Nothing, maybe once a year in fall I'll give them a simple green bath and blast of brake cleaner; then punch the barrel, lube, and re-assemble. I know some enjoy cleaning in a meditative way but I don't see the purpose as we are in the 21st century and most reputable service pistols will run just fine.
Any time you change a reciprocal component of a pistol system, it will negatively (normally, not in every case) affect long term durability.
The main issue with threading/suppressing a PX4 is that the rotational lock up system is unfriendly to threaded on devices such as cans or comps unless they are pinned in place.
Used to make pasta, now I make waffles.
The extensive process of bore cleaning that I described is done around every 2,000 to 2,400 rounds. I usually shoot 400 rounds per week, so I end up doing that cleaning every 5 to 6 weeks. This is done as part of my full cleaning protocol in which I use solvent (Hoppe’s #9), skewers, and paper towels to clean as much carbon off of the slide and frame as I can get to. In addition to this cleaning, I do a “range cleaning” after each shooting session (200 rounds), and a field cleaning like what you described in “My PX 4 .45 ACP cleaning protocols” every 800 rounds. My “range cleaning” is done at my business after leaving the range. My range pistol is not my carry pistol. I am not going to load it with self defense ammo, so I don’t worry about getting it clean before I leave the range.
I really do not enjoy cleaning, but I do like to see my pistol clean and enjoy it much more when it is functioning flawlessly. I was curious how many rounds you put through your pistols each year before you do the process of simple green, brake cleaner, and re-lube that you described?
Last edited by Storm SD; 04-24-2018 at 08:26 PM.
Equipment update
After more than 5,000 rounds this area has not changed at all. No additional wear, no spreading of polymer decay. Action remains as smooth as glass and reliability is perfect. I got through the problematic ammo reported in post #130 of this thread and function is back to flawless.
@31,174 rounds the slide rebound spring was changed prematurely. So, a new one was installed @35,900.
Pistol round count 36,200
Last edited by PX4 Storm Tracker; 04-26-2018 at 06:25 PM.
I have performed some very informal tests with good-quality ammo and oiled magazines. I spray a bit of CLP on a rag and wipe down the magazine. Then the magazine is loaded and set aside for a month. Then the magazine is used. I have never had an issue with any ammo, neither ignition issues or excessive velocity distributions. I have torn down magazines, looking for where the oil goes and what crud gets mixed with it, and I have seen very little debris unless I use too much lube.
As such, my personal belief is use enough lube to protect the magazine from corrosion caused by use (just a thin film), but not so much as for the guts of the magazine to attract and hold dust and lint. In sandy environments, any lube seems to be a dust magnet and is not suitable for magazines.
On blued magazines or in sandy environments, I have also used Renaissance Wax as it does a good job of protecting without attracting any dust and lint. NP3 metal finish also is awesome here as is the Beretta sand-resistant finish.
Last edited by farscott; 04-28-2018 at 01:43 PM.