Am I the only one who hates cleaning guns, HELP

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eric.cartman

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I just cleaned 5 guns :barf:
1911, Ruger .22, Beretta 92fs, Kahr PM9, and Sig P220.
My hands are sore. My head hurts form the cleaning stinking stuff.
I wasted crap load of q-tips, paper towels, nylon brushes, bronze brushes...

AND THE STUPID THINGS ARE STILL DIRTY!!!

I mean, You can't get ALL the powder and stuff out without detail strip and at least an hour per gun.

Do I even need to clean them that much? How do you do it? What do you use? Is there a way to clean a gun, such that it will function as clean, and can be stored for 6 - 12 months, and do it all in 10 minutes???
 
I'm not a fan of cleaning guns. Since I clean my guns almost every time I shoot them I usually do a pretty quick job. Roughly 15-20 minutes per gun. Every once in a while I'll do a more detailed job to make sure things get cleaned well.
 
Drgong,
Here you go:
FIRST I tripple check they're unloaded!!!
Then, remove the mag, detail strip it the gun. Start with some Hoops 9 bore solvent, brush, and clean the barrel. Qtips to clean around the chamber etc. Q tips all over the slide and frame. If i feel like it, I spray it with gun scrabber... good at removing oil etc. Then few drops on all moving parts: trigger group, and other points of friction. I also use a oily patch of cotton to rub a tiny coating of oil onto the whole thing. Then I take the mags apart and clean them a bit with same Hoops 9, q tips etc. Reassemble everything, function check, final wipe, and to the safe they go.

The problem I'm having is that I KNOW they are still dirty, and being the anal dood that i am, i loose sleep over it. I can't get all the dirt out. And if they sit there for few weeks / months and I take them apart, the oil is all black on them... indicating there was still burned powder, and oil + time did their thing and dissolved some of it.

Am I doing a GOOD enough job??? Is that good enough for CCW and / or night stand gun? I never had a problem due to them being dirty, but I just don't like the fact that they still are.
 
Yea, I did try Break Free CPL, so? I spray it on, let it sit there for 10 minutes, scrub, and they're still dirty.
 
I'm no expert, but I take the slide, barrel, and spring assembly apart. Give each a shot of Break Free, and run one of those rope looking things with the brass brush in the middle through the barrel a couple of times. Then I dry the parts with a cloth, touch up any excess with a q-tip, give the rails a little oil, and I'm done. I kind of enjoy it. It's like a back rub for a lady who just did me a favor. (and shot well).
 
My wife used to scream every time I cleaned my guns. She said it made the house smell awful (and it really did). I did two things to fix that problem:

1) Stopped using hoppes #9 and instead use Red Elk cleaner (custom made by my gunsmith, www.elkmontarms.com)

2) Started cleaning my guns in my shop.

She hasn't complained since, and I get a little bit of "me" time in the shop. I actually enjoy cleaning my guns for that "me" time, and I like having nice things.
 
Cleaning Guns

I spent 21 years in the army cleaning everything from an M-9 too a Ma-duece and discovered one thing. Cleaning guns suck. I am out and retired now and one thing still holds true, cleaning guns suck. However much like changing a baby it is needed to keep the crap from fouling up the works.

I use the simple approach because I am simple....lol....first I remove the bolt, or break down the weapon to the basic user parts (nothing beyond what I can get back together). I then soak it all in break free...(the finest crap remover in the world)...I then wipe down all the parts and remove the break free, I rod the barrel with a brass brush designed for that cal. never from the crown. Always rod in the same dirrection as the bullet travels. I then run through 2 patches soaked in break free, I then run through as many clean patches as it takes to have the last on come out clean. lastly I hit the hard to reach spots with a pipe cleaner and or a Q-Tip. This is how I do it.

I will tell you that storage has it's own problems, humidity, temp changes and the amount of dust in your area. But that depends on you I check my guns every few weeks looking for surface rust and touch up as needed. A light coat (light means light over doing it creates more problems).

