# What cleaning kit for use on Sig 226?



## gnet158

Hello,

I just picked up a Sig 226 (40 cal) this past weekend. While going over the owners manual it said I should clean it before it's first use. Are there any cleaning kits or separate products that you've used on your 226 that you can recommend?

Thanks!


----------



## SaltyDog

Any general cleaning kit will work. I purchased the Kleenbore kit as it has everything you need to get started http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/lawkits.html You can change to different oils/cleaners later if you want.


----------



## tekhead1219

SaltyDog said:


> Any general cleaning kit will work. I purchased the Kleenbore kit as it has everything you need to get started http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/lawkits.html You can change to different oils/cleaners later if you want.


+1...also Hoppes will work. Just a good general kit will serve your purpose well.:smt033


----------



## gnet158

Thanks for the replies, I do have another question. I was on YouTube watching a guy clean his Sig 229 9mm. This guy took cleaning his Sig to the extreme. He used this stuff call Breaker something; he had 4 different brushes (2 nylon, 1 brass, 1 soft metal), and let stuff soak for hours. Is that the level of cleaning I need to do every time I clean my gun? Or should level of cleaning be considered one a year, kind of like detailing your car?


----------



## literaltrance

gnet158 said:


> Thanks for the replies, I do have another question. I was on YouTube watching a guy clean his Sig 229 9mm. This guy took cleaning his Sig to the extreme. He used this stuff call Breaker something; he had 4 different brushes (2 nylon, 1 brass, 1 soft metal), and let stuff soak for hours. Is that the level of cleaning I need to do every time I clean my gun? Or should level of cleaning be considered one a year, kind of like detailing your car?


Wow.

No...I personally do not think you need four brushes to clean a bore....ever.

Then again, depending on how often you shoot, cleaning a handgun once a year could be pretty negligent! Actually, I take that back. Cleaning a gun once a year is negligent regardless of how often you shoot. Your firearm deserves more periodic attention if for no other reason than to prevent rust, or address it in its early stages if it is found. It may not need a bore scrub but a light coat of oil never hurts and it can be done quickly.

My rule of thumb is, if I am going to shoot it, I set aside an hour after shooting to clean it. You're fortunate with a Sig as it's very well-built in regards to cleaning; there are not a whole lot of hard-to-get areas inside the frame and slide.

This is my list of cleaning gear:

-Hoppe's #9
-barrel rod (for the bore brush)
-brass bore brush
-cloth loop attachment to the barrel rod
-Qtips (for the hard-to-get areas, and lubing slide rail guides)
-toothbrush or nylon brush
-Tetra Gun Grease
-RemOil
and my most recent addition to my cleaning arsenal:
-plastic toothpicks/flossers (these things are amazing!!!)

This is my routine:

