PBD-TV Episode 22: How to Clean Your Beretta M9A3

Cleaning and maintaining your guns preserves their functionality and value, and keeps them safe and accurate. The effort and attention you put into maintaining your firearms will pay off in peace of mind that your guns will do what you need them to do. Good maintenance habits help you know your gun better, and have more confidence in its performance at the range or in the field.

Firearms, like any other things, undergo wear and tear after prolonged use. One of the main cause on why you should regularly clean your gun is to monitor the state of the small hidden parts of your weapon. Early awareness of cracks and metal edge can make a difference in a live or die situation. It is estimated that dirty guns cause 80-90% of malfunction and blockages. Dirt, rust, wear and tear are the number one enemies to proper gun functioning. Regular cleaning will ensure that these are detected early, and whatever parts need replacement are attended to in good time.

The following are reasons why regular cleaning and proper maintenance of your firearm is critical.

Preparation is key to a good job. Choose a work area that is well-ventilated, well-lit, organized and clean. Outdoors or in the garage is best. If you must work indoors, choose a large indoor room, and try to work near an open window. Your work table should be sturdy. It shouldn't rock or move when you lean on it. Avoid tables with wheels or casters. The dining room table or the kitchen counter is not the best choice, because you don't want to contaminate your food with chemical solvents, gun oil copper, lead or carbon fouling. For the same reason, you shouldn't eat or drink while you work. 

Once you have chosen an appropriate work space, remove all ammunition from the area. All loose and boxed ammunition should be returned to its proper storage place before you start. Only after that is done should you get out your gun and make sure that it is clear. If the gun has extra magazines, make sure they are empty as well.

Pay a little bit of attention to your weapons. This will go a long way in preventing a whole lot of issues and prolong its life. Simple maintenance procedures can save your life and that of your loved ones.

Cleaning Procedures and Safety

• Always check to make sure your gun is unloaded before cleaning.
• Inspect your gun as you clean. Check your firearms for wear and cracks when you clean. Consult a qualified gunsmith for any necessary repairs.
• Don't disassemble your gun more than necessary. Refer to owners manuals for instructions. Only disassemble gun to the point needed to reach areas where powder residue and fouling accumulate (bore, chamber, bolt, etc.).

Recommendations:

• Use a vise to secure your firearm to save time and work.
• When using Pro-Shot 1-Step Gun Cleaner & Lubricant, let the solvent set for 15 minutes so the penetrating agents and additives can break down and lift up fouling.
• The jag is the most superior way to remove fouling from the bore because it gives the patch constant pressure against the bore when cleaning versus dragging a patch through the bore with a patch holder.
• Use the appropriate size brush or jag. Our brushes' and jags' are caliber specific.
• We recommend the use of a muzzle guard and bore guide to center rods and to reduce fouling from entering the action.

Steps In Cleaning A Gun

1. Select a well ventilated area for cleaning

Make certain that the room you choose for cleaning has good air circulation. The reason is solvent fumes in firearms are toxic and could make you sick. Also, the room must be spacious enough to keep the parts of the gun separate. A well ventilated, spacious area will allow room for toxic pollutants to get out from the room and help you to do the job in less time.

2. Always wear an eye protection

A chemical might splash on your eyes or a spring could come off of the gun. This can be dangerous to your eyesight. So put on safety glasses first before you start with the cleaning procedure.

3. Use a tray

Many guns have tiny parts such as springs and pins. If you lose any of these parts while dissembling, you might not be able to reassemble the gun after cleaning. Using a tray will help you to not lose these tiny parts in the carpet or flooring.

4. Unload your gun

Always take some time to unload the firearm. Double check to ensure that it is unloaded each time you pick it up for cleaning. Note that your gun may still have a bullet that is ready to fire even after removing the magazine. So check it out and remove the bullet.

To do this, open the chamber and look through the barrel from back to front. Confirm that no round (bullet) remains inside, either in the chamber or stuck in the barrel. You just can't say that a particular gun is unloaded unless you have looked through the barrel thoroughly.

5. Disassemble the gun as per the instructions of the manufacturer

While disassembling firearms is not a big deal, you ought to read the manufacturer's manual in case you have any questions related to disassembling. Bending a part of your weapon is the last thing you would like to have in your mind due to ineffective disassembling. So check the instruction manual and adhere to the directions to avoid any problem while removing the parts of the gun.

