When I first began my firearm journey, I asked the ubiquitous question of what to get as my first gun (Gen 3 Glock 19, in the end). Once I had the gun, my first question after basic firearm safety and training was how to maintain it. Searching this site, which I quite enjoy, I haven't seen anything formally giving a maintenance schedule or recommendations.
I'm going to focus on the most common handgun type today, which is the striker fired polymer pistol popularized (but not invented) by Glock. I'm will do my best, which will hopefully be passable, but I hope the more experienced and knowledgeable in this forum will chime in to contribute (and I will update this post). Some of what I say may be controversial, or not apply to a specific make/model. And I'm not addressing revolvers at all, though many of these items will apply to DA/SA (double action/single action) pistols and 1911/2011 as well.
So now you've bought your first handgun. You're learning to shoot. How do you take care of your gun?
Basically, this boils down to cleaning and eventual parts replacement. Carbon and heavy metal deposits from shooting the gun will impede function and reduce slide velocity, causing malfunctions that can be annoying, problematic, and even catastrophic. Repeated explosions inside the firearm to expel a projectile at high speed cause wear and tear over time.
Yet for many, especially those who shoot sparingly or rarely, there's almost nothing needed. You don't need to clean your plastic fantastic modern semiautomatic striker fired pistol much, or at all, for thousands of rounds, and it will still work. You should learn to lubricate your gun as noted in the owner's manual, usually in the spots that have the most wear and friction. That's it. Many Glock owners I know or have spoken with never clean their gun. Some clean it every 2000 rounds, or when it begins to malfunction. If you are hard pressed to ever reach 2000 rounds, an initial cleaning, then yearly cleaning to prevent rust, might be all you need.
Learn to field strip your gun. This is generally simple, though Glocks require pressing the trigger to release the slide. This is in your owner's manual. Then clean as noted in your manual. There are Youtube videos for cleaning every firearm I have ever owned or wanted to own, too. Removing copper, lead and carbon fouling from your firearm (including the inside of the barrel!) will maintain accuracy, prolong the life of the pistol, and prevent problems. Also, it reduces lead contamination in your home.
Cleaning kits are easy to find on Amazon and Ebay, and simple solutions (such as Balistol) both clean and lubricate the firearm. There are many different opinions on the best oil or cleaning solution. I like Balistol, which is biodegradable, nontoxic, lubricating, and removes acidic residue with copper and lead. It's safe for wood, plastic, and rubber, and provides long lasting rust protection. It is not expensive. I still have a bottle I bought years ago, and I use it on all my firearms.
1911/2011 sidearms require more cleaning, in my experience. The tighter the tolerances and fit, the more often I clean the gun (usually, after every range trip). For my DA/SA handguns, I clean them about as often as my striker fired pistols (basically after every range trip, though this is not required).
As @SlowMoe noted, if you shoot remanufactured or reloaded ammunition, treat it as corrosive, and clean regularly. Rust and pitting in barrels is much more likely.
I already know how to clean my handgun. I want to know when parts need to be replaced.
Here is where opinions really differ, and each handgun model may have different numbers. You'll notice firearm brands (or models) noted for reliability need fewer replacements. Again, if you aren't going to shoot many hundreds/thousands of rounds per range visit and never shoot more than about 3000 rounds in a single handgun, there isn't really a need to replace anything, unless you have the firearm for a long time (decades) and want to be sure everything works after neglecting it.
Here are the round counts for when to replace a part for your Glock, which many have lauded for its reliability. They are a good starting point for most striker fired pistols, even if they are currently leaving the roster. I will note that HK tells me not to worry about any replacements until 10,000 rounds on my VP9F (and to send it in for inspection, but not necessarily replacement of parts). I have also read about an HK armorer who really only replaces the recoil spring assembly every 20,000 rounds. Then worries about everything else at 60,000 rounds.
- Recoil spring assembly:
(Gen1-3) 3000-5000 rd
(Gen4) 8000 rd
(Gen5) 10,000 rd
(Gen6) ???
- Firing pin safety spring: 15,000 rd
- Extractor depressor plunger spring: 15,000 rd
- Firing pin spring: 15,000 rd
- Spring cups: 25,000 rd
- Firing pin safety: 25,000 rd
- Firing pin: 25,000 rd
- Extractor: 25,000 rd
- Magazine catch spring: 25,000 rd
- Magazine catch: 25,000 rd
- Slide lock spring: 25,000 rd
- Trigger mechanism housing with ejector: 25,000 rd
- Slide stop with lever spring: 25,000 rd
- Magazine spring: 25,000 rd
Barrels seem to last for many hundreds of thousands of rounds, provided you have a quality brand and have cleaned regularly according to your usage. Magazines may be easier to replace altogether, especially if the housing fails before the springs and follower do.
Many anecdotes I have read online talk about round counts well beyond 50,000 in a single handgun with replacement of nothing other than the recoil spring assemblies once or twice. They are the easiest to replace (if you can field strip your firearm, you can replace it, though sourcing and buying the spring is now much more difficult in California).
If you are more concerned about the other springs and parts, which require more (readily obtainable via forums and youtube) knowledge and some basic tools, you can always have a gunsmith do a detail stripping and cleaning of your firearm, looking at the parts that may need replacing. Fortunately, most will never need this, and those who do reach the higher round counts probably will learn along the way.
