General questions on cleaning and "zeroing" my new sig 226 (or any pistol)

[sploosh]

My background: Only had an LTC 3 months, this is my first pistol. (New 9mm sig 226 Nitron)


First question (because I think i'll get a lot of different opinions)

1) use a bore snake on a pistol? When do you use it and how often? (i've been told so many different things from friends/gunstores/etc) 1a) how often do you use a bronze bore brush? Does it damage the bore using it?

2) How often do you lube a pistol? Do you always clean and lube at the same time? I placed some lube outside the barrel and after 60 rounds I feel like the outside of the barrel is a bit dry and has some discoloration. normal?? <worried>

------

3) I was shooting plates at 25 yds [standing] and doing pretty good. I then bench shot at 25 and found the gun was going low by 3-5" (luckily i was aiming high on the plates) ... is this normal for 9mm? I saw that you can adjust the sites [in the manual]. Anyone have some experience with this? At what range should a pistol be "zero'ed" at??? I say "zero'ed" because I don't even know if pistols get zero'ed. (I own a 223 rifle and zero'ed my red dot to 100 yrds. <--my only experience so far) Luckily the 226 shot in the middle [LEFT/RIGHT AXIS] of the target (i even hit dead center after aiming high enough).

4) Does anyone recommend some tools for adjusting pistol and rifle iron sights? (rifle = SCAR 16s)

5) I cleaned and lubed with "Break-Free CLP" - anyone have any thoughts on the product? The product claims to be flexible, almost seems too good to be true.

6) Lastly, I only cleaned around the slide and barrel... I was scared to death of going near the trigger, springs, or basically anything in the lower part of the gun. I did notice factory grease all over the trigger mechanism. Should i ever be doing anything down there? I bought some $6.49 Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube Gun Grease - would that be the proper product to place on the trigger [if necessary].

thanks for any and all replys

 

[Sir_Macadoo]

1. you can clean as often as after every range session. Sometimes it gets tedious and people dont do it quite that often. Some people never clean there firearms. Its up to you. If you use mil surp corrosive ammo, you should consider cleaning everytime you shoot - or at least shoot some windex (ammonia) down the barrel.

2. Again this comes to preference. You can do it every time you shoot/clean, or hardly ever. Too much lube does hold onto to dirt making things messier. Contact parts will look a bit scraped no matter what you do - as long as you dont see deep scratches or etching, you are probably OK.

3. For pistols with fixed sites, there isnt too much one can do. It may require kentucky windage - if the gun shoots right, aim left. Or you can drift the sites around if you like to move left to righ, just be careful. For elevation adjustment, you can - gasp - file the front site post. Not that I reccomend that, but it can be done - thats why front posts come in different heights. Adjustable pistol sites can be zeroed for both elevation and windage. Shoot and see where the hole is, adjust the rear site accordingly. Repeat until it shoots where you want it to. Keep in mind, this will have to be done for a given distance and will perform diferently at different distances.

4. Brass drift and a hammer. Or a piece of wood, nylon drift. Or you can shell out for a model specific site adjustment tool. Up to you.

5. CLP is a fine product.

6. Some folks never do this, some do it regularly. It depends on the user and your comfort level taking the gun completley apart. Go easy with the lube, a little bit goes a very long way. If overlubed, it will hold onto the dirt and grime and cause more problems down the road.

 

[yanici]

Here's a good video on how to clean and lube. http://www.sigsauer.com/CustomerService/MaintenanceGuides.aspx The only thing I would change in the video is that if you're going to the range to shoot, substitute grease for oil on the slide and the rails. I personally have used white lithium grease and now I use Slip 2000 Extreme weapon Grease. After over 2000 rounds my Sig rails and slide still look great. Don't skimp on oiling the barrel where it contacts the slide. Some guys use grease here also although I just make sure it's oiled. The oil I use is Slip 2000 Extreme Weapon Oil but any good gun oil should work. Sigs like to be shot wet.

Since my Sig is a defensive gun I clean, oil, and grease every time out.

 

[DrNVP]

My background: Only had an LTC 3 months, this is my first pistol. (New 9mm sig 226 Nitron)


First question (because I think i'll get a lot of different opinions)

1) use a bore snake on a pistol? When do you use it and how often? (i've been told so many different things from friends/gunstores/etc) 1a) how often do you use a bronze bore brush? Does it damage the bore using it?

