GUN CLEAN TIME, and RANGE PICS

[armedpolak]

so, how long does it take you guys to clean your handguns. i'm either too slow, to anal, or to dumb. we (me and future wife) got back from the range today at 2:30pm. I was cleaning Beretta 90-TWO F and H&K P2000 till 5pm !!! well, they are clean, that's for sure. i sprayed both with gun cleaner thing, let it sit there for 10 minutes, then sprayed each part again and scrubbed with soft brush (barrel, slide, spring, grip). little bit of bronze brush with few drops of oil for the barrel, then dry barrel snake. the grip takes the longest i think. i used up 30 or so cotton q-tips per gun. reaching into every little spot, getting all the dirt out until none was left. i mean, damne! it's clean alright. then oil... few drops on trigger mechanics, slide release, mag release, a drop on my fingers and applied on the recoil spring, a drop on the moving parts attached to the barrel (Beretta), and tiny bit on the slide rails. put it back together, rack the slide several times, pull trigger (UNLOADED pointed in SAVE DIRECTION, please don't flame me) few times, to make sure the oil gets in all the right places. then disasemble again, wipe excess oil off. assemble again. rack few times. last final wipe on the outside. NEXT. two guns like this took over 2 hours.

is this excessive compulsive syndrome, or just good care of my guns ?!?!?

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

GF shoot for the first time in her life, for real i mean, not including one time crappy $5 per 6 shots on a range somewhere in PA for few hours four months ago. she put 250 rounds through my (now hers , not by my choice ) Beretta 90-TWO .40 S&W. after few mags, she no longer had the twitch when firing, and on the last box, well, see for yourself, from about 7-8 yards.

not bad Dorothy !!!

 

[SoCalShooter]

I am anal and clean every nook and cranny, my 1911 stripped to the frame and entirely clean takes me about hour and a half I like to make sure I check for wear, I only clean like this however every 1000 rounds. Everything else only takes about 45 min to be anal

 

[10 Ring Tao]

When I first started, I was about like you described.

Now, the novelty has worn off, and I only clean for function. Everything gets sprayed with breakfree CLP, and then a quick scrubbing with a plastic bristle brush (bronze if the carbon buildup is thick), with the important feeding/functioning parts getting the most attention. Wipe off the extra, some dabs of oil on the important parts, cycle a few times, wipe off what comes out, and done. Takes about 2 hours to clean that days guns, usually at least 5, sometimes as many as 10.

Sometime during the year, I'll pick a random gun that hasn't had it in a while, and give it a real anal cleaning with qtips, getting every bit of carbon, and basically nuking it from orbit, just to be sure. Then it can take like an hour per gun.

 

[Crawlin]

1 Hour

Per gun for me. I clean my 1911 like it was going on a first date every time after shooting it. I like to make sure its very clean. Also, i go through about 15 to 20 patches per gun.

 

[RNB65]

The only gun that I clean to the max is my CCW carry gun. It gets a detailed cleaning and lubing each time it's fired -- 30 to 45 minutes. Range guns get a quicky cleaning after use -- about 15 minutes per handgun. Rifles and shotguns get about 30 minutes each.

Most guns can't tell the difference between a 15 minute cleaning and a 60 minute cleaning. As long as the worst of the gunk is wiped off and fresh lube applied, they'll keep running.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Somewhere around 1k rounds I'll do a detailed cleaning. Usually 45min to 1hr per gun. The rest of the time it's a lighter cleaning like most here describe (except for my Savage .22lr that INSISTS on a good scrubdown of the bolt/chamber every 500 rounds or the feed issues start).

The worst for me is probably coming back from a round of Cowboy Action Shooting because then I've got two revolvers, carbine, and SxS shotgun to clean and I don't dare let 'em set because it'll be a month until the next match <grin>.

 

[LoveMyCountry]

Restoring order to my little universe.

For me, the post range cleaning is like putting away my tools after I have finished the repair job. Cleaning everything and putting it back into ready-to-go condition allows me to reflect on the job I just did and be ready for the next one.

It's a spiritual thing.

LoveMyCountry

 

[XDKingslayer]

put it back together, rack the slide several times, pull trigger (UNLOADED pointed in SAVE DIRECTION, please don't flame me) few times, to make sure the oil gets in all the right places.

I won't flame you for doing it, I'll flame you for doing it for all the wrong reasons. Don't do it to just spread lube around, do it as a functionality check. Every weapon should get a functionality check after disassembly/reassembly.

 

[romma]

If I had a really high end gun, maybe I would detail strip to the pieces, but since I am a very busy person, I field strip on after about every 150 rounds or so, and leave it at that. If my Keltec breaks down because of me not putting in an additional 500 hrs cleaning it, then I guess I will break down and buy a new one. I only shoot the keltec periodically to make sure it functions. My Ar-15 gets more attention. So does the Walther. And Kahr.

 

[GDDYUP]

I'd say about an hour per gun is my average. After some range time with my and my wife's CCWs, I'd say just about 2 hours does it with all the good cleaning like Q-tips and the like. I make sure everything is crystal clean and well lubed because my life depends on it!

