Take a quick look at the quick video spot above – one dirty pistol eh? During almost the complete two hours prior to this video, we were running prone drills with the Smith and Wesson M&P15’s. One position in particular caused this gunky mess; rollover prone. The shooter had tried to adjust position while in the prone position, and by doing so had slightly opened the slide on the M&P in his holster. In went the Arizona high desert…
This sucker was jammed up to the point where the slide wouldn’t even operate. Done for the day? I think not! One of our instructors took the pistol down to the condition you see in the video and had that pistol back on the line functioning minutes later – his only tools were compressed air (ie: blowing on it) and a toothbrush.
Given my own anal-retentive streak when it comes to cleaning my personal firearms, I ask the Armed Intelligentsia: to clean, or not to clean, that is the question. How often do you clean your firearms? How clean do you get them? Bore snake? Field Strip? Detail Strip? Total OCD breakdown to parts over the course for three to four hours? Come clean. Spill the dirt.