Initial Cleaning

[LynnKCircle]

The gun I received this week from SOG was in excellent condition, to my surprise. The metal looked as if the pistol had been unissued, but the grips were scratched up. I am going to offer two quick and cheap fixes, one original with me, and the other learned through a decade on the C&R Mailing List.

1) You can buy a can of Rustoleum Krylon plastic paint for about two bucks. I use the flat black. Removing and spraying the grips removed all of the scratches. Now the grips look new.

2) All C&R guns are going to have cosmolene or something similar in their innards. When I field-stripped the P64, there were little rust-brown specks of it all over the place. The cheap fix is to buy a can of store brand brake cleaner from any auto supply store. Remove all non-metal parts and, wearing rubber gloves, go outside and spray the crap out the action, frame, firing pin area, and any other place where you can see cosmoline. Spray until the fluid is dripping down onto the ground.

When the metal has dried (shouldn't take more than ten or fifteen minutes), you need to relubricate everything. You can use a spray gun lubricant, but I prefer to use Eezox, which has been tested as the best metal preservative you can use and still have the gun usable. It goes on as a liquid but dries overnight into a sort of waxy coating. Again, I drenched the innards and wiped it on the outside. I use a .45 patch soaked to do the barrel. NOTE: the Eezox DOES remove the red warning dot under the safety. If that matters to you, you can use paint remover to clean just that spot and then use red nail polish to replace it. I don't think I'll bother.

Before cleaning and lubricating, I could not pull the trigger DA. Now I can, about three times before my hand cramps up; it is still too stiff to have any practical use. The SA trigger is very nice.

Hopefully my Wolff springs will arrive today. I ordered the 17 pound mainspring; hope I didn't screw up on that. And I hope reading this was more of a help than a bore.

[juniustaylor]

The scratched grip solution could be of some help. I have a scratched up pair, but I think I'll smooth them down and remove all checkering. Norm does this to some of his grips. Hmmmm.

For the cleaning, some folks on here go with a bit more passive system of letting the parts soak in mineral spirits for several hours, even overnight. This allows the mineral spirits to soak into the smallest areas and remove the cosmo. Definitely your method would allow a speed clean so you could shoot the pistol in minimal time. A thorough cleaning would best be accomplished with the mineral spirits.

I used red nail polish to fix up my red dot. I did not like the original dark color of it, so I removed the paint and made it a brigher/lighter red with the nail polish.

I bought the 17# and I really like it. Some folks complained that a 17# would cause light strikes and allow their magazine to fall out due to the recoil and the "weakness" of the spring. I have not had either of these problems. I guess it all comes down to specific tolerances. I also wonder if those same folks remembered to install the strut washer that goes on top of the spring. You would lose some spring compression there. Either way, good luck and hope you enjoy your pistol.

[hangfire]

My cleaning regimen (learned largely on this board) for new P-64s and other milsurp handguns swimming in cosmoline: field strip, remove the grips, and soak the gun (including disassembled mags) in mineral spirits in an aluminum pan for 5-6 hours under the hot sun; while the gun soaks scrub the grips with Fantastik and warm water and air dry; while the gun's still immersed in mineral spirits I go over it with a parts brush to dislodge any remaining cosmo; blast it stem to stern with brake cleaner; blast it stem to stern with compressed air; BreakFree CLP inside and out; clean (bore etc.) as needed; reassemble; shoot and enjoy.
hangfire out

[former_usmc]

I have a p64 on order from SOG and will need to use some of these methods when it arrives. I appreciate the feedback from those of you who have done it, to those of us who have not!