Cleaning NEW Guns Before First Trip to the Range?

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brockgl

brockgl

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I am anal when it comes to cleaning my firearms. I have 2 Shotguns, 2 Rifles, 3 Revolvers, and 2 Automatics. Every one of them was purchased NIB, and every one of them is spotless inside and out sitting inside my gun safe right now (except one of my S&W 642's which is in my pocket). All of those guns were cleaned well by me before taking them to the range for the first time. Also, I have never waited more than 3 or 4 hours to clean a gun that has been shot at the range that day. I usually clean them the instant I get home, though.

Is cleaning prior to a guns "deflowering" something most people practice?
 
I clean the barrel of a new gun always. You never know what may have lodged itself in there if you dont check, and if you didnt check, it would be a bad way to find out something was in there.
 
Yes. check and inspect before, and clean after every range trip. Also, check and inspect between.

Just the other day inspected my 1911 and found the bore DRY :cuss:

It's good now.
 
A new gun should be cleaned very very well.
I've had a few with leftover metal shavings...that can't be good for anything you expect to last for generations.
Not to mention the "lube" in most new guns are geared towards preserving the metal rather than lubing it.

^Whats wrong with a dry bore?
All of my stainless guns have dry bores, all of my carbon steel guns get a light coat of CLP that eventually dries and leaves a film.
 
Field strip, inspect, clean and lube. I'd say pay particular attention to the lube part with autoloaders, more so then with revolvers (not that revolvers don't need some lubrication, just it's simpler with them).

I like to use militec, and it ideally needs to be applied to clean surfaces. Manufacturers will vary a lot on how they ship their new guns (type of packing lube, how much, so on) so I'd just as soon get all that shipping gunk off and start clean and with a light layer of militec.

Plus, you want to become familiar with the workings of the gun before you get to the range (the range is NOT the time nor place to try field stripping for the very first time). And it's good to visually inspect everything carefully.
 
I ALWAYS clean a new (or even new-to-me) before the first trip to the range, for several reasons.

1. I want to make sure there isn't anything in there that shouldn't be..like grease, metal shavings, wasp nests,etc.

2. I want to know how to take apart/put together BEFORE I NEED to do that.

3. If 'previously owned', I want to look for any obvious signs of poor home gunsmithing work. Not that I would always recognize it, but it gives me a chance to look.
 
Absolutely on a new pistol/revolver before the first range trip. I also do the same for any used firearm before it goes to the range with me. Better to find out about something before the fun is ruined by a broken part.
 
I always clean a new gun. I bought a Winchester 597 yesterday and as soon as I got it home I cleaned it and mopped the barrel. I was surprised at how dirty the mop was from a brand new stainless barrel. . . I would hate to find out that grease or cosmoline or a foreign object had obstructed the barrel, so I always run a patch through the bore before I go to the range.

After shooting I either field strip and clean my carry pistol at the range, or the minute I get home. It seems easier to get the crud out before it has had a chance to harden.
 
I have always cleaned a new firearm completely before going to the range. If it is a used firearm I completely disassemble it to clean and inspect it.

I just bought a new Kimber...The manual stated that I clean the firearm before I took it to the range...
 
Be aware that some manufacturers lubricate their product with a special "break-in" grease that should remain on the handgun for the specified number of rounds. The booklet that accompanies the handgun will specify if this is to be done.
 
Most manufactures use a metal preservative on their guns after assembly and test. This isn't a lubricant and its purpose is to prevent corrosion while the product remains in storage. This should be cleaned from the gun before shooting and a proper lubrication product used on the moving parts.
 
I never clean them prior to shooting. The manufacturer has never recommended in the enclosed booklet. That is not to say I don't pull them apart to inspect. My first range trip for any weapon is always the same: pistol 50 rounds, rifle 20 rounds then home for an inspection and clean. Used guns always get cleaned and inspected prior to firing.
 
I clean every new firearm thoroughly before firing. I use J&B Bore Paste. Usually the first few passes show the black powder residue from factory test firing. Then the next few show a reddish brown residue. Who knows what it is? I found this procedure, basically polishing the bore, makes the firearm easier to clean thereafter. Also seems to reduce leading. Your milage may vary.
 
Is cleaning prior to a guns "deflowering" something most people practice?
Click to expand...

New guns are lubed for shipping not shooting. (That "lube" on new guns is almost always a preservative not really a lubricant.)

I'm worse than that though, I almost always detail disassemble a new gun as far as I know how (totally with things like 1911 and CZ pistols). I like doing a detail inspection of ALL parts before the first shooting trip.

I'm long past being surprised at the "interesting" little things I find when I do that. (See this post for one example and this post for another.)
 
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I clean new firearms in accordance with manufacturers specific recommendations and also gauge if applicable. Some mfr's have a recomended cleaning procedure others don't.

Paul
 
I clean before the first use & after each shooting session -- I was taught that if the bottom line is to have a firearm available to defend yourself, then you have to minimize any chance of malfunction.
 
I worked for some time in the USMC as a unit armorer. I have the AGI Armorer DVDs on all of my handguns except the Bersa. I strip my guns down, clean, inspect and lube before first trip to range. The videos give some really good tips on how to clean and what to look at for inspection. Every second trip (I shoot every second Wednesday, so that means once a month) I again strip the gun, clean thoroughly, inspect and lube. The first range trip, the gun gets the standard cleaning without detail stripping.

Answer: yes, clean and lube before first range trip.

I am probably obsessive about feeling for sure that everything is working correctly in my carry gun, but it is based on my 30 years of active duty in the Corps and many years of carrying weapons into the fray. I have seen firsthand what happens to people with dirty or inoperative weapons. They die.
 
Always clean, inspect and lubricate new guns before firing them. I bought one at a gun shop/range and could have taken it directly into the range to try it out, but it appeared absolutely devoid of any lubricant. Another was packaged in plastic wrap with rust preventative, so much so that it would squish and ooze when I pressed on the wrapping. Still another had a defect that prevented it from being field stripped in the first place. :rolleyes:
 
Amen, brethren of the clean-o first-o's. Hear ye, hear ye, yo new gun has some funky stuff on it, 'specially if it's a Ruger. Take it apart and spray it with some brake cleaner and then lube it well. Oh, and take off the grips first if you can. Grips REALLY don't like alot of chemicals.
 
Rule No.1 is: Clean your gun.

If the maker tells you not to that is BS.

Clean and properly lubricate the gun before you fire it.

I've only failed to clean one gun in the past decade before I fired it. I had to order a new extractor after the second round.

It may have failed anyway, but I've never had that happen to a properly cleaned new gun before. I only have about 100 rifles, pistols and shotguns. Every one, except one particular rifle, is 100 percent reliable. And, they are all cleaned by me.
 
clean the grease out and lube all the parts...
its just that simple, and smart too


that way, you wont have any mishaps due to an obstructed bore nor a greasy gun that will collect debris and a gun that will last your days.
 
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