When you go into a gun shop and speak with an experienced salesman behind the counter, especially the owner, you want to assume that they know what they are talking about. This is especially true if they themselves are active shooters if not serious competitive shooters.

Well, that could be a mistake.

Even though they might sell brands of superior firearms cleaner and lubricant formulas – and there is a difference – that does not mean that they recommend or even understand the advantages let alone how to apply these products correctly.

This is what I experience when dealing with FFL dealers. I know many potential biases are driven by personal habits and preferences based on years of unfortunately, doing things the wrong way. Sometimes there will be one salesman behind the counter who gets it, but others working in the same store can have a very different view.

We all have our likes and dislikes, often seen in our promotion of certain brands of guns and other hardware. That’s a given. So it goes with gun cleaning products.

Let me dispel a few myths even though I have done this before. Some people don’t like to listen. That’s because they are the same kids who had that problem in grade school. So, here way go. Please pay attention.

• Gunmetal needs to be cleaned and then lubricated after shooting because carbon fouling is inevitable.

And …

• Copper fouling is not a good, and needs to also be removed.

And …

• Buildup is present even if you can’t see it.

And …

• Mixing different cleaning materials together is a mistake that often causes problems.

And …

• Building up layers of different traditional solvent oils and sprays on the bore surface isn’t an accomplishment. It is a hindrance.

And …

• Whipping up a homemade recipe for lube is not impressive.

And …

• Scrubbing is not a lifestyle choice.

And …

• Being stubborn has no reward.

And …

• Top competitors know better and they probably won’t say.

And …

• A fad lube that’s popular on a message board should be a warning, not a brilliant idea.

And …

I have experienced all of these things, having discussed gun care with literally 1,000s of people over the years. There are many ways to skin a cat but more importantly, there are many ways to screw up a relative easy idea.

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

By the way, wearing tactical pants or loading up your tactical ninja backpack with those rubberized PVC patches with cool pics and slogans doesn’t give you any credibility other than bragging rights that you swiped them off a table at a gun show.

Respect veteran shooters, trainers and factory representatives. The characteristics of youth and wisdom rarely match up.

It’s a good idea to get training, and its an even better idea to learn from multiple sources to learn from a diversity of knowledge sources. Starting with one of the NRA Basic certification classes could be a good start and maybe from there move to a high profile training academy.

Knowledge is power.

From my perspective, when it comes to correctly cleaning and lubricating firearms – any kind – you want to (1) thoroughly clean, (2) remove solvent residue, and then (3) apply lubricant to clean, dry parts. That applies to oil, grease or CLP.

There are several good brands to choose from out there but I am biased about my brand – Tetra Gun – which is heading into its 40th year since inventing the first synthetic fluoropolymer lubricant protectant.

If you use products correctly, as intended, and avoid pitfalls listed above, you should be just fine. Or, you can do the opposite and make it hard for yourself.

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