when cleaning your hand guns do you

Status
Not open for further replies.
i know you guys have seen this Glock tool but i thought that rather than to get the extended slide piece, i got this instead, and i like it. saved my fingers from getting messed up, which has happened to me.

. DSCN0783_zpscsaacipv.jpg

both the CZ and Glock has been completely cleaned and lubed just a short time ago. i know some of you have it down pat as far as time goes for cleaning and lubing, but i am a bit slower, if not only due to me being a newbie, but also, as back in my mechanic days, i try to be as thorough as i can be with anything that i do
 
Spats McGee said:
buddyd157 said:
do any of you have say for instance, a Dremel tool, and lightly buff out the feed ramp?
Click to expand...
Put the Dremel down and back away slowly. There are HORROR STORIES that begin with "I got out my Dremel." You do not need it during routine cleaning. Ever.
Click to expand...
Listen to Spats and many other members giving you truthful advise ... leave the feed ramp alone.

When my seasoned bullseye match shooting mentor was teaching me how to do 2.5 lb trigger job on my match 1911 pistol build and other gunsmith work when I started out shooting USPSA in the 90s, he told me to just use hand tools and manual "finger power" as power tools could remove too much metal (And you can't put metal back once you remove too much).

Since then, I have never polished feed ramps on pistols, not even for match shooting, as I figured factory engineers determined the feed ramp angle to be most reliable for feeding and chambering various type rounds (FMJ/RN to JHP/FP). So while I polished trigger metal-to-metal contact surfaces and even changed the profile of certain key parts (Like this Burwell posted M&P trigger job), I left the feed ramp alone and after 600,000+ rounds, have enjoyed reliable feeding/chambering of various factory and reloaded rounds in my pistols.

While many complain their 1911s will not reliably feed and chamber SWC reloads, my Sig 1911 with tightest chamber I have seen in my life, will reliably feed and chamber SWC reloads. Polishing the feed ramp too much to change the feed ramp angle will often make the feeding problem worse.
 
buddyd157 said:
glock 17
Click to expand...
I transitioned from 1911/Sig P226 to Glocks for USPSA and shot over 120,000 rounds through my first Glock 17. No polishing of feed ramp was needed to reliably feed and chamber factory ammunition and match reloads.

To better meet USPSA major/minor power factor requirements, I switched to 40S&W caliber and bought two Glock 22s and without polishing the feed ramp, they reliably fed and chambered match reloads on practice sessions that often ran 500 to 2000+ rounds in one session. I often shot multiple matches without cleaning my Glock 22s (which were left factory stock on a dare from my defensive shooting instructor who taught PD/SD SWAT teams) and they remained reliable for several thousand rounds of fouling build up.
 
Last edited:
i hope it has not been misunderstood (and it sounds like it was) the dremel tool (according to the video i posted) has a soft polishing cone, that the guy in the video used to polish the feed ramp.

now it was not mentioned to grind down the ramp.

i have not, and will not buy that piece to polish the feed ramp, and i do appreciate ALL the sage advice.

this is how i personally am learning, by asking the many questions that i do, as i want to gain experience from those that have dealt with many different situations.

again, this site is terrific, so many fantastic people willing to help a newbie, rather than to look and speak down to me..

thanks..!!!!!
 
buddyd157 said:
Glock has been completely cleaned and lubed ... due to me being a newbie, but also, as back in my mechanic days, i try to be as thorough as i can be with anything that i do
Click to expand...
Glocks and most modern firearms were designed and engineered with certain level of "tolerance" to accommodate fouling build up and self-cleaning features to operate reliably. In fact, 4 small frame rails are "self cleaning" of slide rail to clear debri as the slide cycles that could lock up pistols with full rails on frames and slides.

My "cleaning" of Glocks consist of brushing the barrel bore to remove fouling, wiping off fouling build up with paper towel (I use Viva exclusively) and use Hoppes #9 solvent only after several thousand rounds of fouling build up. Regular complete cleaning of Glocks is not necessary and even when I shot matches averaging 15,000-20,000+ rounds a year, I only did complete cleaning of match Glocks once a year.

