Zen And The Art Of Carry Gun Maintenance

Last night I decided it was time to do some preventative maintenance on my Kahr PM9.

Even though I haven't shot it in a few months, I felt it was time to give it some TLC, considering it is a continual choice as a carry piece.

So I disassembled it and gave it a cleaning. Even having cleaned it well after its last range outing, some fouling still emerged from the barrel after a brush was run through it.

The real fun part was the magazines, or more particularly the 7 round magazine that I would carry as the spare mag in my pocket while the 6 rounder was in the pistol.

The 6 round mag was very clean. The 7 rounder, not so much.

In taking it apart, it was apparent that every bit of lint in a one mile area had decided to occupy my magazine.

The lint was actually below the top round , on the lower rounds in the magazine and lots had worked its way under the magazine follower and well within the mag body.

Cleaning with a dry Soft Tip Brush got rid of the lint and each round was wiped down with a dry cloth. I really recommend using this kind of brush for cleaning small magazines. The brushes easily fit and do a great job getting all the lint and gunk out of the magazine body.

Magazine reassembled, it was then reloaded and no gritty sounds occurred during the loading process. I lubed the frame rails and barrel hood and reassembled the Kahr and then wiped down the outside of the firearm with some CLP to help protect the metal.

Even if you don't shoot your carry gun on every outing, its a good idea to do some maintenance and ensure it is still clean and lubricated.

Don't forget that pocket carry spare magazine - it will most likely be even dirtier than the gun!