. No malfs for ~10 shooters.



Pay attention to cleaning the chamber portion of the barrel, the breech face, underneath the extractor (this is critical and a pipe cleaner works great), and the slide rails. Make sure you lube as needed, but go easy. The M&P ain't likely gonna rust. If it is like a Glock, it'll run better a bit dry as opposed to too wet. NO LUBE IN THE MAGS!

 

[Roger]

Damn, your supposed to clean these things. I thought carbon build up was a lubricant of it's own. I have an M&P with about 5K rounds through it and it has not been cleaned at all. I pulled the slide off tonight and made sure everything had a nice coating of burnt powder residue on it. I'll have to clean it before returning it to it's owner, but he never cleans his guns either. If you don't shoot lead cleaning is over rated.

 

[ClosetCaseNerd]

Okay here are two questions for you guys:

Hoppes makes something called Bore Gel, should its use be limited since its a harsher chemical then say CLP?



I clean my gun like I was taught to clean my M16... I clean it until I can run a Q tip anywhere/everywhere, into every nook and cranny, and it comes out white...maybe a very very light gray.

Is there anything wrong with that? Is there an element to handguns like there is to rifles in which they shoot better with a slightly dirty bore?



I personally clean that way after every range session (about 250 rounds), and pull the striker assembly every other range session to clean out the primer shavings that build up in the striker channel.



It doesnt bother me any to clean my gun as I just sit down infront of the TV and watch a movie with the girlfriend while I do it. Kinda relaxing really...

 

[G56]

Cleaning doesn't hurt anything as long as you don't get carried away, I always clean mine after a range trip, that usually means several different guns at around 100 rounds each.



I picked up the tip about using paper towels from a video put out by Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat, he has lots of good cleaning tips in some of his videos.

 

[ClosetCaseNerd]

For what its worth, a pack of cleaning rags made of the same material as a cotton t shirt can be had for about 3 dollars. Its like, 7 rags 10 inches by 10 inches. Anyways, wash/dry them once before use so they dont contain any lint, and you are good to go!



I am on the same 2 that have carried me through about 1k rounds now. I just throw them into the washer machine on hot/hot and low capacity. They see the dryer afterwards. They only have very light marks on them after being washed, so they are almost good as new.



I could see going through alot of paper towels as they are disposable.... plus paper towels have a ton of lint in them. I doubt it would harm anything but still...why bother?



Now Q tips...thats where its at!

 

[TxPhantom]

Old Army Habits.....

My time in the Army instilled the habit of extreme cleaning. That is, your rifle must pass the white glove inspection. It took me years to quit putting military creases in my shirts! I actually enjoy cleaning my weapons when returning from the range. Usually the next day when I can spend a little time on the project. Gives me a great excuse to fondle them without anyone being suspicious. :roll:



I haven't tried brake cleaner. I just use Hoppes #9 & oil down with Break Free CLP. Just recently I have started using Slide Glide (lite) on all my autos slides. It's hard to tell how much improvement it offers but I feel it will make the gun operate a little more efficiently. Who knows, it can't hurt? :?



I use patches for the barrel and tight spaces and a old t shirt for general wipe down. I also keep a oily rag close by to wipe down the exterior after handling anytime.



Most good guns today are built to handle a little (or a lot) of grit & dirt so I doubt that some paper lint would cause a problem. If your pistol has a problem with paper lint, it might be a good idea to get rid of it!

 

[PistolPete]

The paper lint problem wasn't an issue of the it causing problems to the gun. It was just in regards to having the paper lint all of the gun. haha

 

[BSTOCK]

Don't run the brush or patch back and forth through the barrel. Just run them in the direction the bullet travels. Run it through and unscrew your attachment and pull the rod back through-repeat. I use the Otis system and it's much easier and safer on the barrel. Brake cleaner is great stuff too and I use it. Just make sure to use the non-chlorinated brake cleaner. The chlorinated comes in a red can and the non chlorinated in a green can. I believe all manufactures label it this way.

Try the Otis kits. I am a believer. http://www.otisgun.com/cgistore/store.cgi?...p=1&cart_id

 

[mcone]

Don't run the brush or patch back and forth through the barrel. Just run them in the direction the bullet travels. Run it through and unscrew your attachment and pull the rod back through-repeat.

Never heard that before. Why is it important to only run the brush through in the same direction?



-Mike

 

[BSTOCK]

[quote name='BSTOCK']Don't run the brush or patch back and forth through the barrel. Just run them in the direction the bullet travels. Run it through and unscrew your attachment and pull the rod back through-repeat.

Never heard that before. Why is it important to only run the brush through in the same direction?



-Mike[/quote]





Less wear, friction on the barrel. Your brush or other attachment follows the barrel and the groves. If you put a brush on a Dewey rod (great handle bearings) and run it through the breach of a barrel it will rotate at the rate of the barrel twist. Its the age old "don't go against the grain theory". Plus if you start scrubbing in a back and forth there is always a chance the brush will accidentally come out the muzzle and if you pull it back through you could damage the crown. I know people will say if a bullet goes through it puts a lot of friction on the barrel but it's a controlled spin. I am sure someone with more technical experience will chime in and give you a more precise answer but don't worry, you didn't harm your barrel with one brisk cleaning.

BTW, rumor has it that more barrels have been worn out buy excessive cleaning than shot out. Works for me. I enjoy the shooting more than the cleaning. I will admit with the Otis system I do clean my guns more.

Mike