You Will Be Surprised To Know: What Is The First Step In Cleaning A Firearm?

You may be a hunter or a gun enthusiast, in both cases you may have a gun and that may need cleaning. Yes, it is true, guns need cleaning and there are no doubts about it. Cleaning a firearm is no child’s play and maintaining a smooth working gun is every gun owner’s dream.

It is quite common for guns to get build up as they leave a residue after firing. So, you need to keep them clean for efficient shooting as and when required. You may now be thinking about What is The First Step in Cleaning A Firearm?

How can do so on your own especially if you are a beginner? Let us find out more about it.

What is The First Step in Cleaning A Firearm?

Okay, now that you have decided to clean your gun, we would suggest that you do it find a ventilated area to perform this task.

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Remember you will be dealing with solvents that are toxic by nature. The fumes may cause burning sensation and some even have a foul smell. You can best avoid inhaling these harmful gases by working in an open area like a garage, roof or may be in a room with doors and windows widely opened.

Make sure to demarcate the area and keeping children and pets away from there. Ideally speaking this should be your first step. The most important part while cleaning any firearm is its Bore, barrel, trigger, Magazine place as these parts hold the most swiftness.


Cleaning Kit Please

The next thing is to get a cleaning kit, if you have the pre-assembled ones then you need to use the contents of the box, otherwise, you can arrange for the following things like:

  • Microfiber cloth like ULTIMATE Professional Microfiber cleaning
  • Rod for cleaning and the size should be according to your firearm
  • Extra cloths to clean it finally after oiling and making it dry
  • Detergent or solvent for cleaning like the Hoppe's No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner
  • Swabs of cotton
  • Flashlight mainly to check the Bore and you can surely check this out Win Flex Bore Light
  • Nylon brush for cleaning
  • A boring brush like the Tipton Best Gun Bore Brush
  • Patches and its holder
  • Gun oil

Phew, that was quite a list and it is advisable that you keep these handy even if you have a gun cleaning kit like the Otis Elite Cleaning System.


Unload The Gun

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As always, we strongly recommend you to this before cleaning. In fact, we would ask you to double check if your weapon is unloaded while you are working at it.

Remove the magazine, look through the barrel to ensure that it is empty and confirm that your gun has no rounds still sticking inside the gun. This will only make it safe to work on it.


Dismantle Your Gun

Disassemble it part by part, the way you know and go as per your manual. Do not dismantle parts that are not prescribed in the instructions. Also, you must bear this in mind that the more you parts you disassemble, the more you clean.

However, if there is a need, you must remove and clean the section of a gun of you think it is important.


Part of The Firearm That You Clean First

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Here is another division of this entire post that answers which part of the firearm you should clean first. The answer is the barrel and you can clean it with a cleaning rod with the patches. That way, you can clean the inside of the barrel and you can use the boring brush to make certain that you have cleaned it meticulously.

Retain this piece of information that you should use soft steel rod while cleaning as it may be a source scratching the barrel otherwise.


Other Parts

Once you are done, you can now clean the other parts of the firearm as per your convenience. Just don’t do it in a hurry, take your time and do it properly because you want your effort to show positive effects.


Lubricating The Firearm

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Once you are done with the cleaning you must lubricate the barrel and the rest of the parts of the gun thoroughly. Use gun oil like the Hoppe's No. 9 Lubricating Oil, to grease the inside of the barrel and then smear some of it on the parts that require it the most.

Use microfiber to clean your gun at the end of this process to wipe the solvents and lubricants off your gun. As a matter of fact, we would suggest that you clean the area once and for all. This will save you time to clean the nearby area.

With that said, you must clean all the spills as well to make the area safe for your family and pets. Ensuring this would only mean that you care about them and not only the gun! Jokes apart, you must restore the zone as risk-free.

And I wrote a post about best ar10 scopes, if you are finding the ar-10 scopes, let’s read it. Or read my Scopes & Sights Resource if you own another.


Conclusion

We have tried our best to answer all that you may have needed to know in this post about What is The First Step in Cleaning A Firearm? All we request you to do is to preserve you firearm for good. You may need to startle a burglar and you surely want it work then!

Think of the consequences and then invest some time into it as it may require a bit of an elbow grease to do so. Be patient and don’t lose hope as a well maintained gun is an asset. People uphold ancient guns that render them looking good.

We are talking about a normal hunting or the one to be kept for safety at home that need regular care. They are a must and you should not neglect this at all. Think about it when you are all alone.

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