Ive been curious as to the necessity of removing grips during the cleaning process and was wondering how you all handled it. I have had some 1911’s that I would take them off here and there to make sure sweat wasn’t eroding the steel frame, but haven’t really done it with my anodized aluminum frame pistols. Just never saw the need as I was fine to run a CLP-soaked q-tip along the edge of the grip panels and call it a day. I’m extremely meticulous in pretty much every other way about my guns and it sort of surprised me when I was talking to someone and they said I was crazy for never taking my Beretta 92 grips off all these years. It’s in perfect condition though I guess one never knows if there is crud under there until one looks and it only takes a few minutes right? I have a 92 that has the screws oriented in the same plane though and felt like they may not go back the same once tightened after removal. Maybe that’s silly. Hence the poll.

Question:
As the title states, I’m curious as to how many of you remove your grip panels when you clean say a High Power, Beretta 92, CZ 75 variant, 1911, etc.?

Choices:
Never. It ain’t needed if not changing out grips
Occasionally. If the gun is exposed to excessive grime or maybe every few cleanings
Every time it gets cleaned the grips come off

 

I take them off every 10k or anytime I need to detail strip the gun.

Very very rarely...only if I'm doing a detail strip, deep cleaning, or some kind of internal maintenance that requires their removal. IMO you're more likely to end up cross-threading something or buggering up a screwhead than you are to actually accomplish anything productive by taking them off every time you clean.

I take the grips off my classic Sigs, S&W revolvers and 1911s usually once a year or so. Or if the gun gets soaking wet.

Depends on the grips and the degree of detail for cleaning. It's really more about damaging the grips than it is, most of the time, about cleaning.

For nice 1911 wood grips, I take them off every time. For other kinds of grips, rubber, micarta, aluminum and so on, only rarely.

I used to take them off every time. If the grips are such that a solvent or oil is not going to damage or deface them then they most often stay on.

Over the years I have run across older handguns where there was rust under the grips simply because no one ever removed them to observe and address the rust. The rust did damage to the finish. Since then, when purchasing a firearm I always remove the grips to check and do a very light wipedown with oil. Periodically I do the same with the firearms I regularly use.
(Most of the ones I found this way were 1911s but it can happen with any firearm). Same goes for forends/handguards/whatever on shotguns and rifles. Great buildup areas for dust.

I don’t do it for routine cleaning. I don’t have any handguns with carbon steel frames that I clean regularly, when I did, I never found that necessary. I always put a layer of oil or grease on the frame under the stocks and that seemed to prevent any problems.

As for guns like Classic line SIGs whose grip plates screws go directly into the frame, I actually avoid removing them any more than necessary. The screws often have something on the threads to help eliminate loosening and I’m always leery about the damage that regular installation might cause.

I do of course remove the grip plates for detail stripping and cleaning.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Very very rarely...only if I'm doing a detail strip, deep cleaning, or some kind of internal maintenance that requires their removal. IMO you're more likely to end up cross-threading something or buggering up a screwhead than you are to actually accomplish anything productive by taking them off every time you clean.

I agree ^

Depends on where the pistol has been & the frame material ( steel ). Otherwise, periodically. After all, no one likes there grips working loose under use, right?

None of the poll choices really fit me, but I’m also in the camp of “only for a detail strip and / or replacement of parts”.

I don’t worry about the screw threads, I just see no reason to remove the panels for a basic cleaning. The frame & magwell remain relatively clean under the panels. If I truly want to clean & lube hammer, sear, trigger bar, etc., you can’t do so by simply removing the panels.

Depends on what you're using for cleaning. Some solvents, including Gun Scrubber and Powder Blast (which are basically just nonchlorinated brake cleaner), will strip/discolor wood grips and can damage plastic/rubber grips.

If using hardcore chemical solvents like these, especially in aerosol spray form, the grips should be removed.

And if you have especially nice wood grips, it may be worthwhile to remove the grips every time you clean the frame.

But otherwise, it's not necessary during most cleanings.

Interesting. It appears many of you share the same sentiment. I don’t feel so bad now for not removing my panels all these years. Although I’d like to coat the frame and check for rust, I don’t think there is any under there and would rather avoid the chance of buggering up the screws or bushings in some cases. Still, I may change my mind and pop them off on the 92 down the road.

I would imagine that there are a lot of people that never take their grips off the entire life of the pistol and I wonder how many of those would actually experience issues like rust under them if checked. I guess it all determines the variables of how the gun was used.

quote:

Originally posted by Rinehart:
Over the years I have run across older handguns where there was rust under the grips simply because no one ever removed them to observe and address the rust. The rust did damage to the finish. Since then, when purchasing a firearm I always remove the grips to check and do a very light wipedown with oil. Periodically I do the same with the firearms I regularly use.
(Most of the ones I found this way were 1911s but it can happen with any firearm). Same goes for forends/handguards/whatever on shotguns and rifles. Great buildup areas for dust.

This is a good point.

I don’t remove my glock grip panels but I occasionally do on berettas and 1911s.

I do on 1911s almost every time.

This is sort of like those “do you detail strip” clean guns threads
I am (despite the efforts of the US Army to brainwash me)the exact opposite of meticulous when it comes to gun cleaning. I have ,outside of specific training classes as part of a curriculum , never detail stripped a pistol for routine care. My maintenance standard is is it clean enough to depend on? If the answer is yes go no further. This is closely associated with another philosophy- if you can’t trust your defensive gun to run dirty get one that will.
I shoot at least weekly, and I only clean each guns every couple months, and my cleaning regimen lasts about 5 minutes. I am often asked at the range by fellow shooter- you know I don’t think I have ever seen one of your guns malfunction- what is your secret? Simple oil in the right places, don’t tinker with the thing take it out of the box and run it like you stole it.
I have guns over 100 years old that have never had grips off or detail stripped and yes they work fine - why poke the sleeping bear?

I will typically remove the grips one time per year unless the unit has become very dirty.

On my old units I like to wipe the frame and re-oil the surface under the grips.

I leave the grip panels on. I detest bunged up grip screws.