Finishing cleaning the S&W .380 Shield EZ
By MARJ LAW
Last week, we talked to Ellen about cleaning her S&W .380 Shield EZ. She had been horrified to learn that she had to clean her gun more than once every two to three years. Actually, I think she really was afraid to fieldstrip her gun.
Once she learned to lock back the slide, flip the take-down lever to a 90’ angle, and move the slide off the frame, she learned that taking down her gun wasn’t such a big mystery after all.
“It makes sense to me,” she said. “The slide has to come off the frame. Now that you’ve got these two parts, you can see inside the gun. Once you see inside, you can spot all the places to clean. Makes sense!”
She notices: “We cleaned the ramp, and yes, it sure was dirty. I may have etched the metal a bit because the gun shooting residue had lasted so long there. But now, we polished it with Maas metal polish, and the ramp is all shiny again. Next, I dampened the snake with solvent and ran it through the barrel, making sure to drop the snake in on the ramp side of the barrel. The barrel is cleaned, the ramp is cleaned and let’s put the gun back together!”
“Not so fast, Ellen! We did clean the inside of the barrel with the snake, but now we have to clean off the outside of the barrel, too. Here, take this small square of T-shirt material and dampen it with solvent.”
“Can I use any old brand of solvent? Daddy uses Hoppe’s. Should I borrow his?”
“No, Ellen. Hoppe’s is good and has been used for years. However, many people have a reaction to its very strong fumes. It can cause watery eyes, sneezing, and runny nose. Almost any gun store will carry synthetic solvents. They also clean well, but they don’t seem to cause allergic reactions.”
I add: “Take the T-shirt square and clean all around the outside of the barrel. The ramp side is the beginning of what we call the breech block.”
“OK! Now that the barrel is clean all over, shall we drop it back inside the slide?”
“No, Ellen. We’re not done here. Before we put the barrel back in, notice all these grooves on the underside of the slide? Dampen a cotton swab. Now, wipe it all under where the barrel was seated. When it gets dirty, just throw it out and use another.”
“OK. I expect you want me to clean the other side too.”
“Good idea! See the hole where the firing pin comes out? Clean all around that.”
“Yuck. That’s really bad.”
“Clean all the grooves above the firing pin hole.”
“Those are bad too.”
“Keep using clean swabs until they come up clean with no black residue.”
“OK. Looks like we’re done here!” Ellen says triumphantly.
“Not quite! Now, see these grooves along both sides? These grooves are where the slide rides on the frame. Naturally, they need to be clean so both parts of the gun slide easily together.”
“Do I use more swabs?”
“Sure.”
“These grooves are nasty. See all the gunk I got out of them? But I’m not sure I’m getting all the stuff out with the swabs. They’re a bit wide. What else can I use?”
“You’re right! The slide grooves need special attention. We’ve found some plastic tools that look like something your dentist uses. Plastic, because they won’t scratch the metal. Dampen another tee-shirt square. Place the square over the groove, and, with the pointy end of this tool, run it along the slide rails. Some people use toothbrushes, and some have found other tools that work. The bottom line is, these rails need a thorough cleaning.”
“Are we done with the three parts of the slide yet?”
“Not quite. Take one more damp cloth and wipe down the spring. Good. You’re done with the slide.”
“Can I put the gun back together now?”
“No, Ellen. We’ve cleaned inside the slide, but we haven’t cleaned inside the frame yet.”
“Darn. I was afraid of that. So, where do we clean here?”
“Use your swabs and wipe down all the surfaces in the frame including the top of the magazine well.”
“This is sure taking a lot of swabs!” Ellen protests.
“Swabs are cheap, Ellen. When they get dirty, just throw them out!”
“I see rails here too, but they’re not so long as the rails in the slide. They want cleaning, too, don’t they?”
“You got it!”
“OK. I think it’s all clean. Time to put the gun back together again, right?” Ellen sounds hopeful.
“Close, but not yet. We have some greasing yet to do.”
“Why grease? Isn’t grease just going to add goo that could jam up the gun?”
“Well, sure. Too much grease is not a good thing, so we’ll be careful. Check out the barrel. Do you see any shiny places on the outside, especially the top of the barrel block? If parts are shiny when they should be blued, that means there is some wear at that location. Put some firearm grease on a piece of tee-shirt or on your fingers and smooth a very thin coat wherever you see signs of wear.”
“OK. Is that all?”
“No. We’ll grease the rails next. Remember, this is where the slide rides on the frame. Line the rails with a thin coat of grease. You don’t want too much or the excess grease will collect shooting debris, so wipe out the excess.”
“I suppose you want me to grease the slides on both the upper and the lower.”
“Exactly!”
“Now, finally, can we put the gun back together?”
“Sure. We drop the barrel back into the upper. Then, we push the spring onto the top of the barrel. Notice the spring has a curved side that fits into the curve of the barrel block.”
Ellen presses on the spring and fits it into the groove.
“Carefully align the upper and the lower so that the rails match up. Push the slide over the frame. Keep pushing until you can lock back the slide. After you lock the slide back, flip the take-down lever until it is parallel to both slide and frame. Release the slide lock lever. Now, squeeze the trigger. If you hear the click of the trigger, you’ve assembled the gun properly.”
“What happens if the trigger doesn’t click?”
“Then you take apart the gun and put it back together carefully. You might not have replaced the spring properly.”
“Well, I heard the trigger click, so I’m home free! Wait a sec. I’m home free! I did it! I field stripped, cleaned and lubed my gun! It took time, but it was easy!”
“I won’t be waiting two or three years to clean my gun again!”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.