How ok is it to NOT clean my Glock?

Visionairy said:

Simple question...

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It's not ok to not clean any firearm! Simple answer...

I would clean any handgun after firing it.

But I'm US Army old school.

I will clean my semi auto pistol more often than my bolt action rifle simply because it is an auto pistol and could possibly malfunction because of excessive powder residue fouling it's function. I also tend to fire more rounds through it during a range session. It is also primarily a self defense gun that has never failed to work and I don't want to change that. With all of that said I may give it a good cleaning only 2 or 3 times a year. This does not include wiping it down externally which I always do after use.

Keeping it lubricated seems to be the key and then it doesn't take much.

This is a bit like the people you hear who only bother getting their oil changed every 25K miles. Can you do it? Sure. Should you? Nope.

Clean a GLOCK??? What, are you nuts! You'll ruin it!

I clean my guns waaaaayyy too much. My carry gun gets the most attention. Range guns a little less. Never more than a few hundred before cleaning.

Now my shotguns get cleaned after every trip. They cost too much to replace and they don't like dirt and grime.

The Glock is so easy to detail strip, I can't imagine not cleaning it. I routinely clean parts of the Glock that I've never cleaned on my other pistols. I routinely pull out the trigger housing to wipe off and relube the trigger bar/sear interface to ensure that awesome (to me) trigger pull. And I pull the extractor and striker every now and again to clean the channels out. I wish it were that easy for all my other guns!

If you were to never clean it, I think the first thing to fail would be the striker channel getting carbon buildup, leading to light strikes. I'm not sure how long that would take, but I imagine several thousands of rounds. Depending on your load, you might eventually get enough carbon in the chamber to prevent full return to battery. There's so much leeway in the extractor grip, I don't think carbon and powder buildup could even come close to affecting extraction. And the rails are sort of self-cleaning enough I think the slide would function dry and dirty for a good long while. Maybe forever.

I clean my carry pistols after every few weeks of carrying them.

Remember the golden rule: A clean machine is a happy machine.

What, besides strong emotion, makes you say that?

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Logic

Logic

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Logic.

It'd help if you'd expand on what type of logic you are claiming to have used.

My friend's glock blew up on him. He's one of those who belief in general pistols should be cleaned as little as possible and the barrel should never be cleaned.

It'd help if you'd expand on what type of logic you are claiming to have used.

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Already did, and I see no need to repeat myself.

If one was a high volume shooter, shooting a certain gun several times a week, I could understand not cleaning the gun every time you shot. But in my case I only shoot about once a week (if that), and often not the same gun. So if I didn't clean the gun in may sit dirty for a long while, which I find unacceptable.

So I suppose for someone that shoots a gun often cleaning every time may be impractical. But otherwise it just seems lazy and foolish to me.

Cleaned mine once - after 13 years. Still works (and looks) perfect:

As a rule of thumb:

I clean my Glock annually, completely. I take it apart 100%.

The rest of the year it just gets a wipe down or some more lube, unless needs dictate more.

if i fire one round or a few hundred rounds i clean all my guns after i shoot them,every time.

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+1 I'm the compuslive type...Hell, I wash my hands twenty times a day..

I would never dream of letting my glock wallow in gunpowder filth for any extended period of time. Just because it can doesn't mean it should have to.

I loves my Glock...

I know it's heresy, but in general, most of my guns get a cleaning when I either

a) notice a malfunction (IE, some crud buildup under the extractor causing jams)
or
b) notice obvious rust or the gun is just visually "dirty" (this is mostly applicable to my duck hunting guns)
or
c) just happen to feel the time has come

In regards to c, it may well be a half-dozen range trips or more before I really break it down and clean it.

Just the way I am. I haven't ran into any serious issues with it. Heck my father (who is more of a hunter than a shooter - to him target shooting is "wasting bullets") had guns that he'd shot for 20-30 years before they saw a proper cleaning. About the only thing he'd do is wipe off the outside with a sock and some WD40 if they got wet and rusted. These days I'll often break down his guns and clean them at the end of the season for him. Overall though, while many of his guns look very "well used", all of them still perform flawlessly.

It's ok I suppose... if it's just a range toy. But the Glock is so easy to clean that I see no reason not to do it.

The article in the 2nd post is awesome.

I don't own a semi-auto.

I keep my guns reasonably clean mostly so it doesn't become too much of a chore to clean them.

I don't clean my bolt guns or AR's regularly either. Doesn't seem to be a problem. These are my match guns.

I clean my handguns after each use. Just my opinion, but neglecting a weapon that you depend on is foolish.

GLOCK owner's manual recommends cleaning once a month and/or after every use. I presume they have reasons to say that.

I had a couple Glocks (rental from a range) jam a few times. I also had the same weapon(s) not eject shells. A worker there said could be how I shoot; I don't know if that is true - it doesn't make sense to me that a shell wouldn't eject, with all the pressure behind it, because of my grip. Anyway, my point is I have had Glocks jam because of lack of cleaning - given they were rentals and have probably had hundreds of thousands of rounds through them.

You will always hear stories from both sides. Bottom line - just clean it - especially if your life will depend on it.

pitsmile said:

A worker there said could be how I shoot; I don't know if that is true - it doesn't make sense to me that a shell wouldn't eject, with all the pressure behind it, because of my grip.

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It is possible. It's called "limp-wristing". Where your weak grip absorbs too much of the energy that should go to the slide ejecting the spent brass and loading another round into the chamber.

Wow, it's even in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp_wristing

2WheelsGood said:

It is possible. It's called "limp-wristing". Where your weak grip absorbs too much of the energy that should go to the slide ejecting the spent brass and loading another round into the chamber.

Wow, it's even in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp_wristing

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Oh ok got you, thanks!

Why would you ask that.. I don't care if its a glock no gun should be treated like that.. I would slap you with a fish if you asked me that in person, how lazy are you?!