Cleaning the Striker Channel…How Often?

[Rubb]

This was a question I had at one time so I thought a little experiment was in order.

This is a comparison of a striker channel clean out after 1250 rounds vs. 200 rounds.
Both cleanings were done with the pictured NC Brake Cleaner.

5538

5539
It was cleaned for the first time at 1250 and some of that grime could have been leftover from the manufacturing process.

It’s obvious to me the clean out doesn’t have to be done after every session but, I would highly recommend it for new guns.
If you use the NC Brake Cleaner as a general cleaner then by all means go for it.
IMO, as long as you’re taking care not to get cleaners and lubes in the striker channel…all should be good.

[muggsy]

I give mine a shot every 200 rounds. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and my CM9 is next to my balls. I appendix carry. :)

[Bug Splat]

I give mine a shot every 200 rounds. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and my CM9 is next to my balls. I appendix carry. :)

Yeah I use a Smart Carry. I like to keep Kahr clean as its a carry pistol. I like to detail strip it and clean it all by hand. 99% of that is just for fun :D

[druryj]

A lil squirt in the hole never hurt nuthin'.

[MW surveyor]

Clean every time it comes back from the range. Did it today after only firing 10 rounds through it. Ya never know!

[muggsy]

A lil squirt in the hole never hurt nuthin'.

More guns have been ruined by improper cleaning than by any other method. Oil in a striker channel can cause misfires. Oil collects dirt. Oil congeals in cold temperatures. Oil is hydroscopic. Some times a little squirt can cause a large pain in the as*.

[jshtroutman]

So you guys are saying I can squirt brake clean in the striker channel and be good to go? If there is no oil what so ever in there do I have to worry about rust developing? I'm sorry for the dumb questions I just received a new cw9 and I wanna clean it the way you more experienced kahr owners do.

[lowroad]

So you guys are saying I can squirt brake clean in the striker channel and be good to go? If there is no oil what so ever in there do I have to worry about rust developing? I'm sorry for the dumb questions I just received a new cw9 and I wanna clean it the way you more experienced kahr owners do.

It's stainless :) not gonna rust. Run that striker channel clean and dry.

[jshtroutman]

It's stainless :) not gonna rust. Run that striker channel clean and dry.

Thanks! That's what I was hoping to hear...

[TominCA]

I blow mine out every cleaning - but when disassembled the "back end" and pulled the striker I found some crud still in there! I also sometimes have trouble with the extractor / extractor channel when it gets real dirty. I now give it a few minutes in the ultrasound every few cleanings. I usually clean the P380 about every 100 rounds.

[downtownv]

Do you guys remove the spring/Styker pin to clean it or a simple tilt and spray?

[Tinman507]

I do the spray and flush with brake cleaner for the majority of cleaning. After close to 1000 rounds I got tinkery and pulled the slide down all the way.

There was a ton of crud and flakes in there the flushing didn't touch. The extractor channel had a lot of gunk in it as well. So my plan is to continue the spray for most cleaning but do the full monte every 700-1000 rounds just for peace of mind.

Lots of good tutorials and I believe a video or two for pulling the slide down. The Ripley striker spring tool is also essential. (search this forum for that) and a large Zip-lok bag for flying part containment (ask me how I know that one)

[TucsonMTB]

If you are finding crud in the striker channel despite frequent spray cleaning, try pulling the striker back to allow stronger flow through the hole in the breach face and/or cover the hole in the breach face with your finger to force a stronger flow out the back. Those techniques seem to keep mine clean, as verified by a tear down between 500 and a 1000 rounds, depending on enthusiasm. YMMV ;)

[chrish]

For the sake of sharing and embarrassing myself, now that the topic of striker channels has come back up. Funny story. Almost don't want to tell it.

Anyway. Was cleaning a couple months back, had just brake sprayed the channel out, reached for the canned air to blow as much brass out as possible...but that wasn't what I grabbed. Pumped the striker channel FULL of CLP Breakfree. Nice! I felt about a dumb as a dish rag.

Be careful what you squirt and where you squirt it. Apply that rule across your life and you'll do well.