2) How often do you lube a pistol? Do you always clean and lube at the same time? I placed some lube outside the barrel and after 60 rounds I feel like the outside of the barrel is a bit dry and has some discoloration. normal?? <worried>

------

3) I was shooting plates at 25 yds [standing] and doing pretty good. I then bench shot at 25 and found the gun was going low by 3-5" (luckily i was aiming high on the plates) ... is this normal for 9mm? I saw that you can adjust the sites [in the manual]. Anyone have some experience with this? At what range should a pistol be "zero'ed" at??? I say "zero'ed" because I don't even know if pistols get zero'ed. (I own a 223 rifle and zero'ed my red dot to 100 yrds. <--my only experience so far) Luckily the 226 shot in the middle [LEFT/RIGHT AXIS] of the target (i even hit dead center after aiming high enough).

4) Does anyone recommend some tools for adjusting pistol and rifle iron sights? (rifle = SCAR 16s)

5) I cleaned and lubed with "Break-Free CLP" - anyone have any thoughts on the product? The product claims to be flexible, almost seems too good to be true.

6) Lastly, I only cleaned around the slide and barrel... I was scared to death of going near the trigger, springs, or basically anything in the lower part of the gun. I did notice factory grease all over the trigger mechanism. Should i ever be doing anything down there? I bought some $6.49 Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube Gun Grease - would that be the proper product to place on the trigger [if necessary].

thanks for any and all replys

You really only need to use a bronze bore brush often if you are shooting cast lead bullets. Copper plated bullets won't lead up the rifling very much, so usually I just make a few passes with a CLP soaked boresnake and a couple of patches.

Your pistol should be lubed according to what the manual says. Different pistols need varying quantities/types of lube. Lube should be placed on the running surfaces of the gun where metal rubs against metal. After shooting a new pistol for a bit, you will begin to see wear marks on the inside of the gun. These areas are where you should apply lube.

Pistols with fixed sights aren't usually "zeroed", unless the sight is badly misaligned from the factory. If there's a big problem, you can use a brass punch and gently tap it into alignment. Practice shooting and know how your point of aim and point of impact are related.

Breakfree CLP is a good general purpose cleaner and lube. I think Sig prefers grease though, I'm not positive.

You should always field strip and clean a new pistol before shooting it. When it comes from the factory, it's usually covered in some sort of rust preventative and has dirt and crud in it from storage.

 

[RugerSlinger]

If they are night sights i wouldnt hit them with a punch and hammer. It can break the glass vile. I always press them. I would hate to see you ruin brand new night sights.

 

[yanici]

If they are night sights i wouldnt hit them with a punch and hammer. It can break the glass vile. I always press them. I would hate to see you ruin brand new night sights.

If after being sure that you need your rear sight adjusted, I have a Sig sight pusher that will fit your 226 or any other Classic P-Series Sig. You're welcome to use it.

 

[sploosh]

Thank you everyone for the replys, I'll check the links and videos when I get home.

What is the bullet drop of a 9mm? Does it rise and fall similar to a 233 round (obviously not at the same speeds and distances).

The back sites appear perfect, the bullet drop problem I experienced at 25 yards is a front sight issue. I don't want to file the front site.... is there any other way to bring it down? Maybe a link to other options? (tools or replacement).

Am i crazy for wanting to zero at 25 yards?

 

[BradM]

On a Sig the sights are set up to be over the POI, not below. You'll probably want to change their height; that's how my 226 is

 

[meth0d]

How many shots have you run through it, and have you shot for groups?

My 226 is a tack driver at 25 yards straight from the factory.

On a Sig the sights are set up to be over the POI, not below. You'll probably want to change their height; that's how my 226 is

That's how mine shoots, where ever the front dot is (as long as it's properly lined up in with the rear sight) is where the bullets will hit.

 

[Gammon]

I would put at least 500 rounds through the gun before considering any sight adjustments. Sometimes break in can change point of impact. Windage adjustment is obvious; move the rear sight in its dovetail with a sight adjustment tool to prerserve those precious and vulnerable night sights. Dawson Precision has instuctions on adjusting front sight height on their web site. This will tell you what height front sight you will need. Don't attempt to adjust the windage until the new front sight is in place.

