All firearm owners know that it is important to look after their guns occasionally. Most recommend that you clean the gun every time you use it, but what about people who never use theirs? It would be ideal to clean your gun after every six months to make sure it functions well. This article details how to clean a gun in storage every six months to protect your firearm.
Several factors determine how many times you should clean your firearm, like its age, make, its storage location, among others. You will not have to clean your gun often if you do not use it. Cleaning it is among its maintenance tips. Below is how to clean a gun in storage.
How Long Can You Go Without Cleaning Your Gun in Storage?
You can take six months to clean your gun, but only if you do not use it often. The case is different if you are a frequent gun user, you will have to clean it before you store it. Several factors influence how often you should clean your firearm, like the gun type. It would help if you also cleaned firearms that use corrosive ammo after every escapade.
You can also decide how often to clean your gun, depending on where you store it. For example, if you store the gun in a dusty area, you will clean it more than someone who stores their firearms in a clean place. It would be best to come up with a schedule that suits you well.
What Occurs to Dirty Guns?
The majority of gun owners know that they must clean their firearms to prolong their span. However, few people understand what occurs when you do not clean them. Cleaning your weapon has several advantages besides retaining its perfect condition.
Below are some things that may happen if you do not clean your firearm:
- It might malfunction: even though guns malfunction, failing to clean them will worsen the condition. Dirt and dust cause a malfunction when they accumulate. For example, your firearm might fail to shoot when you fire it. Such is because guns extract and release a cartridge when you fire, which is impossible with a dirty gun.
- It makes the gun erode: ammo remains in the gun when you fire a shot, and with time, it begins to erode the interior parts of the gun. It would help if you cleaned your gun before storage to prevent corrosion from the ammo residue.
What Can You Use to Clean Your Gun?
A cleaning kit is one of the essential pieces of equipment every gun owner should have. It has several kits that you need to clean your gun. You need to disassemble the gun first to achieve this, though not always.
There are several ways to clean your guns, and you should know all. Most kits have the following things:
- A lubricant: you must make sure you keep the friction against your weapon as you clean it. This means that you should use these lubricants to dismantle the dirt build-up in your firearm. The lubricant also assists in removing friction during the action.
- A bores snake: this tool is essential for people who do not have time to clean their weapons after using them. It lets you clean the firearm without dismantling it.
- Bore brushes: most gun cleaning kits have two types of brushes, bronze and nylon. The bronze brush clears any carbon that accumulates in the barrel, while the silver brush handles the critical parts of the gun.
How to Clean a Gun in Storage
You can make sure your gun works well by cleaning it often and storing it in the right place. Sediments remain in the barrel every time you fire, meaning you should take time as you clean it. Below we discuss how you can clean a gun in storage:
1. Clean the barrel using rods
You should soak the bore and use a cleaning rod to clean the barrel. Guns have a muzzle guard that prevents the rod from hitting the muzzle, thus preventing a malfunction.
2. Lubricate the action
It would be great to lubricate other parts of the gun beside the barrel. It would help if you cleaned the action using a dry cloth or nylon. Also, spray the action from top to bottom, and let the debris be washed away. However, you should first check the recommendations from the manufacturer before you begin.
It would help if you also used a needle to apply these oil drops at the needed lubrication points as the manufacturer recommends. But it would help if you were keen not to over-lubricate because this will support the accumulation of dirt.
3. Remember the magazines
Magazines are ammunition providers, and they have the responsibility of feeding automatic machine guns. The magazines are essential for the right operation of every semi-automatic firearm. You can disassemble and clean them, but you should follow instructions from the manufacturer.
Cleaning kits have special brushes used to clean these magazines. Magazine followers are spring reloaded, so you should put on safety glasses and gloves as you clean them. Please note that you can never clean a magazine with a petroleum product because this will contaminate the primers. Also, do not lubricate them. Instead, use a cleaning agent.
4. Reassemble the gun and check if it works well
You need to perform a functional check every time you disassemble and assemble a gun to make sure it functions well. In this check, you should confirm whether it locks well and slide it to see whether it works well.
5. Wipe the gun’s exterior.
You should clean the exterior gun parts after making sure the interior is okay, and you can do this using a gun cloth. These gun cloths are tender and have silicone treatments. They help to remove any debris or accumulated dirt.
Conclusion
Knowing how to clean a gun is important, especially if you want it to last for a long time. By cleaning your gun often, you will increase its accuracy when using it. You now know how to clean a gun in storage, but you should do it with an expert around until you are comfortable. Remember, to do this every six months if you have a gun in storage..