Since you are a mechanic, treat Glocks and other modern firearms like fuel injected engines that don't require adjustments at oil change intervals unlike carbureted engine with points. Like car engines, guns have come a long way and are fairly maintenance free these days. ;):D

To demonstrate Glock's inherent designed and engineered reliability, when I bought my second match Glock 22, I threw it into a dirt berm burying it. After I shook it and cycled the slide a few times, I inserted my magazine and ran a match stage without issues. After shooting the stage, I asked "Any takers?" to the horrified look of other match shooters who tightly clutched their match guns with tight tolerances (which sometimes jammed even during a match and required cleaning) saying they were believers in Glock's reputation of being reliable. :)

I have done that demonstration several times and people are amazed as they thought guns had to be squeaky clean to operate reliably.
 
Last edited:
LiveLife said:
Glocks and most modern firearms were designed and engineered with certain level of "tolerance" to accommodate fouling build up and self-cleaning features to operate reliably. In fact, 4 small frame rails are "self cleaning" of slide rail to clear debri as the slide cycles that could lock up pistols with full rails on frames and slides.

My "cleaning" of Glocks consist of brushing the barrel bore to remove fouling, wiping off fouling build up with paper towel (I use Viva exclusively) and use Hoppes #9 solvent only after several thousand rounds of fouling build up. Regular complete cleaning of Glocks is not necessary and even when I shot matches averaging 15,000-20,000+ rounds a year, I only did complete cleaning of match Glocks once a year.

Since you are a mechanic, treat Glocks and other modern firearms like fuel injected engines that don't require adjustments at oil change intervals unlike carbureted engine with points. Like car engines, guns have come a long way and are fairly maintenance free these days. ;):D

To demonstrate Glock's inherent designed and engineered reliability, when I bought my second match Glock 22, I threw it into a dirt berm burying it. After I shook it and cycled the slide a few times, I inserted my magazine and ran a match stage without issues. After shooting the stage, I asked "Any takers?" to the horrified look of other match shooters who tightly clutched their "match guns" with tight tolerances saying they were believers in Glock's reputation of being reliable. :)

I have done that demonstration several times and people are amazed thinking guns have to be squeaky clean to operate reliably.
Click to expand...
thanks for the info..!!

yeah, back in my earlier years as a mechanic, i had "the right feel" with a feeler gauge to set the points. a fine touch to adjust the carbs. it took finesse.

(for the record) i started as a mechanic, for many years, switched over to truck driver, and retired last spring.

but i still like fixing things, and taking care of what i own, for long life and dependability.
 
PapaG said:
Working in a gun shop for quite a few years, the Dremel was needed a few times to smooth up feed ramps on certain brands of semi autos. Not a lot but I wish I'd taken pictures as some looked to have been cut with a horseshoe rasp. We got asked to clean hundreds of guns. Good money for little actual work. Never used a power tool other than on a few badly leaded shotguns and scotchbrite and Kroil did great things.
Click to expand...
Well, I plead guilty!
Once upon a time, I had a Taurus M94 I bought new. It had the absolute worst trigger I have ever felt on any gun. It was a chore just getting the firing pin out because of a nasty burr in the hole it traveled. The side plate and side of the frame where things rotated and rubbed looked like they had been shaped with 60 grit sand paper! I took some Flitz and a wool mop head in a dremel tool and smoothed things out. A touch to the bearing surfaces that rode on the side plate and frame and a very light dab of Kroil and all became tolerable. It went from needing all the strength in both hands for a double action trigger pull to a downright decent single action pull and a not-too-bad double action pull. Double action was immeasurably smoother. Not in S&W class, but pretty darn good for a budget revolver!

Sold it for a song and don't really miss it.
 
