There have been SO many gun cleaning kits on the market over the years, mainly originating from some of the historically biggest brand names in gun care for the firearms industry. The formerly independent Kleen-Bore company thoroughly covered the gun cleaning system concept with a comprehensive portfolio of products, from an array of solvents to jags to fit every caliber barrel. We know they put a strong emphasis on hunting, but the concepts apply to all firearms and the market niches therein.

Kits almost always contain caliber-specific parts, such as bronze bore brushes in sizes catering to: .17 to .50 caliber rifles, .17 to .50 caliber pistols, and .410 to 12/10 gauge shotguns. Bronze brushes are also made as chamber cleaning brushes shaped like a toothbrush — though a nylon brush is a better bet because nylon is less harmful to metal surfaces. Bronze has been used widely over the years because it effectively scrapes hard buildup off the bore and other parts. But, more recently, the more enlightened thinking here is to clean and lubricate with materials that will minimize if not negate the need for bronze — by preventing hard buildup in the first place.

Think about it. Hard buildup is caused by one of several factors or a combination of factors, among them: carbon and carbon fouling combined with heat; petroleum-based solvent residue — and surface abrasion caused by bronze brush usage that establishes a conducive footing in the metal for further debris attachment. Metal scraping metal can be a bad thing in gun care.

The practice is like a dog chasing its own tail — a vicious circle that actually creates unnecessary work, while unnecessarily slowing down working parts along the way.

Next-generation synthetic lubricants and safer cleaners create a friendlier environment in the bore, where buildup becomes much less prevalent, and cleaning can be done easily while sing gentler materials, with less effort. As good as that sounds (and, yes,  it’s even proven to be true) there are still loyal adherents to the old way…gun owners mindlessly scraping the hell out of their metal just because Grandpa always did it that way. It feels manly, or something.

We’ve heard from many users of Mil-Comm’s NRA Licensed GUN CARE SYSTEM products (TW25B synthetic gun grease; MC2500 synthetic gun oil and MC25 enzymatic cleaner/degreaser) that they can, in most cases, simply dry wipe parts clean after a shoot and not have to clear or clean as much. One of the newer gun cleaners is going to clear the way for the lubricant protectant, which can then act as the friction barrier for a smooth operating firearm.

Other common gun care cleaning kit components include a cleaning rod or, alternatively, a bore cable or rope product; a pick or obstruction remover; a brass scraper; a patch saver; a bore mop; a bore reflector; a copper solvent; a bore solvent –all of which typically fits into a nylon case or hard container. In all, we’ve seen kits that contain in excess of 40 individual parts. So it would probably blow your mind if someone told you that you can get better results using only four items.

Why, then, would people keep buying bags and suitcases of unnecessary stuff that doesn’t do the best job possible? Yeh, we don’t know either.

Under the heading of GUN CARE ESSENTIALS, you have to put cotton patches at the top of the list. Square cotton patches measuring: 7/8” for .17 cal. barrels, 1 3/8” for .22 – .270 cal.; 1 3/4” for 7mm – .38 cal. / .357 cal.; 2 ¼” for 9mm / .38 – .45 cal. / .410-20; 2 ½” for .35 rifle / 20 gauge; and 3” for 16 – 12 gauge shotguns. Cotton swabs are used about as often; people have personal preferences based mostly on barrel fit.

Now that you have your wiping applicator, along with a nylon brush and some cotton swabs for those tight, hard-to-reach grooves, you move on to your all-purpose gun cleaner to pre-treat the surface. Think beyond the old fashioned, chemically harsh, nasty smelling cleaners of another generation.

There are newer formulations, including some good enzymatic gun cleaning solutions that perfectly fit into the modern gun maintenance regimen. Use heavy solvents only as a last resort — and, again, these will be increasingly less necessary once you adopt newer enzymatic gun cleaning and synthetic gun lube products.

Next, lubricate all friction points, wear surfaces and the bore with your light grease or light oil depending on the application need or your personal preferences. Some folks like an oil finish, while others prefer a dry-like finish. Thick greases are bound to slow down parts, so keep them out of this discussion. Think synthetic, light greases and light oils.

