Here are the things I do with each semiauto I shoot, after each firing:

1. Ensure the magazine is out and there is no round in the chamber.

2. Field strip the gun into its major parts - usually slide, barrel and grip frame. You may have some other parts out such as a slide stop - depends on the type of gun.

3. Put a properly fitting brass bristle brush on a cleaning rod, and dip it into a container of solvent; I have used Hoppe's #9 since I was a boy. The solvent helps to dissolve powder residue and copper or lead fouling resulting from bullets being pushed though the bore.

4. Thoroughly scrub the bore with the solvent-soaked brush. Best not done over anything you don't want covered with solvent spatters.

5. Run a tight-fitting dry patch through the bore a number of times. It will have dark streaks on it.

6. Repeat #4 as many times as necessary until your dry patch comes out relatively clean.

7. Using a patch with a few drops of preservative oil on it, run it through the bore several times to prevent corrosion.

8. Scrub the nicks and crannies of both the slide and the grip frame with a tooth brush to get rid of crud and powder particles.

9. Lightly oil the cam surfaces of the barrel and any annular rings that fit into channels in the slide, and/or the exterior chamber area of the barrel if that is used as a locking component.

10. A few drops of oil should be applied to the outside of the barrel and inside the opening of the slide or bushing that holds the muzzle of the barrel in the slide. Also apply some oil to the slide grooves in the frame and the rails on the slide.

11. Look for pivot pins and springs in the grip frame and apply minute drops of oil to allow things to move freely. Don't overdo it. You don't want oil to accumulate and congeal.

12. Reassemble your pistol and wipe it down with a lightly oiled rag. Be double-damn sure it's unloaded. Work the slide and the action to be sure everything works smoothly.

Be sure there is no round in the chamber and replace the unloaded magazine in the gun. Usually the magazine could use some brushing and very light lube inside it. A lightly-lubed patch on the cleaning rod can be used to push down the follower, or if you prefer, disassemble the magazine and do this. It's important that you not over-lube the magazine. A very light touch here - you do not want lube to run over into the rounds in the magazine. Lightly run a minimally lubed rag over the gun as a final step.

Put the gun away in a safe place - never store it in a leather holster - leather exudes chemicals that are not good for the finishes of guns.

Hope this helps as a general procedure. Your gun should be ready to go next time you want to shoot it.

John

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