[Guest]

hi all. i'm going to attempt to clean my byf 41. i want to retire it and display it, in honor of my dad. i have a few questions? needless to say i'm going to be very careful and probably take pics as i proceed. after i have the gun completley apart, what should i clean the parts with? should i lightly oil all the parts and the inside of the barrel? these are some of the questions that i have. any suggestions or comments are appreciated....thx....tony

 

[alamo]

Curious as to how "completely apart" you intend to take it? I just finished that project just recently with a Luger my grandfather brought back from WWII. I took it down to virtually every last part. Some parts were a bit tricky, especially the mainspring. I got some good help here with some of the steps.

I just used CLP which cleans and lubes. There are better cleaners out there but this was sufficent for my purposes. I left most of the parts pretty well lubed, more than I ever would on a pistol I intend to shoot.

I've shot this pistol before but don't really intend to again or at least not for a very long time. I would probably do a partial disassembly and wipe off the excess lube if I shot it again.

 

[alamo]

Curious as to how "completely apart" you intend to take it? I just finished that project just recently with a Luger my grandfather brought back from WWII. I took it down to virtually every last part. Some parts were a bit tricky, especially the mainspring. I got some good help here with some of the steps.

I just used CLP which cleans and lubes. There are better cleaners out there but this was sufficent for my purposes. I left most of the parts pretty well lubed, more than I ever would on a pistol I intend to shoot.

I've shot this pistol before but don't really intend to again or at least not for a very long time. I would probably do a partial disassembly and wipe off the excess lube if I shot it again.

 

[lugerholsterrepair]

Tony, I use paint thinner to clean my pistols with a soft toothbrush to scrub with. I immerse the parts in a large pan, carefull not to let them bang together. The carbon builbup comes right off. I have always then blown them off with compressed air and put a light coat of break free on. Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up. My pistols are stored in very dry areas, AZ & CO so I have never had trouble with rust. Good luck! Jerry Burney

 

[lugerholsterrepair]

Tony, I use paint thinner to clean my pistols with a soft toothbrush to scrub with. I immerse the parts in a large pan, carefull not to let them bang together. The carbon builbup comes right off. I have always then blown them off with compressed air and put a light coat of break free on. Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up. My pistols are stored in very dry areas, AZ & CO so I have never had trouble with rust. Good luck! Jerry Burney

 

[alamo]

quote:Originally posted by lugerholsterrepair

Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up.

Good point to mention. I made sure the parts of the frame where the grips lay against were dry.

I just totally disassembled and cleaned a 1911A1 that my Dad brought back from WWII. It had just been field stripped for cleaning 3 times when I shot it in the past and basically hadn't had a full cleaning of all the parts in nearly 60 years. There was no rust anywhere, just a bit of powder residue. Storing a pistol in a "cool, dry place" really does work. Since WWII, this one had mainly sat on a top closet shelf in my grandmother's house for many years and then under a file cabinet at my parent's house.

 

[alamo]

quote:Originally posted by lugerholsterrepair

Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up.

Good point to mention. I made sure the parts of the frame where the grips lay against were dry.

I just totally disassembled and cleaned a 1911A1 that my Dad brought back from WWII. It had just been field stripped for cleaning 3 times when I shot it in the past and basically hadn't had a full cleaning of all the parts in nearly 60 years. There was no rust anywhere, just a bit of powder residue. Storing a pistol in a "cool, dry place" really does work. Since WWII, this one had mainly sat on a top closet shelf in my grandmother's house for many years and then under a file cabinet at my parent's house.

 

[cpw]

quote:Originally posted by lugerholsterrepair

Tony, I use paint thinner to clean my pistols with a soft toothbrush to scrub with. I immerse the parts in a large pan, carefull not to let them bang together. The carbon builbup comes right off. I have always then blown them off with compressed air and put a light coat of break free on. Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up. My pistols are stored in very dry areas, AZ & CO so I have never had trouble with rust. Good luck! Jerry Burney

I am old fashioned. Many times I have used gasoline, but there are some disadvantages with such use. Fortunately I do not smoke, always in a vented area, not inside the house, and no open flames anywhere close.

 

[cpw]

quote:Originally posted by lugerholsterrepair

Tony, I use paint thinner to clean my pistols with a soft toothbrush to scrub with. I immerse the parts in a large pan, carefull not to let them bang together. The carbon builbup comes right off. I have always then blown them off with compressed air and put a light coat of break free on. Dont put too much oil on the pistol if you have wood grips. They will soak it up. My pistols are stored in very dry areas, AZ & CO so I have never had trouble with rust. Good luck! Jerry Burney

I am old fashioned. Many times I have used gasoline, but there are some disadvantages with such use. Fortunately I do not smoke, always in a vented area, not inside the house, and no open flames anywhere close.

 

[thegundude]

For cleaning, I use GunScrubber (or similar), a brass brush (if needed) and compressed air. After everything is clean I lube with RemOil or a light machine oil.

I'm just glad that I've never encountered a Luger that's slathered in cosmoline like the Mausers and SKS rifles are....