How to Clean a Handgun

Cleaning your firearm is one of the most crucial aspects of owning one. Without proper maintenance, your gun will be set up for failure in the future - something you especially want to avoid in a moment when you may need it most. In this video, I cover the basics around the regular maintenance of a handgun. Stay tuned for a future video on rifle maintenance!
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[@sociallyineptspider-man2366]

I hope this channel keeps growing, most gun channels are really toxic and reactionary, but I love this channel, even as someone who doesn't want a gun but just finds the information interesting

[@livl.3139]

This has big Bob Ross energy and I love it. It is going directly into my 'weird ASMR' playlist.

[@brainfood]

as a new owner that just came back from their first range day this weekend, this video came at the perfect time!

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

for the record, you don't need to clean your gun that often if you're using most modern ammo, if you're using something like old corrosive surplus you might want to clean after every range day, but with say, modern 5.56 you can go months of regular use without cleaning and have the gun run fine. it does vary some by firearm design since some systems bring more unburnt powder into working areas and those will need slightly more frequent cleaning.

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

oh, and make sure your cleaning rod isn't metal so you don't scratch up your barrel

[@brainfood]

ah, I have heard that modern ammo meant that cleaning every 500-1000 rounds would be fine in most modern firearms. booking range time in difficult and I try to fire only about 100 rounds or so because of ammo scarcity. should I still apply CLP in between range sessions? as for medal rods, my handgun came with a plastic rod with a nylon brush so no issues there, but for my ar15 I bought a rifle cleaning kit that came with a metal rod (and bore brush, heads, etc). I haven't used it yet either but no returns at this LGS. should I search for a different cleaning rod?

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

@@brainfood for the rifle, I'd recommend a soft bore snake style cleaner, it's what I learned to clean long guns with and it works well, you drop a small weight on a string through the barrel and drag a larger string (slightly larger than the bore) through after it with a brush at the front. As for lubrication, I don't think you need to lubricate much more often than you clean, you could do half the round count of every cleaning if you want to be extra safe Fair warning tho I'm not super experienced, just have what I picked up via osmosis from my dad

[@brainfood]

hey still more experience than what I have, I'll consider it. thanks!

[@annalorree]

“We’re gonna want to do a function check on the light. Boop boop.” I freakin’ adore you!!!

[@thefirstthrownmolotov6852]

Wanted to say that your presentation improved since your first video; keep it up! This is a great resource for new owners and for those who won't clean their equipment regularly. *cough* my brother *cough*

[@SinisterChris]

This was a great refresher. Thank you so much for making this video

[@dillonbuford]

It's story time again. My dad was cleaning his gun. He ran the brush down the barrel. Then a patch and the patch came out dirty. He repeated the process and the patch was dirty again. He repeated the process for about 20 minutes and the patches kept coming out dirty. The gun would not get clean. The brush was dirty. Every time he ran the brush he redirtied the gun. You have to clean your cleaning supplies. The reason he was cleaning his gun is he saw what looked like rust in the barrel. What very much looked like rust was copper residue from the brush. Copper and brass brushes leave a residue on steel and it's very confusing if you haven't seen it before.

[@lvcsslacker]

no shit that this is actually the best cleaning video I've seen. The ones I looked at when I was just getting into guns was always saying, "Scrub until your patches come out clean." Never got it that clean. that's rediculous anyways. Thank you TCGF!

[@dtoyking1]

I just want to thank you for all that you do. I bought my first handgun after subscribing to your videos.

[@theseukonnen1200]

Welcome to gun ownership! What model did you go with?

[@dtoyking1]

@@theseukonnen1200 glock 19X

[@theseukonnen1200]

@@dtoyking1 Not my favorite, but a solid and reputable choice!

[@dtoyking1]

@@theseukonnen1200 I agree with you. Glocks are not the sexiest guns by no means. But they’re reliable and I got it for the coyote tan Desert look. And I also got myself an Olight attachment.

[@Casperski1312]

Gloves?? But I love the taste of carbon and clp on my burgers.

