How to Clean a Gun

How to Clean a Gun: Your Step-By-Step Guide

Guns, like most other mechanical devices, need to be cleaned in order to keep them performing well. Though this may seem rather simple, there are a few tidbits of information that you’ll want to know before taking apart your gun to clean it. You won’t need to completely break apart your firearm in order to clean it thoroughly; you’ll just need to follow this easy step-by-step guide on how to clean a gun.

It’s important to understand that, although there are many different types of guns, some of which may be tougher to clean than others, this guide isn’t going to delve into the rather intricate details of more advanced gun cleaning on every single type of gun.

Rather, this article is simply meant to give you the basic fundamentals of gun cleaning that can be applied to any firearm. In order to get more specific cleaning information on your particular type and brand of gun, it’s best to consult the owner’s manual or take it to a gun shop so that you’ll have the best possible information on how to clean your specific gun.

Do you need a solvent, gun oil, linseed oil, or some other lubrication, paper towels and even a clean rag for the cleaning process of your firearms? Without further delay, here is a quick and easy step-by-step guide on how to clean a gun.

Step 1:

The first and most important step to follow when cleaning your gun is to consult with the owner’s manual, if possible, in order to see if there are any specifics you’ll need to follow when cleaning. If you don’t have the owner’s manual, they can typically be found online by searching for the particular brand and model of your gun. This is important because you want to make sure that you’re doing everything right and only taking apart and cleaning the parts that are necessary to clean. You’ll prevent some extra work and also prevent breaking anything in the process of cleaning.

Step 2:

Once you have a solid understanding of what the owner’s manual suggests you take apart and clean, you’ll absolutely want to make sure the gun isn’t loaded. It’s amazing how many injuries and fatalities could’ve been prevented if the owner would’ve simply checked to see if it was loaded or not before beginning to take it apart. Simply open the action of the gun to make sure a bullet isn’t in there and then remove any clips or magazines. You’ll also want to double check that your gun it empty by opening the chamber and looking through the barrel from the back of the gun.

Step 3:

Once you’ve determined that the gun is empty you’ll want to consult your owner’s manual as to how exactly you should take your gun apart. Most guns, including shotguns and revolvers, won’t need to be completely taken apart to clean, but semi-automatic rifles and pistols will need to be taken apart. This includes removing the components that make up the barrel, magazine, frame, and guide rod of the firearm. This is why it’s important to read the owner’s manual because it will give you the specific details as to what, and how to remove these parts.

Step 4:

Next, we are going to clean the bore or the inside part of the gun barrel. In order to do this, you’ll need a cleaning rod with either a cotton patch or some kind of cotton fabric that is soaked in gun cleaner and held in place using a patch holder. You’ll then want to insert the cleaning rod from the back of the barrel to where it pops out of the muzzle. Its best practice to not pull the cleaning rod back through, as this will just redeposit all of the gunk and dirt you just removed. You can do this by removing the cleaning rod out of the muzzle and then reinsert it from the back again. When you are finished you’ll want to let the gun sit for ten minutes in order to allow the gun cleaner time to dissolve and soften any leftover residue.

Step 5:

Now that we’ve swabbed the bore of the gun, it’s now time to scrub the bore. You’ll want to use a bore brush for this step because it will be able to get at any caked-on debris allowing it to be more easily cleaned. All you need to do is run the bore brush up and down the inside of the barrel about twenty to twenty-five times. When you’re about halfway done, use the cleaning rod again to ensure you’re getting every bit of the barrel clean. You may want to change patches on your cleaning rod at this point if the one you used earlier is too dirty.

Step 6:

Once the inside of the barrel is clean you’ll want to lightly scrub the action of your gun with a bronze brush that is soaked in gun cleaner. Simply brush all the part of the action and then wipe it clean with a soft towel.

Step 7:

The last step is to use a luster cloth to wipe down the rest of the gun before putting it all back together. For those who are unsure of what a luster cloth is, it’s basically a small towel that is pre-treated with a silicone lubricant. If you don’t have one of these you can use a flannel shirt or an old pair of socks. Once this is done you should add a little lubricant to the action and the barrel using a fresh cleaning rod and just a few drops of gun conditioner or lubricant and lightly coat the bore and action of the gun.

In order to clean your gun successfully, we recommend picking up an all-in-one gun cleaning kit because it will have every tool you need to perform this process.

Also, be sure to always work in a well-ventilated room when cleaning your gun because the cleaners often have toxic fumes that aren’t healthy for you to inhale. Again, there are many more intricacies to cleaning more complex guns and you should always consult the owner’s manual or a certified expert if you have any questions or concerns.

Now that you have a clean gun check out some of the top gun safes to keep it that way?