And that’s it – cotton patches, gun cleaner, gun grease and/or gun oil.

Easy, right? You can build your own gun care kit with a few essentials that truly result in gun cleaning made easy.

For many years, when asked, ”what’s so great about TW25B synthetic gun grease and MC2500 synthetic gun oil?”, we stammer and hesitate — because there are so many performance features that distinguish our highly engineered lubricants from others. Like heavy-load-bearing and extreme pressure strength. Like anti-corrosion protection. Like extreme cold temperature (-90 degrees tolerance) and heat (+450 degrees) performance. Like their resistance to sand, dirt, dust, debris and water. Like the superb protective barrier the grease provides for long-term storage. We could go on, sisters and brothers!

Then we exhale…take a step back…and think…hmmm…why do WE ourselves, in our own lives, love using the gun lubricants of the NRA Licensed GUN CARE SYSTEM? And the answer is, as we’ve been telling folks for years and years, in a nutshell, write this down – LESS CLEANING AND MORE SHOOTING.

It may sound like just another decent marketing slogan, but in the case of our synthetic gun cleaning lubes, it’s the gosh darn truth. And WHY it’s true might be of passing interest to you.

The bore and barrel of any firearm is, of course, a forged metal surface. If you could see the bore metal under a microscope, you’d see its sandpaper-like surface, a friction field for the projectile — and a very porous surface to keep lubricated. Most gun lubes sit topically on the metal and are quickly “sacrificed” during the firing event. They do a little decent lubricating at first, but get splashed off rather quickly.

Now imagine that same metal surface treated with millions of micro-particles, ten times smaller than the pores of the metal if you could view it under a microscope. Millions of little bee-bees spread into the metal itself. That’s the first good thing that happens using NRA Licensed GUN CARE SYSTEM’s TW25B synthetic grease as a bore treatment. The second good thing is how well and how long our gun grease stays in place. That part took years to figure out, a lot of testing and re-testing many blends of various synthetic oils. Our chief chemist and gun care guru, John, finally got the combination of synthetic oils he’d been searching for — and it’s that unique blend of synthetic oils that keeps the micro-particles suspended in the metal for prolonged periods of time.

Instead of splashing off during the firing event, the micro-particles of TW25B gun lube actually get packed in tighter for a time. And the consequence of that: LESS CLEANING AND MORE SHOOTING. For this reason: because the bore metal has been treated microscopically, “filled in” the way RAINEX makes glass impervious, the FIRING DEBRIS that normally burns onto the metal and collects in the barrel can’t get to the metal footholds the way debris customarily accumulates in a gun.

It’s a little like the difference between cooking an egg in an iron frying pan versus a teflon frying pan. Stuff can’t stick the way it likes to!  After treating the bore of any firearm with NRA Licensed GUN CARE SYSTEM’s TW25B synthetic gun grease, notice the difference the first time you think it’s time to clean your gun. The very little debris that you might see there (chances are you’ll see none at all) can typically be wiped off with a cotton cloth. Heavy cleaning not needed!  You should get six times more rounds from your gun — or more — before basic cleaning, simply by super-lubricating the metal with TW25B gun lube.

ERGO: LESS CLEANING, MORE SHOOTING. Yeh, it’s true.

Now others have studied our formulations and unique chemistry and brought to market some copycat products. Problem for them is that our micro-particles and synthetic oils are custom-engineered, impossible to duplicate…different science working here. Which is why all branches of the U.S. Military, more than 20 U.S. Allied Forces, leading Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies — and precision firearms manufacturer SIG SAUER – use or specify TW25B synthetic gun lube and its derivative formulations.

Final word today, fellow patriots: the same chemistry works wonders on all the friction and wear parts of your firearms — slides, rails … anything that goes squeak or bang.

Thanks for checking in with us today. We hope you’ll take a look at our past and future posts.