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

and potentially residue lead, tasty!

[@Casperski1312]

@@comradesoupbeans4437 Oh almost certainly lead residue! If it was good enough for the ancient greeks to sweeten their wine with, its good enough for my fast food :)

[@billhinsee3619]

@@comradesoupbeans4437 I figure after years of licking lead paint off walls as a child, what's the point of worrying about lead poisoning now?

[@ufc990]

I prefer the flavour of mineral spirits with a light coat of oil but clp is alright.

[@Flippwn1]

watching this while cleaning for the first time. This tutorial is extremely helpful, thank you!

[@PeaceLoveAndGuns]

Wow, even checking the voltage on your battery! Very Very thorough. Great video! 👍 This should help a lot of folks.

[@persbaderse]

ugh this makes my heart happy. as a texan i know so many people with guns but not enough who are willing to properly maintain them. great video!

[@soakthemilkman]

Thanks. Nice new logo. I like that you are starting with the basics, it creates a great foundation for both your channel and your presumed audience.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Not me. I'd prefer her starting with nukes, bfgs, scatter shot guns from halo... But this is fine I guess...

[@kyleengstrom4802]

This is the exact same way that I clean all my guns. I tend to use a little more oil and a lot of q tips. Great video!

[@mattconrad2898]

It's incredible that you only have a hand full of videos and youre already very fluent, informative, and produce hi quality content

[@davisnegrete5060]

I appreciate how thorough and detailed you are! Would love a similar video for an AR platform rifle.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

That'll be on the horizon!

[@christi_L]

That ringlet is INCREDIBLE. Lots of love from a fellow curly girl with guns.

[@charles_wipman]

Very good tips, i've only cleaned a Star Super B, Star 30M and Walther P99; but those are the steps clear and simple to have a well maintained pistol.

[@Scrotum0311]

Bro you're like that Zenitco girl, your tactical prowess and knowledge is on point.

[@narrowurethra182]

My cleaning set up is pretty similar, only instead of a neoprene mat I use a towel, and I also have my tactical "old sock" instead of the cleaning patches.

[@raytomason4030]

Goodness. With the chill music this is more relaxing than I ever thought it would be. But the content itself is solid af. Thank you for the upload. In your opinion what's the cleanest range ammo? The dirtiest?

[@theseukonnen1200]

As a general rule of thumb steel cased ammunition tends to be very dirty, both for the choice of powders used and the fact that it doesn't seal as well as brass case does in guns designed for brass-case ammo. (The steel expands less under heat and pressure than the brass does, so unless the gun is designed with that in mind like an AK, there's more gas and debris blowback.)

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

As The Seukonnen mentioned, steel cased tends to run dirty, but it truly depends on the caliber and manufacturer in question. A lot of the cheaper stuff often tends to run dirtier, premium stuff cleaner, but it's somewhat inconsistent across the board. A lot of this will need to be experimented with and learned through experience depending on what you're using.

[@friedporkrice]

Thanks for your great work on all these videos! Just a suggestion in the future, it would be helpful to list out the products you used in the description.

[@mranderson4739]

A well maintained firearms can last a lifetime. Nothing wrong with practicing dissembling and reassembling a firearm to get comfortable with it.

[@lochnessamonster1912]

My secret: hoppes followed by fully synthetic marine oil. A high viscosity, GRAS oil, w rust proofing agents. Great go between for grease/oil in the m1911 style platform.

[@lochnessamonster1912]

@sheparddog117 I’ve only ever used grease in arms known for tight tolerances and with guide rails, where there are large points of contact/friction. Have def seen lithium grease specifically being used in race guns and many swear by it, for instance. That said, the pump action or break action of a shottie could benefit from it, but I wouldn’t use it to lube a barrel, personally, and I would def keep it away from the firing pin block. Reason being, grease can get packed in areas and accumulate debris more easily than lube, eventually causing misfires. (It was a huge issue with orig firing pin blocks on SKSs, as a classic example of this, and has caused catastrophic accidental discharges.) Lube is prob the most highly subjective topic in arms care and everyone has their preferences. You would lose nothing by trying it out and may even come to love it. Give it a shot!

