New gun. How should I prepare it for first use?

[Mikel]

I usually buy guns used, clean them and they are good to go.
I Picked up a Sig P238, brand new, and am wondering if i need to do anything special to prepare it for use. Initial oiling? Break in rounds at range?
This will probably be my back-up and occasionally primary carry weapon.

[USA1]

Definitely clean out the "shipping" grease and oil it up with regular gun oil .
Then some rounds down range to check the function . Then clean and oil again.

[KD5NRH]

I usually buy guns used, clean them and they are good to go.
I Picked up a Sig P238, brand new, and am wondering if i need to do anything special to prepare it for use. Initial oiling? Break in rounds at range?
This will probably be my back-up and occasionally primary carry weapon.

Pick up some Break Free Powder Blast (Wal Mart usually carries it) take all the plastic parts off, and hose it out with the Powder Blast to make sure the gunk is out, then lube the parts you can get to, reassemble and do your break-in firing. Afterward, you'll want to detail strip it, clean with Powder Blast again, and lube everything lightly with a good gun oil.

You may also want to clean the chamber and bore with Flitz, as it appears to help reduce carbon buildup.

[Zee]

I've only a had few brand spanking new models and not real recently. What I did to get a new gun ready was to drive one-handed from point of purchase to the woods while trying to figure out how to load the gun with the other hand. Once there I usually let loose at things from different distances until I ran out of ammo or it got too dark to see good.

[A-R]

You may also want to clean the chamber and bore with Flitz, as it appears to help reduce carbon buildup.

I started using Flitz occasionally for really dirty bores (after long day at range) and it really does help. But I am still concerned it could be a bit too aggressive, especially with metal bore brushes etc. I've personally seen Flitz completely strip all bluing off a gun. Any thoughts/experience with this? Am I just being paranoid?

[KD5NRH]

I started using Flitz occasionally for really dirty bores (after long day at range) and it really does help. But I am still concerned it could be a bit too aggressive, especially with metal bore brushes etc. I've personally seen Flitz completely strip all bluing off a gun. Any thoughts/experience with this? Am I just being paranoid?

For the bore and chamber polishing, I use it either directly on a mop (if I have several in that caliber) or on a patch wrapped around a mop, then follow up with dry patches wrapped around the mop until the come out clean. As for aggressiveness, I suspect you'd have to be cleaning daily to get noticeable wear, and if you're shooting that often, you'll probably shoot the bore smooth before you polish it out of tolerance.

It will strip cold blue pretty easily, but properly done hot bluing should stand up to repeated polishings, though it may wear through over a long period of time.

[ChuckW]

The owners manuals that I am familiar with, with respect to new handguns, just recommend a regular field strip type cleaning and oiling. It certainly can't hurt to do more than that but I would bet that 90% don't!

[MoJo]

Clean it, oil it, shoot it. If it's for self defense don't trust it until you've put 100+ malfunction free rounds through it (can be range ammo) and have proven it will feed your chosen self defense load 100%.

[WildBill]

Definitely clean out the "shipping" grease and oil it up with regular gun oil. Then some rounds down range to check the function. Then clean and oil again.

Clean it, oil it, shoot it. If it's for self defense don't trust it until you've put 100+ malfunction free rounds through it (can be range ammo) and have proven it will feed your chosen self defense load 100%.

Both are excellent advices.

[Mikel]

thx for the advice. I will clean and oil it. I will also do some research on Flitz.

[HankB]

When I get a new gun I field strip and clean it, as well as checking it for basic mechanical funtion (dry fire, verify manual safety - if any - works, etc.) I look it over for tool marks in inappropriate places (like the feed ramp) and make sure the screws are torqued down properly. Then lube, and it's off to the range.

For cleaning the bore, I won't use anything more aggressive than JB Bore compound. Things like Flitz and Simichrome will actually polish metal - and polishing means removing metal. They have their place - I've used Simichrome to polish a feed ramp - but I'm disinclined to put them through the bore.

[USA1]

I think we all left out the most important part.

The very first thing you do is stare at it , pick it up gently , and breath out .
ooops , did I say that out loud .

[boomerang]

Shoot it. A lot. If it's not 100% reliable then get it fixed before you carry it.

[LongHairedRedneck]

I have a P238 as well, just cleaned all the packing gunk out and oiled it.

You'll soon realize that it is one sweeeeet little pistol, absolutely love mine. Did you get the two tone or the rainbow finish one?

[Purplehood]

My dumb question for the day.

Is a P238 a .38 cal weapon?