PEACE

Before we divulge the possibly surprising answer, consider what a bunch of Marines told us at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, two years ago following their return from recent deployment in Iraq. Standard issue for these warriors is the Bereta M9 pistol, and standard maintenance calls for “CLP” Cleaner/Lubricant/Protectant be used to maintain the gun. Now, life in a war zone, becoming someone else’s target, is no academic exercise. You read and react, change and adapt. And very quickly these soldiers learned that the more “CLP” they doused their guns with, the more sand accumulated on gun parts – and the more stoppages occurred. They volunteered to us that there was ONE EFFECTIVE way to keep the sand off and their guns firing. The answer in a moment.

This came to mind yesterday when a retired Army armorer wrote us an unsolicited email about his experience in the desert. Here’s part of what he wrote: “I served for six years, working mostly on the Apache system, and for a long time we used the generic CLP stuff I’m sure you are familiar with … that and the mil-spec lube together would soak up dirt out in Iraq … and then we started using your stuff and it dried pretty much on contact with the metal, which resulted in a lot less gun jams, not to mention cleaner guns come time for maintenance. We started using your grease instead of the mil-spec grease on the parts that required packing, i.e., parts that used bearins and seals. So naturally we figured if it’s good enough for a 30mm gun, we started using it on our M4′s (AR’S), and, same thing, we didn’t clean our rifles near as often because they hadn’t collected the regular dust and dirt. I recently moved to the southwest and was frustrated by what the stores were selling, so I was glad to find you yesterday through Google. You’ve got a damned good product, and I’m eager to use it on all my firearms…and I’m not surprised the NRA likes you, too.”                   

Now back to the discussion of sand and dirt on your gun parts. Lesson learned from both the Marines and this Army soldier is simple: don’t waste time getting sand off your guns — keep the sand from fouling your guns in the first place, to the fullest extent possible.

This next part might sound hard to believe, but stay with us. To prevent sand and dirt-build up, coat the working parts (and bore) of your firearms with GREASE. Huh? Isn’t grease sticky? Won’t grease turn my firearm into the metal equivalent of a sugar cookie?

Yes, if you use a standard, petroleum-distolate, thickly constituted grease. You might just as well use pork fat or lard and roll your gun around in a sandbox. BUT the opposite happens if you make use of a well-engineered, synthetic light grease (officially categorized as an NLGI Grade 1 grease) that has the consistency of cold cream.

A synthetic gun grease such as TW25B will actually penetrate the pores of the metal and coat the surface in such a way that sand and dirt can’t adhere to the surface. Think of the way an egg being fried in an iron frying pan sticks to the iron surface versus the way a TEFLON pan prevents the sticking. The synthetic light gun grease is working to make gun metal surfaces impervious in roughly the same way. It’s IMPORTANT to polish the gun grease into the metal and not leave gobs of it on the surface (which will attract dirt). 

The same grease coating action will also keep firing debris from fouling the metal and make the need for gun cleaning significantly less frequent. If more shooting and less cleaning holds any appeal for you, make the application of synthetic light grease part of your regular firearms maintenance regimen.    

Which today, ladies and gentlemen, leads us to opine on the value of so-called, “CLP” gun treatments. The letters C-L-P stand for, “Clean,” “Lubricate” and “Protect.” Meaning that one whiz-bang application of some “CLP stuff” will satisfy all your gun cleaning needs in one easy step. Splash some “CLP lube” onto your firearms parts, and, bang, you’re done. Nice if life were that easy.

Here’s the problem — and you don’t need a degree in tribology (the study of friction) to figure this out for yourself. ”CLP” gun lubes are simply trying to do too much. Actually, they are trying to do the impossible in terms of gun cleaning (and practical chemistry).

In “CLP” formulations, there are chemical components that are engineered to do the “C” part — the gun Cleaning part – while the “L” and “P” parts of the formula are trying to Lubricate and Protect. But the “C” part of the formula doesn’t know when to STOP cleaning. Oh, it does clean some, maybe even much, of the debris and fouling you want to remove from your dirty firearm — but then the “C” molecules keep right on cleaning. They actually attack their own brothers-in-arms, the “L” and “P” foot soldiers that are formulated and packaged together with the “C” soldiers.   

It’s our considered opinion that the exclusive use of “CLP” products on firearms is akin to a dog chasing its own tail.