[@JonathanShidler]

"It would be cool if you did a make-up tutorial!" "Here is how you clean a pistol with chill music" "I didn't know this is what I needed in my life....😍"

[@SanguineIllusion]

This was so good. Any chance of a long gun cleaning tutorial in the future?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Oh yes, that'll be on the horizon!

[@Ellemshaye]

I love your general aesthetic for your videos. Perhaps consider better/different lighting in videos like this that focus on smaller details? My eyes aren’t the best and I feel like I’m missing some of the finer points trying to watch this on a phone. Good luck to you!

[@DrAnarchy69]

Very good and informative video. Really think if you know morse code you should use your gun light to signal "ACAB".

[@Night-Owl-]

I hope your channel grows with more content. Your p10 video was great. I wish you garand thumb level fame.

[@wonderloaf]

Great video :) Every few cleanings I will spray down the fire control parts of my pistols, let sit and then dry with compressed air. It works well and saves totally stripping down the gun.

[@hoplite22]

Used this to help teach my comrade how to clean his cz. Thanks!

[@tkdojo]

Always great to see another vid! So helpful and informative!

[@Well.Pharaoh]

Looking forward to coming back to this one for when I actually clean my gat-n-mags for the first time.

[@System_smasher]

I noticed how many subscribers you got over the last couple months. Congrats on that. And yay for those of taking gun ownership seriously. Keep up the work fellow human!

[@trippinsciko]

I love that you use like HP Lovecraft movie style lighting for these videos.

[@thealliedspy4170]

HP Lovecraft also had a wild name for his cat too hahah

[@jacobstaten2366]

I thought the pink and blue light like this was called "bisexual lighting." I'd say it gives an 80's synth vibe. Lol

[@brucealfonsoacero]

Pro tip of the day: WML will not work unless you cite the incantation, "Boop boop."

[@medicineman360]

It's recited from the ancient texts. Obviously.

[@chris92w]

nice vid! I've heard a lot of people say you only need to clean your firearm once every thousand rounds or so and that after every range day is considered overkill. not sure how much truth there is to that.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

That very well can be true depending on the firearm in question. There's no denying that my AR and AK both could probably do that, but I sleep better at night knowing that I'm not waiting for a failure on any of them, but again, this is a question that you ultimately need to determine the answer for with your personal comfort and knowledge of your particular firearm.

[@TheBigOne0305]

@@TacticoolGirlfriend I hear you! I've been getting some strange looks from fellow gun club members when I mention that I clean my guns after every time I shoot them (unless I'm using them the next morning again already). Yes it's probably overkill in 99,9% of the cases, but I prefer knowing the exact condition of my guns and not just winging it. As for the cleaning itself, I use Ballistol, for the same reasons that you use CLP (it's just a lot more common here in Germany). It cleans, it lubes and it protects. It does neither of the three spectacularly well, but plenty good enough and I don't have to mess around with different stuff for different uses (and it's completely non-toxic, so there is one less dangerous chemical to worry about). If it's clean and there is a slight film left, the gun is good to either go for another range trip or sit in the gun safe for months, no matter that might come up. Instead of Q-Tips I like using wooden skewers broken/cut in half, so there is one pointy and one blunt end. Wrap a patch around it and you can reach pretty much any crevice without worrying about the Q-Tip coming apart and leaving residue behind.

[@TixenDotNet]

ok ok there's "cleaning your firearm" and then there's "making it difficult to discern whether or not your firearm has ever been fired" 🤯🤣 I'm adding a nylon brush to my routine tho, that's hella useful. I like to put hoppes 9 in a small spray bottle- makes it easy to soak a q-tip or a bolt group! I don't know about CLP but with any general gun lube, you shouldn't need to use more than a couple of drops total spread via q-tip. Too much lube attracts particulate IMHO!

