Do you clean your carry gun, before leaving the range?

[CraigC]

I don't make excuses, I provide reasons. Has nothing to do with being lazy. It is simply unnecessary. Period.

 

[back40]

i find no reason to clean my carry gun before i leave the range. honestly, my carry gun gets cleaned the least. it simply isn't necessary.

 

[jp9mm]

I wont carry a dirty gun, but it has nothing to do with the function of the gun, it has to do with possibly walking into a <deleted> storm I had nothing to do with and get caught up in the aftermath. Why put yourself in a position you dont need to be in, because your to lazy to clean your gun?

Best to walk into a <deleted> storm with a clean gun instead of a functioning one ?

 

[AK103K]

Best to walk into a <deleted> storm with a clean gun instead of a functioning one ?

Mine have ALWAYS worked when clean. ALWAYS. I have seen and personally experienced guns that have sat dirty for long periods, that did not function properly when first used.

How many who dont clean their guns are/were in the military and actually used their weapons for their intended purpose and left them dirty indefinitely for the function reasons as stated by those who carry them dirty? I dont know of any.

Just how dirty are these guns being carried, and how long do they stay that way? How much junk is attracted in day to day use, and how does all that figure in to keeping the gun working as it should? I carry mine daily and work and play in pretty harsh environments, and at the very least, have to clean a "clean", unfired gun at least once a week, just to get the crap out from what it accumulated over the week riding in its holster. Dirt, grit and dust bunnys get everywhere by themselves, add that to once clean lube, fouled by powder residue and all the above and debris, and youre willing to bet youre going to be good to go at some undetermined time down the road?

Ill stick to being "compulsive". Youre more than welcome to carry on with the dirty though.

 

[Certaindeaf]

This video masterpiece tells you all you need to know about cleaning guns..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XZHqafQpA5g

 

[CraigC]

How many who dont clean their guns are/were in the military and actually used their weapons for their intended purpose and left them dirty indefinitely for the function reasons as stated by those who carry them dirty?

This ain't the military and what works for them is not necessarily best for the rest of us. Probably most of those who enter the military have never owned or fired a rifle before. So yes, there is much need for those folks to become intimately familiar with their battle rifle. There are reasons for their practices that have nothing to do with weapon function and military doctrine must be one-size-fits-all.

Personally, I prefer to think for myself.

 

[AK103K]

This ain't the military and what works for them is not necessarily best for the rest of us.

While it may not be the military, their principles of firearms maintenance, do in fact apply to anyone who might use and rely on their weapon.

I know most who carry a gun in a civilian role, dont have to deal with conditions other than air conditioning and maybe light surface dust in the house, but some of us do live and work in little more rustic conditions, and proper maintenance beyond normal cleaning after shooting is prudent as well as necessary.

I suppose there may also be a difference here in age too. Those of us (well, most of us anyway) who grew up when corrosive ammo was still prevalent, were taught to clean quickly after every outing, and for good reason, have old, ingrained cleaning habits.

I still have some 80's dated 9mm ammo in the ammo locker, that at this time of year, will leave your barrel, action, and anywhere else the residue landed, covered in bright orange rust by the next morning.

Ive also bought a couple of real nice looking M1's, that were trashed because someone shot corrosive ammo out of them and didnt clean them.

You may believe youre not hurting anything by not cleaning, but it doesnt take much to screw yourself pretty quick if youre not paying attention. Buy some "cheap" practice ammo at a gun show, blast away, put it back in your holster, and by next week, you might not get the slide back.

Personally, I prefer to think for myself.

So do I, and I encourage everyone to do so. Especially dwelling on the "think" part.

 

[CraigC]

...their principles of firearms maintenance, do in fact apply to anyone who might use and rely on their weapon.

Not necessarily.

I know most who carry a gun in a civilian role, don't have to deal with conditions other than air conditioning and maybe light surface dust in the house, but some of us do live and work in little more rustic conditions, and proper maintenance beyond normal cleaning after shooting is prudent as well as necessary.

And you think I only carry mine to the mall??? I use my guns and often. Haven't used an indoor range in several years.

I suppose there may also be a difference here in age too.

Not a valid argument either. I grew up cleaning guns as soon as we returned from the range, every single time. In my 20's I read the work of a gunwriter who is now over 80yrs old and I began, like he did, to question the practice.

Ive also bought a couple of real nice looking M1's, that were trashed because someone shot corrosive ammo out of them and didnt clean them.

Corrosive ammo and blackpowder are different. I've hunted with nothing but blackpowder for several years and they are cleaned after shooting. Big difference.

You may believe you're not hurting anything by not cleaning.....

I have a collection of over 80 guns with about $50,000 invested. My guns get wiped down after shooting and cleaned only when necessary. If I were hurting anything, I would go back to cleaning every range session. I'm not. So I don't.

Buy some "cheap" practice ammo at a gun show, blast away, put it back in your holster, and by next week, you might not get the slide back.

I don't buy cheap gun show ammo. I buy domestic .223, .380 and .45ACP for the automatics. The rest gets handloaded.


