Detail Strip and cleaning

[molonlabetn]

What brand? Please provide more info.

Sharpertek Ultrasonic Cleaners & Ultrasonic and Steam Jewelry Cleaners

I use it for everything... guns, tools, car parts. It's awesome.

[peejman]

Yes I disagree with this, if proper tools and technique are used for removal then I don't see an issue. If you grab pins with pliers and pull them out and use the wrong tools, techniques and booger things up then yes you have a point. I have 1911's that are 20 years old have thousands and thousands of rounds thru them and have been detailed and cleaned ever 500 to 1000 rds. They have been properly lubed and cared for, there is not appeicable wear on pins or holes especially from disassembly and reassembly. As for screw or bolt wear, I take the grips off of my 1911s after ever range trip because I clean after every trip. I have never had a grip screw or bushing wear out, and over the years thats got to amount to 100 of removals and reinstalls.

Do you measure the pins and holes with appropriate micrometers at every disassembly and record the data for trend analysis? In my line of work, we do.

Is that level of detail appropriate for firearms? Maybe not. However, saying "they don't wear" is incorrect. The amount of wear may be insignificant for proper function. Forgive me, I'm a bit anal sometimes...

[Hgunner]

No I don't mic them, I'm not that anal, so they've worn a infintesimal amount that is totally insignificant to the fit and proper function of the firearm. I'll take that over a dirty, gunked up sluggish running firearm any day.

[molonlabetn]

On the other side of the coin... some firearms run just fine without detail stripping, I recall the XD-9 Tactical I owned and shot the piss out of went easily 8K rounds with zero cleaning at all aside from external wipedown and boresnaking the barrel; it never malfunctioned (even when the striker retaining pin broke, it still kept running). I regret selling that gun now.

[Guest mikedwood]

I like to see how things work also.

More so on long guns than pistols but I have detail stripped an AK and a Mossberg 500 (the trigger group was a monster to get back together) that had some pretty rusty springs deep in there and no sign of rust anywhere else. I'm very glad I did strip them.

On my handguns I usually do it one time at least just to see and know the gun a bit better.

So far except the trigger group on the Mossberg the worst has been simply field stripping my Ruger Mark III that last step is just an iron clad B1T^&. Sometimes it goes quickly, sometimes not.

[Guest bart_p]

None of my firearms have ever been detail stripped, and I run them all about as hard as ammunition costs allow me to. I keep my weapons as clean as not detail stripping them will allow. The parts that I cannot reach with a brush get a generous spray of Powder Blast and then compressed air. I then generously lubricate those parts and allow gravity to do its job. After an hour or two I come back with compressed air and blow out any excess lubricant and reassemble. It has worked very well for me so far and until I get into the more intricate designs in firearms (1911 for instance), I see no need in doing anything different.

Bart

[Guest mikedwood]

After about 2000 rounds through it I detail stripped my G19. It wasn't really that bad. It extractor was a filthy mess other than that it would have went much longer.

It was easy and fun to do though.

[Mad_Squirrell]

I'm gonna bridge the gap on the argument of detail stripping causing harm or not. If the mechanical device is stripped down and cleaned regularly no harm will be done other than the possibility of losing or breaking things in the disassembly/reassembly .But a mechanical device that goes through long periods of use then is disassembled /reassembeld using the same parts problems can emerge. Over time moving parts wear to the amount of sludge or dirt build up surrounding those parts if then the machine is broken down ,cleaned then put back together the parts will fit together more loosely thereby creating increased slop between them which thru continued useage afterwards accelerates the wear. So you guys that detail strip in regular intervals your fine . But if you buy a used pistol thats had thousands of rounds through it and never had been detail stripped leave it alone clean as much as you can without fooling with all the intricate stuff otherwise you might just be rebuilding it sooner than later. Hope this clarifies a lil'

[Guest gcrookston]

I don't detail strip unless necessary. Occasionally I get a an old neglected gun that needs it, but that's the exception, not the rule. Sig in their owner's manual indicates it is unnecessary.

With Cosmoline stored weapons that have sat for decades, it's necessary.

I don't detail strip the engine in my car every time I need to clean it, why would I consider doing the same to my firearms? I only field strip at 500 rounds/1 yr, whatever comes first. I unbed my M1a/m21 once a year for cleaning.

I read a DOD report some years ago (late 90's), that reported that over the preceding 2 decades the USMC cleaned more guns out-of-service than they actually wore out by shooting them...

Edited April 10, 2010 by gcrookston

[strickj]

I

I don't detail strip the engine in my car every time I need to clean it, why would I consider doing the same to my firearms?

Because a gun doesn't take two mechanics with a lift and a cherry picker over a weekend...

[Guest gcrookston]

Because a gun doesn't take two mechanics with a lift and a cherry picker over a weekend...

I see the principal of scale applies, not wisdom. Cool. Won't go there. Except to say because I don't need two bubbas and a cherry picker I'm going to take it apart when it only needs cleaning... for why? plees splane it to me Lusi, cause I done unerstand?

Edited April 11, 2010 by gcrookston