 

[Lupinus]

I liek clean but I am by no means anal.

I will normally clean my rifle at the range while still warm. Mainly because everything is already set up anyway and I believe that cleaning it while warm lends to getting crude out easier. If the range is packed though and people are waiting for a table I will go ahead and just pack up and clean later at home out of curtosey. On occasion if I notice accuracy starting to slide a bit I will run a patch or two down the barrel with a little oil on them followed by a dry one durring one of the cool downs I do periodicly for ten or fifteen minutes as needed.

My after shooting cleaning is lightly oiled patches till they are decently clean and then a dry patch after. I save brushes only if I suspect heavy fouling and will use a patch or two of solvent maybe once a month depending how much I have been shooting.

 

[Run&Shoot]

30 minutes

After every range session I field strip each gun and spend about 30 minutes cleaning everything per gun.

* Field strip each the gun.
* Wipe everything with Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber, including a couple of wet patches through the barrel to get it soaking. Use a nylon or brash toothbrush to get any heavy crud out.
* Wipe every stripped part off with a dry shop towel.
* Liberal coating of Tetra Gun lube worked into the surface of each part and let sit.
* Go back to the barrel and repeat wet patch/brass brush/wet patch/dry patch until the dry patches come out clean. Then a wet patch of Tetra Gun lube follwed by a dry patch.
* Dry towel each part again.
* Reassemble and lube lightly with drops of Tetra Gun lube or grease as needed (slide rails, barrel engagements, etc.)

That takes about 30 minutes per gun. About twice a year I will do a more detailed strip including all mags, etc. My carry gun is a Glock 23 so there isn't much more needed except inspecting and cleaning/lubing the extractor and firing pin and springs. I can't imagine what you would be cleaning beyond this. If I am cleaning my SIG or 1911 it takes about 5 minutes to remove the grips and clean around the frame area there.

 

[Justin]

Oddly enough, the guns that I shoot most often are the ones that get cleaned the least.

 

[bumm]

I love my guns. I love shooting them, I love handling them, and a few are all I have left of my father. I clean them well after every time I shoot. However, I feel that overly enthusiastic, obsessive-compulsive cleaning can cause as much or more wear than normal shooting. I keep all my cleaning supplies together and handy, and 20 to 25 minutes to field strip, clean, and lube each gun after each session is plenty. I'll detail strip each gun maybe once a year.
Marty

 

[Maui19]

About 20 minutes for me. I give them a decent cleaning after every use.

 

[RH822]

I must be a baaaaaad person, I have several that I can think of off the top of my head that have not been cleaned in better then a year. After shooting I blast the bolt and trigger group with WD-40 wipe down the barrel, action and stock\grip and back in the cabinet they go.

RH

 

[nplant]

I, too, used to clean until it (or they) shined, after each and every range trip. I think there's value in learning how to do it right.

That said, once you get used to it and can do it when needed, I feel there's also a lot of value in getting to know your weapon well. At what point does it start to malfunction if you haven't cleaned it? What parts wear most quickly (sometimes hard to tell when you're inspecting it after every 50 rounds or so)? How well will the thing hold up when you really need it to, even if you haven't polished every last bit of dirt off of it?

These are questions worth answering. The only way I know to do it is to put away the cleaning kit for a while and try things out. I've begun to do this with my 1911's and my AR-15. Yeah, I know, if the internet is right, my guns will soon begin to speak, the first words they learn being "Clean us!" I have my doubts that a less-than-spotless gun is going to stop cold. Don't get me wrong - I still lube them, but I'm not getting much off of them in the way of dirt, carbon, power residue, etc.

Also, keep in mind that whatever you do (total deep clean, or lube only once a session), it's best to make it ritual. The more repeatable your conditions, the better off you are. You can't control everything, so control what you can (besides, if you could just always control everything, you wouldn't need a gun!).

 

[sm]

Clean?

It seems I do not even have a Cleaning Rod, Otis Pull Thru,Even a Patchworm around the house anymore. I finally got some gun oil to keep around the house though. my truck door was squeaking and the lock out back needed a drop, so key could get past rust, to open...

Where I go on private property to shoot and assist other, I guess it took me 10 min to clean Two 1911s the other day. Later maybe 5 to clean a revolver. Using whatever stuff was out there to use.

Most times, I hand a gun to lady or another I am asssting, this way they learn, as I was the one that cleaned for my mentors.

Unwritten Rule: Never attend a competition with a clean gun.

Seen too many folks fiddle and mess the night before and in shotguns, have the gas system rings in wrong, forget to put a 'O" ring in or similar.


My CCW on person, ~ 800 rds since "cleaned". Now I do inspect and maintain. Chamber clean ,extraction fine, and no nelphs.

When I do clean one, I prefer to do so at the range. Then run a couple of mags, leaving round in chamber, then slap in fresh round.

I know the guns runs, the ctg chambered done so by cycling under firing,and good to go.

I guess one of these days I need to look for some gun cleaning stuff I am supposed to have, or get something to keep around here.