While “CLP” lubes may prove to be adequate in clearing guns that have jammed – it’s also true guns will tend to jam more often and fire fewer rounds if they are treated solely with “CLP” liquids in all maintenance events. That’s because “CLP” gun oil cleans/flushes a lot better than it lubricates or protects, so you are always starting with a less than optimal lubrication treatment of a gun right from the start. (A dumbing down of all three desired gun cleaning actions for the sake of selling an “all-in-one” formula).

Now add to that the well-known behavior of oil on gun parts as a debris magnet, attracting sand, dirt, dust and debris, and it becomes pretty obvious that “CLP” type products used at the very outset help create future incidences of stoppages and firearms failure. Locksmiths learned this a long time ago – lubricate a lock mechanism with an oily lube and the lube itself immediately becomes a debris magnet, causing lock mechanisms to gum up, clog and stop working … a direct parallel to “CLP” type formulas’ effect on gun parts.

There is a reason that one of the world’s most valued, precision-engineered, volume-made pistols – SIG SAUER – are made with synthetic grease during the assembly of tightly-fitted, heavy wear gun parts. Experience has proven that firearms that have a preliminary treatment with synthetic grease (TW25B® to be exact) perform more reliably, with less frequent maintenance than firearms treated with inferior lubricants.

What we’re saying is simple. If you’re serious about getting optimal performance from your firearms, separate the “C” work from the “L-P” work. Clean the gun well with one of the more newly formulated enzymatic gun cleaners … focus first on preparing metal surfaces properly for the follow-on work — the lubricating and protecting part. Gun cleaners like MIL-COMM’s MC25 and more agressive MC50 out-clean any “CLP” type formulation.

Then get the “Lubricate” and “Protect” part right by polishing a synthethic, light grease into the metal wear parts (slides, rails, etc) and the bore. Synthetic light grease like TW25B hangs around metal parts a lot longer than gun oil, and MIL-COMM grease will actually repel sand, dirt, dust and firing debris.    

Is it worth touching your guns twice? Separating the “C” from the “L-P” work? Cleaning first, then lubricating? Well the resulting benefits to you include likely fewer stoppages and more “fire-ready” reliability; the extended life of gun parts; six to ten times more rounds fired between cleaning; increased muzzle velocity and a more accurate round (because synthetic light grease applied to the bore smooths out the mircoscopic imperfections of the bore-metal, creating a more perfect trajectory).       

Cleaning and lubricating your gun in separate steps will actually prove to be a time-saver for you, because doing the maintenance in that sequence will absolutely, positively give you a lot more shooting with a lot less cleaning.  

What else did Dad always say?  No such thing as a free lunch!

Since retiring from the entertainment business in L.A. and moving to northwestern Montana 6 years ago, my habit of using only the TW25B family of weapons products has really come in handy. It gets really, really cold, rainy, snowy, damp and dangerous up here, with wild critters everywhere, and an ever growing population of big wolves adding to the common threats from the coyotes, the big cats and both grizzlies and black bears. Two months ago our dogs treed a big puma that had gotten into our fenced in property in the middle of the night — within 100 feet of the house. My wife and I use the Mil-Comm/NRA Licensed Gun Care System TW25B line of lubes and cleaners on all of our many firearms and all the outdoor hardware, gating and hinges too. Whatever goes squeek or bang! The stuff just won’t allow any of it to freeze and fail. It doesn’t seem to absorb any humidity or moisture, and doesn’t seem to care if it is 95 degrees in the summer or 35 below zero in Winter! We trust our lives to our guns up here in Big Sky Country, and we trust only TW25B to make sure they work for us every time, no matter what Mother Nature is throwing at us.”

Steve B. / Trout Creek / Montana

BAD WEATHER VERSUS GOOD GUNS — PART 2

Well, thanks for that, Steve. Stay safe, brother.

Since we’re talking cold temperature performance, your faithful Blog Editor would like to add that some real cold weather cats – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, no less — use the same TW25B synthetic grease to keep their firearms in fire-ready condition in the frigid cold of Canadian winters.

So while we’re on the subject of bad weather making life difficult for good guns and good people, here’s some more to chew on, Frosty.