6. Use the right cleaning products

Remember that cleaning firearms is not a simple chore. Also, you need special items to clean the gun properly. Never use home cleaning products for cleaning a firearm; you will end up creating a mess. Instead, buy special solutions meant for cleaning guns. In this way, you will avoid any problem and ensure that the cleaning chore is done effectively as required.

7. Clean the barrel with cotton patches and a cleaning rod

Soak the inner part of the barrel with the help of the cleaning rod, suitable cotton patches and patch holder. If possible, start from the back side of the bore. In case that is not possible, use the muzzle guard. This guard keeps the rod from hitting against the muzzle, which might eventually cause your firearm to malfunction.

To clean the barrel thoroughly, insert a solvent-soaked patch through the bore's one end until it comes out of the other end. Remove the patch from the exit end of the weapon. Do not pull it back because pulling it back will redeposit the residues you just clean off.

8. Alternate the patches and bore brush to scrub the barrel thoroughly

Next, attach the bore brush after removing the patch holder. Move the bore brush back and forth along the full length of the bore three to four times to loosen dirt and debris. Now reattach the patch holder and push cotton patches (solvent-soaked) all through the bore. Remove the patches when they come out from the front. Do this process until a cotton patch comes out completely clean. Finally, push one more patch of dry cloth and ensure that there are no debris and dirt left inside the barrel.

9. Lubricate the barrel

Apply some drops of a gun lubricant or conditioner to the cotton mop. Add this mop to the cleaning rod. Run the rod through the bore to apply a light coat of gun oil in the inner part of the barrel.

10. Clean, lubricate the action with a solvent

Put some solvent on the gun brush, and brush all of the parts of the action smoothly. Use a clean cloth to wipe and dry the parts. Next, lubricate the moving parts of the action. A light coating prevents rusting; so apply the lubricant gently.

11. Clean the magazines

When you clean your weapon, clean the magazines you have used in the last 500 rounds. This avoids jamming of bullets in magazines. Also, cleaning magazines is pretty simple and do not take much time. So make sure you clean dirt from magazines too.

12. Wipe the rest of the gun and reassemble your firearm

Use a flannel cloth that is pre-treated with a silicon lubricant to wipe the gun. This will remove any leftover debris and add shine to the weapon. Finally, assemble the parts of the gun, and test it out without a bullet to ascertain that everything is in order.

Bottom line

Properly cleaning a gun after every time it is fired is imperative. Failing to do so can hamper your shooting skills. It can also lead to some kind of undesirable accidents resulting from poorly taken shots. The good news is you can avoid any such situation by cleaning your gun properly. Aside from time, you need to put sincere efforts to clean your firearm properly. If you are really serious about cleaning and maintaining your firearm, follow the above tips and you will be able to sustain your gun in good condition.

How Often Should You Clean Your Firearm

There is a lot of controversy over when you should clean your firearms. While a lot of the discussion may come down to personal preference and orderliness, we have to keep the main purpose in mind. A dirty firearm can most certainly effect the way a firearm functions. A dirty magazine can cause failure to feed malfunctions. Failure to feed refers to the inability for a cartridge to enter the chamber. A dirty extractor can cause problems with casing extraction. Improperly oiled internals can wreak havoc on trigger operation. If any of these things happen to you in a deadly force situation it could prove catastrophic. Additionally, rust can form on parts of your firearm from being in contact with perspiration. We all know rust and firearms don’t mix. When caring for your firearm, preventive maintenance is always easier than having to do a major cleaning.

Whenever you fire any ammo with corrosive loads, it’s definitely time to clean afterwards. Most modern ammunition doesn’t fall into this category, but older military surplus ammo most likely does. Corrosive loads leave behind chemicals that will eat away at the metal in your guns, which is not good. Another situation is if you choose to shoot cheap ammo. This type of ammo usually has dirty loads that leave behind a lot more residue in your barrel when fired. Medium to more expensive ammo will usually shoot cleaner these days. The more gunk you have in your barrel over time can begin to eat away at the metal.

Of course, any time you put a lot of rounds of any sort through your firearm, you will definitely be due for a cleaning. Even if it’s high quality ammo, over many rounds there’s no way to avoid collecting gunk in the firearm.

Cleaning your firearms after every time you shoot is probably impractical for most of us. Most would recommend cleaning your firearm after a certain number of rounds. Some firearms are better at functioning dirty and some ammunition leaves more debris, making your gun dirtier than others. A safe happy median would be to clean your firearm every 250 or so rounds. You can’t over clean your firearm, and if you desire to clean it every time you shoot it, you won’t be doing any harm. 

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Gun Cleaning Materials