[@treacyinks3131]

Hello, hello...great work doing great, very easy to follow along for the newbes, how a video on your traing schedule and important points to hit while traing that you try to get to every time u go pew pew...think it would help your newbes understand what gos into your training efforts and reminder that it's not the weopen ,but the trained person pull the trigger much love tac girlfriend love ya XO.. Airborne.

[@JRock17991]

Whoa! Pulled out the VoltMeter. Color me Impressed. Cool vids. thanks!

[@theseukonnen1200]

what if there were a laundromat but for guns

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

I'd probably be first in line.

[@JonathanShidler]

My local indoor range use to do that sort of thing with some sort of "sonic cleaning service"

[@PeaceLoveAndGuns]

There is this company, appropriately named, The Gun Cleaners, that does just that. The owner took a chance sponsoring some vids on my small channel back when we were itty bitty. Good people and relevant to the discussion. No hard feelings if you delete because I sound like a commercial. Just wanted to provide full disclosure.

[@JonathanShidler]

@45Kimber1911A1 TIL 🤙🏾

[@theseukonnen1200]

@45Kimber1911A1 what makes them not worth it? You'd hope not having to scrub vainly after crevices would make up for almost anything

[@stephbun]

I cant recommend G96 Gun Treatment enough! This stuff is liquid gold! Its by far the greatest CLP I have ever used. Generally, I clean and treat with it, and lube and assemble with hoppes or some good old fashioned motor oil, depending on the firearm. I use hoppes on my glock and some 5 weight on my patrol rifle, which I like to keep pretty wet.

[@Touchdownbane]

This was surprisingly relaxing

[@ontheotherside1366]

why is my YT recommended full of greasy maga people telling me socialist biden is coming for my gun and not more hot shit like this. hope you keep pumping out content you are appreciated

[@xShadow_God]

My favorite video so far, the music made it very relaxing. Can't wait for the video on cleaning rifles!

[@Wilsnap]

Big love from Canada!

[@PatrickAshe41]

I use an embarrassingly large amount of Q-Tips on every cleaning. Like, a big ol' pile.

[@redneckatheist4136]

I'll fall on that sword as well.

[@rabidbeetle]

Pipe cleaners from the smoke shop are pretty good. Cheaper

[@davidbanner1652]

Classic..!!

[@belayasmert9943]

When you run out of hoppes #9 and CLP. You can always use ASTROGLIDE, makes everything nice and slick. 😊

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

have you tried a bore snake style cleaning tool, and if so do you prefer the rod for any reason?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Yes! I actually love them, but generally prefer them for long guns whereas a cleaning rod for a pistol is quite easy enough for me to use where I don't care as much either way.

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

@@TacticoolGirlfriend yeah, most of my experience has been with rifles and my dad just used barrel snakes for everything since they all fit in his one kit, the rod does look pretty convenient on a short barrel tho.

[@KatsuyosDimension]

“Once again, we’re gonna want to do a function check on the light as well. Boop boop.” THAT's the kind of "fanservice" I like.

[@RigiLiquid945]

I enjoy the subtle background music which I think I might recognize, but not sure. Can you note them in a comment? I spray Breakfree CLP all over my guns then scrub and wipe them down after they soak. Love that stuff.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Oh, all the tunes are listed in the credits at the very end of the video, check them out!

[@Slackwise]

Ballistol is nontoxic and doesn't require gloves. In fact it's a German battlefield wound disinfectant, among other great utilities. Strongly recommend Ballistol over toxic CLPs. Either way, great thorough video!

[@MajinZero]

Any opinions on gun wax? As a way to protect the exterior from fouling / corrosion.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Honestly, I don't have experience with that. Haven't really had any issues to that extent with corrosion.

[@maebe7668]

28:04 for serotonin hit.

[@toriestrella]

I know you should generally keep anything relating to your magazines away from any sort of grease/lube, but should you ever grease the mag release, since it's a moving part with some arguable moving point of contact?