[Rubb]

If you are finding crud in the striker channel despite frequent spray cleaning, try pulling the striker back to allow stronger flow through the hole in the breach face and/or cover the hole in the breach face with your finger to force a stronger flow out the back. Those techniques seem to keep mine clean, as verified by a tear down between 500 and a 1000 rounds, depending on enthusiasm. YMMV ;)

Good tip, thanks :)

[TominCA]

Don't feel bad = I usually give it a squirt of CLP when I'm finished cleaning - it has a good solvent and will dry in a few hours leavin a light coating of mineral oil with teflon. I hate to do a full disassembly (too lazy) so I try other stuff.

[wyntrout]

While holding the striker to the rear, also spray some BC into the striker pin hole to really flush it out, but I agree with Tinman about doing the slide breakdown once a year or every 1,000 rounds because the metallic bits from the cases being bashed around can build up.

After you've stripped down the slide once or twice, it's not scary... just need to make sure you don't let those parts go flying... the striker spring assembly AND the extractor tunnel assembly, or train. Notice there's an order to taking the things apart and putting them back together. The striker safety block has a cut out for the extractor tunnel and has to be in place first to put that stuff back in.

There are several threads here and lots of pictures. The bent coat hanger "C" clamp IS like a third hand and each pistol needs its own, as the length needed varies.

Wynn:)

[kb2wji]

There are so many "thats what she said" jokes in this thread im getting dizzy....

Word of caution with the blow out hole....wear eye protection, or squint and look away. Some of that high pressure cleaner has a habit of spraying straight back at you. I got some brake cleaner in my eye last week and it sucked for about an hour.

And just in case anyone is too shy to ask... Here is the blow out hole.

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j335/kb2wji/Gun%20Stuff/DSC02061.jpg

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j335/kb2wji/Gun%20Stuff/DSC02062.jpg

Also, its worth looking into detail stripping the slide. There is a great youtube video on how to do it. It's actually pretty easy.

[JFootin]

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j335/kb2wji/Gun%20Stuff/DSC02062.jpg



You know, looking at this pic, I have an idea. If your Ripley striker spring tool is not too long, you could insert it in front of that pushed back striker and then blow away with the cleaner or even insert a Q-tip moistened with cleaner to wipe out the channel. What do you think? Doable?

[Tilos]

When I get light strikes, I know yesterday would have been often enough:third:

[kb2wji]

JFootin: very possible. If you keep the spring back you can get a real healthy dose of cleaner in there too.

Oh yea... a helpful hint!! Pipe cleaners work GREAT for getting in tiny spots, but they're expensive. Wal Mart has a bag of 100 for about $3 in the crafts section. Little fuzzy twisty thingy's. They are just like a pipe cleaner, but wayyyy cheaper. And they work really well for jamming into those little spaces.

[jocko]

I have sprayed my striker channel EVERTIME I cleanmy kahr which is 905of all times tha tI goto the range with it. I always pull back the striker and hld it andspray from the breech face also and sh-it willcome out of the big dlean oput hole. Imust be lucky I guess forI have never takenmy striker channelapart to clean it other thanusing that clean out hole in over 32K rounds. I would also bet mystriker channel is perfectlyclean to: Just saying.

There is IMO no thing are over cleaning the striker channel, so do what method suits u best. My way seems the best way for me but as u read, these threads. We all have our own ways, so just stick to it.

[thegrifcannon]

Please, please, please no q-tips!
It's way too easy to leave a chunk of it in the gun without realizing it's happened.
Had a PJ in Japan who's GUU was misfiring every round because he'd 'cleaned' the firing pin channel in the bolt with a q-tip, half of which was still in the gun between the firing pin and bolt face.
Pipe cleaners are the way to go.

[CB3]

Polishing the striker components and channel will go a long way toward ensuring functionailty, smoothing and even lightening trigger pull, and making everything easier to clean. When done with the polishing, before resassembly, lightly coat all parts and the channel with a lubricant such as MilTec-1, bake in a 170 dgree oven for about 15 minutes. Wipe off any excess.

Definitley worth the effort for performance as well as easier cleaning.

