Stopped Cleaning your Gun! I did - You Too?

[nettlle]

I wasn't in the military (for those of you that were thank you for your service). I don't clean after every range session. I clean then when I feel they are dirty enough to be cleaned. After a half century I know how to do this. Although I have some guns that have the bluing worn off from many years of handling none of them has rust pits on them. Nor are the barrels inaccurate due to lack of cleaning or actions frozen up by neglect.

 

[Mark_Mark]

My most Prized gun. Ruger #1 45-70 gets cleaned gently, rubbing, loved, hugged, kissed & wax even after a 1 shot! LOVE THIS GUN! paid $600 10 years ago!

 

[jdc1244]

How many of you guys & gals stopped cleaning their guns. I did… well, if I plan on shooting it in the next few months, it might just get a CLP bore spray, and a CLP wipe down.

I figure, it’s going to get dirty again. Why strip and clean Anybody Else?

Here on the Gulf Coast regular cleaning and lubrication is necessary to prevent corrosion.

 

[MarshallDodge]

After shooting tens of thousands of pistol rounds, I have found that lubrication is more important than cleaning.

 

[LoonWulf]

Handguns ill leave dirtyish, for some reason they dont rust as bad as my rifles. Rifles get cleaned every trip.

 

[GRIZ22]

I let my 1858 Remington Cap&Ball go for 1 week after a shooting session. It was OK!

You were lucky.

I fired a.8mm Mauser with corrosive ammo and let it sit until the next day. I spent the day punching out red rust from the bore. Fortunately no permanent damage.

 

[RJTravel]

Bought 12 gauge shotgun approx 1959. Gave it to son approx 10-12 yrs ago. Never ever cleaned - not once. Performs perfectly - never a misfire. A carry pistol gets regular attention - I have seen pocket lint cause an auto to malfunction. If holster carry revolvers perhaps 2 or 3 years - never a problem whatsoever.

 

[JohnKSa]

Carry guns get cleaned very carefully because I don't want the fouling residue getting on my clothes and holster. Range guns get cleaned when they need it and that is rarely after just one range trip.

 

[Lo-Profile]

BUT how are we defining "cleaning"?

For me, "cleaning" is disassembly of every part, inspect/clean then reassemble with lube.

In comparison, "field strip" is remove slide and barrel, inspect and swab barrel/clean parts as necessary and reassemble with lube.

I think many people interchange "field strip" with "cleaning".

Guess this will work. If it's good enough for Mr Wilson, it's good enough for me. I do clean mine more than he does his.

How Bill Wilson Cleans and Maintains a 1911

From servicing the extractor, to when each spring needs to be replaced, here is how Bill Wilson maintains his 1911.Parts Usedhttps://shopwilsoncombat.com/CLE...

youtu.be

 

[cfullgraf]

When I cean a gun depends...

For my self defense guns, I clean them after every use/practice session. If I'm being looked at after a shootiung event, I want to make sure the gun has been un-fired if I actually did not fire it.

If I'm shooting at the range or the back yard and I plan to shoot the gun in the near future, I probably will not clean it. When I feel that I am done shooting it and the gun will be stored foir a while, I clean it.

I'm probably laziest with cleaning 22LR guns.

When I had a black powder cap and ball revolver, I'd clean it after every use. I have a friend that is into Civil War re-enactments as a cavalry soldier, horse and all. I gave him the revolver for his re-enactments.

Having said all that, I'm not shooting as much of late as I did in my younger years. Hence, I'm back to cleaning a gun after each use foir the most part.

I use Ed's Red for cleaning the bore and cylinders, dry, then coat with an oil like CLP.

 

[Rodfac]

Some firearms are more tolerance of dirt, carbon build up, etc. And there are always stories about shooters putting massive amounts of ammunition through their firearm, and the thing keeps on functioning. But there are also stories of dirty firearms not functioning because they were clogged with residue. Used to get these same sort of stories from those who never changed their motor oil. If offered, I would not have purchased their vehicle. If all you are doing is busting rocks, then a malfunction is not going to cause much of a problem. And if you live in an area where humidity is so low that things hardly rust, well maybe you can put up a dirty firearm and not have to worry. But I will keep my stuff clean.

Same here...and...I wipe all of mine down immediately after my session, stainless steel or blued, doesn't matter....Rod

Cfullgraf: I use Ed's Red for cleaning the bore and cylinders, dry, then coat with an oil like CLP. The formula is ATF, Kerosene, mineral spirits, & Acetone in equal parts.

A variation approved by Ed for use as a lube is ATF and kerosene.

Same here....good stuff and CHEAP. Rod

 

[trackskippy]

You were lucky.

I fired a.8mm Mauser with corrosive ammo and let it sit until the next day. I spent the day punching out red rust from the bore. Fortunately no permanent damage.

Had a similar experience with a batch of corrosive ammo, that wasn't "supposed" to be corrosive, and turned out very much so. Got home late one steamy August night after spending the day shooting, was tired, and figured Id just clean my MAC in the morning. When I went to clean it the next morning, it was covered inside and out with a powdery bright orange rust.

I traded a buddy for a couple of really nice looking M1 Garands. Not together, but one at a time and one for the other. He got them as payment from an older boy that he'd done work for. Guns were pristine on the outside, but the bores looked "dirty" when I looked down them. Wish that's all they were. Looks like they were shot with corrosive at some point, "wiped down", and put away without being cleaned. The bores, chambers, and op rods were a MESS, and the better of the two was shooing 10-12" groups at 100 yards with GI ball. So much for just "wiping things down".

