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Field stripping/lubricating new handgun


Illini2A312

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Just bought my first ever firearm a few days ago (S&W M&P 2.0 compact). Was going to clean it before I break it in at the range, but do I also need to apply lubricant before shooting as well (which requires field stripping per the manual)?

 

If so, since I'm new to firearm maintenance, would you suggest going to a gunsmith/instructor to learn how to do this (worried I'll take something apart and not put it back correctly haha) or is this usually easy enough to do as a DIY job even if you're unfamiliar with maintenance?

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In addition to light cleaning and lubrication, I strongly recommend the following steps to reduce the likelihood and/or severity of malfunctions:

 

1) Racking the slide a couple hundred times, which will relieve stiffness in the recoil spring.

 

2) Fully loading and unloading the magazines at least eight times, which will loosen up the mag springs.

 

I also encourage dry-firing as much as possible to better acclimate yourself to the trigger. It'll also smooth out and lighten the trigger pull.

 

Be sure to obey all safety protocols, and stay especially alert at ranges.

 

Good luck with your gun.

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One tip about lubricating is only lube the contact points and don't leave it dripping wet. The best way to do that is clean all the metal pats with a coat of CLP and then wipe them down.

There will be enough lube left over on the gun to keep it running just fine without any excess to attract carbon and fouling from shooting. Repeat that process after every time you take it out and shoot it and you should have no problems from that standpoint.

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All gooped up on gop !!!

 

http://www.illinoiscarry.com/forum/uploads/monthly_09_2018/post-3474-0-60680900-1535842694.jpg

http://www.illinoiscarry.com/forum/uploads/monthly_09_2018/post-3474-0-98139500-1535843766.jpg

http://www.illinoiscarry.com/forum/uploads/monthly_09_2018/post-3474-0-70087800-1535843852.jpg

post-3474-0-60680900-1535842694_thumb.jpg

post-3474-0-98139500-1535843766_thumb.jpg

post-3474-0-70087800-1535843852_thumb.jpg

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Just bought my first ever firearm a few days ago (S&W M&P 2.0 compact). Was going to clean it before I break it in at the range, but do I also need to apply lubricant before shooting as well (which requires field stripping per the manual)?

 

If so, since I'm new to firearm maintenance, would you suggest going to a gunsmith/instructor to learn how to do this (worried I'll take something apart and not put it back correctly haha) or is this usually easy enough to do as a DIY job even if you're unfamiliar with maintenance?

yes

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One tip about lubricating is only lube the contact points and don't leave it dripping wet. The best way to do that is clean all the metal pats with a coat of CLP and then wipe them down.

There will be enough lube left over on the gun to keep it running just fine without any excess to attract carbon and fouling from shooting. Repeat that process after every time you take it out and shoot it and you should have no problems from that standpoint.

This^ Your manual will tell you the contact points. Use just a small drop on each and rack the slide a few times to spread it around. I use synthetic motor oil, but everyone has their own preference for lubricant. When too much lube is applied it leaks out of channels and attracts dirt where you don't want it.

 

The plastic fantastic 9mm's have generous clearances between the slide and frame so they run great with little need to break them in.

 

Try not to get any cleaner or lube into the firing pin channel. Keep the channel dry.

Plastic fantastics also have a number of passive safeties built in which is why it's so much more important to keep everything else dry. It used to be you had to worry about slam fires if you gummed up a firing pin. Now more likely if you gum up all the passive safeties you'll have a gun that won't fire when you need it to.
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I agree that it's a solid practice to fully clean off the 'preservative' manufacturers put on firearms to help them survive lengthy storage and apply a bit of lubricant du jour.

 

After my over 5-1/2 decades of shooting I sincerely don't think it much matters over the long haul what specific lubricant that is, noting that bear grease IS kinda stinky and bacon fat will attract flies, so you might want to avoid those - lol

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There's one part that you want to lube heavily on a new gun, and that's the locking block. LOTS of lube on that part. Once it starts to wear in, probably around the 1K-2K mark, you can start tapering off on the lube.

 

Almost every time I've seen a Tupperware gun malfunction, it's because there wasn't enough lube on the locking block.

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Thanks guys, this was helpful.

 

 

I agree that it's a solid practice to fully clean off the 'preservative' manufacturers put on firearms to help them survive lengthy storage and apply a bit of lubricant du jour.

 

After my over 5-1/2 decades of shooting I sincerely don't think it much matters over the long haul what specific lubricant that is, noting that bear grease IS kinda stinky and bacon fat will attract flies, so you might want to avoid those - lol

I did end up wiping down the outside of the pistol/exterior of the bore/in the chamber with some cotton wipes I got from the gun store, and passed a bore mop (dry) through the bore itself. Per the manual, it at least seems that this would be enough to get most of the preservative off before firing (or would you suggest being more thorough)?

 

2) Fully loading and unloading the magazines at least eight times, which will loosen up the mag springs.

Would it be ideal to get some practice (inert) ammo for this? It's still tough for me to load up the mags so I'd like to practice this more often.

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Just bought my first ever firearm a few days ago (S&W M&P 2.0 compact). Was going to clean it before I break it in at the range, but do I also need to apply lubricant before shooting as well (which requires field stripping per the manual)?

