How often do you clean your pistols?

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CABob

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I tend to be a neat freak about my guns. I clean them every time they're used. But I have seen guys say that it's not necessary nor advisable to take them apart and clean them so often.

What do you do?
 
Jokingly: How often do you make your bed in the morning?

Seriously: Keeping a gun clean will extend it's servicablility. Field stripping is sufficient on a regular basis. "Tucking the corners" is recommended every so often.
 
Depends....Revolvers when they are so dirty that my hands get black after handling them. .22 target pistols when accuracy falls off. Semi plinkers when I feel like it. Duty weapon anytime it is fired, because the employer requires it.

The only sure thing I do is wipe 'em down with an oily rag before putting them back in a case.
 
I used to be really anal about cleaning them immediately upon return from the range. Now I only do that if I have used corrosive ammo. Otherwise, they might get cleaned that night, or it might be later that week, or maybe next month. Maybe they'll make 3 or 4 range trips before cleaning. Basically, when I have a few spare minutes at the same time I feel inclined to do it.

That said, I'm currently in the process of testing my Armalite M15A2 to see how long it can go, and am just hitting it with CLP periodically until (?) it suffers stoppages; I expect it may not get cleaned for years.
 
I shoot at least 3 days a week and usually do it with more than one gun. There's no way they are gonna get cleaned after every trip.
 
I used to be really anal about cleaning them immediately upon return from the range. Now I only do that if I have used corrosive ammo. Otherwise, they might get cleaned that night, or it might be later that week, or maybe next month. Maybe they'll make 3 or 4 range trips before cleaning. Basically, when I have a few spare minutes at the same time I feel inclined to do it.
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My sentiments exactly. Thanks MachIVshooter for saving me some keystrokes. :)
 
Eight posts in, data point...

Three experienced guys posting, one with over 8,500 posts, one with over 4,000 posts, and one with nearly 3,000 posts, and all shoot a lot. It may be worthwhile to take their advice.
 
I'll usually at least give them a lick and a promise when I come home from the range, but if I don't feel like it, it's no big deal. I'll get around to it sooner or later.

The only guns I've ever gone beyond field stripping with are Com-bloc milsurps. Spray 'em with gunscrubber, shake 'em, oil 'em. Good enough.
 
When I was younger, I also was 'anal' about cleaning every tiny part to the point of looking brand-spanking-new. Over the years, other priorities have taken the place. In thinking about this, I also used to keep my work truck and my wife's car immaculately-clean and polished. When you own a house and try to maintain everything on (in) the house, and with a large yard to mow every four days due to a lot of rain, the things that were "REAL-IMPORTANT" when I was younger, aren't so important any more.

This is not to say I abuse my guns in any way, I don't want to see rust just like the rest of you, however, with the modern ammo that has little to no corrosive properties, I may go a year or two before cleaning my stainless steel pistols. My blued guns get a little more attention, as I don't want them to rust.

I can hunt when it is dry out, handling the long-guns, and never wipe them down, and there are no rust spots at all. If I get caught in the rain, then I will be anal about it as soon as I get home! I found that placing a wet gun near my boiler (where it is warm and dry) will dry the gun out within an hour or two.

Where it used to be an automatic thing to do after EVERY shooting, it has kind of gotten placed on the "back-burner," so to speak, when I have other responsibilities to tend to.

Also, I need to be in the mood to clean my guns. When I am in the mood, I might just go through and clean all of them and then wipe them all down.

Anymore, I skip washing my vehicles sometimes for up to a year or so. So, they are dirty, who cares? Yes, I like a clean vehicle and clean guns, however in my older age, other things take priority (like being here telling you all how I used to do it compared to NOW)! :confused:
 
There have been several long threads on this subject.

I clean my match & carry guns every 500-1,000 rds, or so, when I think they "need" it.

Anything that ate corrosive ammo gets cleaned right away, with boiling water.

I don't trust a "clean" gun. If I've got a big match coming up I'll clean the gun I plan to use really well about a week or two ahead of time, but then I'll take it out and run a few 100 through it. I want to know everything went back together perfectly and there are no bits of cleaning cloth, or brush bristles in there to snag the works, and that all the springs were installed and seated correctly, etc.

I don't do a brake job just before setting out on a 1,000 mile road trip, either! ;)
 
A lot of <OLD> military ammo is corrosive.
I am sure some really cheap junk would be as well.
 
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Old surplus ammo is. It's the primers they used to have. Nothing from recent manufacture is going to be corrosive.
 
I clean mine after firing. All of my handguns are potentially going to be used for self defense and I want to inspect them after firing for wear and possible damage.
 
Pistols about every 400 to 500 rounds. Freedom Arms revolver every 250 to 300 rounds when shooting .45LC lead bullets because at that point the cylinder is about ready to bind.
 
The surplus Russian 7n6 5.45x39mm most of us buy to run through our AK-74 variants is corrosive. A fair bit of 7.62x39mm is as well.

In other calibers you really have to get back to WWII surplus era to find a lot of corrosive ammo. I've shot plenty of 8mm Mauser and .303 Brit that absolutely was, but some of that stuff was made in the 30s, IIRC.
 
I clean my glock 30 and my wife's p238 every other week. they get gummed up with lint and stuff. my others I clean after use. I coat the oil pretty thick between shooting. and if I havnt shot it in a few months. I relube it
 
I use an oily rag on mine about every other day, to clean surface rust. I give it a little bit of oil every other week. It's carried every day, and I sweat.
 
Usually every 300-500 depending on shooting schedule. My competition gun with the 13lb spring will start getting intermittent failures to go all the way into battery much past that.

Detail clean every 5k to 10k depending on when I get around to it.
 
My pocket carry gun gets wiped down and inspected weekly, whether I've had a chance to shoot it that week or not. Dust, rust, and pocket lint can gum up a pistol, even when it hasn't been used. Guns in the safe, I generally just clean and lube after using, guns that get shot a lot in practice and competition get cleaned and lubed after 200-500 rounds.
 
I don't do a brake job just before setting out on a 1,000 mile road trip, either!
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Yeah........you would be amazed (or maybe you wouldn't) at how many people put off major repairs until a day or two before a long road trip. It's ridiculous.
 
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