I gotta wooden stick from Popeye's Chicken corn on the Cob I used with a pc of T shirt to clean a barrel once...it is in my cup of pencils I just noticed...

 

[mpmarty]

I used to be A/R about cleaning but in the past few years it seems like a nylon brush with KROIL through the bore, wipe down the outside, spray a cleaner like blast out or some such into all the nooks and crannies, take my air hose and blow dry then lightly lube with good grade gun oil or grease. Back to the barrel and push a few dry patches alternated with KROIL patches until reasonably clean patches come out. Put it together and test cycle it a few times then final wipe down and put it away. Total time about 30 minutes for first gun and 20 or so for each after the first as the stuff is out and ready to go.

 

[Owen]

The gun I shoot the most is a G17. I figure I spend about 10 minutes cleaning it, every 1000 - 2500 rounds. It's nice and broken in so a squirt of solvent in the bore, 10 passes with a brush. Then I let the barrel sit so the solvent has a chance to work on the crud on the feed ramp. While the barrel is sitting, I use a paper towel and maybe some solvent to wipe all of the sludge out of the inside of the slide and mag well. I wipe the crud off the feed ramp and barrel crown, push a dry patch through the barrel. Grease the rails, a drop of oil on the barrel hood, locking surface and bushing (or whatever you want to call the barrel hole in the slide), and sometimes a drop on the sear.

Reassemble, function check, and I'm done. I have at least 20k on the thing, and haven't had any problems that weren't caused by bad ammo.

With my .22 pistols, I pick the carbon of the breach face and anywhere else it's noticeable with a dental pick, put a few drops of oil on the slide, and I'm done.

 

[10-Ring]

I've been doing some practicing on this very subject lately and I've gotten it down to about 20 minutes or so... I am on the eternal quest for the right solvent to insure proper cleaning & ease of use.

 

[Dave R]

An hour per gun? Maybe once every 10 cleanings...

For a typical range session (say, 100 rounds per gun, MAX.) I can do 4-5 handguns in 45 mins or so. Assembly line process.

-Disassemble them all (keep the parts in discrete piles.)

-Swab all bores, and let the solvent soak.

-Clean all slides, using dedicated toothbrush-style cleaner. The kind with a narrow bristle at one end for slide rails.

-Clean all frames. Lube frames and slides. (Actually, I already did that when I cleaned with CLP.)

-Finish off the bores with brushes and patches.

-Reassemble and function check.

And if I fired fewer rounds? Say 20-50 through the gun?

-Bore snake through the bores.

-Wipe out the chambers with CLP.

-Function check and put away.

Oh, you do revolvers? Bore snakes were MADE for revolvers.

-Snake the bore
-Snake the chambers
-Wipe the cylinder face
-Clean under the ejector star
-Put away.

After several cycles like above, THEN I'll do a 1-hour per gun cleaning.

 

[fungusmunkey]

I go for 3 levels of cleaning.

Level 1: Heirloom/collector gun. Total detailed cleaning. 1+ hour per firearm.
These are family hand me downs or have some other kind of collector value.
Usually awesome blueing and wood i don't want to mess up.
Rarely shoot them cause i'm lazy about the cleaning, sit in the safe most of the time.

Level 2: Quick cleaning 10-25 mins per gun.
These are guns i shoot frequently but still want to keep around for a good long while. The cleanings are quick and directly related to how dirty the gun is. No point scrubbing something as if 200 rounds went through it when i only shot 20.
Rarely do these get a detailed scrubbing and rarely do they need it.

Level 3: Cleaned once a decade (or if they malfunction)
I have a few 'working guns' that i use frequently and clean rarely. One .22, one shotgun and one rifle.
They only get cleaned if i'm incredibly bored, they malfunction, or it has been so long i start feeling bad.
And that cleaning usually consists of a spraying some kind of cleaner in the general direction, a boresnake and wiping off the excess grime.

I prefer shooting guns that fit into category 3

 

[TimboKhan]

I will seriously clean my guns when I think they are in dire need of it, which isn't all that often. Usually, I will not even bother if I have fired less than 50 rounds. Providing I have fired more than that, all I do is run a wet patch through, followed by a few passes with a bore brush, followed by a couple of dry patches. Then, I scrub the boltface and the feed ramp. Thats pretty much it. If it needs a new coating of lube or whatever, I will do that, but I bet I don't spend 15 minutes on cleaning per gun after a trip to the range. If I decide that they really seriously need a cleaning, then I usuall will take up to an hour/gun, but thats pretty infrequent.

Also, there are some things that I have just given up on cleaning. Most notable among those things are the carbon rings on the face of my cylinder. They don't hurt anything and are a pain to get off, so I just leave them. This isn't to say I don't clean that face of the cylinder, just that I don't sit there and scrub half the metal away trying to get those rings off.

Like Fungusmonkey, I also have guns that I have pretty much never cleaned, and they keep right on ticking away.

 

[f4t9r]

About 500 rounds I take extra time to clean. Other then that its a quick wipe down and bore snake then oil and back to storage place. I do check them out pretty close and if I feel more is needed they get more attention