How often do you clean your guns?

[stubbicatt]

It depends...

I guess it depends on the firearm I'm shooting. If it is my IPSC pistol, I clean it only when it starts to not run anymore, or before an important match. Even then I clean the slide, chamber and breechface and lubricate it properly. If it is one of my Mosin Nagants, I clean it twice over two days for every time I've shot it to assure I've gotten all of the corrosive salts. If it is a modern centerfire rifle like my prairie dog rifle, or one of my HKs, I clean that at every 250 rounds.

I've read in many places that most guns which lose their accuracy do so because of either improper or too much cleaning, not from shooting too many rounds. Mine are stored in a climate controlled environment, so rust from ambient moisture should not be and is not, an issue.

 

[xsquidgator]

Mostly the same day, but not always. In 1996 I shot the two 9mm pistols I had in a session, and then forgot about them (didn't shoot or think about shooting) until I took them out for cleaning and more shooting in 2005! What's that close to 9 years, they were fine (a Ruger P85 and a SW3906). Fwiw I'd put a couple of boxes of WWB FMJs through them before they ended up getting put away for all those years. Now they get exercised and cleaned a couple times every month and they're still both great shooters.

 

[Zach S]

Rarely. I keep 'em lubed and shoot 'em. But on the other hand, I dont shoot any milsurp or corrosive ammo. I also clean them well if they've been in the drink or the mud.

5" 1911s get field stripped and a thorough cleaning between 1500 and 2000 rounds, normally I'll pull the slide off once in the middle of that and do a quick wipe-down. Run a boresnake through a little more often. 3.5" and 4" guns are cleaned around 500 rounds, normally a quick wipedown in the middle. I replace recoil springs at that time. Externally they get wiped down after I shoot them and on weekends I dont get paid.

My glock had been cleaned a few times. Probably count the number of times on one hand.

My Mossberg 590 only gets cleaned well when I take the trigger group out of it, which I do every 6 months or so to make sure the side-saddle isnt egging out the mounting holes. Wipedown when shot and biweekly, as above.

My 9mm AR has gone to the 3k+ mark without a cleaning, havent got that many rounds through my 5.56 though. I relgiously clean my 5.56 after using the ciener conversion, otherwise, I just keep the BCGs wet.

I tried to get a few pics of my 9mm AR (which is, with no doubt, the dirtiest gun I own), but my digital camera isnt a very good one.

Brake cleaner is normally involved, I had one kimber get so dirty I had to bead-blast it to get the crap off of it. Lots of folks tell me I'll wear them out faster, but I have a Polymer Kimber (BUL M5) with over 10k though it and its still a tight pistol.