 

[PaulD]

I would highly suggest following this article for how to lube a SIG P series. I also use grease on the outside of the barrel, locking lug, guide road and recoil spring.

http://grayguns.com/lubrication-of-sig-sauer-pistol-rails/

As for cleaning, bore snakes are great. Spray some cleaner down the bore and then run the bore snake through a few times. As was said above, using the bore snake after every range visit is fine. The discoloration your seeing on the barrel may be the beginning of this, and it's normal:

 

[sploosh]

I would put at least 500 rounds through the gun before considering any sight adjustments. Sometimes break in can change point of impact. Windage adjustment is obvious; move the rear sight in its dovetail with a sight adjustment tool to prerserve those precious and vulnerable night sights. Dawson Precision has instuctions on adjusting front sight height on their web site. This will tell you what height front sight you will need. Don't attempt to adjust the windage until the new front sight is in place.

only put 60 rounds through it so far ... I guess i'll try waiting 500 rounds. I find it frustrating to hear that people are getting perfect hits @ 25 from the factory.

I'll let a few people shoot it and see if they have the same trouble. I know i'm a newbie, but bench shooting 3 dot sights shouldn't be that complicated.



^^^^^^
I hit bullseye with image 3 ... i prefer image 2 =P

 

[DrNVP]

only put 60 rounds through it so far ... I guess i'll try waiting 500 rounds. I find it frustrating to hear that people are getting perfect hits @ 25 from the factory.

I'll let a few people shoot it and see if they have the same trouble. I know i'm a newbie, but bench shooting 3 dot sights shouldn't be that complicated.



^^^^^^
I hit bullseye with image 3 ... i prefer image 2 =P

a six-o-clock hold is used for target shooting when you have a bullseye of known size at a known distance and your gun has adjustable sights.

Most 'combat' pistols are designed to shoot either Image 2 or Image 3 because your point of aim is your point of impact, generally speaking. If you were to use a six-o-clock hold, you would have to compensate for the fact that your impact will be above your front sight.

 

[sploosh]

My SigSauer pistol is not accurate. Why? What should I do?
All SigSauer production duty/combat pistols are set up to use a "combat" sight picture. This is where the front sight completely covers the bulls eye of the target. Using a six o'clock ("pumpkin on a post") or center mass ("half'n'half") sight picture will result in low impact. SigSauer, Inc sights in all non-sporting and non-target pistols for 2.5 inch groupings @ 15 yards. If you are still having trouble please contact Customer Service for further help and instruction. Please have your serial number ready. There are also very helpful free Internet sites that cover pistol group analysis.

^^^ from sig website... guess that explains it.

 

[endus]

Guess I should have read more carefully when I got mine. I thought I read a lot but apparently I missed some key stuff. At least what I was starting to figure out on my own jives with what is actually true, though, that makes me feel like I'm on the right track. Now if I could just stop getting that one "way off" round when I shoot an otherwise decent group that would really kick ass. I'm trying to get that "really great target" to hang up in my office but there's always one f-up.

I have been using grease on my 229 for a while per the grayguns tutorial. People said it would be messier and to a degree it is. The key thing is taking some paper towels or a rag and wiping most of the old grease off before starting in with the patches, though. It's not too bad if you do that.

The thing i like about the grease is that it lasts longer. I found that putting more than a couple hundred rounds through the gun in a session was drying out the oil. With grease I can go up to the gravel pit and put ~300rds through it and there's still lubrication left. The gravel pit allows for...uhm....more "agreessive" shooting than an indoor range, so I like to make sure the gun is well prepared.

I was cleaning after every range trip but, as people here predicted, I have started slacking on that a bit. My gun is actually sitting dirty right now...I need to get on that soon. I said I wasn't going to clean my AK after the initial cleaning I gave it, but then when I went to the gravel pit to really beat on it I decided to clean it again. I'm trying to resist now...which is not hard because it's such a pain to clean.

 

[Gammon]

I have been following the advice of GGI on lubing my SS 226 and have pretty much had it with the grease; it does create more of a mess. I am going back to my old stand by, 20 wt synthetic motor oil. My practice sessions often run over 400 rounds and this oil has never "dried up" on me.

 

[Serapis]

I gave up on Breakfree. I use the new M Pro7 stuff. I like it.

 

[Gammon]

I gave up on Breakfree. I use the new M Pro7 stuff. I like it.

Save your money. Synthetic motor oil works just as well (I use 20 wt) for a small fraction of the cost.