If you are thinking you can just wipe off fingerprints from your gun or bullets with a mere cloth towel or anything, I am sorry to say you are wrong. At best the fingerprints can get smudged but the traces will still be there.
It is a serious issue if you are handing over your gun to someone else. The slightest hints of your DNA in that gun can get you into deep trouble.
But with the right technique and the right cleaning agents, you can get your gun cleaned yourself. Indeed, it is not a hard job. I came across some simple ways to clean a gun which I have shared here. Hope this will help you to clean yours.
Common Places on a Gun Where Fingerprints are Found
Before jumping to the steps to clean off fingerprints, you must get the idea of where mostly the fingerprints are found. It acts as a shortcut to work. You can directly go to clean the potential areas where the fingerprints can be found. It is not at all complicated to locate the areas. You just need to trace the parts you mostly touch when you are using your gun.
Generally, the most highlighted area is the magazine. The magazine has a flat surface which is most vulnerable for fingerprints. You need to hold the magazine with all your fingers while loading. This action leaves your prints on its surface which is also easily visible.
The next most touched areas would be the barrel and the grip panel. These areas remain exposed to your touch throughout the time you are using the gun. The grip panel normally has a rough surface to offer the grasp. This coarse area makes it quite tough to perceive the fingerprints. Thus, it is suggested to clean this area thoroughly to leave no prints behind.
Another potential area would be the trigger itself. Right, it is the most logical place to find fingerprints after any of your shooting sessions. The surface around the trigger is purposely made coarse to offer a grasp to the user. That’s why much attention must be given while cleaning this area. As you wouldn’t know if any traces of prints are left behind.
These are some highlighted parts of the gun where mostly the fingerprints are found but not the only places. For a thorough cleaning of your gun, you should try covering the total gun.
Is It Hard To Get Fingerprints Off a Gun?
Now comes the question about the difficulty. How hard it is to remove fingerprints from guns? You can let out a sigh of relief knowing it is not that hard as a job.
However, it is not that simple as shown in movies. It requires a diligent cleaning session to clean off the fingerprints successfully.
Again, several factors influence if the fingerprints will get wiped perfectly. One of such factors is the surface of the gun. Its roughness plays a huge role in holding back the skin oil in it and also meddles with the visibility of the fingerprint.
Rubbing over the fingerprints with a cloth piece can make the print untraceable but it will still be there. The latent fingerprints can not be cleaned off just by a paper towel. It requires strong cleaning agents to get wiped off.
To be always sure about your cleaning success, you should use the cleaning agents not relying merely on the cleaning towel. The cleaning agents also make the task a lot easier.
What Removes Fingerprints from a Gun or Bullets
Fingerprints include the skin oil including the residue of the dirt your finger had. It’s a mixture of both.
To wipe it off, a slightly acidic cleaning agent will be a good choice. Several such acidic cleaners can be named for this task. You may find a lot of choices but here I have listed the most common ones for your DIY cleaning.
Soda Water
Soda water or carbonated water is acidic in nature. It has a pH level of 3 to 4. This is a good agent to work against the residues left on your gun. You can wipe off most of the fingerprints and get your gun cleaned. The best part about this cleaning agent is that its availability. It’s something that is always there lying in your home. So, when you are in a rush, you can use this as a cleaner for your gun.
Vinegar
White vinegar is another easily available medium for cleaning off fingerprints. It’s an intense liquid to react with the skin oil and the mark left behind on the gun surface. Its success rate in cleaning off the print is higher than soda water. Dumping a cleaning towel on the liquid just scrub and wipe the gun. Take time while cleaning the potential areas where the fingerprints can be present for sure.
Mineral Spirits
Stoddard’s Solvent which is commonly known as a mineral spirit is another alternative as a gun cleaner. It is not corrosive to gunmetal and is usable. It’s an acidic liquid that reacts well against the finger marks left on the gun. It helps to clean the dirt and residues off the gun surface. This might require a little scrubbing and rubbing with the cleaning cloth piece.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a weak acid but does the job of cleaning with a good success rate. It is usually used to distill surfaces. This is a good cleansing agent. Considering its efficiency in cleaning, it can be used for wiping off fingerprints from the gun. You can use liquid alcohol, alcohol pads, or alcohol cleaning sprays. Though the effects might not be as high as the other options, it can work as a quick cleaning agent.
How Long can Fingerprints Stay on a Gun or Ammunition
The astonishing modern techniques never fail to surprise. Who thought about it but your DNA can be easily traced from your fingerprints. It’s a new extraction facility that uses fingerprints as the source to trace DNA.
Can You Wipe Fingerprints Off Bullets
As far as your tracks are concerned, it would be best to use some steel wool (000, 0000) and rub them down. Using a rag or paper towel to wipe off any dirt/grit you free up, they should be fine.
The Types of Fingerprints Found on the Guns
The 2 most common types of fingerprints found on guns are- Patent fingerprints and Latent fingerprints.
The Patent fingerprints are regular fingerprints that we normally get to see. This type of fingerprint is visible due to a reason and it is mostly caused by the residue in one’s fingers. This can be some oil-based or tint containing substance that makes the fingerprints perceptible to normal eyes.
On the other hand, the Latent fingerprints are not practically visible like the Patent ones. This type of print is mostly made of sweat and oil on the skin’s surface. To see them additional processing is required.
Both the fingerprints are found on a used gun. Sometimes the prints are visible with bare eyes sometimes not. That’s why precaution is a must while cleaning the gun. You must clean off the finger marks carefully and successfully.
Conclusion
It is always good to be on the safe side and keep the gun clean. One fingerprint can cause you huge trouble out of nowhere. The proverb ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ is not just merely said. Cleaning your gun now will save you from any unwanted future mishaps.
This cleaning session won’t even take too much time of yours. With the mentioned home used cleaning materials, you can easily wipe off the unwanted finger marks.
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