Top Care and Maintenance Tips for Your Concealed Firearms

Typically, most shooters are guilty of under-maintaining their concealed firearms. Some think that it never gets dirt by firing only one round. Others push them to the limits by going for a thousand rounds a week without proper cleaning and still think they can take another 1000 rounds provided they lubricate it.

But your concealed firearm needs routine cleaning with a gun cleaning solvent to improve its safety, reliability, and overall performance. Each firearm type has maintenance requirements, depending on how long it has been in service and the number of rounds fired.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got the best-concealed carry firearms or not; they are all affected by environmental factors even more than range-only firearms. Keep in mind that you carry them close to your body and expose them to all manner of moisture and sweat.

Besides, they accumulate lint and dirt that can create a bore obstruction or foul an action. Sometimes, you bang concealed firearms into things, making them shake and vibrate with your every move. Not to mention the ambient temperatures or body heat that quickly dries up all the lubrication.

Here is what you need to do to keep the concealed firearm in good shape while enhancing its performance.

You need to give your firearm a 60-second check daily to ensure that all of its parts are in perfect condition and don’t require additional attention. Check if there is a round in the chamber and the magazine seats correctly. Also, closely look at it to spot any corrosion or rust issues, protruding lint clumps, or a slide-in battery.

Most importantly, ensure that the firearm has secured sights, firm grips, tightened screws, a dry holster, and perfect attachment points.

Whether you have used your firearm or not, ensure you disassemble it weekly to wipe down the firearm thoroughly with a gun cleaning solvent from Armory Den and lubricate all its moving parts.

But avoid overdoing it; apply a light lubricant using cotton swabs or designated applicators to keep your firearm from becoming a lint magnet. It’s best to do it weekly because it enables you to stay with a light coating as you will keep reapplying the lubricant before it evaporates or moves to less helpful areas.

Also, check to ensure the firearm barrel doesn’t have lint balls. If it has an internal locking device, confirm it is in the firing position. You wouldn’t want the action to become locked when you need to defend yourself with the firearm.

Once you finish the cleaning and lubricating procedure, reassemble it and perform a function check. You can rack the slide and dry fire it to see if it is functioning as required.

Use a rag to wipe any unwanted lubrication and wipe down the metal parts with a lightly oiled cloth. If you spot rust, use an oily rag to wipe them aggressively. You may have to rub heavier spots with #0000 steel wool and gun oil. But ensure you avoid heavier steel wool and scrubbing pads as they can damage the firearm’s finish.

After going to the shooting range, do a weekly cleaning regimen alongside bore scrubbing and power residue removal from the action. Even if you only fired once, you must clean and inspect your concealed firearm.

Check if you can find broken-off little metal pieces or shavings and examine the extractor for chips. Moreover, inspect the chamber face to see if any primer sealant is blocking the firearm firing pin channel.

Dip the brush in a gun cleaning solvent and punch the bore to scrub it moderately. Use copper solvent after several rounds to eliminate powder and copper residue build-up. If you always shoot lead projectiles, use a designated cleaning kit to clean out the lead.

With continual use, the firearm springs wear out and require a replacement. Springs mostly wear out due to repeated cycling or being compressed for an extended time. But before you replace your springs, ensure you refer to your firearm’s user manual to know the recommended recoil spring replacement interval.

Going to the shooting range with a worn-out recoil spring causes the slide to cycle harder and faster than a new one, leading to increased wear and stress on the parts. The quick cycling may also affect the magazine spring, making it delay to push the subsequent round-up.

The work of revolver carriers is to ensure that the barrel’s forcing cone area and the cylinder face are clean. However, carbon can accumulate on them, making the cylinder fail to close when reloading or bind during a shooting.

You need to check the cylinder timing by closing any empty cylinder into the firearm and dry firing it. Hold the trigger to the rear as you do that. During the discharge process, it will replicate the action position, and then you should twist the cylinder side to side to confirm if it has excessive play.

If it moves beyond a few thousand of an inch, it may cause the projectile to start hitting the barrel side and the frame. As a result, it may wear on the frame, cause spitting lead, and affect accuracy.

Never overlook the support gear when running maintenance on a concealed firearm. Regularly inspect the magazine holsters, Kydex holsters, folding knives, firearm belts, and white light gear.

If you possess a firearm-mounted light, replace the batteries each time you swap out ammo. All firearm-mounted lasers need to have fresh batteries yearly.

Also, examine holsters to ensure the snaps are properly functioning and the mounting straps remain solid. To confirm if the adjustable tension will retain the firearm, place it unloaded in the holster, turn it upside down over an empty bed, and give it a thorough shake. If the tension falls out, adjust it.

Replace your concealed firearm ammunition every three months. Try shooting it at a range to see how it performs, then change it in your firearm while sparing magazines. Having fresh ammunition is like cheap insurance.

Whether you have been firing or not, your concealed firearm needs regular care and maintenance to keep it in good working condition until the time you need it most. Cleaning your firearm with a gun cleaning solvent further improves its performance and safety.

Ensure you master and adhere to the daily, weekly, and firearm parts maintenance routines to keep everything in check. If you’re looking for the best gun cleaning solvent, visit armoryden.com for the best deals.