1) check firearm to make sure it is NOT loaded
2) field strip firearm
3) drybrush barrel with brass bore brush a few times
4) attach cloth loop to rod, insert cloth, soak it with Hoppe's, stick in the barrel (let it sit for the duration of cleaning other firearm parts)
5a) use Hoppe's-soaked cloths to wipe down inside and outside of slide
5b) use Hoppe's-soaked Qtip to get to smaller areas of the slide, especially the slide rails
5c) use plastic toothpicks to get to the "impossible" areas of the slide...the area behind the extractor hook and corners of the breech face are perfect examples...LOTS of caked crud can build up there
5d) wipe down slide with dry cloths once slide-cleanliness is satisfactory
6a) use Hoppe's-soaked cloths to wipe down inside and outside of frame
6b) use Hoppe's-soaked Qtip to get to smaller areas of the frame, especially around the hammer and trigger mechanisms
6c) wipe down frame with dry cloths once frame-cleanliness is satisfactory
7) disassemble mags and wipe down with cloth, use Hoppe's sparingly if at all, on the mags (mags aren't subject to high pressures like the slide, barrel, and frame, thus it's really not needed... also, leaving even trace amounts Hoppe's in loaded mags can cause live ammo's copper and brass to oxidize.... no good!!!)
8a) remove rod from barrel, it's done soaking
8b) attach Hoppe's-soaked bore brush to rod and scrub bore
8c) attach cloth loop with a dry cloth to rod and wipe down bore
8d) repeat 8b and 8c until bore cleanliness is satisfactory
8e) inspect corners and crevaces of the locking block and chamber looking for the same caked crud which collects behind the extactor hook, use a combo of plastic toothpicks, Hoppe's and cloth to remove
9) wipe down all firearm parts to remove Hoppe's
10a) apply gun grease to all metal slide, frame, and barrel contact points (this stuff works VERY well; a little goes a long way)
10b) apply oil to smaller trigger/hammer/striker components (RemOil will spread from the applied surface to other attached surfaces very quickly; one drop on the trigger mechanism and one drop on the hammer mechanism is more than enough...the excess will have to be wiped down after some dry firing).
10c) apply 1-3 drops of oil to a dry cloth and use it to coat the inside and outside of the mags
11) assemble the mags
12) assemble the weapon
13) rack the slide and dryfire the weapon a few times to let the lubes even out within the firearm, and using the cloth from 10c, spread the excess oil from the trigger/hammer areas to apply a light, even coat to all external metal surfaces of the firearm

Once you get into the habit of the routine above, or something similar to it, cleaning a handgun can be done in less than an hour. Obviously this is not an end-all-beat-all guide to cleaning guns (ex: Glock trigger mechanisms are mostly polymer so there's no reason to apply oil to them), but this works very well for me. Maybe I'm obsessive about keeping my firearms clean but they're in great shape and statistically, they have NEVER failed me.


----------



## gnet158

Thanks for the detailed post. I intend on cleaning my gun after every trip to the range. I’m just looking for advice on either buying a cleaning kit or building my own. 


The video I seen on YouTube to me was more like waxing your car every time you cleaned it, over kill. This guy was very very meticulous.


----------



## Growler67

Just buy a generalized kit. You'll be replacing brushes and swabs and such over time and as such you'll be "customizing" it eventually. Patches are disposable and oil gets used up. You'll be fine.


----------



## Todd

Pick up a Bore Snake, http://www.hoppes.com/products/ca_boresnakes.html , to replace the rod and brush. Great little addition to the cleaning kit.


----------



## dblshred

Have you seen the maintenance videos on the Sig site? On the left of the homepage go to customer assistance>maintenance guides. You may be surprised how basic and non-fanatical their recommendations are.


----------



## oak1971

Bore snake, CLP, q tips for rails, grease on the rails. Done.


----------



## gnet158

oak1971 said:


> Bore snake, CLP, q tips for rails, grease on the rails. Done.


Would that be Break-free CLP? Thanks.


----------



## oak1971

gnet158 said:


> Would that be Break-free CLP? Thanks.


Yep.


----------



## SaltyDog

Also check out the SLiP2000 products. I've been hearing quite a few good reviews about this stuff especially from some "good" armorers.


----------



## Blanco720

be sure to check the manual that came with your sig, or look it up online. it should have the manufacturers recommended clean and maintainance schedule in it if im not mistaken.


----------



## gnet158

SaltyDog said:


> Also check out the SLiP2000 products. I've been hearing quite a few good reviews about this stuff especially from some "good" armorers.


Sig uses Slip2000 lube. But I'm confused? On the Slip2000 web site they it lists it as a CLP. Is this one product all I need to use to Clean, Lube, and protect my Sig?

In the Sig web side maintenance video's they used Hoppe's #9 to clean the barrel and let it soak. After it sits for a while they wipe it clean and use Slip2000 as a barrel lube. But if Slip2000 is a CLP then shouldn't they use it instead?