Firing Guns in the Cold

As gun owners head into wintery months, lower temperatures can become a factor, not only for the shooter but for the firearm itself.  A hunter or a soldier, for that matter, operating a firearm under extreme cold conditions can experience operational failure. Some believe that barrel damage could occur, but the more common scenario is simply parts
freezing up due to either freezing condensation on critical parts, or due to counterproductive materials on those surfaces.

Over the years, it has been well documented that many traditional lubricant and cleaning materials will actually cause firearm malfunctions. Many gun oils and greases are solvent and petroleum-based. Though many companies claim that the products perform well in below zero temperatures, they usually do not work as advertised. At some point, those materials have been known to gum up, or coagulate on high wear parts, which will slow down functionality if not prevent a ballistic event from occurring all together.

The consensus is that, especially in arctic climates, you want gun parts that are free of debris.  So, the best lubricant protectant is going to be something that has minimal presence while delivering real extreme cold temperature performance.  TW25B grease is one of those proven materials, which is a synthetic, PTFE-based lubricant. It lubricates with just a modest, polished-in application that helps firearms operate flawlessly, keeping the ice crystales from adhering to critical metal surfaces.

Whether you are hunting in the Great Plains for Black Bear, Coyotes or big cats like a Puma – or just thinning out a heard of pesky varmints like Prairie Dogs or Rabbits – the last thing you want is a gun malfunction to spoil the moment, if not scare off your game target. Deer, moose and elk definitely get spooked pretty easily. It’s hard enough to address effective camouflage, acoustics and masking human scent. You want something good to happen when you squeeze that trigger — and extreme cold can play havoc with that.

YOU NEED TO FIGHT COLD TEMP, TOO.

The dedicated hunter knows that it may take many hours, if not days, to get the shot of a lifetime, which often means a long wait in harsh environments. They don’t have it as easy as ice fishermen in an insulated shack. Instead, apparel selection is important for those who want to be comfortable or, worst case, prevent frostbite. Beginning with headwear, a comfortable, insulated hat that hopefully offers ear and neck coverage would be a smart move. Depending on the jacket’s neck styling, you don’t want to lose warmth in such an important heat loss area. Some folks wear full face masks, scarves and other neck warmers. Under the jacket, which usually features a camo pattern, you want at least a base layer underneath a turtleneck style shirt and sweater or sweatshirt, depending on what’s comfortable. Choice of pants would follow the same reasoning, with long johns underneath to provide better insulation.

For footwear, I know plenty of people who believe in two layers of socks, which would entail a thin base layer material directly in contact with your feet and a thicker better insulated wool or high tech synthetic sock for the outer layer.

Then, picking the right boots is essential. There are many well built footwear designs. Most will opt for something with a waterproof styling, along with Vibram sole or similar tough tread construction. The height of the boot is another factor, dependent on the rest of your outfit and your hunting environment. In the end, distance walking comfort in unrefined terrain is probably the most critical consideration, which will entail finding model with good arch and ankle support.

Don’t let me forget hand warmth. The trick is finding gloves – at least base layer gloves – that provide maximum range of motion since you are going to need to pull a trigger or possibly handle a bow and bowstring with them on, unless you go for a brief barehanded exposure while firing.  Outer gloves should be well insulated, but you also want to look for valuable features like a pull tab to get them on easily for good functionality. Look closely and try them on, and take note of how the fingers are spaced and stitched along the finger webbings, especially between your thumb and forefinger.

Last but not least, do your homework and find one of the many gear packs or backpacks that work for you, keeping functionality, ease of use and comfort in mind.

Enough details! Get out there.

Well here’s a little-known fact. It is relatively easy to make a gun lubricant that does one thing well…or one thing reasonably well. Example: certain “CLP” formulations (for “CLEAN, LUBRICATE AND PROTECT”) actually clean a lot better than they lubricate — but, okay, at least something’s getting done. Motor oil and mayonaise will also make things slippery for awhile.

The true test of a superior performing firearm lubricant is finding one that does numerous things well, all at the same time. From a chemical engineering standpoint, that’s hard to accomplish, because all base materials and performance additives used to formulate a gun lubricant interact in often unpredictable ways at the molecular level.

