Let’s Keep It Clean, Folks

My friend and I were talking defense guns when he decided to show me the small semi-automatic that he carried in an ankle holster. Proudly drawing it out of the holster, he and I both discovered that the pistol was missing its front sight. He didn’t have a clue as to when he had lost the sight and, what’s more, the gun was covered in dirt and lint. I pointed out that it was a really good idea to keep a defense gun clean and regularly inspected for such things as missing front sights, among other problems that might arise.

I’m not going to go into how to clean a handgun mainly because different types may need certain attention that the others don’t. You really don’t have to know how to properly clean and maintain every gun that was ever invented, but you sure need to know how to properly care for the one that you are set to bet your life on. If you don’t know how to clean and maintain that gun in your pocket, you’d best find out. Most manufacturers give instructions in the owner’s manual, if you need a place to start looking.

It’s a really, really good idea to clean your defense gun after every shooting session. In addition, this is a perfect time to inspect it for loose screws and other attachments. And, while you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to making sure the gun is properly lubricated. At a minimum, a weekly maintenance check is a real good idea, whether the gun has been shot or not. One of the things that I learned as a kid was to keep an old t-shirt handy, one with gun oil on it, and I wiped a gun off every time I handled it. To this day, when I undress at night, my carry gun gets wiped off with that oily rag before it gets put away.

How much cleaning and oiling needs to be done will vary with where you live. It would be minimal for me compared to the gun owner in Florida or Washington state, for example. At just about every shooting class, we see a lot of guns that are too dry and need some lubrication. And, once in a while, we see a gun that must be stored in a bucket of oil every night. Not enough lubrication is bad and too much is a problem, too. Learn how to care for your gun based upon where you live and how the gun is used.

Now, I will freely admit that most of my hunting rifles don’t get this kind of attention, but you can bet that my .375-caliber, dangerous-game rifle does. Personal defense … dangerous game, I know you can make the connection. So, it is just smart to develop a habit of regularly cleaning and maintaining that defense gun. It’s like your life might depend on it, you know.