Am I too anal?

[JoeSlomo]

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun.

That's crazy talk!!!

Who would want to inspect a firearm and its parts for excessive wear or stress indications after they fire them? Why would you want to remove fouling, dirt, bits of brass, and old lube before firing your arms? Do you think that fresh lube on a clean gun will ensure greater reliability and preserve the service life of the firearm or something!?

Insane I tell ya!

 

[Sapper771]

Depends on the purpose of the gun.

If it is a range gun, it gets cleaned when it starts choking up. If it is a safe queen, it gets a good rub down every 6 months. If it is a carry gun, or part of a carry rotation, then it gets cleaned after every range trip (unless I am doing reliability/endurance testing).

My precision rifle and AR gets cleaned after every range trip.

 

[FTSESQ]

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun. If I dont shoot the gun in 30 days I take it apart again and wipe things down and lube it again.

Anal? Well if you are, I am too. Maybe this is why I have so few FTF's compared to other people I know. I think that this is just good business. I mean, it just makes sense to me. I clean all of my tools after each use, even if its just a quick wipe down. Every time I use my worm drive saw, I wipe it down and get all of the sawdust off of it. When I use my wrenches or sockets I wipe em down to get the oil and grease off of them. When I use my kitchen knives I... you get the idea. So, if I take such meticulous care of woodworking, automotive, or chef's tools... Then why would I take less care of something that I may need to save my life?

Keep up your good habits

 

[Dookie]

It depends on WHY you are doing it. If you want to protect it fine, or if you get bored fine. But if you start telling other people how to do it then you have problems

I would actually recommend wiping down guns if they have been sitting around awhile. On blued guns especially. How many times do we read posts that have people wanting to know why their gun they oiled up last year now has rust on it.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun. If I dont shoot the gun in 30 days I take it apart again and wipe things down and lube it again.

While I don't follow such a schedule scrupulously myself, there is nothing wrong with what you're doing. It is better than the other extreme, not cleaning at all until the gun starts to exhibit malfunctions. That is just plain foolish.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun.

This is good to do.

If I dont shoot the gun in 30 days I take it apart again and wipe things down and lube it again.

This helps keep you familiar with the workings of your firearms but accomplishes little else.

 

[Guns and more]

Am I too anal?

Yes.

I do it because its calming to clean and enjoy my collection,

That's different. Enjoy.

 

[oldfool]

I do like much like jimmyray

every time I take a gun to the range (usually several, once a week)
every gun that gets fired, gets cleaned at the end of the day
one shot or 500 shots fired, they go back into the safe clean
(never needed to do any more than check for obstructed bore when next taken to range, just an old habit)
they might be parked there for 7 days, or 7 years, before the next trip
every gun I own functions & performs same as the day I bought it, and some I have owned for decades, and pumped thousands of rounds through
never once ever had to repair one, nor replace any damaged parts, never once damaged a mizzle crown, never once ever even needed a bronze brush to clean 38sp "rings" out of 357 mag cylinders
but I sure have passed on a lot of used guns found under glass in gun shops

if you not capable of cleaning a gun properly
vs. "excessive" (abuse) by merit of doing a sloppy job of it, you probably ought not do that

 

[gofastman]

I clean my guns every time I shoot them.
I found out what all they hype is about with Break Free CLP, I just wipe all the parts I can with a dry microfiber rag, and then repeat with a patch or cotton ball with some CLP on it, wipe off the excess, a wet patch/dry patch run down the barrel and I'm done. only takes a few minutes.

If things get really dirty I wash them off with Simple Green Pro HD and water and then perform the above procedure.

the crappy blue finish on my PF9 usually gets a light coating of CLP on the exterior every time I'm done wearing it just because I sweat a lot and that gun's finish is prone to rust.

 

[Sport45]

My thoughts? You don't have enough guns

My first thought as well.

Boostedxt, is this a carry or home defense weapon? If it is I suggest you quit taking it apart between range visits. The only way I know to test a gun for function and reliability is to fire it. If I "clean" a gun it stays that way until I go to the range. The one's I count on will put a black ring on your finger if you put it in the muzzle.

