Hi folks, I’m making my first firearms purchase on Sunday!
I’ve had close friends advise me to clean a new firearm first before firing it, and other friends say it’s just fine to shoot a few rounds right after purchasing.
Please break this tie, LGC, should I shoot or clean?
I’ll clean it afterward regardless.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
2Guns are shipped with oils and greases designed to prevent corrosion, not primarily designed as lubricants.
That said, I wipe the chamber and bore of a new gun dry, mop up any excessive oil it was packed in (they're often very greasy) and go shoot. Maybe my answer splits the difference.
That said, I wipe the chamber and bore of a new gun dry, mop up any excessive oil it was packed in (they're often very greasy) and go shoot. Maybe my answer splits the difference.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
3If you buy a new pistol out of a store today, it's generally ok to just take it out of the box and shoot it. If this is a military surplus packed in cosmoline, you better clean it first.
When in doubt, clean it first. The worst that can happen is you waste 15 minutes doing it.
When in doubt, clean it first. The worst that can happen is you waste 15 minutes doing it.
Glad that federal government is boring again.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
4If it's a sig, clean it. They use like cosmoline or something...
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
5Thanks for the feedback. I should specify it’s my M&P 2.0 in 9mm I’m anticipating. Good point about excessive grease. I did note some oil and buildup around the scalloping on the slide, but no slimy blobs.
Picking up Sunday.
Can’t hurt to clean and dry fire a bit before going live.
Picking up Sunday.
Can’t hurt to clean and dry fire a bit before going live.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
6Clean it and oil it. Why take a chance on a new pistol?
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
7All three gun shops I've purchased from have a range, and give me an hour free when I pick up. So I've shot first and cleaned later so far.
-Kat
Illinois Chapter President
LGC Certified Instructor, Intro to Pistol and Range Safety
Illinois Chapter President
LGC Certified Instructor, Intro to Pistol and Range Safety
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
8I didn't clean my Sig P320 when I got it as the LGS is a range as well. The only problem I had was getting the Romeo1 red dot dialed in--an RSO helped me with that.
I didn't smell cosmoline and that stuff really stinks, too.
But, if you're have any gunsmith work done because you're LGS is your FFL for an out-of-state purchase, you'll want to check it VERY carefully before you shoot it. My Kel-Tec Sub2000 comes with a threaded barrel, a no-no in NJ, so it has to be pinned. The gunsmith was SO careless he had the pin running too deep and it obstructed the barrel chamber! Fixed it myself...
I didn't smell cosmoline and that stuff really stinks, too.
But, if you're have any gunsmith work done because you're LGS is your FFL for an out-of-state purchase, you'll want to check it VERY carefully before you shoot it. My Kel-Tec Sub2000 comes with a threaded barrel, a no-no in NJ, so it has to be pinned. The gunsmith was SO careless he had the pin running too deep and it obstructed the barrel chamber! Fixed it myself...
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
9If it looks clean inside I shoot them. If it looks dirty or greasy inside I clean them.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
10Yup. Clean it. Bond with it before you shoot it. Then clean it after you shoot it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
11I clean every new gun and relube it with premium lube before I shoot them. The "stuff" that most new guns are coated with are preservatives (as already mentioned) and generally are not all the good at lubricating surfaces.
Will the gun be ruined if you pull it out of the box and shoot 50 rounds? Nahhhhh. That'd be hard to believe. I just have had great luck with all my guns running good CLP in 40+ years. No rust, no wear, no issues.
My routine works for me so I recommend it to others.
VooDoo
Will the gun be ruined if you pull it out of the box and shoot 50 rounds? Nahhhhh. That'd be hard to believe. I just have had great luck with all my guns running good CLP in 40+ years. No rust, no wear, no issues.
My routine works for me so I recommend it to others.
VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.
I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
12Definitely clean and oil before shooting. Shooting a new pistol full of cosmoline is like standing behind a car that is burning oil. Cosmoline is a petroleum based rust inhibitor.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
13Thanks for all the great feedback. You’ve helped me a lot. I’ll be spending a bit of quality time with the weapon before putting it to work on the range
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
14All guns I buy are full detailed before I shoot them. It gives me a picture of how everything work in the gun and I then know the gun is improperly lubricated.