[@muddyhotdog4103]

It won't hurt to lightly oil it if it's metal and you live in a humid climate or you're storing it. If it's a polymer magazine release like on a glock then don't bother

[@toriestrella]

@@muddyhotdog4103 Thanks for the tip!

[@muddyhotdog4103]

@@toriestrella no prob. But ya it's not a high wear item and I've never known anyone to grease their mag catches in all my years or heard any problems from lack there of. Doing so might result in sand/dirt sticking and locking things up too.

[@_Bucky]

Great video, can we get another breaking down cleaning rifle platform firearms?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Yep, that'll be coming up in a little bit!

[@NotHPotter]

Thoughts on a bore snake versus a cleaning rod? Any noticeable differences in application from your experience?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

So, I use a bore snake on my long rifles. That's where it makes more sense to me, where as it's just easier for me to maneuver a cleaning rod with a pistol barrel, personally.

[@_manofinaction_]

clearly we are still in the age of misinformation 1. field strip your handgun 2. place in tupperware 3. pour over hoppe's no9 4. run cycle /s - thanks for the video!!!

[@scuba_tron5332]

Thank you so much...i wanted to ask you about doing a video like this but you read my mind

[@mewo7515]

In my kit, the loop tells me not to put a patch through it?

[@rh6776]

Any thoughts on Frog Lube CLP? I find the idea of using something nontoxic is appealing but want to know if anyone here has good or bad experience with it.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

I was curious about that myself. I did read some really in-depth report once upon a time that basically determined that it was snake oil that largely relied on some sort of food product (I think coconut oil?), performed somewhat less than spectacularly, and degraded over time. Still, don't have any first-hand experience with it myself.

[@DeedeeDirt]

great video!

[@Casperski1312]

Excellent gun cleaning skills bruv. So heres a pitch for a spinoff channel: TacticoolGF Gun Cleaning ASMRs. Ill be your first sub.

[@griz561]

i like the foaming aerosol CLP. just put the whole thing in a plastic bin, give all the dirty bits a blast, and let all the loose crud run out the bottom before you scrub it. i had a bottle of liquid CLP but the nozzle is garbage and most of it ended up leaking into my bag.

[@alexwersonig9996]

An area so neglected by new gun purchasers . Good tutorial on cleaning

[@WhatsTherapy]

Very relaxing :)

[@GregR2023]

What are you thoughts on Bore Snakes?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

They're great but they don't do enough scrubbing/brushing alone, I feel.

[@McCbobbish]

I wish more gun videos had this kind of chill vibe

[@blackflagsnroses6013]

Keeping the insurrectionary spirit alive well done my friend! Ni dieu ni maître! 🚩🏴

[@muddyhotdog4103]

Maybe you misspoke, but I would NOT aim for a denser/thicker oil and grease in colder climates. Typically wanna go thicker in hot and thin for cold weather as it tends to thicken/lock up when cold. Should be fine if you use less though.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from everything I've been told and understood, a lot of gun oils in colder temperatures eventually bead up whereas most greases, such as lithium-based greases, maintains viscosity and coverage a lot more true to its original state in higher temps than its oil counterparts. Either way, less is more in colder temps, as you do want to avoid too much of either material gunking up the action.

[@muddyhotdog4103]

@@TacticoolGirlfriend Ya, most lubes bead up/thicken in cold whereas grease tends to work well in high heat like you just said. It really depends on what kind of grease (ie thin cherry balmz grease vs wheel bearing thick grease) cuz most lithium based greases will literally turn to a solid frozen state if too cold and some oils can get too thick as well, which is why I questioned your choice of dense grease/oil for cold weather when the general consensus is to use a thinner grease or oil in cold weather (talking below freezing). At least I thought you said that in the beggining?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

@@muddyhotdog4103 That certainly makes sense. I appreciate you weighing in on this. I have (rarely) shot in frigid weather before with no issues, but again, just try to avoid any significant amount of lubricant either way to prevent it from being a problem in the first place. Also, good to know that that's one more point for Cherry Balmz in that respect.

[@enduringstone]

Shout out to saint lyudmila "309" pavlichenko in the patrons.

