after the fun comes the clean up

[JONWILL]

I used to be a nut about cleaning my firearms. Especially after getting out of the military. Now I just give the handguns a quick oiled patch through the bore and a wipe down
Rifles I run a bore snake through and also wipe down

One I learned never to clean was my Ruger MKIII Target that I shot Bullseye with. Took it apart, scrubbed the bore with a brush. Totally cleaned it
Took 500 rounds to get it to shoot as accurately again. After that I just put a couple drops of Breakfree in the action if it looked too dirty

 

[ATLDave]

If you're not getting leading, it is not clear to me that many handgun bores ever need to be cleaned.

 

[Shimitup]

I only field strip to brush out the breech area, lugs, and extractor every 2 or 3 range trips and that depends on the propensity of the specific gun and ammo to get dirty. I may do a complete tear down every few years. The finish definitely gets wiped down every trip focusing in particular on hand contact areas.

 

[bullseye308]

I take 6 handguns to the range every other week and just yesterday they all got their annual cleaning. 2 Glock 9’s, 2 Springfield Range Officers(9mm), a 38, & a 357. The 357 has not had anything through the barrel in 4800 rounds and still has a slight gray wash from the lead bullets. The rest of the gun gets cleaned either annually or if/when the cylinder gets sluggish. The rest get detail cleaned annually whether they need it or not. I’m currently at about 12/13k a year for handgun shooting working my way back to about 16k.

 

[cw308]

I'm one of those clean freaks , my guns get a throught cleaning after every use . If you were to sell one of your guns that you don't clean that often , would you clean it before selling , if so why. I could be wrong but I feel grime creates more wear and barrel pressure ..

 

[alfsauve]

... just yesterday they all got their annual cleaning. <snip> The rest get detail cleaned annually whether they need it or not.

BRO ! A man after my own heart.

 

[DaStray]

Agreed that cleanup isn`t fun but I really don`t mind...that much. It`s the best for monitoring wear patterns and overall maintenance. I no longer take a bunch of guns with me to the range, usually no more than 2-3 due to the length of time it took to clean them all. I have been banished to the basement from my better half due to the smell of Hoppes, however. Smell of freedom, if you ask me

 

[SwampWolf]

now comes the cleanup

When I was lots younger, I even liked cleaning my guns after a shoot. I even liked washing and waxing my car back in those years when I owned as many guns as I did cars. But not anymore and, thankfully, I've come to understand (or, some would argue, rationalize) that a firearm doesn't require a major cleanup after each and every time a bullet is run down the bore. I still do wipe down any gun that I handle with an oily rag before putting it away until the next time I shoot it.

 

[Al-jim19]

I used to bring every gun I owned to the range every time, which stopped around 4-5. I reallly like my guns to be clean so they get it after every range trip. That got old pretty fast. These days I bring 1 long gun and 1 center fire pistol. If I also want to shoot rimfire I add a .22 rifle or pistol making 3. Keeps my cleaning time to an hour at most if I choose hard to disassemble guns.

As an aside I don’t really mind cleaning that much, it’s a part of shooting. It just gets old after a while.

 

[SwampWolf]

The rest get detail cleaned annually whether they need it or not.

That'll be the day when I clean a gun that doesn't need it.

 

[JR24]

I normally only take one or two guns to the range when I go. Tends to be less distracting and I get more done. It also gives me another excuse to go shooting again with something else.

I clean everything after I shoot, every time, no excuses. Its just part of shooting. Ive always been amazed at how many dont seem to clean and maintain their stuff. To each his own I guess.

I do the same. Usually 1 or maybe 2 pistols and one long gun. And usually a clear plan for what and how I'm going to shoot.

I get limited range time per week (if I'm lucky) so I gotta be efficient!

I also enjoy cleaning guns and have more time to do that and reload, so that's never my problem. Especially 1911s, for whatever reason I just love cleaning them.

 

[Riomouse911]

I took four .22 caliber revolvers to the range yesterday: a 6- shot M-17 and an 8-shot M-317 Smith, and two Taurus; a 9-shot 94 and an 8-shot 941 .22 mag.

The smiths were fairly easy to clean, but 8 .22 chambers take some time to scrub out.

The Tauri were pains... extra steps and extra springs to get each apart, the 941 had old crud under the cylinder I needed to soak off with Hoppes, etc., plus the 9 and 8 .22 cal cylinders burn through a lot of patches apiece! These two took me 2 hours to fully undo the cylinders, clean well and reassemble .

Still love shooting them, though!

Stay safe!

 

[tuckerdog1]

Cleaning guns is like painting a room. It's the prep & cleanup afterwards that I dislike. The actual cleaning is almost like meditation. I enjoy the disassembly/cleaning & re-assembly. It's the prep of setting up the cleaning location, getting out the cleaning supplies/equipment and the cleanup and putting away when done that I don't enjoy.

Tuckerdog1