I own a Dremel and they are great tools, but belong very far away from my guns.
 
buddyd157 said:
i hope it has not been misunderstood (and it sounds like it was) the dremel tool (according to the video i posted) has a soft polishing cone, that the guy in the video used to polish the feed ramp. ...now it was not mentioned to grind down the ramp.
Click to expand...
I, for one, understood that. I still say "put it down." I also realize you didn't intend to 'grind down the ramp. That said, most modern firearms come from the factory well-designed and well-built. I know from your other posts and you're a brand new shooter, and I'd hate to see you mess up one of your first pistols because you got bad info from a YouTube video. And there's a ton of bad advice on YouTube.

buddyd157 said:
.... this is how i personally am learning, by asking the many questions that i do, as i want to gain experience from those that have dealt with many different situations.

again, this site is terrific, so many fantastic people willing to help a newbie, rather than to look and speak down to me..

thanks..!!!!!
Click to expand...
We don't mind the questions. Not one bit. And I'm going to brag on THR members just a bit: They always step up and answer New Shooter Questions.
 
Spats McGee said:
I, for one, understood that. I still say "put it down." I also realize you didn't intend to 'grind down the ramp. That said, most modern firearms come from the factory well-designed and well-built. I know from your other posts and you're a brand new shooter, and I'd hate to see you mess up one of your first pistols because you got bad info from a YouTube video. And there's a ton of bad advice on YouTube.


We don't mind the questions. Not one bit. And I'm going to brag on THR members just a bit: They always step up and answer New Shooter Questions.
Click to expand...
this is why i am asking many questions. the last thing i ever want to do is not only mess up any handgun that i have or will have in the future, but to get the longest, care free service life out of them. thanks again!
 
I clean my guns completely so seldom that i have to look online to see how to take them down:rofl:
Ok, that might be an exaggeration. I clean my CZ when it starts to not go into battery. And then it usually doesn't need cleaned, just lubed. Glock, maybe once a year. Ruger Mark III, absolutely never. Takes me an hour to put that damn thing back together.
 
I bought a second-hand Glock 23 a few years ago that had had the feed ramp dremelled. That concerned me enough, but when I checked the inside of the chamber the previous owner had run the dremel right up into the top of the chamber, leaving some nice gouging. Needless to say that barrel was quickly replaced.
 
klcmschlesinger said:
I clean my guns completely so seldom that i have to look online to see how to take them down:rofl:
Ok, that might be an exaggeration. I clean my CZ when it starts to not go into battery. And then it usually doesn't need cleaned, just lubed. Glock, maybe once a year. Ruger Mark III, absolutely never. Takes me an hour to put that damn thing back together.
Click to expand...

https://www.hammerstrutsupport.com/

Just get that.
 
On one hand, I don't find my Mk3 much of a pain after the first couple times.
On the other, I'm not a fan of a design that requires you to hold something at a certain angle and maybe give it a shake to reassemble it.

Edit: ahem, wrong thread...
 
Last edited:
More damage has been done to service-type pistols by over-aggressive/improper cleaning than undercleaning. IT IS NOT IMPORTANT to have things spotless. Getting aggressive in a quest for spotlessness is a good way to put more wear on parts than shooting puts on them.

And, as others have noted, polishing is removing a (hopefully) small amount of material. Many of us who are experienced with tinkering with our guns will polish certain internal surfaces of guns - once. Polishing is a modification, not maintenance.
 
theotherwaldo said:
I don't like to use anything that removes material in a radial pattern in something that is supposed to guide items in a linear fashion.
It only stands to reason... .
Click to expand...

Feed ramps generally have curvature in at least one axis.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Tallinar
  • Locked
Polishing mating surfaces on a SxS
Replies
6
Views
613
SGW Gunsmith
SGW Gunsmith
D
  • Locked
Polishing the feed ramp
2
Replies
34
Views
4K
Mizar
Mizar
1
  • Locked
Feed Reliability 3: The Throat Job
Replies
6
Views
1K
1911Tuner
1
Quoheleth
  • Locked
Springfield GI FTFs
Replies
10
Views
751
Quoheleth
Quoheleth
S
  • Locked
Is Breakfree CLP all you ever need to clean a gun?
2
Replies
36
Views
21K
bogie
B
Back
Top