How To Lubricate A Gun

Feature | How to Lubricate a Gun

How do you lubricate a gun? Are you doing it right? Continue reading below so you can clean your gun the right way!

3 Steps to Lubricate a Gun

One of your responsibilities as a gun owner is to maintain a clean and lubricated weapon.

A clean gun is less likely to jam or malfunction, both of which can result in misfires and tragic accidents. A lubricated gun cycles smoothly.

Once you’ve purchased your firearm, you’ll also want to purchase a caliber-specific gun cleaning kit. They will be available at the gun store.

Your kit will include a cleaning rod, a bore brush, a patch attachment, a cleaning solvent, and lubricant. You will also need patches, a boresnake, a towel or cleaning mat, and a luster cloth.

You may want disposable gloves, Q-tips, and paper towels as well. Cleaning kits do not have to be expensive, and you can assemble many of the necessities yourself.

Cleaning your gun after each trip to the range is a good habit to get into. Carry guns should be cleaned every week or two.

Step 1: Field Strip Your Pistol

Field Strip Your Pistol | How to Lubricate a Gun

You will have to perform a basic disassembly of your pistol to properly clean it. You will not take apart the trigger group or firing mechanism in any way.

Before you begin, make sure that the gun is unloaded and cleared.

If you have a revolver, it’s likely you can swing out the cylinder, empty it, and clean it. But if you have a tilting-link barrel design or striker design, you will need to take down the pistol. Field stripping your pistol is simple, and you can learn how to do so for your particular model by consulting the owner’s manual or a gunsmith.

You’ll want to arrange the pieces on a towel or cleaning mat to protect your table or surface from residue and the chemicals in the cleaning solvent. You can even go so far as to purchase cleaning mats specific to your weapon, with labeled placeholders for each piece of your firearm.

Step 2: Clean Your Pistol

Clean Your Pistol | How to Lubricate a Gun

The actual cleaning of your pistol is not complicated or difficult. You will use patches or rags with a few drops of cleaning solvent to clean all surfaces of the gun.

Go over each spot until the patch or rag comes away clean. Be sure not to skip over the firing mechanism, trigger group, and magazine.

To clean the barrel of the gun, attach the bore brush to the cleaning rod, and then put a cleaning patch over the bore brush. You don’t want the wire bristles to damage the bore.

Add cleaning solvent to the patch and run the bore brush through the barrel several times. As with the rest of the gun, use enough patches until they come away clean.

A bore snake can take the place of a bore brush and cleaning rod, simplifying the process even further.

Step 3: Apply Lubricant

Apply Lubricant | How to Lubricate a Gun

You’ll want to consult your owner’s manual again to determine what areas of your gun require lubrication. As with cleaning solvent, you don’t want to use too much lubricant.

You should apply lubricant and then wipe it evenly across the surface of the gun with a luster cloth to create a thin layer.

Once you’ve applied the lubricant, you can reassemble your gun and store it.

Make It a Habit

Make cleaning and lubricating your gun a habit after each use to ensure it functions properly for years to come. Gun maintenance is a responsibility every gun owner shouldn't neglect. Now, get cleaning, no excuses!

Do you have your own way of lubricating a gun? We'd love to hear how you do it in the comments section!

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6 Responses to :
How To Lubricate A Gun

  1. Dan says:

    There are no charges for this, right?

  2. Marcus says:

    I use Non Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner , Compressed Air and Rem Oil

  3. george fannin says:

    Your info is fine but why are you showing ammo on the cleaning table? That should never happen. Thank you

    1. William says:

      I see empty mags, but no ammo.

      1. S says:

        AMMO IS IN THE VERY TOP PHOTO

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