Surprise on cleaning a gun
“Will you help me clean my Ruger Mark IV?” Sally asks Joe and me. “It won’t shoot. I’ve heard that .22 rounds are dirty, so I guess it means my gun is gunked up and it’s time to clean it.”
“Sure! We’ll have a cleaning party!” Since Sally is a good friend, we add: ‘And then we’ll have dinner! So, come about 4. Bring your cleaning supplies and we’ll have ours out too, just in case you need something. By the way, when did you clean that Ruger last?”
There’s an uncomfortable silence.
“Well… like… never?” Sally is sheepish. “I’ve shot it a lot because it’s so easy and fun.”
“And how long have you had this gun?”
“Um. Let’s see. Maybe a year and a half?” Now Sally is downright embarrassed.
There’s nothing to say. Sally knows she should have cleaned it earlier, and she knows we know it too.
It sounds stupid, but I kinda like a really filthy gun. It’s much more interesting to clean a super dirty gun than one that really needs a light cleaning.
We’ve set up on a Corian counter. You can hardly hurt Corian with solvents, like you can wooden or glass tables. If you’re going to clean a gun, make sure your surface is impermeable to solvents. An outdoor wood picnic table covered with a cleaning mat is much safer than your dining room table at home.
Trust me. I found that out myself a long time ago and still regret it.
I cover my mats with paper towels. They don’t protect a surface, but make for easier cleanup.
On the mat, we have made a foil container for used Q-tips and cotton patches. We have a tiny bowl for solvent.
Aiming it in a safe direction, Joe dumps the magazine, then pulls the bolt back. The three of us peer into the ejection port, ramp, and chamber. Yes, it is all black, black, black. The port has something that looks like mud in it, the ramp is black, and you can’t even see into the chamber.
Joe presses the take-down button. He separates the upper from the frame.
We pull out a big box of Q-tips.
“Why’d you get such a huge box?” asks Sally, seeing me dump a large handful on the mat. “You’ll never use all those!”
I smile.
We have the frame, upper assembly containing the bolt, recoil spring and barrel.
“Let’s start with the frame,” says Joe. He picks up a swab and dips it in the solvent.
“Now Joe,” I begin. “Let Sally do this so she’ll remember how.”
He hands the swab to her. “We’re going to clean this until the swabs come out without any black on them.”
Sally begins. Right away, her swab is caked with black.
“Yuck,” she says.
“Keep going,” advises Joe. “Just keep using swabs and throw them away when they’ve got the black.”
Sally keeps on. While she’s working on the frame, Joe shows her that he takes a bit of cotton cloth dipped in solvent to clean the recoil spring. He uses a toothbrush to get between the coils and wipes the spring again after the toothbrush has loosened bits of shooting debris.
Sally is stuck.
“I’ve used a pile of swabs, but I can still see crud in the corners and around the ramp.”
“That’s good so far. Now, try this.”
“It looks like a plastic dental pick!” she exclaims. “Wouldn’t a metal one be sturdier?”
“It might, but we don’t want to take the chance of scratching the gun.”
“That makes sense, but how do you dig out the dirt?”
“We take a piece of cotton, like old T-shirt material. We dip it in solvent, then place it over the gunk and swipe the corners with the pick. Eventually, you’ll get it completely clean. Use these headlamps so you can see clearly. Yes, you’ll look dorky, but the light will help you to see if you’ve cleaned it all.”
Meanwhile, Joe has picked up the barrel while Sally tries to slide in the snake. It doesn’t go through the barrel.
Joe takes a flashlight to look through it.
“Hm,” he says and he turns the barrel around and flashes the light from that end too.
“I can’t see through the barrel,” he states. “Marj, do you have a dowel small enough for a .22?”
I hand him the wooden dowel, and he pokes it down the barrel. Something clinks on the counter.
“It’s a bullet! It was lodged just far enough into the chamber so that we couldn’t see it. No wonder your gun wouldn’t shoot!”
“Could that be dangerous?” wonders Sally.
“Yes, it could. You were very lucky,” says Joe.
He picks up the bullet and inspects it.
“It’s not round. It’s oval-shaped,” he notes. “What kind of ammunition are you using?”
“Oh, I saved a lot by buying a big bucket of ammo.”
“This bullet could have been somewhat crushed and misshapened in the bottom of the bucket,” he mused.
“Is that a problem?” wonders Sally.
“Yes. It could have been a huge problem. If the bullet is lodged in the chamber or the barrel, don’t attempt to shoot again.”
“So, what do you do?”
“Never pull the trigger if the slide does not fully close to prevent a possible out of battery firing. If the slide doesn’t fully close, point the gun in a safe direction, drop the magazine, lock the bolt open, and examine the chamber to make sure there is no obstruction,” Joe replies.
“In addition, the use of dirty, corroded, too hot, or damaged cartridges may lead to a burst casing and consequent damage to the firearm and to the person handling the gun. Be careful, too that you don’t get oils, lubricants or solvents on the cartridges. They can penetrate the cartridge primers.”
‘’This time, Sally, it looks like the problem was a damaged bullet.”
“So, just using cheap ammunition can cause this?”
“Yes, cheap ammunition that is damaged, or a load that is too ‘hot’ for your gun.
“How will I know right away if there’s a problem?”
“You might notice that the trigger and/or the bolt binds, you may see unburned grains of powder in or around your gun, or you may hear a shot that sounds weak or abnormal,” says Joe. “You want to pay close attention to what your gun is doing.”
“And,” I add, “A friend taught me to count every time I shoot. It helps to know how many rounds you’ve shot off and helps you to listen more carefully to the report of your gun.”
“I’m getting afraid to shoot my Ruger,” admits Sally.
“Don’t be,” reassures Joe. “But get rid of your cheap, bulk ammunition. Spring for the name brands like CCI or Winchester Super X; just to name a couple.”
“Does that mean I’ll never get an obstruction again?” asks Sally.
“It’s far less likely,” says Joe.
“But Sally, you’ll still have to clean your gun.”
“Drat.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