The difference is that I've done it both ways and made an educated decision. You are doing what you do out of habit and indoctrination. You have never done it different, are probably completely unwilling to do it any differently, yet are fully comfortable with labeling those who do not agree with you "lazy".

 

[AK103K]

Not necessarily.

How? Please elaborate.

And you think I only carry mine to the mall??? I use my guns and often. Haven't used an indoor range in several years.

I have no idea how you carry your gun or under what conditions. I wasnt referring to where you shoot, but just the accumulation of crap and crud you get from daily carry and use. All that extra unseen junk can and will impact how your gun works, especially if left unattended over time.

I dont know what yours looks like after a week of riding in a holster, but I know if I allowed mine to go any longer than that without a field strip and quick cleaning, there would be trouble, especially if I were shooting it and not cleaning it. That dust, dirt and grit mixed with lube and oil isnt doing the wearing surfaces they impact any good. Not to mention all the lint, and crap that accumulates in all the nooks and crannies. A simple wipe down addresses nothing but the outside of the gun. It does take care of that fur ball I get on the front sight of my 17 after riding in its IWB all day. If it werent for that, you wouldnt know I had a front sight. By the end of the week, you'd think the inside of the barrel had a fur collar.

My guns get wiped down after shooting and cleaned only when necessary.

So when is it necessary? How do you determine "necessary"? How do you know the exact point that the gun will start having issues, and not work the next time you use it, especially if you havent cleaned it in awhile? With 80 guns, when was the last time #48 was cleaned and how much was it shot? What do you do, keep a log of "dirtyness"?

To me, your argument doesn't hold up, especially since Ive encountered guns that were treated as you treat them, and they did in fact act up or not function properly when left dirty and then used sometime later down the road. In those cases, it was just embarrassing to the owners, and luckily for them (and me if I were counting on them) not something more substantial.

I have a collection of over 80 guns with about $50,000 invested.

To me, number and price are meaningless, I clean a $99 CZ the same as I clean a $20000 MP5, properly, each and every time.

Since youre throwing out values, if youre worried about maintaining their value, why wouldnt you maintain them?

I don't buy cheap gun show ammo. I buy domestic .223, .380 and .45ACP for the automatics. The rest gets handloaded.

99% of what I shoot these days are reloads, so I dont worry to much about corrosive or unknowns. I still clean after every shooting regardless. Besides just cleaning the gun, it allows me to keep a watch on things and check for any possible issues or trouble that might arise from use.

There was a time in the not so distant past, where I was still buying bulk surplus to feed the squirt guns, as it was cheaper than reloading, and you had to basically treat all of it as unknown, and take extra precautions and clean everything if it were corrosive, even if it wasnt. If you shoot any unknown ammo, you have to do that. Ill shoot pretty much anything without issue. I shoot a lot, and to do so, you go with what lets you get the most bang for the buck. Id welcome back those days of cheap surplus and jump right on it. Thats just more time to shoot with less reloading. Maybe Im a little lazier than you think.

The difference is that I've done it both ways and made an educated decision. You are doing what you do out of habit and indoctrination. You have never done it different, are probably completely unwilling to do it any differently, yet are fully comfortable with labeling those who do not agree with you "lazy".

When they come out with a powder and bullet that leave no residue, and some sort of carry system that allows nothing on or into the gun, then maybe Ill change. So far, what Ive been doing has worked for me, and seeing your way doing things, fail, so Ill keep doing what Im doing, until your way is proven to be 100%. Hows that. Now Im lazy, and you have to prove it. So get to work, thats a lot of shooting.

 

[Certaindeaf]

.I dont know what yours looks like after a week of riding in a holster, but I know if I allowed mine to go any longer than that without a field strip and quick cleaning, there would be trouble..

That's interesting and perhaps an admirable/notable thing. I don't do that though. Everyone has to take ultimate responsibility for the state of their weapon.. and maybe it's a zen thing but a little dust, in my opinion, ain't going to kill you.

 

[CraigC]

The bottom line is that we must all find what works for us. I certainly have. My point is that you cannot judge how I clean my guns if you have never done it the way I do. I've done it both ways. You haven't. I have the luxury of perspective. You don't.

The point in bringing up value is one of perspective. Do you really think that I would invest $50,000 in guns and then let them corrode into nothing? Of course not.

Since youre throwing out values, if youre worried about maintaining their value, why wouldnt you maintain them?

Why would you assume I'm not? I do maintain them. I just don't do it the same way you do. That is no reason to assume that my guns are rusted, corroded hulks. Because they're not. I post pictures of my guns constantly and I've never had someone say, "damn, your guns are so dirty!".


I've said all I'm going to on this subject. No one's mind ever gets changed and it's a waste of breath to even try. Some folks are convinced that their guns will rust into pieces overnight if they do not clean every time they shoot and there is no convincing them otherwise. Facts be damned.

 

[Sam1911]

All right, all right. All sides have been argued and if anyone's still sitting on the fence about this they've got all the info that's fit to print and can go decide for themsleves.