I doubt if more than half the firearms in my house are "clean" at any given time. Clean, for me anyway, means accurate and functional.

 

[oldfool]

I can understand Sport45s perspective on that
but me, I think too many of that kind find their way into the used gun market sooner than they ought to
because they reach non-accurate and non-reliably functional age sooner than they otherwise would... and neither I nor Sport45 would hold onto one at that point
but... new gun dealers got to feed their families, too

 

[19&41]

Many times I can get some good deals when buying a pistol because the previous owner couldn't be troubled to clean them. Sure they lost money on getting rid of them, but isn't that the reason for having guns in the first place? I appreciate it that you have enough money to move on to another gun when they get dirty and difficult. Let the dealer clean 'em. They don't either, then sell 'em at a reduced price. You get to flash your cash, I get a discounted low time pistol for an hours' cleaning. I'll stop cleaning mine after each use when I see packaged dirt and crud for sale to apply to guns to make them more reliable.

 

[akadave]

Your is the correct way. Clean your gun after every range visit. If you dont, then you are essentially asking for trouble. I live in a very very dry climate. If I lived anywhere else other than Arizona I would be checking an re-cleaning and lubing my firearms about every 30 days too.

 

[Nasty]

"...never once ever had to repair one, nor replace any damaged parts, never once damaged a mizzle crown, never once ever even needed a bronze brush to clean 38sp "rings" out of 357 mag cylinders..."

Then doesn't this prove the fallacy? How many times do you need to inspect only to see that once again, there is nothing wrong?

I mean...it's your stuff...and your time...so nevermind.

 

[oasis618]

I clean my handguns after every use as well. I don't see anything wrong with taking care of you guns.

 

[LiveLife]

I think it depends on the pistol.

I usually take up to around 3-7 pistols to the range and every pistol gets field stripped after the session. I at least clean the barrel and inspect the slide/frame for any excessive fouling build up. If I have any concern, like fouling build up around breech face/extractor, I will brush the area clean with Hoppes #9. Every pistol gets the typical light lubing at metal contact points. If I have any leading in the barrel, I let the barrels soak (WD-40 works well for me but have 3 other solvents on standby) for 15-20 minutes and scrub softened lead out with copper choreboy wrapped rod.

That's the extent of my cleaning for polymer pistols. All metal pistols (1911, etc.) gets more detailed cleaning - in addition to the barrel, slide rail, ramp and frame rail are all cleaned and metal contact points lightly lubed.

Once a year, every pistol gets detail stripped down to individual part for inspection/cleaning and reassembled.

OCD? It's your pistol and life, do as you please. Never hurts to over clean your firearm you may need to use to defend your life.

 

[Manco]

I can't believe how lax all of you people are, shooting and cleaning like you don't care. I shoot solid 24K gold bullets into silk targets, savoring each shot like a fine vintage wine, and then thoroughly clean and lube my gun with whale oil after every shot!

Actually, I think that defensive pistols (and maybe heavily used competition pistols) should be cleaned, inspected, and lubed after every range session. So should collectibles if they're shot at all and any guns in which black powder has been used. All other weapons dedicated to range use only can wait for a while, depending on the individual weapon. If you use a good rust inhibitor, then you shouldn't need to regularly clean and reapply every month, although it wouldn't hurt to check every so often, I suppose. Detailed cleaning probably should be done every year or so for defensive weapons (which should be of the inherently reliable type anyway), and whenever there are issues with others.

 

[sohcgt2]

Am I too anal?

Why do the opinions of others matter

I have friend and have acquaintances who clean their gun every 500 to 1000 rounds and lube them every so often.

OK for them, but cleanliness is next to Godliness. Your firearms will outlast and outperform theirs.

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun. If I dont shoot the gun in 30 days I take it apart again and wipe things down and lube it again.

Soldiers are trained to clean and clean and clean again for several reasons, it leads to greater familiarity, properly cleaned and lubed firearms are more reliable, and it gives the operator opertunity to inspect parts for damage.