Now as far has how clean is clean enough is a hard question. I never made my Sgt happy and when I moved up in rank my guys never made me happy. Now if you are not standing an inspection I will tell you that clean means looking down the barrel and not seeing powder or lead residue that your action, slides, bolts and trigger mech is free of residue and well dusted with a brush (you can get a good toothbrush, or buy a regular tool brush with plastic bristels) . After that the weapon should get a very light coat of oil and you are good to go. I am not saying that this is the complete and total answer but it works for me. I have 39 different weapons that I deal with some are very old and some need different attention but for you this should turn the trick. There are alot of very smart people on this site that have what works for them. Take all advice, find out what works for you and go with it. Nothing about cleaning a gun is clean or neat but it is important. Keep at it and you will get better and faster. Good luck and good shooting.
 
I hate cleaning guns too. Most of them I just leave as is, it doesn't hurt them to sit for a week or two until I go shooting again. If they are getting really filthy I will hose the insides with WD-40, wipe down the outside and let them sit for an hour or two. Then I will give them a quick spray with Rem Oil or CLP and call it good enough. If I'm gonna be away for a while I will run a brush down the barrel a few times but I don't do much beyond that.

If I'm shooting any old milsurp rifles with corrosive ammo I will pour some hot water through the action and barrel and then let it sit for a bit. Then hose it down thoroughly with WD40 to get the water out of all the nooks and crannies and let it sit for a few hours to dry out before spraying with some oil.

If you shoot regularly I don't see any reason to worry about getting a gun perfectly clean any more than getting cars perfectly detailed.
 
For me, cleaning is relaxing. Last night, I cleaned:

a .22 Magnum Marlin

a 12 guage Mossberg 500

a S & W .38

a a Ruger .357

-------------------------------------

VENTILATE

(You might try listening to your favorite music while cleaning)

Organize cleaning supplies

Admire the fine working machinery as you disassemble it.

Admire the fine working machinery as you oil it and reassemble it.

Wipe down each gun and put it where it belongs

Clean up:)

---------------------
 
After witnessing the field stripping of an AR, I was totally turned off by them. Its just personal preference, but all the bells and wistles just means more stuff to break down. Their bolts may not lock back after the last round, but when I shoulder an AK, it feels right like no other gun does. Plus they're a breeze to clean!
 
I do not really dislike cleaning my guns, It's just that I am unmotivated to get things started. Kinda like yard work. Tough to get going, once I start I cannot stop until the job is done. I am always usually always happy with the end result and often find it relaxing. My guns are by no means the cleanest out there, but then again, I have never had a malfunction due to lack of maintenance. My problem is that I need to take a lesser variety of calibers when I go shooting. This equals $'s as well as time saved in cleaning.
 
My Favorite Cleaner?? Butches Bore Polish..... It smells a little stronger than Hoppes... But out cleans it by miles...
 
i like the smell of hoppes. i clean my guns after every outing. i kind of enjoy it. if you look at it as a chore of course it'll suck, but if you think of it as part of the shooting then it's more fun. Then again, i many many less guns than any of you, so i have less cleaning to do. If only there was some way to solve such a problem... if only.
 
For me, cleaning is relaxing.
Click to expand...

Same story with me, all my friends think I'm weird. There is also something that seems very rewarding about putting back together my now clean guns and preforming a function check. (And actually having the gun function of course!)
 
I wipe them down on the outside, but almost never clean the inside.

- Sig
 
I wipe them down on the outside, but almost never clean the inside.

- Sig
Click to expand...

You must be a politician.

I clean them within a few days of going shooting, but I do that because I enjoy cleaning the guns as much as shooting (for all the reasons), but don't think it hampers the happiness by separating the two activities.

course if it's my favorite rifle, or something, it'll be cleaned and put away when I get home.

I'll never carry a dirty gun, unless I have to, and then I hope it's a sig or a glock!
 
Actualy.... I realy like it. I do a clean after and a short clean before I go to
the range. When I clean it gives me the chance to look at all the parts and
see if there is any stress or cracks. It also gets me in the zone (or mood) to
go shooting. The smell of Hopps is so non-work it actualy relaxes me.
 
I actually find cleaning guns to be pretty relaxing. I clean mine after every range trip, usually just a basic field strip/clean though. Twice a year they all get an ultra detailed, rip everything apart clean. Those of you that are concerned about the smell/nastiness of cleaners should check out Gunzilla, I find it works great and has a very mild odor. And it makes a decent lube too.
 
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