How Well Do You Clean Your Guns?

[slowr1der]

I've always given my guns a thorough cleaning, but it usually takes me several hours per gun. I normally use Wipe Out's Patch Out (not the foaming version) and try to remove most if not all of the copper from the bore. I then usually disassemble the action and remove as much crud as I can. The problem is it takes a ton of patches for it to start coming out completely clean. Then if I let it soak for an hour or two (or overnight) and come back, I often can get more copper out if it. I do this until patches come out completely clean and the action is as close to perfect as I can get it. I then leave a light coat of oil on it.

With my current job, I'm finding it hard to spend the time cleaning guns after I shoot them. So I've found it taking months after a range day to get them clean. It made me start wondering if I'm just going too far overboard. I have co workers telling me they were able to clean their gun in 30 minutes, I see Dicks Sporting Goods advertise gun cleaning for $35, etc. It's just no way I could do it that fast or that anyone would clean them the way I do for $35. Am I going overboard? Should I just run a couple of patches down the bore of CLP and give the action a quick wipe down? Or how far do you take it when it comes to cleaning the bore?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I shoot over half the days of the month. Ain't no way I could clean after every use. I clean them when they give me functioning problems, accuracy falls off, or they are so dirty I get tired of getting nasty when handling them. All I do after a range session is wipe them down with Eezoxx before putting them away.

I have at least 2 dozen shooters that have not been cleaned in over 2 years. My pride and joy of dirtiness is a 686 that I have had just over 2 years. I have put about 4k rounds thru it and haven't cleaned it. I also have a Colt National Match that I bought at the same time with close to the same round count. I haven't field stripped it yet, much less clean it.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

My black powder guns and and any guns fired with military surplus corrosive primed ammo get cleaned the day of shooting. Then three days later, allowing solvent to bring out crud. Then a week after that, cleaned and if no signs, good to go to next month. BP and military match season is Mar to Sep -- I'll do spot checks over the winter. Maybe fifteen minutes per gun per cleaning session.

My M1 carbine, 1911lA1 pistol clone, Yugo M70 AK, Marlin Model 60 rifle, Ruger .22 MkII pistol, etc. get field stripped and cleaned thoroughly at the end of the year. Need it or not. After a shooting session, I will lock their bolt/slide open and clean out the receiver front with Q-tips + Hoppes #9 and bamboo skewers sharpened on one end to a point, the other to a scrapping wedge. Then I scrub their boltfaces with a GI toothbrush.

I may be slack compared to you. But face it, if a gun can't run a bit dirty, that's not good.

 

[JohnKSa]

I clean my carry guns very thoroughly every time I shoot them. Range use only centerfires get cleaned when I feel like it and don't get as thorough a cleaning.

 

[nettlle]

I shoot about 300 rounds in my 1911's every weekend and they get cleaned every Sunday night. When on vacation I'll shoot about 900 rounds and I'll clean halfway through that week. I don't scrub the bore until the patches come out white. Rather I'll clean the bores until the patches come out a light shade of gray. This is both rifles and pistols. I have tried the bore cleaning until the patch comes out white and it takes forever. Cleaning to the point of light gray has never had a detrimental effect on accuracy for me. I never spend over 45 minutes cleaning a gun. Most times I'm done in 30 minutes or less.

 

[Panzerschwein]

My black powders get cleaned well right after each use.

My central-firing weapons get cleaned every once in a while. I pay attention to where it counts, and when well dirty, I take more time.

 

[Jim Watson]

30 minutes seems about right.
I will leave a rifle barrel soaking in Wipe Out overnight but it doesn't take long to patch that out and add more if it seems needed.

 

[Jackal]

Literally the only gun I keep "clean" is my carry piece. Every other rifle/pistol gets a light cleaning about once a year. I've never cleaned my Larue barreled AR, going on 800rds through it now.

 

[Ignition Override]

Do questions about cleaning frequency distinguish between people living in mostly humid, or people in dry climates?

