Cleaning Bullseye Pistols with Red Dots

Cleaning Bullseye Pistols with Red Dots What is the best method of protecting my optics while cleaning my Bullseye guns? Do people take them off? I worry about return to zero. Leave them on? I worry about clp etc. getting on the lenses. Lens protectors? Where would you get them? I have Matchdots and they did not come with lens protectors.

My Matchdots came with lens caps connected with elastic string. When I clean my slide I take the barrel, fire pin, spring, and extractor out and use swabs soaked in Hoppes 9 or CLP and slather it on the slide were I need to clean and scrub it in and remove with cloth patches and swabs. Any juice that gets on the dot I wipe off immediately, but I usually don't need to.

Please don’t do it like I do

I put all springs and small parts in a plastic bowl
I use CRC red can brake clean and spray the slide and frame over top of the bowl and then spray everything in the bowl. I even spray my dot on my 45 alittle because it’s silver and get dirty.

When I drain and dump everything out on the bench I use lens cleaner and clean the dot and wipe everything else off and reassemble

Todd,

PM me your address, I have one of the Matchdot plastic covers I'll give you.

twist tie a sandwich bagger over your dot.

I save up a weeks worth of careful, and take my time. I try to only put cleaning solvents where they are needed. Often I find putting solvent on a patch helps. I also wipe down my dot when I am done with a microfiber cloth and clean the lenses.

Aprilian PM sent. Thanks!

Greetings,

Back when I shot "lights" on my pistols, I use the Burris Zee mounts.

Remove the base screws and slide the assembly off the rail.

Never had a zero change problem.

Cheers,

Dave

Nitrile gloves work great.

I need to cleanse my Burris FF3 on my RO after each range visit as the slide oil gets splashed on the body and the front of the lens.  When cleaning the slide I have a waterproof cover that sits over the entire sight.

Short answer, I take mine off.

I switched all my UD's over to Weaver rings 20 yrs ago. I lap them in after getting them nice & snug on the rail and set the scope. No zeroing issues with removing and reinstalling.

I like to totally strip my "precision hole punchers" twice a year. The Weavers (lots of other really good brands, I just happened to have these when the idea first hit) allow me to remove the dot for cleaning then reinstall without losing zero.  I tear them down & put them in a kerosene bath for 10-20 min. Take a toothbrush and q-tips to all area's and blow off the excess. Wipe everything down with a "red oil" impregnated rag, oil, and reassemble. Between the two thorough cleanings, a field stripping with q-tips, swabs, a bore brush, and more red oil.

I bought a used Matchdot II that I found on this forum a couple of years ago.  It came with what I woiuld call "heavy duty" mounting rings.  There's probably a better term.  Anyway, I can loosen the two nuts on the photo below, and lift the assembly off the rail.  Do whatever I need to do, and the sight goes back on easily, and still has a good 'zero'.  Since the joint is "horizontal" not "vertical", I think I can remove just the sight and replace it with no change in zero.  Optics Planet and Amazon seem to have lots of these, but the only one I wanted was the "low" version, which I couldn't find on Amazon.....

I have a set of these mounts on order for my new one inch Matchdot sight.  The penalty is that they weigh a little more than the standard rings.

Cover shipped to you today.

I use a plastic bag to cover the dot and keep the zero, has worked just down all the time

I just use blue painters tape.

All good thoughts. I thought of the ziplock. I will try the lens covers and see how that goes.