The reason I'm looking at Slip2000 is because they list Sig as a manufacture that uses it. And if I can use one product to Clean, Lube, and Protect my Sig then all the better.

http://www.slip2000.com/users_manufacturers.html


----------



## SaltyDog

They use the Hoppe's #9 to clean out the bore of the barrel which not only cleans all the carbon, copper, and other 
contaminants but it also degreases removing oil build up. Then you apply the CLP or SLiP2000 to relube the bore and to clean the rest of the weapon. Additionally I also use an oil to lubricate the friction points as pointed out in the Sig manual like the slide.

Me I use a copper cutter to clean the bore and CLP for the rest of the weapon. Then put just a little oil on the friction points (metal on metal) SLiP2000 also has a copper cutter.
I just want to use up my other lubes before switching over to SLiP2000.:mrgreen:

Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against Hoppe's or any other product out there - In my shotgun days shooting 1,000's of rounds in my Remington 1100 for trap and hunting I used Hoppes exclusively and had no problems with that gun which I sold after 10 years of use. :smt022 (I wish I still had that shotgun)

Improvements are made and products like SLiP2000 come out.


----------



## babs

About the same for me as far as procedures, but after hoppes 9 clean-up and wipe-down I use militec-1 currently on slide and outside and top of barrel. Considering slide-glide too for giggles but happy with the militec-1.


----------



## gnet158

Thanks to all who replied. I purchsed a cleaning kit from Slip2000. It arrived Friday and I cleaned my Sig P226 and my wifes new XD-40. I took my time. We went to the range today and I cleaned them up again. This time it was much fasters now that I know that I'm doing.


I've decided to use Hoppe's #9 for the barrel, and Slip2000 everywhere else. After putting about 100 rounds thru her today she had plenty of lube left, but I wipped it off and clearned her again aways.

Thanks!


----------



## babs

Now here's a question for the pro's.. 

I went to the range Saturday (concealed carry class.. yay!). So I cleaned the P226 that night, soaking the barrel in with patches of Hoppes 9. 

I go back clean clean clean with bore snake w/ brush, then patches (chamber to muzzle) until dry and no residue. I think, let's try a dab of militec-1 on a patch and see what happens... A completely new run of patches with crud on them, indicating the hoppes 9 didn't break it up and remove everything from the bore.... hmmm

I figured the hoppes 9 would have been the far better cleaner, but a little dab of the M-1 showed me there was more crud to remove from that bore.

... is this some revelation to go to something different for bore solvent?


----------



## gnet158

Same thing happend to me, eihter with or with out a long soak of Hoppe's #9. I'm intrested in what the pros have to say.


----------



## dblshred

Firstly, I am anything but an expert! I avoided Hoppe's #9 because of the reputed odor (wife's nose is very sensitive). On the recommendation of one of my class instructors, I went with M-pro 7 products. They make a general gun cleaner (for carbon), and a separate copper cleaner. The advice is to use the carbon cleaner in the bore first, then the copper remover. I was under the impression (reminder: noob here) that Hoppe's #9 was a copper cleaner. Maybe the residue that you are seeing is carbon (copper residue should be greenish). Also, I was taught that a bore-specific jag is the best for cleaning. The jag with a patch fits very tightly in the bore, so it really scrubs out the bad stuff. That's my <2 cents worth.


----------



## babs

Used the jag.. I started with a snake after running wet patches through to soak, then went to the jag w/ patches. I hear a lot of guys here using CLP.. I might try it after this bottle of hoppes 9 runs out.


----------



## SaltyDog

I'm no expert either but I have been cleaning and shooting pistols and shotguns for about 15 years combined and can tell you Babbs you are way over cleaning. You're going to change that 9mm to a .40 S&W:anim_lol:

The bore snake is used as a quicky way to clean a weapon if you are at a shoot and you want to clean your weapon before dropping it back in the bag. Great also for our troops in the field. Me I've never used one. Not saying they are bad I just use a cleaning rod.