I have found wood shavings, metal filings, dirt, Styrofoam bits, and dead ants in new firearm. I found a 20 in the butt stock of a old lever guns I bought with a 1949 date on the bill. That was pretty cool
I have found wood shavings, metal filings, dirt, Styrofoam bits, and dead ants in new firearm. I found a 20 in the butt stock of a old lever guns I bought with a 1949 date on the bill. That was pretty cool
It's time to elect leadership not re elect it.
Drain the swamp!
Drain the swamp!
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
15That's pretty neat! But I have to wonder: who hides money in a gun?zzrguy wrote:I found a 20 in the butt stock of a old lever guns I bought with a 1949 date on the bill. That was pretty cool
106+ recreational uses of firearms
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
16I found a pistol, holster, & extra ammo hidden in a just delivered broadcast transmitter.
Subs
Subs
"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
17Don't let the ATF know.SubRosa wrote:I found a pistol, holster, & extra ammo hidden in a just delivered broadcast transmitter.
Subs
What are you going to do with them?
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
18Hickok has the answer:Eris wrote:That's pretty neat! But I have to wonder: who hides money in a gun?zzrguy wrote:I found a 20 in the butt stock of a old lever guns I bought with a 1949 date on the bill. That was pretty cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZbdoqrAnWQ
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
19Inspect, clean lightly, dry and shoot.
Pre shoot fondling and after shoot fondling is an important part of the bonding process. Get a laserlyte practice cartridge and practice dry fire.
Pre shoot fondling and after shoot fondling is an important part of the bonding process. Get a laserlyte practice cartridge and practice dry fire.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
20I'm pretty sure in 1949 that $20 and a lever gun was a pretty potent bug out talisman. Between the buying power of $20 and the intimidation power of a decent lever gun a guy could get on for weeks with that combo.Eris wrote:That's pretty neat! But I have to wonder: who hides money in a gun?zzrguy wrote:I found a 20 in the butt stock of a old lever guns I bought with a 1949 date on the bill. That was pretty cool
My Wife's family were all farmers and law men in small towns in America. A pistol/rifle and $20 was a big deal when some of those guys considered that a months wages in real cash money. And a gun means you can always get more....$20 buys a lot of ammunition in '49.
VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.
I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
21It wasn't uncommon to hide money in a gun. Old west gunfighters (post 1873) are said to have kept a bank note in the 6th cylinder of their guns (firing pin on the hammer they didn't carry with six shots loaded) the money was to pay the undertaker or in case of emergency. A lever gun with a bill from 1949, the previous owner may have been old enough to have caught the end of the "wild" west.
Never smile too big, the gods may mistake it for hubris.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
22My guess would be that the lever gun owner was a hunter who had to travel a good distance to hunt. What if you dropped your wallet while walking in the woods, had it stolen from your vehicle, lifted from your pocket in a bar, etc? No ATM or credit cards back then. Twenty bucks in the Fifties would have bought a lot of gas and meals on the way home, plus a night in a motel.
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds
I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.
I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
23Yeah... good point.
My google-fu says $20 in 1950's equates to $208 today! Damn! Grandpa dropped a small fortune in that gun when he forgot.
Speaking of getting lost in the sticks, you think this thread has wandered off enough from the OP to be interesting yet?
My google-fu says $20 in 1950's equates to $208 today! Damn! Grandpa dropped a small fortune in that gun when he forgot.
Speaking of getting lost in the sticks, you think this thread has wandered off enough from the OP to be interesting yet?
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
24Purchased from a pirate broadcaster?SubRosa wrote:I found a pistol, holster, & extra ammo hidden in a just delivered broadcast transmitter.
Subs
Member, LGC
Re: New factory pistol, shoot first or clean first?
25I don't mind thread drift, as long as the original topic has been exhausted.
Speaking of cash, until recently I dislike carrying money, because card is so much more convenient. By paying with plastic I avoid jingling small change, and I get 2% cashback for every transaction. I began carrying cash again as an emergency measure, in case of electricity failure.
The amount of emergency cash? $200. It's large enough to cover most emergencies on the road, but not large enough to cause heart attack if lost or stolen.
Speaking of cash, until recently I dislike carrying money, because card is so much more convenient. By paying with plastic I avoid jingling small change, and I get 2% cashback for every transaction. I began carrying cash again as an emergency measure, in case of electricity failure.
The amount of emergency cash? $200. It's large enough to cover most emergencies on the road, but not large enough to cause heart attack if lost or stolen.
Glad that federal government is boring again.