Do "tight" guns get dirtier?

STEVE M

New member
I brought this up in another thread but didn't get any response. If you had

2 of the same model gun would the "tighter" one get dirtier with the same

number of rounds fired?

Anyone have say a mil-spec and a Baer or Wilson who could shed some

light on this?
 

mete

New member
The tight guns don't get any dirtier but the dirt will make the tighter gun malfunction easier !
 
You know, I always thought I was shooting really dirty ammo when I shot a stainless 1911, then I changed to one in black Armor-tuff and noticed the black gun didn't get as dirty using the same ammo and was much easier to clean. .... it all came down to appearance.

Tighter guns don't get dirtier unless you mean to suggest dirt it more easily blown free from 'loose' guns, such as out through the rails, around through the exterior area of the muzzle during recoil (such as on tilt barrel guns like Glocks or Kahrs), down the mag well, etc., which doesn't seem to actually happen to any great extent, tight or otherwise.
 

revjen45

Moderator
I took my Star PD to the FAS3 class and noticed that after 150 rounds or so the slide did not quite go all the way forward. A gentle nudge put it in battery. I switched to a Makarov which functioned perfectly for the rest of the class. I don't know if this answers your question, because I think a heavier recoil spring would have kept the PD going for a while longer, and the Mak is just an intrinsically reliable design. The average SD encounter isn't likely involve enough rounds to get the gun dirty enough to malfunction, and the Mak is a military design made to keep on chuggin' thru an extended firefight.
 

D-Ric902

New member
It won't get "dirtier" but the effect will be more with a tighter or more fitted gun. Jams or FTF probably.
 

Peter M. Eick

New member
No.

My Baer's and Sig 210's tend to take the combustion products better then say my Dan Wesson RZ-10 because the tightness of the fitting keeps more of the crud out of the rails and tight spaces. This is particularly true in 10mm where my standard powder (AA7) tends to gum up the slide on the RZ after around 500 rnds while the Baer just keeps perking along.
 

HSMITH

New member
Agree with Peter, a really well fitted and tight gun will run just fine when dirty from firing residue and at least as long as a loose gun will. Lubrication ends up being the factor that determines when a gun stops due to firing residue most times. Sand and garbage? Another matter completely.
 
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