How do you make the decision to clean your weapons?

Status
Not open for further replies.
If I've shot a couple of boxes through a gun, OR if the gun is going to be stored for awhile before I shoot it again, I will always clean it before I put it away. As those two conditions are almost always true, I almost always clean everytime. The one exception is the guns that are kept up at our ranch. We have such limited space that it's hard to set up for a good cleaning session, though I *could* do it on the coffee table (I do here at home). We keep a 10/22 up there, and a .44 carbine which doesn't get shot often anyway; the 10/22 has been left now for, oh, 500 rounds maybe.

I seriously doubt that cleaning is going to "wear out" a gun, any more than washing my pots and pans will wear them out. Less, as I don't usually take steel wool and Brillo pads to my guns ;)

I'd rather they be clean than worry about gunk and crud building up. But that's me.

Jan
 
one thing that needs to be considered here is how much time you have available to clean guns..... I go to the range at least twice per month..... and every time I shoot 8 to 10 different guns..... If I cleaned them all every time I shoot them, I would have no time for a normal life, much less time to reload the empty brass.....
 
I can't sleep with a dirty gun in the house. My guns get cleaned promptly upon return from the range. My carry gets cleaned every few months even if it hasn't been fired. I find it picks up dirt, and can always use a check against rust from body moisture.
 
Wow...a voice of dissent.

I shoot something near 100-200 rounds a week in practice and then a couple of matches a month, on average. I'd guess I clean every 500 rds. on average. Sometimes sooner (the week before a major match, usually) sometimes later.

I usually do clean if I start to notice cartridges being sticky to drop home in the cylinder of a revolver. That's annoying.

-Sam
 
Every time I shoot them, though sometimes I end up waiting until the next day if someone schedules my time for me.

My carry gun gets cleaned about every two months even if I haven't fired it said period of time.

Personally, I think that's part of the reason I have never had a FTF in any of my handguns. That and not shooting crap ammo.
 
Clean them? I though guns were self cleaning?!?!

Where do I get these cleaning supplies you speak of?

Ok, thats how most of the people treat the used guns I have bought, But I clean them after shooting them, before they ever go back into the safe.
 
After every trip except when I was Pin Shooting two consecutive nights then I didn't bother on the first night.
I also will clean my HD Mossy every month whether it's been out or not.
The rest at least twice per year whether they've been out or not.

One of these days though I might just go buy a new Glock 17 or 19 and just shoot it till it quits. I kinda wanna know how long they really will go without cleaning. I've heard it's in the tens of thousands of rounds.
 
Have I shot it?

Then it needs cleaning.

Even a wet swab followed by a couple of dry ones to remove powder residue. The degree of cleaning is dictated by the degree of dirtiness.
 
What?!?!

No one has mentioned "whenever my daughter has a date?"... :D


Seriously, I clean mine after a few shootings. I am not a "range" shooter. I shoot as I need to and at odd intervals. I do, however, oil my firearms about once a month regardless of shooting.

Even that, however, isn't really necessary. I seriously doubt my father has cleaned or oiled any of his firearms since last hunting season and they have NO rust or issues. The last time I cleaned his Remington 7400 for him, I found a dry Oak leaf inside the receiver.



-- John
 
The short answer is WHEN THEY NEED IT.

But when do they need it? Centerfire handguns get cleaned about every few hundred rounds except for the Glock which will go 500 rounds. It boils down to every few shooting outings and depends on how visually dirty the firearm is and how much time I have for messing with them.

I wipe them down after use or about once a month if they have not been shot.

My favorite...
I can't sleep with a dirty gun in the house. My guns get cleaned promptly upon return from the range. My carry gets cleaned every few months even if it hasn't been fired. I find it picks up dirt, and can always use a check against rust from body moisture.
Click to expand...

If that was the case for me, I'd never get any sleep and I'd probably end up on a pyschologist's couch "discussing issues". Your carry gun is exposed to considerably more dirt, moisture, and wear than your other guns... so I'll take that as a "every few months" for all your guns. I feel that is fine except the carry gun should be wiped down at least weekly if not shot.

It takes a lot of time to clean guns. They get attention when they need it.
 
I actually tend to clean my guns on a recreational basis, as odd as that sounds.

I'm neighbors with all of my range buddies, and we'll often meet at one of their garages, take apart various weapons, and clean them while chatting, etc.

Some people play cards, some people clean weapons...

I'd say by now we're all pretty much cross-trained on every kind of firearm we collectively possess.
 
I shoot a lot sporting clays. I generally clean the shotguns after they have a failure to feed. That might be a couple of hundred rounds with cheap ammo or more than a 1000 rounds if I have been shooting the good stuff.


CCWs get cleaned every time I come from the range and every Sunday.

Hunting rifles get cleaned after range trips.

ARs and 22s get cleaned whenever
 
I clean them after every use -- because i just don't know the next time i'll be able to shoot them again and it might be a very long time between cleanings
 
I clean guns when I get them... they are always filthy in ways I can't quite fathom. Stocks come off, small parts are removed, ultrasonic cleaners are sometimes involved. In some cases I'll use 600-2400 grit sandpaper to clean off lame factory stock finishes too while I'm at it.

After that it's utility guns before range trips, play guns (especially blackpowder) after, everything when it needs cleaning or before long term storage.
 
I clean immediately if corrosive ammunition was used. Otherwise, when I can get around to it. That could mean I clean them all that day or next week.

I clean the mechanism of my .22s. I might clean the bores someday. Maybe.
 
I do a field strip clean after every range trip. Sometimes, I don't shoot the same gun for several months. So, I don't want the gun sitting there all dirty. I do a detailed clean maybe once a year if a particular gun is shot a lot.
 
I clean my guns when the actions start to slow down or when they are obviously nasty. That even goes for my $4000 Open gun. I shoot 6-7 matches per month along with 2-3 practices per week. There is no way that I am going to clean that thing 20 times per month.:scrutiny:
 
For me, i detail strip every centerfire rifle and field strip every centerfire pistol after each shooting. Rimfires... not so much. Except for the P22. The .22 rifles I clean maybe every 1,000 rounds or about every six months.

Rimfires and carry pistol aside, I am quite zealous with keeping my guns in pristine shape and also religious about cleaning.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
How do you guys clean your foam?
Replies
6
Views
3K
boondocker
B
C
  • Locked
Clean guns
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
jeffkirchner
J
H
  • Locked
How often do you clean your guns?
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
3K
Hellbore
H
Z
  • Locked
  • Poll
How often do you clean your guns?
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
Fletchette
F
M
  • Locked
  • Poll
How often do you clean your guns?
2 3
Replies
52
Views
2K
Zach S
Z
Back
Top