Cleaning anything is boring, be it your house, car, or your gun. But unlike houses, cars and all firearms are mechanical devices and a product of an excellent team of engineers. Even as small as the safety knob a mechanical marvel. Some handguns include a second set of safety measures where if you do not grip the handgun tightly enough it blocks the hammer mechanism.
Not just the safety, even when you pull the trigger you release the tension in the hammer spring that you created during cocking. The only chemical reaction in the whole process is when the primer ignites the gun powders. After that, the projectile gains a spinning action to increase accuracy, which is also part of mechanics.
Just knowing the fact that a firearm is a mechanical device changes how you take care of your gun. Because we all know if a mechanical device like the car engine or a firearm if cleaned, lubricated, and taken care of will last a lifetime.
You require some convincing if you are actually asking “Why do I need to clean my firearm”. I believe this article will convince you and also help you understand the need to properly maintain your firearm.
Benefits of cleaning a firearm regularly.
The benefits of a clean gun are countless. The list below points out the major benefits of carrying a clean firearm, that will persuade you to clean your gun no matter how lazy or tired you are.
Safety
You do not want your gun to fire when you are carrying it in your holster. It may be is pointed toward your leg. But how will dirt cause negligence discharge of your firearm? Dirt usually causes the safety mechanism to malfunction. If you ever see someone handling a dirty firearm stay clear of where the gun is pointing because they would point at something while holding the gun without looking down the barrel and due to build-up pressure and negligence around could fire itself.
If you injure someone like that, oh boy, be ready to hire a lawyer and cough up cash. Avoid these problems by regularly cleaning your firearm.
Accuracy
A well-maintained firearm has less friction between moving parts than one that’s been neglected for months on end. A properly maintained firearm should shoot more accurately because there won’t be any buildup of carbon deposits from firing residue. These residues build up over time affecting the rotation that is applied due to rifling and affect the performance of the firearm.
Reliability
This is the opposite of negligence discharge. Imagine you targeted that possum and you are sure to have a clear shot, and you pull the trigger but nothing happens – Guns jammed. And much worse situations can arise, your primary self-defense gun not working when you need to defend yourself.
Durability
If you regularly clean and lube your firearm then rust can be easily avoided. Rusting occurs when moisture gets trapped inside the metal causing corrosion. This causes the surface area of the metal to expand making it weak. When this happens the metal starts breaking apart and eventually becomes useless. So by keeping your weapon free of dust and debris you prevent rusting.
You must have heard your friend say my dad owns his granddad’s rifle and it still shines like new with excellent accuracy.
Operation
When you carry a clean firearm you should feel confident about its operation. You don’t want to worry about whether it will work or not. Your want to focus on shooting and not go into panic mode thinking “Oh god what if it jams now!” and miss that golden opportunity for a bullseye.
A dirty gun can cause a few operational problems and not do the one this it is meant to do.
- Dirt can clog up the already tight space of the chamber and bullets not chamber properly.
- Or maybe the ejection system fails.
All this happens because of a dirty gun.
Think Again.
How often do you think about your vehicle before driving off? How many times did you check your tires before leaving home? Do you remember checking your oil level before starting your car? Or heat up your can before starting to drive, maybe you checked your battery voltage before turning on your lights?
Well, these things apply to guns too. Before shooting makes sure everything is working correctly. Make sure your magazine is loaded, chamber empty, slide locked back, safety engaged, etc…
It makes sense right? Why wouldn’t you want to keep your firearm clean? It can save your or your loved onces life. With regular maintenance and proper cleaning, a firearm can be used for generations.
Make a simple maintenance routine to avoid the build-up of rust and protect the metal components.
So why do I need to clean my firearm? To have it ready when you need it. If you are worried about how to clean a gun, I got you covered, click on this sentence.