A secondary perspective is how many guys assume that modern, Ukrainian/Russian/Romanian steel-cased ammo is still using corrosive primers.
I highly prefer that they still believe this, in order to limit the demand for my favorite ammo.

 

[AZAndy]

Several hours per gun sounds a little extreme. A 1911 takes me maybe ten minutes, a revolver more like 15. I use brake cleaner to get most of the soot and grime off and then CLP from there. If a gun gets less than 200 rounds in a session, I just wipe off the feed ramp and wait 'til next time. As others have mentioned, my carry pistols get a little extra attention, like maybe another five minutes.

 

[Rio Laxas]

I used to spend a lot of time cleaning too. Maybe not as much as you, but enough to where it was a real hassle. I even got the Foul Out system thinking that it would really get things clean, which it did. But I don't think it was at all necessary, and I think over zealous cleaning can be more of a problem than under cleaning.

Now I clean 'em every once in a while and even then not much. I cleaned two pistols yesterday after letting them go a month so with a few hundred rounds fired during that time. Each one took maybe 5-10 minutes. Wipe it down, run a few wet patches through, maybe the brush a time or two, re-lube and you are done. The only cleaning that I am really particular about is to de-lint my carry pistol on a regular basis.

I've also stopped bothering with solvents most of the time. I use Slip2000 gun lube and EWL for both cleaning and lubing and it seems to work just fine in most cases. I've still got a light degreaser that I keep on hand for really tough jobs, but I don't use it much.

Note: None of this applies to black powder. I clean my only black powder rifle immediately after firing.

 

[MedWheeler]

15-20 minutes per gun, and not necessarily each time it's shot.

 

[CraigC]

Yes, I think you are going WAY overboard. You can clean that much if you really want to but there's no practical reason to do so. Most my guns just get wiped down after shooting but not all the time. I clean them when they need it. IMHO, the folks that clean all the time, shoot very little. The more you shoot, the less you clean. I shoot all the time. I can shoot on my own property 45mins away, or two different gun clubs I belong to within 20mins. Or I can shoot suppressed .22's in the yard, which is almost daily. I clean very little. I have guns that haven't been cleaned in years. I have a Ruger MKIII 22/45 that I've been shooting constantly over the last 13 months and have yet to clean it.

I shoot over half the days of the month. Ain't no way I could clean after every use. I clean them when they give me functioning problems, accuracy falls off, or they are so dirty I get tired of getting nasty when handling them. All I do after a range session is wipe them down with Eezoxx before putting them away.

I have at least 2 dozen shooters that have not been cleaned in over 2 years. My pride and joy of dirtiness is a 686 that I have had just over 2 years. I have put about 4k rounds thru it and haven't cleaned it. I also have a Colt National Match that I bought at the same time with close to the same round count. I haven't field stripped it yet, much less clean it.

Yep, that's me!

 

[Schwing]

I am with the majority here. I clean my carry guns every time I shoot them but the rest don't get cleaned too often. My revolvers, especially, can go months without being cleaned and my semi autos get cleaned when they get nasty to handle or have any reliability issues. I know a lot of folks clean every gun every time. I used to be one of them. Then, over many years, I realized I was putting as much or more wear and tear on my guns by cleaning them than I was by shooting them.

 

[bassjam]

Most guns don't need cleaned all that much to stay reliable. My .22's get the action sprayed out every few thousand rounds with an aerosol cleaner, but I don't dissemble or touch the bores but every year or so. My centerfire guns probably get cleaned once a year as well. I have no idea how long it takes, but I know I can clean them faster than I can finish a Sam Adams.