If anyone has advice about additional parts I've missed (I'm certainly no armorer or expert), please let me know. Any suggestions are welcome! Sorry about the excessively long post.
I'm going to focus on the most common handgun type today, which is the striker fired polymer pistol popularized (but not invented) by Glock. I'm will do my best, which will hopefully be passable, but I hope the more experienced and knowledgeable in this forum will chime in to contribute (and I will update this post). Some of what I say may be controversial, or not apply to a specific make/model. And I'm not addressing revolvers at all, though many of these items will apply to DA/SA (double action/single action) pistols and 1911/2011 as well.
So now you've bought your first handgun. You're learning to shoot. How do you take care of your gun?
Basically, this boils down to cleaning and eventual parts replacement. Carbon and heavy metal deposits from shooting the gun will impede function and reduce slide velocity, causing malfunctions that can be annoying, problematic, and even catastrophic. Repeated explosions inside the firearm to expel a projectile at high speed cause wear and tear over time.
Yet for many, especially those who shoot sparingly or rarely, there's almost nothing needed. You don't need to clean your plastic fantastic modern semiautomatic striker fired pistol much, or at all, for thousands of rounds, and it will still work. You should learn to lubricate your gun as noted in the owner's manual, usually in the spots that have the most wear and friction. That's it. Many Glock owners I know or have spoken with never clean their gun. Some clean it every 2000 rounds, or when it begins to malfunction. If you are hard pressed to ever reach 2000 rounds, an initial cleaning, then yearly cleaning to prevent rust, might be all you need.
Learn to field strip your gun. This is generally simple, though Glocks require pressing the trigger to release the slide. This is in your owner's manual. Then clean as noted in your manual. There are Youtube videos for cleaning every firearm I have ever owned or wanted to own, too. Removing copper, lead and carbon fouling from your firearm (including the inside of the barrel!) will maintain accuracy, prolong the life of the pistol, and prevent problems. Also, it reduces lead contamination in your home.
Cleaning kits are easy to find on Amazon and Ebay, and simple solutions (such as Balistol) both clean and lubricate the firearm. There are many different opinions on the best oil or cleaning solution. I like Balistol, which is biodegradable, nontoxic, lubricating, and removes acidic residue with copper and lead. It's safe for wood, plastic, and rubber, and provides long lasting rust protection. It is not expensive. I still have a bottle I bought years ago, and I use it on all my firearms.
1911/2011 sidearms require more cleaning, in my experience. The tighter the tolerances and fit, the more often I clean the gun (usually, after every range trip). For my DA/SA handguns, I clean them about as often as my striker fired pistols (basically after every range trip, though this is not required).
As @SlowMoe noted, if you shoot remanufactured or reloaded ammunition, treat it as corrosive, and clean regularly. Rust and pitting in barrels is much more likely.
I already know how to clean my handgun. I want to know when parts need to be replaced.
Here is where opinions really differ, and each handgun model may have different numbers. You'll notice firearm brands (or models) noted for reliability need fewer replacements. Again, if you aren't going to shoot many hundreds/thousands of rounds per range visit and never shoot more than about 3000 rounds in a single handgun, there isn't really a need to replace anything, unless you have the firearm for a long time (decades) and want to be sure everything works after neglecting it.
Here are the round counts for when to replace a part for your Glock, which many have lauded for its reliability. They are a good starting point for most striker fired pistols, even if they are currently leaving the roster. I will note that HK tells me not to worry about any replacements until 10,000 rounds on my VP9F (and to send it in for inspection, but not necessarily replacement of parts). I have also read about an HK armorer who really only replaces the recoil spring assembly every 20,000 rounds. Then worries about everything else at 60,000 rounds.
- Recoil spring assembly:
(Gen1-3) 3000-5000 rd
(Gen4) 8000 rd
(Gen5) 10,000 rd
(Gen6) ???
- Firing pin safety spring: 15,000 rd
- Extractor depressor plunger spring: 15,000 rd
- Firing pin spring: 15,000 rd
- Spring cups: 25,000 rd
- Firing pin safety: 25,000 rd
- Firing pin: 25,000 rd
- Extractor: 25,000 rd
- Magazine catch spring: 25,000 rd
- Magazine catch: 25,000 rd
- Slide lock spring: 25,000 rd
- Trigger mechanism housing with ejector: 25,000 rd
- Slide stop with lever spring: 25,000 rd
- Magazine spring: 25,000 rd
Barrels seem to last for many hundreds of thousands of rounds, provided you have a quality brand and have cleaned regularly according to your usage. Magazines may be easier to replace altogether, especially if the housing fails before the springs and follower do.
Many anecdotes I have read online talk about round counts well beyond 50,000 in a single handgun with replacement of nothing other than the recoil spring assemblies once or twice. They are the easiest to replace (if you can field strip your firearm, you can replace it, though sourcing and buying the spring is now much more difficult in California).
If you are more concerned about the other springs and parts, which require more (readily obtainable via forums and youtube) knowledge and some basic tools, you can always have a gunsmith do a detail stripping and cleaning of your firearm, looking at the parts that may need replacing. Fortunately, most will never need this, and those who do reach the higher round counts probably will learn along the way.
If anyone has advice about additional parts I've missed (I'm certainly no armorer or expert), please let me know. Any suggestions are welcome! Sorry about the excessively long post.
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But then again, I have two of the same gun, one for carry and one for training.