When I say SME, let’s be clear: I’m not a Subject Matter Expert in anything. Well, I’m pretty skilled at drinking beer. However, I’m not a Subject Matter Expert in anything firearms. I call myself a Subject Matter Enthusiast. I like to pass on tips that I’ve found in shooting guns, carrying guns, and being part of the industry. Today’s is all about cleaning your pocket pistol.
I’m pretty deep into the camp of team “no clean your firearms.” Not that I won’t clean a gun; it’s just that I’m going to shoot it a lot before I do it. I need to put a ton of rounds through a gun before I clean it. I’m not part of cleaning it every time I shoot it. However, I advocate for cleaning your pocket pistol, even if you’re not shooting it.
Why? Cause your pockets are messy.
The Typical Pocket Gun
There are two types of pocket guns. We have micro-sized automatics and J-frame-style revolvers. Both guns tend to be a little more susceptible to crud and crap. Small automatics tend to be less reliable due to their overall design. Everything in the gun has been micro-sized, which can make the short recoil systems a little more finicky in terms of reliability.
Slide weight and size, combined with proper spring tension, have to work together to work, which gets tough with small guns. These days, we do have some very well-made pocket pistols, like the LCP and S&W BG 2.0, but they are still more susceptible to failures than larger handguns.
Revolvers are a very popular pocket gun choice but are still susceptible to failure. Crud can get into the cracks and crevices of a revolver and do fun things like get under the extractor star, on the cylinder face, or in the firing pin channel, preventing the gun from working. A good pocket holster helps prevent this, but it can’t do it all!
The Pocket Gun Problem
I wash my clothes. I never wear a pair of pants for more than a day. Yet somehow, no matter what, crap gets in and seems to stay in my pockets. Gunk, debris, lint, and more accumulate in my pockets. To be fair, it accumulates everywhere, but I notice it in my pocket because it gets stuck to my gun.
My gun pocket remains empty outside of the gun, so the gun acts as a means to soak up all the crap that hermit crabs into my pocket. Beyond crud, we have to deal with the environment. Sweat is a factor; when your gun gets sweated on the crud, it will stick to it even more. A good pocket holster can reduce this but cannot eliminate it.
This is how pocket guns get filthy dirty without a shot fired. When it comes to shooting, it’s not uncommon for pocket guns to get a bit dirtier, depending on the gun. The shorter barrels leave a lot of unburnt powder, which finds its way back into the gun. Just like pocket crud, carbon, lead, and copper can reduce the reliability of pocket autos and revolvers.
Cleaning Your Little Gun
There aren’t many different things you have to do to clean a pocket gun. It’s all pretty standard. The most important thing you must remember is not to leave it drenched in lube. Wipe it down. If it’s covered in lube, crap will get stuck to it and make your problems even worse.
Besides cleaning your gun, I’m going to suggest something mind-blowing for some: Clean your holster. Most pocket holsters are textile-based, which means stuff gets stuck to them. Shoving a clean gun into a dirty holster doesn’t make much sense. Clean out your pocket holster and make sure it’s crud-free as well.
The alternative is to clean your pocket. Either way, some things gotta get cleaned.
