How do you make the decision to clean your weapons?

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Geneseo1911

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Do you clean after EVERY range trip, regardless of round count? Does it make a difference whether it is a rifle, pistol, shotgun, or .22 rimfire?

I do most of my shooting at my parent's house, and only seem to be able to find time to go through 25-50 rounds most times. I feel like it's a waste of time to clean each gun each time. I try to buy clean, quality ammo, and there is very little powder residue.

My shotguns and .22s go 500-1000 rounds between cleanings. They only get broken down when they start to slow down from the junk in the action. The rest get attention every 200-300 rounds or when they look dirty.

Is there any reason to clean a gun that isn't really "dirty"? I've always heard that more guns are worn out from cleaning than from shooting. How do you decide?
 
I clean everything really really well after I shoot it. It doesn't matter if I put 1 round or 1000 rounds, they all get cleaned. However, I pay closer attention to my carry guns, one of which is my night stand gun.

A CLEAN gun is a HAPPY gun!
 
Most of my guns are cleaned after every range session. Only exception would be the 22's. I use a bore snake after shooting those and only clean them when they appear to be getting a little dirtier than I'd like them to be.
If I only shoot a few rds thru one of the other guns I don't worry about it but usually guilt will cause me to clean them.
My carry guns definetly get cleaned after each range session.
My pocket guns get cleaned every month or so whether shot or not just to clean out the pocket lint and peanut dust (yea--I feed the squirrels).
Rifles and shotguns get a cleaning after they are shot--sometimes just the bore--depending on how many rds have been shot
 
I do a general cleaning after every trip to the range, regardless of count. But, then again, I dont shoot but every few months or so. I may go a bit deeper than "general" if using particularly "dirty" ammo. The only exception would be my weapon used for HD. This one I tend to pay much more attention to and generally keep much cleaner than others I fire on a regular basis.

Now, regardless of how many rounds were fired, I tend to do a thorough breakdown once a year or so. This not only helps me insure everything is in good shape, but it gives me an excuse for re-familiarizing myself with the weapons internals...to a degree.
 
it depends on the gun and what happen at the range.

for eample if I had any type of failure, I'm going to do a full strip and clean.

every thingis going to get a good wipe down and a coat of oil.
 
I clean them immediately if I used corrosive ammo.... otherwise only when I get around to it..... except my sd guns..... those get cleaned and oiled frequently
 
If I'm going back to the range in a day or two, no. Most of my guns are meant to be shot.

But if it's going to be more than a week or so, yes. I always inpect to make sure they're running and most are.
 
Every time I shoot'em. I don't go for white glove inspection clean though - light gray on patches and Q-tips is okay by me.
 
I clean my guns everytime I shoot, be it 25 rounds or 500. I field strip them everytime I clean them.

If I don't shoot a gun for a period of time, I do the same cleaning every other month. Mainly because I like doing it, and as said before, 'A clean gun is a happy gun'.
 
Other than .22's, every time I shoot one unless it's just a few shots and I'm going to shoot it again in a few days. Rimfires, I never, ever clean the bore except for the occasional swipe with a boresnake (the Marlin manual advises not cleaning rimfire bores), and I clean the action when it seems to need it. I'd probably clean the action of my Buckmark more often, but it's a pain to get it apart and then you have to play with the sights again after it's back together.
 
Clean as part of prerange checks (includes function check and packing ammo for range)

Clean after shooting

Clean everytime I take a gun out, keeps the rust fairy away :)
 
Clean everytime I shoot one.

Clean if I carry and haven't shot lately.

Clean once a year if they stay in the safe.
 
Pistols get cleaned after every range trip. I enjoy the cleaning process, and only get out once or twice a month anyway.

If I take my Beretta Blackwing O/U out to shoot sporting clays, I will at the very least run the bore snake through it afterwards. It depends on whether or not I'm going shooting again really soon. If so, I'll wait for the thorough cleaning. If not, it gets the works. I spent a lot of $$$ on that gun, and I've put quite a few rounds through it, but it looks brand new for a reason.
 
After every use

I clean my guns after every use, no matter the round count. I oil my safe queens every 2 months to prevent rust. My good friend works for homeland security and thinks I'm anal about clean guns, I think he's lazy and careless for the condition I see him leave his guns. Whatever. Mike
 
Centerfire: I usually clean the same day, but will sometimes wait a day or two if I have something else to do.
22LR: When accuracy or function starts to deteriorate

Round count isn't a factor when I decide to clean. I could have just shot a few, or a couple hundred, I still clean my centerfire weapons after I shoot them. I do wipe down my 22s, and may run a boresnake through them every one and a while, but don't detail clean them very often like I do my centerfire rifles and pistols.
 
Every gun gets at least a bore wipe down after shooting.

Carry guns get a complete field strip and claening after every shooting.

Other guns get something in between.
 
Full breakdown/inspection/cleaning after each outing, even if they somehow go unfired.

I'll also usually end up breaking all of them down and cleaning them over the course of about 3 months, usually because I'm bored and the kids are in bed.
 
Whenever they get dirty enough that it might possibly think about impairing reliability or accuracy. But definitely not every range trip; maybe every two or three or four. If it gets wet, or if it looks like the lubrication is drying out, I'll add some lubrication as needed, but that's pretty much it. I never use corrosive ammo, though.

However, I'll go over the outside of a blued gun with a lightly oiled cloth every once in a while, whether I shoot it or not, to head off corrosion here in humid eastern NC.
 
I will clean mine everytime it gets shot if i dont plan to use it again within a week no matter the number of rounds. If i plan to use it in the same week but put any more than 25 shells through the shotgun since the last cleaning then it gets cleaned before it goes out again.
 
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