As Ive said before, if you cant bother to clean and maintain your stuff, and go to sell it and want me to buy it, you're paying me for your laziness in my offer. Im not opposed to buying a dirty gun, depending on what it is, and Ive have bought a bunch of them in the past, but how its been maintained is a good indication of how it was likely treated, and Im not paying for that. If you don't like the offer, find someone else. Tons of other guns out there that have been taken care of, and if you've abused something nice..... "Doom on you".

 

[buddyd157]

How many of you guys & gals stopped cleaning their guns. I did… well, if I plan on shooting it in the next few months, it might just get a CLP bore spray, and a CLP wipe down.

I figure, it’s going to get dirty again. Why strip and clean Anybody Else?

Your guns, do what you want. I clean and maintain mine after every outing.

As far as "No malfunctions yet." goes, if you ever have to count on that gun for anything serious, when do you want to find out you get one?

i also clean and lube any gun i take to the range.

my guns, my habits, my way as well.

 

[HB]

Sometimes I think a clean gun has a higher chance of malfunction than a dirty one. Meaning:

I could take a gun to the range and put 50 rounds through it, load a mag of carry ammo and holster it. Its proven reliable.

I could take the same gun home and clean it. Load it and holster it. There’s always a chance of it being assembled improperly or fouling could migrate to a firing pin channel.

If its a quality firearm and not 1000s of rounds dirty, I don’t think it matters. This is another reason training and competition are important.

 

[W.E.G.]

The gun does not know that it is dirty.

You must take action to prevent rust.

Unless it is SO DIRTY that it degrades reliability, cleaning is customary, but not necessary.

Don’t let them rust.

 

[W.E.G.]

I bought a basket of used P226 magazines.

Each looked VERY GOOD externally. I finally got around to giving them a deep clean to put them in long term storage yesterday.

Internally, each had rust starting on the floorplate and retention ears of the body. Springs were good, but a few considerably dirty.

But ONE.

THAT ONE.

Inside the magazine body I have no idea what was the nasty sludge that was petrifying in there!

Looked like an amalgamation of hardened grease, and epoxy, and lead, and Eau de deu Dahdei curl gloss.

That nastiness was so hardened and adhered that I ALMOST broke out the power tools and KROIL. Except I despise the odor of KROIL almost as much as I retch at any whiff of BALLISTOL. I have a sensitive sniffer. I can literally track deer by scent on warm humid days. I can smell a dirty gun versus a clean gun.

I DID use the power tools to clean the lead from the bore of my new MAC 1014 after a couple outings with SLUGS. Ten minutes on medium speed with NO SOLVENT. Just a brush.

 

[murf]

I also used to quote a FAQ page from Schuemann barrels, where the owner commented his cleaning technique is to not run a bore brush through his barrels, and just ran a lubed patch through the barrel, and his barrel got shinier and shinier the more he shot. When he'd use a bore brush, he'd get more fouling, so he just kept shooting, and patching.

most people don't clean the brush and keep running the same gunk down the bore over and over again. I clean bore brushes after every pass with wd40 (any solvent should do) and dab with a paper towel.

luck,

murf

 

[Twisted Chemist]

Your guns, do what you want. I clean and maintain mine after every outing.

As far as "No malfunctions yet." goes, if you ever have to count on that gun for anything serious, when do you want to find out you get one?

Good point. Not deep cleaning the range guns is just to see how much they will take before there is a failure. As expensive as ammo has gotten it may be a while. My EDC is kept scrubbed and lubed at all times. If I decide to carry one of the others they will be scrubbed and lubed prior to carrying.

 

[RUT]

Sorry, but I don't see how some consider it a virtue not to clean their guns.

 

[.38 Special]

Sorry, but I don't see how some consider it a virtue not to clean their guns.

I can't think of any posts here that illustrate that. For my money, it's "Well, I haven't found any particular need to keep my guns spotless" vs. "My sergeant taught me that not cleaning my rifle is an affront to God and country!!!"

In other words, the virtue signaling is pretty much all in one direction...

 

[buddyd157]

most people don't clean the brush and keep running the same gunk down the bore over and over again. I clean bore brushes after every pass with wd40 (any solvent should do) and dab with a paper towel.

luck,

murf

i'll use either Hoppes or Kroil to keep all my brushes clean...but yeah, i often wonder if anyone else did as well.

 

[Gardner]

To the OP's question....no

 

[docwharden1881]

If I am shooting black powder then they get a thorough cleaning , otherwise a wipe down and/or a spray in the usual places.I'm not so much concerned about the cartridge guns but the cap & balls do get more attention.

Edit: A buddy told me jacketed rounds can help push out any fouling or crud. I told him that didn't sound safe.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

most people don't clean the brush and keep running the same gunk down the bore over and over again. I clean bore brushes after every pass with wd40 (any solvent should do) and dab with a paper towel.

luck,

murf

That's a fact, I clean my brushes every other time I clean my guns which is every range trip. It's just a pride of ownership thing with me. You do what you want.

It always struck me funny about putting bore/copper cleaner on a copper brush and leaving it on there, just didn't ever make sense to me. It's made to dissolve copper.

 

[berettaprofessor]

I may die tonight or next year, but I assure you my guns will be found clean and oiled, every one.