Let’s break this down.

BRAND X GUN LUBE wants to provide extreme temperature performance — reliable firing at temperatures ranging up to +450-Degrees F and down to to – 60 F. Okay. You begin building that in your lab and, hooray, you hit that particular performance spec. But BRAND X also wants to provide strong anti-corrosion protection to gun parts. That’s a different trick than engineering cold temperature performance – and what happens much of the time, in the science of lubricants, one thing cancels out another thing at the moleclular level. Just when BRAND X is ready to begin bragging about the cold temperature performance of its gun lubricant, the same product’s anti-corrosion performance falls apart because of offsetting chemical reactions at work. Fix one problem, create another one.

Products like MIL-COMM’s TW25B Synthethic Gun Grease really rise above the rest because of the scientifically balanced, compatably enegineered chemistry of their base materials and various performance additives. Remember what we said up top — easy to make a one-dimensional gun grease or gun oil. The real trick is to engineer one that does 8 or 10 things well at the same time.

In MIL-COMM’s case, the R&D work the Company has done with U.S. military program managers and defense contractors set the bar high — warfighters and armaments maunfacturerers have little use for one-dimensional or two-dimensional lubricant formulations. Too easy to get people killed that way. Instead, the requirment was for a performance matrix in which a lot of positive lubrication things were happening in the extreme trauma of guns being fired.

So when you go shopping for a superior-performing gun lubricant, check to see if its performance features add up to the likes of TW25B synthethic gun grease and MC2500 synthetic gun oil. Here’s the checklist for your shopping:

• Optimzes firearm performance with very long-lasting lubrication and corrosion protection;
• Performs depenably in all climates, under all weather conditions, on all types of firearms;
• Works reliably in temperatures ranging from -85 F -(54 C) to +450 F (+232 C)
• Greatly reduces frition and wear…extends the life of parts;
• Won’t gum up;
• Repels sand, dust, grit, debris…minimizes accumullation of gun powder residue;
• Resists wash-off, wear-off, burn-off and evaporation between cleanings;
• Reduces time and frequency of maintenance with easy wipe-off cleaning;
• Permits storage of firemarms in fire-ready condition for extended periods;
• Minimizes carbon residue, galvanic corrosion and build-up of copper and lead;
• Generally harless to wood, rubber, plastic or composite parts;
• All-synthetic, non-hazardous, non-flammable and environmentally safe.

If you are serious about maintaining firearms for optimal performance, this stuff matters! It really IS worth finding out: how good is my gun lube?

In the cold the guns gummed up. In dusty conditions they attracted debris. And in coastal environments they made firearm metal most vulnerable to rust and corrosion. During the Vietnam War era, CLP was introduced as a quick-fix gun cleaning application, and, at the time, it proved to be a better alternative for hunters and sport shooters as it made its way into the consumer market. But the CLP (Clean-Lubricate-Protect) chemical formulation was no really panacea, because CLP’s are better at cleaning then they are at lubricating.

In more recent years, synthetic lubricants made of different materials were introduced, followed by environmentally safe cleaner- degreaser products. Still, many leading companies continued to keep gun owners addicted to traditional petroleum and solvent based cleaning and lube products. In modern packaging, and with appealing names, it was really just the same old stuff with a different look, or a catchy brand name.

Some of these old-tech products come in fancy zippered cases. Others have interesting little accessories that don’t actually get the job done. And there were even new designs for applicators.

Nowadays, a few gun grease and gun oil products garner the most respect in the industry — gun cleaners that work and do so safely without harmless fumes or skin irritating side effects. For that reason, “Mil-Spec” products are fading away, along with those old solvents used by so many shooters — now being replaced by high-tech lube products like Mil-Comm Products TW25B, as more and more gun owners discover the benefits of superior performance. And more gun manufacturers, firearms trainers and expert gunsmiths have discovered the benefits of performance features that make their customers happy as weapons stay in fire-ready condition, operating without jams or other malfunctions.