[@KarimElHayawan]

More important than "Voting | ContraPoints".

[@DeedeeDirt]

lol

[@maxstirner2289]

eh, firearm knowledge is important but contrapoints made some decent points in that video. Accelerationism won't help the left. A 2nd trump term will be disastrous for LGBT and black people. I fucking hate biden but there is a difference between them

[@IceFireTerry]

joe won so...

[@CODDE117]

As important. Honestly these videos should be paired together. Like two sides of a coin.

[@GooglyGook12]

I can taste the LARP on you.

[@MeanBeanKerosene]

Instructions unclear. Cleaned Glock; became bow. On another note, a good all 'rounder clearer/lube/anti-oxidation is Ballistol. It's a bit pricey but my gun buddies bow at the altar of that German engineered gutness.

[@Slackwise]

Also, non-toxic so you can ditch the gloves and dizzy fume spells. Can't recommend it enough for guns AND other lubricant utilities.

[@MeanBeanKerosene]

@@Slackwise Exactly. Lightyears better than WD-40 or any other lubricant on the market.

[@tubzhub9379]

i love the purple and blue vibe, right up my ally you pumped for cyber punk?!??!?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

You know it!

[@firestorm1579]

I'm guessing all the thumbs down are ppl how dont clean their guns

[@dccalling5960]

A video with basic terminology might be a good idea.

[@colby7625]

I see you have some shotty mops. Any tacti gauge videos in the future?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

All just part of the universal kit - unfortunately I'm kind of shotty-allergic.

[@colby7625]

Yeah, they aren't near as fun as rifles and pistols.

[@jorges2000]

Have you ever used Froglube?

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

I looked into it, but based on its ingredients, how readily it degrades, and the general consensus of other testimonies, it sounds more like snake oil than anything else.

[@ferret8001]

The real hero of this video is That One Ringlet

[@meghan-d1108]

I like this.

[@commander31able60]

I'm getting a real Contrapoints vibe from this.

[@quinthalus]

👍

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Lol I dunno... My cat has pissed me off a few times before lol.

[@redneckatheist4136]

YYYAAASSS!!! Clean your nasty ass holsters! Thank you, TCLGF!

[@ericwendelin5066]

I use alcohol alot

[@ericwendelin5066]

No really

[@ericwendelin5066]

I clean a lot of my SS slides with soap and water and a toothbrush

[@ericwendelin5066]

And frames

[@ericwendelin5066]

I use moly grease on my sear spring tips sear lot of the small frame parts , marvel oil works for other things

[@ericwendelin5066]

Yes ,, i oil my kensights so the water doesn’t hurt them ,, do most my cleaning at the kitchen sink

[@jacobstaten2366]

The "skin a cat" thing comes from back when people used to do that for entertainment as a kind of performance theater. I think I'd rather stay home.

[@maxstrawn3788]

Anyone else here going into 2025? Thanks for the thorough how to!

[@thediscordperson1564]

Why didn’t I get a notification for this video. I even rang the bell.

[@TacticoolGirlfriend]

Weird, I dunno!

[@DavySolaris]

I LOVE YOU

[@tomwilliam3297]

Oh fuck yeah

[@misslexie5796]

I've got a horror story about cleaning a hand gun (TW Suicide) So when my friends sat was in the army the where in trainf and had to clear the guns my own dude did it quickly and reladed and (unfortunately) cocked it while they where doing this they had to respond to somthing (my friend didnt elaborate) and when they got back one the people in the group said "Russian roullet and put the gun he thought was unloaded to his but a blew his brains out.

[@underscore126]

lofi gun maintenance to study to

[@PeaceLoveAndGuns]

First!

[@JimLocke23]

I like gunzilla. All-in-one and doesn’t stink.

[@waterhead1359]

I enjoy videos do have any shooting

[@MyNameHousefly]

Bah! just pour 2 stroke oil on bolt comrade!

[@mrfishlung]

*bewp bewp* 😄🖤

[@sebastianosnofla9144]

What would we do without you?