He’s a neat freak except when it comes to guns

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daniel craig

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So today, a family member called me asking if I could take a look at his Marlin 336. He loaded it up and went to cycle the action but the lever got stuck forward. Since I’m the biggest “gun guy” (his words not mine) he knows he figured I’d be able to fix it.

And “fix it” I did. By noticing it looked like it had never been cleaned…so I sprayed some liquid wrench into the action waited about 15 minutes (tightened all the screws down in that time) cleaned it out with an old tooth brush and cotton swabs. Apparently one of the pieces near the lading gate (see I’m not that much of a gun guy) was stuck. A good cleaning got it unstuck and the rifle working flawlessly.

The part that really seems curious to me is that this person is a neat/clean freak in almost all other areas of his life. His house is so sterile you could run a hospital out of it, his chainsaw, tractor, truck etc are all well maintained. His guns? Some of them are borderline neglected. I don’t get it.

Idk why I posted this, just an interesting observation.

Edit: for context the guy is a former Ranger qualified infantry officer so it’s not like he doesn’t know how to maintain a weapon.
 
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The stuck peice was probably the "elevator."

My buddy has a Remington Speedmaster from the '50s which has been in his family since new and has surely been flogged to the tune of many thousands of rounds.

To his knowledge, it had never been cleaned or oiled....and finally jammed up solid last year.

I disassembled it, gave it a thorough clean and lube job and its running like a top again, lol.

I will say, Ive actually eased up on my gun cleaning OCD a bit. I used to do a field strip after every range session. Now, its usually just a wipedown and maybe a few drops of oil in the action, followed by a quick coat of silicone spray on the guns in frequent rotation, with a strip n clean perhaps every third outing.

If I suspect the gun is going back in the safe for an extended period, it does get the full treatment, otherwise the back my eyeballs will itch knowing theres a dirty gun in there somewhere.......:)
 
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I suspect he didn’t/doesn’t clean it because he is afraid of “doing it wrong.” That would fit with his insistence on perfection in other things. If you spend some time teaching him what to do and not do, I bet he would appreciate it. The rifle would! :thumbup:
I edited for context. Being afraid to mess it up isn’t his thing.
 
So today, a family member called me asking if I could take a look at his Marlin 336. He loaded it up and went to cycle the action but the lever got stuck forward. Since I’m the biggest “gun guy” (his words not mine) he knows he figured I’d be able to fix it.

And “fix it” I did. By noticing it looked like it had never been cleaned…so I sprayed some liquid wrench into the action waited about 15 minutes (tightened all the screws down in that time) cleaned it out with an old tooth brush and cotton swabs. Apparently one of the pieces near the lading gate (see I’m not that much of a gun guy) was stuck. A good cleaning got it unstuck and the rifle working flawlessly.

The part that really seems curious to me is that this person is a neat/clean freak in almost all other areas of his life. His house is so sterile you could run a hospital out of it, his chainsaw, tractor, truck etc are all well maintained. His guns? Some of them are borderline neglected. I don’t get it.

Idk why I posted this, just an interesting observation.

Edit: for context the guy is a former Ranger qualified infantry officer so it’s not like he doesn’t know how to maintain a weapon.
he probably was forced to clean his M4 so often and so scrupulously that he vowed he’d never clean another gun once he got out
 
That's known as the "Marlin Jam". That is a fairly common issue even with perfectly clean rifles. Usually jiggling the lever back and forth sideways will free it up. And with use it gets better after the rifle is broken in. I bet the rifle is either fairly new, or hasn't been used much. Cleaning didn't hurt, but the issue is likely to return.
 
I will say, Ive actually eased up on my gun cleaning OCD a bit. I used to do a field strip after every range session. Now, its usually just a wipedown and maybe a few drops of oil in the action, followed by a quick coat of silicone spray on the guns in frequent rotation, with a strip n clean perhaps every third outing.
I clean my two carry/SD guns regularly, my other guns, not so much.

They get a wipe down with an anti rust after use, but not a full cleaning.

My Buckmark only gets a cleaning when it starts to hiccup.
 
That's known as the "Marlin Jam". That is a fairly common issue even with perfectly clean rifles. Usually jiggling the lever back and forth sideways will free it up. And with use it gets better after the rifle is broken in. I bet the rifle is either fairly new, or hasn't been used much. Cleaning didn't hurt, but the issue is likely to return.
It’s not new but has hardly had two full boxes of ammo though it. Luckily I know how to fix it if/when that happens again.
 
Mighty hard to make that argument with a marlin. You can do pretty good with removing 1 screw, the lever screw. Then the bolt comes out. So all ya need is a screwdriver and some gumption.
 
A can of Gun Scrubber or Brake Cleaner will clean/flush pretty much anything without taking it apart if youre afraid to.

There have been plenty of threads about cleaning, or not cleaning guns, and a lot seem to think the latter is fine and unnecessary. Something like this couldnt possibly be because it wasnt cleaned.

A little proper routine cleaning and maintenance....., naw, never mind. :)
 
A friend who grew up in Essen Germany ( Essen was the heart of German armament production for Hundreds of years) doesn't like to clean his numerous, nice guns.

He seldom shoots, and now and then he "lets me" bring a rifle or handgun home to clean. We live about 45-50 min. apart.
 
Got a ranch-style SKS for a really decent price that "doesn't work."

Tested it, jammed, would not fire when it didn't jam, doubled when it did fire, mag release was touchy and the trigger was rough.

The doubling clued me in to give it a thorough part by part cleaning including the filthy firing pin which caused the doubling) and it's worked perfectly since.

You know, I'm the guy who made up the expression "More guns, cameras, coffeepots, and small boys have been ruined by excessive cleaning than any other single cause."

But note I said "excessive."

Terry, 230RN
 
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Lever rifles are not as amenable to a field strip and clean as some other architectures.

If THAT ain't the truth!

FIRST thing I thought reading the Op opener -then was stated the relative is that away with other guns
 
I've noticed this same phenomenon about a lot of medics. Our medics used the same weapons as everyone else on the team, since Special Ops medics fall into a different GC category than conventional medical personnel. Some SOF medics are sniper qualified even. While they preach important things like preventive med, hygiene, physical conditioning, taking your malaria meds, and so on- the condition of their weapons is often terrible. "Change my socks, get some shot, and drink water? Sure, doc- and while I'm doing that how about you put some lube on those weapons and run a patch thru them". And so on.
 
I get over a dozen non functioning guns in every year, from pure neglect. A major failing in teaching folks to shoot is teaching them to clean their guns, every time, after they shoot. Dirty guns do not shoot better, they just fail to shoot at all on that next outing.
 
Yes, my Colt Mark IV locked back on me some years ago, ended up disassembling it almost to the bare frame, cleaned out accumulated residue in the trigger channel, has worked fine since.
Big difference between field stripping and proper disassembly, for the latter proper tools-screwdrivers, e.g.-and a manual are a must.
 
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