[muggsy]

Just as a heads up to all of you Kahr owners out there. I've been working on a lever similar to the one that you find on most porcelain receptacles to aid those who have difficulty in flushing their striker channels. This little gem will cost under five dollars, but I hope to make a small fortune on it. I'm going to split the profits evenly with my partners in this venture. Namely, Bawanna and Jocko. :)

[Birdog]

Yeah I use a Smart Carry. I like to keep Kahr clean as its a carry pistol. I like to detail strip it and clean it all by hand. 99% of that is just for fun :D

Me too

[JFootin]

Yeah I use a Smart Carry. I like to keep Kahr clean as its a carry pistol. I like to detail strip it and clean it all by hand. 99% of that is just for fun :D

Me too

Wow, two of you! I have a SmartCarry, rarely use it. When I do, I like to use suspenders so I can loosen my belt a couple of notches for easier access (I normally have it cinched pretty tight).

I just bought some Perry Suspenders (http://www.perrysuspenders.com/) that clip to your belt instead of your pants. 2" wide for extra comfort, though they have them available 1.5" wide, too. I think they'll be great for helping support a heavier gun like my PPQ loaded with 15+1, plus two spare mags on the other side to help balance it. Neat idea, huh? :D

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/perrysuspenders_2264_13717936

[jocko]

Just as a heads up to all of you Kahr owners out there. I've been working on a lever similar to the one that you find on most porcelain receptacles to aid those who have difficulty in flushing their striker channels. This little gem will cost under five dollars, but I hope to make a small fortune on it. I'm going to split the profits evenly with my partners in this venture. Namely, Bawanna and Jocko. :)

whgereI comefrom we call it a crapper flusher lever, Now I bet everyone knows exactlty what I am talkingabout when I stateit that way but oh no u gotta be "mother teresa" and dance around it that no one has a clue WTF ur talkin about. Thats not the muggsy that I know. Just sayin


semper vulgare:Amflag2:

[AIRret]

In the summer I use a smart carry about 20% of the time. It's easy for me to hide the gun even when I'm just wearing shorts and a t-shirt. However, I normally carry the gun in the 10 o'clock position (not the traditional crotch location) with 60% of the grip above the belt line. I've never come close to the gun falling out and it even works when I'm not wearing a belt.
Women's clothing (especially dress pants) doesn't always have large pockets or belt loops,
so I look for alternatives when necessary.
I also like the flash bang for back up or when clothing or circumstance lend themselves to it's use. I've used it with my Rugar LCR 357 and have ordered one for my Kahr pm9.
The pm9 should hide even better since it's a narrower weapon.

Since this tread started with striker hole cleaning I'll add my two cents. I spray it out while working the firing pin spring about every 500 rounds.
That was of coarse began after I figured out how to do it while reading this forum.

[muggsy]

whgereI comefrom we call it a crapper flusher lever, Now I bet everyone knows exactlty what I am talkingabout when I stateit that way but oh no u gotta be "mother teresa" and dance around it that no one has a clue WTF ur talkin about. Thats not the muggsy that I know. Just sayin


semper vulgare:Amflag2:

Sometimes I like to show my couth. Look that up in yer Funk N Wagnels, Jocko. :)

[JohnR]

Now that's a term the young whippersnappers will scratch their heads over. I haven't thought about Funk N Wagnels in decades!

[Tilos]

JFootin: very possible. If you keep the spring back you can get a real healthy dose of cleaner in there too.

Oh yea... a helpful hint!! Pipe cleaners work GREAT for getting in tiny spots, but they're expensive. Wal Mart has a bag of 100 for about $3 in the crafts section. Little fuzzy twisty thingy's. They are just like a pipe cleaner, but wayyyy cheaper. And they work really well for jamming into those little spaces.

And cheap Q-Tips too...the ones with the centers made of PAPER not the plastic tubes.

Once you have used the cotton tip, snip it off at an angle, with dykes (can I say that?), and you'll have a sharpe point to use to clean crevises, or point lube an exact spot.
I didn't read this complete thread so this may have been mentioned before...:o