Cleaning the SIG

[Warren]

I'll be bringing the SIG P220 on Tuesday and I will want to strip and clean it.

So I'm asking the experts here what they have found to be the best methods of cleaning their SIGs.


Is there anything different/special about cleaning a SIG I should know about?

Should I clean the mags?

I already have an Outer's kit for 9mm (so I need to buy the .45 brush and mop) and Breakfree and Hoppes. I'm thinking of picking up a boresnake as well.

Anything else I need?

Anything you would advise against in terms of cleaning tools or chemicals?

Thanks,

Here2Clean

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

the grips of a sig hold the guts in the thing...
be careful not to loose those springs ...
you'll see when you get it apart...

 

[WheelMan]

I've got a 226 for what that's worth. The frame is aluminum (I assume the same on the .45) so keep that in mind if you are eyeing your steel brush.

I just cleaned it today in fact. It's easy to strip .You know people say that a lot but really most all pistols are easy to strip, I think what they really mean is that it's not a barreta, or 1911.

Anywho I just swab the barrel out, wipe down the surfaces with hoppes and put a drop of CLP in the hammer and trigger area. I also shooters choice the rails, I don't know how much that helps, but I do it to all my autos.

I generally don't remove the grips when I get back from the range, but he's right there are some innards under there that you don't want to lose.

I don't clean the magazines, I don't think I've ever cleaned a magazine. I suppose if it ever has a problem I will.

 

[OrdnanceOutseller]

I've sunk more hours into cleaning my 220 than I want to know about.

Field strip it. I immerse my barrel in acetone while I clean the rest.

Take off the grips and keep them away from cleaning fluids. Especially Hogues - they have a tendency to swell in the presence of cleaning products, and they get a bit tough to put back on that way.

I first blast the 220 frame/internals with carb cleaner.

I take a toothbrush and soak it with Ed's Red. I give the internals a good brushing, cleaning off the toothbrush (in the tub of acetone my barrel lies in) and reapplying Ed's Red after every few scrubs. Repeat until clean, repeat with slide and guide rod/recoil spring assembly.

Then, I take a few Ed's Red-soaked q-tips and run them along the frame and slide rails. The rails get SHOCKINGLY dirty, and you cannot see the dirt until you wipe the rails off with the q-tip. Weird.

Hit that hard to reach trigger area on the inside of the frame with q-tips as well.

Blast the whole thing again with carb cleaner to get off the excess oils. Wipe it all bone dry with a rag.

Now that that stuff is immaculate and dry, take the barrel out of the acetone. Clean the barrel as you would any other, and give the feed ramp a nice gently abrasive rubbing. Carb cleanerize it, wipe it dry.

Now you have a dry gun. Apply a DROP of CLP in all the recommended areas (frame rails, barrel, inside top of slide, etc.)

Reassemble, work the action several times, and wipe off excess oil. Takes me nearly forty-five minutes , dammit, but I'm a perfectionist.

 

[OrdnanceOutseller]

Additionally, I recommend AGAINST the boresnake. I have one, and it doesn't do anything that a nice brush and a few cleaning cloths won't. Kinda pricey, also. I've stopped using it, pretty much. It'd be a different story if they were white, but as it stands I think I get more fouling in my barrel than out of it with my boresnake - you can't tell how much dirt is on the dang thing.

 

[Dienekes]

I took their armorer's course some years back. The 226 was the subject but the 220 is the same for all practical purposes.

I would not be pulling the stocks off routinely. Cleaning it is no different than any other similar semiauto. Make sure you get the breech face and extractor hook area clean. Instead of blasting it with some product I would just dampen Q-tips in solvent and clean up the crud and residue with those. I use a "scaler" (basically a dental pick--Brownell's has them) a lot. A decent steel rod and proper jags will suffice. Real patches are getting hard to find and a lot of what is out there is synthetic junk. If you have to order good cotton GI patches from Brownell's. I am not a bore-snake fan. As to lube, anything basically slippery like the old 3 in 1 stuff makes it run fine. We're not talking high tech here. Just lube the camming surfaces and rails and wipe off any excess when done.

I used to detail strip officer's 220s once a year on principle. Very time consuming as both the slide and the frame are a bit of a challenge. When it comes time for those I would now dunk them. Didn't have that capability then so did it the old-fashioned way.

 

[Ala Dan]

I use only Break Free CLP for cleaning and lubricating my vintage
West German SIG P220 and P228; as lead fouling is not a problem
in these weapons.

Advice: if you handload, and use lead bullets keep them to a
maximum of 1,000 fps and lead fouling won't be a problem.

 

[Warren]

Thanks all.

 

[JNewell]

One caution: do not use Simple Green on the frame. It can damage the finish, which is important to reduce wear and tear.