Almost every top competition shooter uses a superior-performance lubricant and cleaner product, as do top military and leading law enforcement operations. When someone’s life is on the line, weapons reliability matters. And needless to say, war fighters and law enforcement officers also don’t want to spend a lot of their time scrubbing away at dirty guns.

Be sure you’re using modern, performance-engineered products and best-practice procedures for all of your gun cleaning work.

Check out this real-life occurrence: Steve Schultz, Shooting Sports Editor for Texas Fish & Game magazine, was working in his garden late one fall, and he absent-mindedly left one of his firearms resting in the garden bed. The following spring he was horrified to find his missing piece resting in the dirt under some decaying foliage.

What happened next amazed him. Instead of finding a rusted out pistol unable to fire, his gun worked just fine…like he had cleaned and lubed that week.

The key learning: what you use to clean, lubricate and protect your firearms in your gun cleaning work makes a big difference in how well your firearms will store.

Schultz happened to have lubricated his missing gun with a non-petroleum based synthetic lubricant from MIL-COMM PRODUCTS COMPANY – the somewhat legendary TW25B® synthetic grease. Because the grease is blended with micro-particles that set up in the actual pores of the metal (if seen under a microscope), water and condensation were blocked penetrating the metal – kept out of the pores where rust first forms.

When you know you’re going to put your firearms away for extended periods of time, months or even years, the trick is to apply a slightly thicker coat of gun grease on all the wear parts. You want to see an actual white haze on the surface of the gun parts for optimal storage (versus a polished-in finish or very slight haze for normal firing conditions). Remember that the enemy of successful long-term storage of weapons is corrosion. Since synthetic greases like TW25B do not gum up, only a moderately thick coating is necessary – and the stored firearm should be immediately capable of being fired if necessary.

IMPORTANT! Cleaning a gun well before applying lubricant for protection is an important first-step for long-term storage. Cleaners have different pH chemistry levels and residues which can negatively effect, and even encourage, corrosion and rust on metal parts.

Citrus type cleaners are very acidic (low pH) and many others are highly alkaline (high pH), both of which can be corrosive by themselves.

Use of an Isopropyl (91%) alcohol wiping, with its relatively middle pH range, is a very beneficial action to further discourage corrosion over time.

For best results, use pH-buffered cleaners, like the NRA Licensed GUN CARE SYSTEM’s MC25 double-acting detergent-enzymatic, biodegradable cleaner.

Once the gun cleaning is complete, add the synthetic gun grease coating in a moderate coat for long-lasting storage protection.

Cleaning gun or gun parts involves first getting cotton patches and brushes if needed, which should be nylon and not bronze if you can help it.  Metal will scratch your gun parts easily, leading to hard buildup and the need for deeper cleaning.

Gun cleaning typically involves breaking down the main gun parts, like the slide on a semi-auto or just releasing the cylinder on a revolver.  Then, spray a safe product  like MC25 cleaner on your parts, and let it sit for a few minutes so it can work on the surface to begin to remove buildup.  You will then need to dry parts with cotton wipes to get  the cleaner residue off.  If there is heavier buildup, use a nylon gun brush or a toothbrush to more aggressively agitate and clean up the surface.  If needed, spray more gun cleaner on the parts until the cotton wipes appear clean.  At this point, you will have a clean, dry surface.

Next is lubrication.  Choose a modern synthetic grease or gun oil like TW25B or MC2500 and apply it either directly to the firearm surface or to cotton patches.  Wipe on the gun grease or firearm oil to those metal gun parts.  You will see that additional fouling may be removed and onto the cotton, which is a good thing.  Lubricate inside the barrel with very little grease preferably. If you see it, there is too much gun lubricant on the surface, and you want to avoid that.  Lubricating oil is also good for the outside of the barrel, especially on contact or friction points. On a semi-automatic pistol, the rails are critical points of lubrication.  Also, the connector, slide and trigger assembly.  In most cases, you do not want to lubricate too much.  Gun oil or gun grease on the metal surfaces of the  body of the firearm is permitted, but you don’t want to make a mess.  It is only critical for stainless steel; other parts made of plastic, wood and rubber don’t need it.  You want to keep them dry.

