Everybody occasionally forgets to wipe down the carry gun. It’s not hard to do so. Life gets busy and next thing you know, you really need to clean your carry gun.

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A Michigan gunsmith, however, discovered one that reached a whole new level of filthiness. In fact, the guys at D&D Gunsmiths claimed it shattered their record for dirtiest auto-loading pistol. They even posted photos showing what they found when they disassembled the pistol. They didn’t, however, identify the owner, or even criticize his or her lack of maintenance and care.

While the Michigan gunsmith might have gone easy, the commenters on the post weren’t quite so kind. In fact, comments ranged from saying it looks like it had been buried to questioning the cleanliness of the person’s home. The gunsmiths just broke it down, soaked it overnight and made it look like a whole new gun. They maintained professionalism and got the pistol back up and running. However, this is a good example of why you can’t just drop your gun in a holster or pocket and not occasionally, at least, clean your carry gun.

How to Clean Your Carry Gun

Cleaning a gun is quite easy in concept. It could possibly be more difficult in practice, but that’s just finding the time to actually do it.

It is best if gun owners wipe the carry gun down daily, but that might be overkill for many. However, it is completely acceptable to wipe down the outside once a week. Then, run an oiled patch through the barrel followed by a dry patch once a month. This is also a good time to remove the slide and wipe down the inside of both. All of this, of course, is preceded by unloading the pistol and then double checking it contains no rounds.

All this is what conceal carriers should do for the gun that mostly rides on their hip to ensure functionality. A range visit for training or fun still requires a total breakdown and full cleaning. A carry gun is meant to save your life, but can’t do its job if it is not maintained.