# First successful strip and clean - couple of questions though..



## Bigbites (Apr 7, 2013)

NO.. not talking about me.. talking about the PPQ !

Thanks to some awesome advice frome my forum-mates... I decided to get my hands dirty and give it a shot.
As a first time pistol owner.. I have to say, taking the Walther PPQ M2 apart and cleaning it was pretty easy.

I have a couple of questions for the pros though: 

1. Is it necessary to use the wire brush on the bore if you clean the gun after every use? Is it possible to get it clean enough just using patches?
2. For Lubing the barrel what do you all prefer? Using the mop attachment or just using patches?

I have seen a ton of opinions on the best cleaners and lubes.. My first cleaning kit uses HOppes Elite cleaner and oil.. I want to try Froglube at some point.. but curious what your favs are.

Thanks again guys for all the support and help..

Bites.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*1.* If you've shot it, use the bronze brush. If you've shot lead through it, use the bronze brush a lot. (Bronze won't erode steel.)
*2.* Lube the bore with a tight-fitting patch. You want to leave only a very thin film of whatever miracle goo you're using, and a mop will leave too much.
*3.* As long as you do it frequently, do it carefully, and do it thoroughly, you could use _3-in-1 Oil_. No miracle preparations are necessary. (I use Ballistol.)

Since Jean and I are getting old, we use Neutrogena on each other. For aged people, it's better than _3-in-1 Oil_. :yawinkle:


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## Bigbites (Apr 7, 2013)

Steve.. thanks man!
I was going to use the Mop but chose to go with the patch..


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Follow the advice given in post #2 above and your firearm will be fine. I use a combination of brass and nylon brushes, starting with the nylon to loosen things, then finish with the brass. For my first few passes with a brass brush, I use a rifle caliber brush (for 9mm, I use a .270 brush) wrapped in a patch soaked in a powder solvent/bore cleaner. Yes one could say this emulates the bore snake but I can tell you it does a very good job pretty quickly.

When you field strip your gun to clean it, run a soaked patch (loosely, not tight in the bore) through the barrel and then set the barrel aside while you clean the rest of the gun. When you are ready to clean the barrel, the powder solvent/bore cleaner will have had some time to loosen crud and cleaning will be easier. As for lubrication, that depends upon how that gun is going to be used. If it is a carry gun, I don't use oil... I use a quality dry lube (Hornady's One Shot) or a quality silicone spray (CRC). Oil attracts dirt, dust, and debris on carry guns so that is why I do what I do.


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## Bigbites (Apr 7, 2013)

Im still learning what solvents are best and whats out there.. the Hoppes is what was readily available so I grabbed it... Im gonna start looking around for a good solvent to clean with as I blow through this first bottle.

I did what you suggested Southern.. but i don't think had enough cleaner in the bore.. that said I only fired the gun one time at that point so it wasn't terribly dirty (approx 50 rounds).


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Bigbites said:


> Im still learning what solvents are best and whats out there.. the Hoppes is what was readily available so I grabbed it... Im gonna start looking around for a good solvent to clean with as I blow through this first bottle.
> 
> I did what you suggested Southern.. but i don't think had enough cleaner in the bore.. that said I only fired the gun one time at that point so it wasn't terribly dirty (approx 50 rounds).


You're going to find that as you get into this world and increase your collection of handguns, some just seem to get dirtier than others. This is due to their design. For example, Glocks don't seem to get as dirty as quickly in their internal parts as do M&P Smiths. Same for Browning Hi-Powers. All this means is that you have to adapt your cleaning methods to each individual gun. The Glock and Kahr barrels utilize polygonal rifling which just happens to be easier to clean (for jacketed ammo) than the tradition lands and grooves used by most manufacturers.

I suggest that you try to develop a system when cleaning your guns. Make sure it works and does a good job, but try to develop a system to which you can adhere when doing this. It will help you in the end.


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## Zahnarzt (Jun 6, 2021)

Reviving an old thread here. Regarding proper cleaning of the bore, makes me nervous to run those brass brushes down the inside of the bore. They seem awfully abrasive. Worried I’m going to damage the rifling, no?

Although I have appropriate sized brushes, I’ve relied instead on a cable with brass-end loop that holds patches. Seems to work well with Breakfree CLP. 

Other thing that I don’t quite get…I’ve read and watched video that state the importance of cleaning the bore from breech to muzzle, and not the reverse, so as to not damage the rifling. So how is this possible when using a jag or brush. You can insert from the breech-end, but you have to pull those instruments back out in the reverse direction. How is that not damaging to the bore? At least with a cable or bore snake, the motion of the instrument thru the bore is only in the correct direction.


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