 

If so, since I'm new to firearm maintenance, would you suggest going to a gunsmith/instructor to learn how to do this (worried I'll take something apart and not put it back correctly haha) or is this usually easy enough to do as a DIY job even if you're unfamiliar with maintenance?

yes

 

Thanks, I suspected this but wanted to confirm. Just out of curiosity, has anyone here had any trouble putting their firearm back together/firing at the range after a field strip?

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Thanks guys, this was helpful.

 

 

 

I agree that it's a solid practice to fully clean off the 'preservative' manufacturers put on firearms to help them survive lengthy storage and apply a bit of lubricant du jour.

 

After my over 5-1/2 decades of shooting I sincerely don't think it much matters over the long haul what specific lubricant that is, noting that bear grease IS kinda stinky and bacon fat will attract flies, so you might want to avoid those - lol

 

I did end up wiping down the outside of the pistol/exterior of the bore/in the chamber with some cotton wipes I got from the gun store, and passed a bore mop (dry) through the bore itself. Per the manual, it at least seems that this would be enough to get most of the preservative off before firing (or would you suggest being more thorough)?

 

2) Fully loading and unloading the magazines at least eight times, which will loosen up the mag springs.

 

Would it be ideal to get some practice (inert) ammo for this? It's still tough for me to load up the mags so I'd like to practice this more often.

A MagLULA is your friend!

 

Also some manufacturers will have videos and FAQs on their web site under support to help you through basic maintenance

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  • 2 weeks later...

Agreeing with all the advice above. Every polymer handgun I own came with an instruction manual, including recommended lube points. I'm personally partial to Hoppe's Gun Oil myself, but that's just me.

 

If you ever do decide to go to the Dark Side of the Force and pick up a 1911, they like to run wetter than a striker-fired gun.

 

One more thing: I'd steer clear of any teflon or synthetic lubricant on the locking block/slide for the first 1000 rounds or so. Local gunsmith said that teflon/synthetic lubricants are actually TOO slippery - they lubricate so well that they don't let the firearm actually break itself in by doing all the little micro abrasions along the slide grooves/locking block/etc. Take the advice for what it's worth, but this guy's proven himself to be right in other instances, and the claim itself makes sense on it's face.

 

Bri

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Just out of curiosity, has anyone here had any trouble putting their firearm back together/firing at the range after a field strip?

 

Sure have, not all at the range.

 

Older Springfield XD with the flat on the barrel for the guide rod (later changed to a rounded cutout).

If the guide rod gets pushed off center during assembly the slide will get completely locked up. Requires a box end wrench and hammer to fix.

I knew this was an issue when I bought the gun, but figured if you are too stupid to put the gun together you shouldn’t own it.

Was a fairly common issue when Springfield started importing them.

I have done it twice in 10 years.

 

Also have a shield that has something funky with the take down lever, when it pops out of place during reassembly it is a real bear to get it back into position.

It is not supposed to pop out of place.

 

My other shield is fine as are all the other shields I have handled, and between me and my other instructor that is a bunch of shields.

 

It has only happened 2 or three times over the years and it is my fault for not figuring out what is out of spec and fixing it.

I hate to say I am not even sure which shield it is.

 

And losing small flying pieces. Some guns have little pins that you can lose and springs that like to fly away. I like to keep spare parts around for guns with these issues.

 

Don’t worry though, you have one of the easier guns to disassemble with a captive take down pin and recoil spring.

 

Just know that shields are notoriously tight guns when new, they really benefit from shooting/dry firing.

And exercising the mags.

 

If you have issues loading the mags, get the uplula loader, never read a bad thing about them, except for the knockoffs.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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One more thing: I'd steer clear of any teflon or synthetic lubricant on the locking block/slide for the first 1000 rounds or so. Local gunsmith said that teflon/synthetic lubricants are actually TOO slippery - they lubricate so well that they don't let the firearm actually break itself in by doing all the little micro abrasions along the slide grooves/locking block/etc. Take the advice for what it's worth, but this guy's proven himself to be right in other instances, and the claim itself makes sense on it's face.

 

Bri

This is why I tend to run everything new on the light side of lubricant. There's a lot of components you want to wear in, especially on guns that state they have a recommended break in period in the owners manual. After that I follow the manufacturers recommendations of drops at specific points.

 

With most modern guns excessive dirt tends to be a bigger enemy then underlubing. Overlubing attracts the most dirt.

 

https://youtu.be/hx8i5x7vSvo

 

The better we get at material sciences the less lube guns will need, to the point where you'll be eventually able to run them dry. One of many companies offering this aftermarket https://robarguns.com/custom-firearm-finishes/np3/

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A good non migrating oil used sparingly is a wise move after cleaning. "Non migrating" basically means it stays put and doesn't leak away after application like most older style lubes do.

 

Slip 2000 works superbly and has an operating range of @ -150* to +500* and the grease is great on rifle bolts. Lucas Oil products are every bit as good and don't allow carbon build up.

 

One of the most important things to do other than cleaning is to run 500+ rounds through it to wear in the working parts and ensure reliability.

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