Thoughts? I guess I do it because its calming to clean and enjoy my collection, and plus if I always know what things look like I can replace wearing parts or get it inspected if need be.

How you enjoy your firearms is up to you.

 

[easyg]

After every time I shoot I Clean, Inspect, and lube the gun.

Very wise of you.

If I dont shoot the gun in 30 days I take it apart again and wipe things down and lube it again.

Very wise again....if the gun is a 1911.


But not necessary for most other pistols.

Thoughts? I guess I do it because its calming to clean and enjoy my collection, and plus if I always know what things look like I can replace wearing parts or get it inspected if need be.

You could be spending that time enjoying wine, women, and song.

Am I too anal?

That's between you and your psychiatrist.

 

[Zach S]

They're your guns, clean all you want.

The morons who clean every now and again are the same fools complaining about their weapons jamming...." I'm sending it back to the factory!! " or even the better one, " This brand of ammo xxxx sucks! And I want the entirety of the interwebs to know about it!"

I dont think so. You see, I buy quality firearms, and use quality parts for my builds.

I have a Kimber that I decided to shoot till it jammed. At 5k, I gave up and cleaned it. It had to be bead-blasted. I clean enough to avoid that now.

 

[mcdonl]

As a rule. I don't clean them. They are like a pickup truck. I don't clean them either. I load my own ammo, and cast my own boolits and have never had an issue. I run a cloth down the barrel when I am done, and that is it.

 

[oldfool]

Then doesn't this prove the fallacy? How many times do you need to inspect only to see that once again, there is nothing wrong?

I mean...it's your stuff...and your time...so nevermind.

dunno what you mean by "fallacy"
I don't "inspect" them, I clean them
"inspect" tends to happen whilst cleaning, pretty hard to avoid, all things considered
the cleaning is why I do not have to replace parts, replace guns, etc.

an hour (per gun) at range, throwing rounds downrange
If I can afford spend 60 minutes of my precious resource time shooting, I can afford another 12 minutes of my precious resource time cleaning the gun, reflecting upon the day, and admiring the weapon
for me, precious resource time is better spent on cleaning than time spent on repairing or replacing
cleaning supplies cost a pittance compared to ammo cost, and my dollars are better spent on ammo than on repairs

and whoever inherits my guns will probably get a few more bucks for 'em at pawn shop, than they otherwise might

"inspection" is all in how you look at it, I reckon
I do "inspect" for a clear bore every time I remove a gun from case upon arrival at shooting bench
never even once found a obstruction in a barrel, but I don't see that as a good reason to not look again the next time
habits, go figger

PS
I don't wash my pickup truck but once every two or three years
but I do change the engine oil every now and then

 

[digsigs226]

I clean my guns fairly thoroughly after every range trip, I just like having clean guns for storage. I clean my sig to prevent rust and my p22 because it gets just plain dirty. The every 30 days thing without shooting sounds a little excessive in my opinion.

Some of the responses here about doing damage to the gun by cleaning it to much are alarming to me. How can you really mess the gun up that bad? Leave solvent in the bore?

 

[oldfool]

muzzle crown damage is frequently cited (poor cleaning technique and/or tools)
also overdoing it with brushes and/or abrasive cleaners in rifled bores, that sort of thing

 

[mljdeckard]

Is there such a thing as overcleaning? Yes. Are you doing it? I don't think so.

I know guys who never clean, guys who clean as necessary, guys who clean on a schedule, and guys who are just nuts. (Most of that category fall under the military/former military/wish they were military mindframe.)

It goes both ways. I've never really understood the guys who shoot, clean, and then shoot a mag through it before they will carry it again to make sure they didn't break it while they were cleaning it. If I have a gun I can't trust to run after cleaning it.....it's time to get a new gun.

Most guns will work for most people most of the time. You can run a gun hard before it will malfunction. There's nothing wrong with being thorough and cautious. This is your life we are talking about. But you can be obsessive.