An acquaintance recently discovered that most of his officers were not maintaining their duty firearms properly when conducting a weapons inspection at his department. Police officers’ preferred weapons (such as Glocks and Smith & Wesson M&Ps) were especially in poor repair and had a distressing number of failures to fire and eject due to poor maintenance.
We’ll discuss how to take care of your Glock pistol so you don’t have to worry about this issue in the future.
Due to the dominance of Glock Holster in the law enforcement market, this information will also apply to similar striker-fired pistols, such as the Smith & Wesson M&P series, the Springfield XD/XDM series and the Sig Sauer P320. The rule will also apply to pistols fired by a hammer, though with a few modifications.
Table of Contents
Getting Started
Several general rules apply before we get into the details:
Consult your owner’s manual!
Because most cops don’t crack access to this, I know you haven’t yet! You should read your gun’s manual to discover how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble it according to the manufacturer. It’s a good collection, truth be told.
Safety rules must be followed!
Every time you handle a firearm, you must follow your agency’s firearms safety rules. To disassemble and clean your firearm, you must first safely unload or clear it according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer or your agency, and store the ammunition separately (preferably in another location) until you’re ready to reload it.
Protective measures.
To prevent contact with lead and other chemicals, wear safety goggles and disposable gloves. Make sure you have adequate ventilation where you are working. Whenever you are finished cleaning up, wash your hands and face with cold water and soap (cold water is better than hot, to prevent your skin pores from opening up and exposing you to more chemicals), to avoid getting any chemicals or residue in your nose, eyes, or mouth.
Cleaning Your Glock
There are a variety of cleaning products, tools, and methods available. Here we are discussing a simple method using common resources, so if you favor a different product or a different technique, feel free to go ahead with it * we are not trying to discourage you.
After you’ve donned your protective equipment and removed your weapon, proceed as follows:
Apply a solvent-soaked patch several times in the chamber and bore of the barrel, coating the feed ramp, the chamber, and the barrel’s interior evenly. Allow the barrel to soak for a few days.
Get out all the big stuff by wiping the interior of the slide with a dry cloth. Clean the interior surfaces of the slide rails and the breech face with a diluted toothbrush soaked in solvent. As you scrub, keep the muzzle end of the slide down to avoid getting solvent into the striker channel so that it stays dry.
With a dry patch or rag, clean the frame of your pistol. Clean the exterior and interior of the frame, as well as the accessible interior of the gun, of carbon, dirt, and other fouling. As well as wiping down the rails, trigger bar, ejector, and connector area (consult your manual for identification if you are not familiar with them).
Now that you’ve removed the big items, go back and clean the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush and a patch or rag. To clean off some of the fouling, you may need to apply a little solvent to the brush or patch. If so, make sure to wash all surfaces and don’t leave a bunch of solvent behind.
Use compressed air or an air hose to blow out the solvent from hidden areas if necessary.
Using a dry patch or rag, wipe the recoil spring assembly down. It shouldn’t require much attention * just make sure it’s clean and dry.
Then wipe off the carbon fouling and dirt from the magazine’s exterior with a dry patch. Clean the feed or follower lips carefully – a dry brush can be helpful here. You will want to disassemble the magazine and clean it, as we covered previously, if you are concerned about water, sand, dirt or other debris getting inside the magazine. You should clean your magazines periodically anyway, but you don’t have to disassemble them every time. It’s again important that you clean and dry your magazines. Don’t lubricate them or leave solvents behind to attract more dirt. Dry and clean.
Let’s go back to the slide. Clean and dry the interior and exterior with your brush. Scrub a little more with your brush, then wipe everything down. Use a toothbrush or non-marring tool (a plastic pick, wooden toothpick, or a Q-Tip paper shaft) to push a dry patch down into the rail, and wipe it clean from end to end. Several times may be needed. Breech faces should be clean and smooth, free from raised fouling (such as carbon rings or primer sealant). Scrub or scrape the breech face with a brass brush if necessary. Remove any gunk that has built up behind the extractor hook by cleaning the patch. The extractor will periodically need to be disassembled and cleaned, and the striker/channel as well. (Consult your department armorer for further information.) Lastly, wipe the exterior. Cleaning your sights and cleaning the extractor pocket will allow you to see the sights clearly.
Once again, it’s barrel time. After running several more times through the bore with the solvent-soaked patch, run several dry patches through the bore to remove the gunk and dry it. To clean up the feeding ramp, use a rag or dry patch (an old toothbrush may help, if it’s extremely fouled). Brush the barrel about 5-10 times with the bristle brush attached to the end of the cleaning rod. Scrub the barrel with an oily patch and use a dry patch to remove oils and suspended debris. Check the bore and chamber for cleanliness. Unless you get the desired results by repeating the process as necessary. With your rag, wipe down the barrel’s exterior, so that both the interior and exterior are clean and dry.