I do wipe my guns down with oil after every use. And my LCP gets dissembled regularly to clean out the pocket lint it accumulates, but I don't use any solvents or oils when doing that.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

If you are spending several hours cleaning a gun you are most definitely going overboard.
Even completely dissembling and cleaning semi auto shouldn't take more than a half hour.
When you clean a gun keep in mind that the next time you pull the trigger it's gonna be dirty again.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

When I was younger I cleaned weapons far more thoroughly than needed. Nowadays, I'm more selective and sparring (read that LAZY, too!). But the truth is I was raised by older folks in the handling of firearms who themselves came into shooting when all primers were corrosive and black powder-loaded shells were still commonplace. And the Depression-era truth of needing to take certain care of firearms that could not be replaced weighed in, too for my elder family members in passing on wisdom. The discipline of cleaning after each session (and cleaning the bore the following day as well) was drilled into me. For most casual shooters cleaning to that level isn't necessary for the good of the weapon and in fact is likely harmful in many cases. If shooting a weapon with historical value or a delicate finish, I'll be sure to make sure the weapon is carefully wiped down of prints and residue after shooting but for most of my weapons a quick wipe down is all that is commonly done after shooting. Most all are inspected annually and attended to as needed (most will not have been shot in any given year, truth be told). But some I leave dirty-as-I-can-stand for the simple reason that when the opportunity arises to shoot them I won't have to worry about getting them dirty! But eventually, even some in this group need some extra care---like my old 10/22 that hadn't been cleaned in a decade or more a few months back. It was filthy, but when I was done cleaning it was good-as-new. My Cugir AK-47 has never been cleaned....since buying 10 years ago. It might be due. My usual carry gun stays clean as it has a twin that stays dirty for training and plinking. So long answer to a short question, wipe them down and run some patches through each time (if you want) and detail strip and clean annually. Really let the performance of the weapon and then, to a lesser degree its appearance, be your guide.

 

[Sam1911]

I clean when guns need cleaning. For corrosive ammo or black powder, that's that same day, and thoroughly.

For everything else, rust-prone surfaces will get a wipe down, but otherwise probably about every 500-700 rounds or so, when they start to get cruddy.

 

[fpgt72]

I have seen guns shot with corrosive rust in just hours....in MO humidity it can happen quick. If I am at the range with a buddy and we are doing lunch after or something I will at least pour water down it and run a patch with a little oil...that will last till I get home.

The rest of the center fire stuff I will clean once in a while.....I shoot my carry gun twice a month, and that is the only thing I clean....not that it needed it.

But really a gun is nothing more then a machine....and really you are not doing any favor to that machine not doing maintenance to it....would you change the oil in your car once every 10 years....I don't think so....a gun is nothing more then a machine. Shooting them does make them dirty, that dirt will ride in the wear surfaces of the gun.....sure the gun will still work, but do you think the longevity of that machine will be greater with proper maintenance? Perhaps you don't care to take the best care of your stuff.

All that said, I have gone a while with no cleaning, back when I was in a league I did not clean my 1911 for a long time.....the issue is not if the gun will run, the issue is the long term life span of that machine.

 

[fireman 9731]

I focus more on the action and chambers than the bore. To me, that is the more critical area for correct function. And when it comes to the bore, I only run a boresnake through a couple of passes, and thats after several hundred rounds.

I clean the bore of my carry gun every couple weeks with q-tips, but thats just because it fills up with lint.

As many others have said before, more guns have been worn out from excessive/incorrect cleaning than shooting them.

 

[Shed]

I aim to get my guns "functionally clean", meaning I make sure all the components that impact accuracy & reliability are thoroughly cleaned (on pistols bore, extractor, breech face, slide rail cuts), and I usually give a brushing and wipe-down of all other components. I've been instructed not to use bore snakes, as carbon can become embedded in the fabric and cause bore damage; I stick with rod and patch.

There are some areas you are never going to get completely clean (the fore end of the cylinder on a revolver where it meets the forcing cone), so I don't worry about it.

All in all, for pistols and rifles I clean and lube in a hour, little longer for revolvers. I could do it faster, but I don't a mind cleaning, kind of relaxing. I clean after every range session.

Hickok45 has some cleaning videos that may be useful to you as well.