As dblshred mentioned I would run a carbon and copper cleaner thru the bore or you can use CLP. Just make sure you use some type of solvent to breakdown the carbon so it does not build up in the bore. As mentioned before Hoppes #9 is a cleaner and degreaser which removes lead and carbon fouling as well as degreasing. Me I use the Kleenbore copper cutter which does it all.

Now when you clean a bore as gnet158 saw in the Sig video - you swab the bore with the wire brush then with Hoppes #9 (this is what they used) and let it soak for a while (I let mine soak much less than they stated). Then run a few clean swabs thru it and lubricate (if not using a CLP) then WAHLAH! you're done. That's all there is too it. 

Now if you went back and ran a clean swab thru it after all this was done will you show some more contamination? Obviously yes. Do you need to get it perfectly squeeky clean NO. You could do this over and over and over and still get some deposit off of the steel.

If you are cleaning the weapon according to that video at the Sig website you are cleaning it correctly.:smt023


----------



## babs

hehe.. Well I wanted a larger caliber someday but that wasn't what I had in mind as the way to do it. 

Yeah I'll quit being lazy and using the snake as a bore brush. The bore looked pretty darn slick though once I did the final wipes with the jag and patches to dry.

Just curious.. Anyone got links to that vid? Don't see any vids on Sig's site.. Are you referring to another? youtube maybe?


----------



## dblshred

The Sig maintenance videos can be found on their site by going to customer service>maintenance guides. They do seem unnecessarily hidden.


----------



## literaltrance

babs said:


> Now here's a question for the pro's..
> 
> I went to the range Saturday (concealed carry class.. yay!). So I cleaned the P226 that night, soaking the barrel in with patches of Hoppes 9.
> 
> I go back clean clean clean with bore snake w/ brush, then patches (chamber to muzzle) until dry and no residue. I think, let's try a dab of militec-1 on a patch and see what happens... A completely new run of patches with crud on them, indicating the hoppes 9 didn't break it up and remove everything from the bore.... hmmm
> 
> I figured the hoppes 9 would have been the far better cleaner, but a little dab of the M-1 showed me there was more crud to remove from that bore.
> 
> ... is this some revelation to go to something different for bore solvent?


Well I am no pro but I've been using Hoppe's for several years (you can make that over a decade if you include the times I used to help Dad). I've definitely noticed Hoppe's isn't entirely thorough from time to time. It seems to be most lacking when it comes to polygonal-rifled barrels. I can scrub a barrel for an hour straight and not get all of the crap out using Hoppe's exclusively.

One time I accidentally let used cloths sit overnight after I extensively scrubbed a polygonal barrel with Hoppe's. The next day I noticed copper oxide (blue-green crap) on cloths at the top of the pile. From this I've concluded that Hoppe's is suitable, but not best for getting rid of copper fouling.

If I'm not mistaken the P226 has a threaded barrel so it may not be the same thing. Still I think it's worth checking. See if you can get more dirt out of the barrel when you think you've got your barrel clean and let the cloth sit overnight. If it is blue-green the next day, then you've got some copper buildup in your barrel which can be more efficiently cleaned with something other than Hoppe's.


----------



## babs

Checked out the vids on Sig's site...
Very cool! Though I would have thought it a mortal sin to ever run a brush muzzle to chamber, but he was going back and forth in that video..

His barrel bore procedure was:
1. brush dry
2. patch solvent
3. grab a donut, a few minutes to soak.. 10 or so.
4. brass jag w/ patches till scrub until dry/clean
5. lube then patch till dry

Good stuff.. nice to actually SEE someone do it. Not that it's anything hard, but his reassembly functional check I learned something about the disconnect check. cool beans. :smt023


----------



## SaltyDog

Great!! Yea I do the same thing with the brush.:mrgreen:

One other thing I do that they didn't is while the cleaning solvent is in the bore I run the brush thru it again before cleaning with swabs.


----------

