I know. Cleaning Guns by Todd Green is like How to Have a Successful Marriage by Tiger Woods. I clean my pistols every 5,000 rounds or so whether they need it or not.
Someone at the NRA Headquarters Range turned me on to this little plastic doodad a while back and I have to tell you, it works exactly as advertised. The Channel Cleaning Tool by Calbico is one of those things that looks so simple you won’t believe it really works.
I can’t count the number of q-tips, toothpicks, and other household junk I’ve used up over the years trying to remove the kind of worn in, burnt on residue my guns often see from the abuse they get. There are two different sized ends (one narrow and pointy, the other wider and blunt) intended to handle just about every task you can imagine when it’s time to clean.
And believe me, this thing really works. The first time I tried it on my Burton 9mm 1911 Commander it was amazing how much residue it pulled off the slide rails and how easy it was to reach the little nooks and crannies in the gun without having to take anything apart. One bore patch, a little cleaning solution, and pow … clean gun.
Then I even went so far as to clean a Glock with it and … did you know that Glocks accumulate shooting debris? I never even realized. But in about a minute it was all stripped from the slide and the gun was actually clean. A Glock!
These things are silly inexpensive ($9.95 direct from Calbico, plus actual shipping which for me works out to $2) and available from Brownells, Wilson Combat, and possibly even the local gun shop near you. I keep one on my workbench and one in my range bag.
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
I thought this was another April Fools post. Nice article.
Dude. So, so funny!
I prefer to clean my pistol about every 500 rounds with Brake Kleen and a tooth brush. It cleans up like new, even after 50 000 rounds and always runs well in competition with Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil.
Why let it ever get so bad, you HAVE to use harsh tools to clean them?
I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone go 5000 rounds between cleaning, especially if they’re using it for self defense or hoping for reliability. If people are using quality ammo, the biggest reason I see guns fail in competition is do to lack of cleaning and lubrication.
I hate cleaning guns but I hate it even more when they let me down, especially if it’s due to lack of maintenance on my part.
Smiley — I failed to mention above that it was made of plastic. I’ve corrected that now. Thanks!
As for the cleaning regimen, all I can say is that I’ve been running pistols this way for more than 15 years and have racked up more than a little data that it’s not nearly as detrimental or problematic as many people think.
If I cleaned every 500rd there would have been *many* days I had to clean the gun once or even twice just for that day’s shooting.
I treat my Glocks like a lawnmower, and clean then then the stench becomes unbearable. This tool does look handy, though.
Todd,
What is your method for attaching a patch to the Calbico tool so it collects and removes the debris from whatever you are cleaning. I’m curious how you get it to not slip off the tool as you’re cleaning/scraping. Thanks!
Chris
Chris — I’m *far* from an expert but I’ve had no issue so far. For cleaning the slide rail cuts, just put the patch in the rail, put the Calbico in the patch, and go to town.
For other parts of the gun, I just keep contact from the tool to the patch to the gun. Especially if you use the “sharp” end of the tool it’s pretty easy to keep the patch hooked on. Even if it falls off when I’m done with one area, I just pick it up off the bench and go to work on the next.
Agreed. Every 5,000 rounds is fine for most firearms under fair shooting conditions. Cleaning more often is wasting valuable hand-loading, shooting, or training time. If a firearm NEEDS cleaning more often, one may be shooting dirty ammo, in unfortunate conditions and/or an EXTREMELY tight tolerance firearm.
I clean my guns when I feel they need it. I don’t keep a round count nor do I wait until I have a problem. Just shoot and shoot and when I see dust or dirt on it I clean it. I can clean my Glock in about 15min. My rifles and specialty pistol get cleaned a few times a year except my Mosin Nagant. That gets cleaned after every time I shoot it because of the Milsurp. ammo I shoot threw it. I have never had a failure to shoot or function due to being dirty in 49 years of shooting firearms. But when I do clean them they sure look good! ????
Rupe
Really not a new idea and its over priced.
I’ve been using electronic plastic spudgers to get into the rails and other tight areas for a couple of years.
You can get spudgers for $1 – $2 on Amazon.
Interesting cleaning cycle, I guess it depends on the firearm. My HK45 manual states to do normal cleaning every 500 rounds, and major cleaning where all parts are rinsed with or immersed in solvent every 1000 rounds.