You DO NOT want to lubricate the firing pin, which is also known as the striker.  Wipe off carbon fouling or other debris, but keep it dry. You need to maintain a direction contact between the pin and the primer, which causes the ballistic event. Failure to do this may lead to a misfire.

From there, repeating the firearm cleaner and lubricating process is based on how much you shoot and how dirty the ammunition is. Typically, if a shooter fires 100 rounds in one event, a cleaning should be quick and easy.  Some people clean at a 1,000-round interval.  It is up to you.  In the process, you should also do periodic maintenance on your revolver firearm such as making sure that the springs aren’t worn out. That should not happen for a long time but it will happen. The same goes for the semi-auto pistol and the magazine springs.   Some people also replace other worn parts such as grips, along with inspecting sights and other
attachment options.

A gunsmith cleaning usually involves a more complete breakdown of all of the parts which could be 30 to over 50 count in total.  Many pistol gunsmiths put the firearms in parts washers or ultrasonic gun cleaning machines for a  more thorough job. However, they use gun cleaner and gun oil baths that are inferior to the quality of materials that are recommended. So, you have to clean up after they return your gun to you, and follow the instructions as outlined above.  In other words, a
gunsmith doesn’t necessarily know how to clean a handgun properly since they take a more practical approach to the task.  You are your own expert, so research the subject further and buy your own gun cleaning and firearm lubricant products.

Cleaning a rifle or shotgun is similar but the major difference is that they have long barrels which require a gun rod to carry the cotton patches, reaching all of the way through the bore.  They also tend to have heavier buildup.  Rifles project larger rounds traveling at a greater bore velocity, and a shotgun shell is also larger and creates more fouling while generating more heat in the barrel.  For that reason, the gun cleaner and gun lubricant you select are even more critical.

If the same guy also spends time pistol shooting, odds are he’s being equally dumb about getting the maximum performance from his firearm, ignoring the fact that gun cleaning and proper gun lubrication can actually make his rounds more accurate. Yup. Tighten the spread down range on that old BULLSEYE. Be a better shot, just by using the right gun cleaning lubricants.

Here’s what’s going on.

The metal parts of all firearms are born in fire – forged in heat, but the surface of the finished metal making up any gun bore or barrel is like sandpaper if you could see the gun metal under a microscope. Millions of tiny imperfections, rough spots and angular edges, at the microscopic level. When a projectile … let’s call it a bullet, shall we? …travels across such a surface, its trajectory is ever so slightly rattled by the rough ride. But if you take a little time to smooth out the roughness in the metal by cleaning and lubricating the metal properly, guess what? The round you fire is ever so slightly “stabilized” and becomes more accurate during your pistol shooting. But wait. There’s more. Doing this slight bit of gun cleaning and lubricating can actually increase muzzle velocity, an added bonus.  

Get around any bunch of people enjoying some recreational pistol shooting, and you’ll hear all kinds of opinions about what to use to lube guns. The more clueless think they’re getting the job done with stuff like motor oil … or WD40 (which cleans some but hardly lubricates) … or, seriously, peanut butter. These pistol shooting enthusiasts have much in common with the guy who bought the German car. They’re simply not paying attention.

For starters, clean all gun metal surfaces well, using products like MIL-COMM’s MC25® detergent and enzymatic cleaner degreaser that properly prepare the bore, slides, rails and other wear parts for lubricating. Another good cleaning solution which can be used in combination with MC25® is 91% Isopropyl Alcohol available in most pharmacies. Then get to work on the pores of the metal. You can’t see them, but you can treat them microscopically using a well engineered lubricant like MIL-COMM’s TW25B® synthetic gun grease, which contains PTFE nano-particles that actually fill in the imperfections of the
metal surface. Think of this as being like applying RAINEX to piece of glass – like perfect glass, the end result is a roller-bearing smooth surface in the barrel (or other treated gun parts).

If you want to get serious about pistol shooting, get serious about basic gun care. You’ll get a lot more shooting with a lot less cleaning – plus added accuracy and increased muzzle velocity.

Or as my wife likes to say, “Have you read the manual yet, genius?”