 

[Sam1911]

But really a gun is nothing more then a machine....and really you are not doing any favor to that machine not doing maintenance to it....would you change the oil in your car once every 10 years....I don't think so....a gun is nothing more then a machine

Similarly, I don't change the oil in my car, or vacuum and wash it, or change the brake pads, every time I go for a drive either.

And that's what cleaning a gun after every range outing really seems to boil down to.

Shooting them does make them dirty, that dirt will ride in the wear surfaces of the gun.....sure the gun will still work, but do you think the longevity of that machine will be greater with proper maintenance? Perhaps you don't care to take the best care of your stuff.

I don't care to waste time on things that make me feel like I've done "the very best" but don't actually accomplish anything. At some point it becomes "magical thinking."

Everything is a trade-off, and yes, breaking out the cleaning stuff and stripping a gun every single time I shoot is spending time on that which I would rather spend another way.

You mention something that is really a valid consideration, though: maintenance interval. Many of us have this handed-down idea that the maintenance interval of a firearm is "one use." But is there any record of an industrial engineer or other such type sitting down and calculating the actual, measured and scientifically determined, maintenance interval for the simple machine we know of as a firearm? You'd have to figure out what's in the fouling, how much is deposited on which surfaces per shot, how much can be allowed to deposit before functioning is affected, what the effect of those compounds is on the wear surfaces of the gun, what other, environmental contaminates are likely to be deposited during use and what their effects are, and probably several other things, too. But I don't think the actual answer would be an arbitrary "one use."

...the issue is not if the gun will run, the issue is the long term life span of that machine.

And that is a very valid point, but not a conclusion. It points to a question. How many of us shoot our guns, ever, over a lifetime, until they're mechanically worn out from the grime of powder fouling?

Any of us? No? No, of course not. The only people who manage to shoot a gun "loose" (these days*) are very serious competitors who are going to spend something around 20-40 TIMES the cost of the gun in ammo doing so. If they choose to spend time cleaning the gun every time they shoot it, they certainly might extend its life by a bit, but that just staves off the replacement point by some slight percentage.

For the rest of us you might say it is true but not terribly important. Sort of how I could be concerned about the risk of increasing violence because my house is getting closer to Falujah every year. Well...it is. But I don't really have to worry about it in my lifetime.



(* -- back 100 years ago some market gunners who shot ducks and geese for sale to restaurant suppliers were known to shoot a Remington 11 "loose" in a season or two. But that was a LOT of shells, and I'd have to imagine the conditions those guns were subjected to in daily waterfowling had a lot to do with it.)

 

[Arkansas Paul]

It varies for me.

Hunting rifles usually get cleaned at the end of the year.
Handguns every few range trips.
Rimfires, when they start having failures and almost never the bore.

And then every now and then I'll just get in the mood and break them out and start cleaning (but that's pretty rare).

 

[Coyote3855]

I can't document this, but I suspect more guns are damaged by improper or excessive "cleaning" than by not being scrubbed after every shooting session. I used the Foul Out system to remove lead from my 1911 barrel when I was shooting a lot of lead SWCs in competition. I don't shoot black powder anymore, but if I suspect corrosive surplus ammo I will clean my SKSs and AK immediately after a range session. .22s, just a wipedown. Centerfire with my reloads or factory ammo, wipe inside and out, CLP patch down the barrel.

 

[.308 Norma]

I see Dicks Sporting Goods advertise gun cleaning for $35, etc. It's just no way I could do it that fast or that anyone would clean them the way I do for $35. Am I going overboard?

I don't know, maybe I don't clean my guns well enough, because you bet - I'd sure clean guns the way I do for $35 apiece! Then again, I've never had a gun fail me because it needed cleaned, and I've found very little rust on any of my guns over the years. And I've owned guns for a long, long time.
I'm like Arkansas Paul when it comes to cleaning guns - it kinda depends on which guns. Although, back when I was doing a lot of duck hunting, my shotgun(s) usually got cleaned two or three times during the season. My carry gun is clean, and gets checked over at least once a week even if I didn't shoot it that week.