How Often Do You Clean Them?

[lizziedog1]

How often do you guys clean your guns? Do you clean them everytime you take them out? Is it everytime you shoot them regardless of how many rounds you put throught them? Is it after a certain number of rounds? Do you clean them at all?

 

[steven58]

Centerfire: if I shoot it I clean it. I won't argue if it's necessary or not, I just have too much Pavlovian conditioning not to.

Rimfire " " but not the bore.

If I take anything out of the safe it gets a wipe down before I put it back.

 

[NMGonzo]

I try not to mess with them but it is part of the fun of having guns.

 

[Tim the student]

When they need to be cleaned.

 

[Lazyshooter]

Everytime I shoot them.

 

[TraditionalCatholic]

After a certain number of rounds. Only reason I don't every time I shoot is occasionally I only shoot 10-20 rounds in a range session.

 

[ForumSurfer]

If I run to the range today and fire off 200 rounds, they don't need to be cleaned unless I was using corrosive primers. Other than that, I don't see the need in cleaning something before it hits around 500-700 or more rounds. If I hit that many rounds in a session, I'm not going to stop and clean it. I'm going to run it and see if it ever chokes. They just don't get that dirty. Match/precision rifles and really tight 1911's are different, of course.

So I clean them when they need it. Sunday I took out a couple of pistols, an ar10, an ar15 and a 22 rifle. The only thing I cleaned was the ar10 and a glock. The only reason they got cleaned is that I ran steel cased ammo through them that may or may not have been corrosive. I'll clean the rest when they need it. They also get cleaned and special care if I know that I'll be likely to store certain firarms and not shoot them for some time.

To each his own, though.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

To me, that comes with my US Army conditioning- you fire a weapon you clean it.

Powders have nitrates-and as the barrel cools, condensation can occur creating micro drops of water which mixes with the nitrates-creating nitric acid in very small quantities. Over time, you can get pitting of the barrel weakening the steel.

Every time I fire a weapon I clean it.

 

[Sam1911]

I believe this information has already been solicited, and argued over, a few times before:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=535169
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=571750
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=557292
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=557350
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=539131
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=536148
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=528782
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=529005
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=528693
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=513266
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=500213
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=496254
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=488726
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=485714
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=485290
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=477120
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=472456
(There's a few more, but I got tired of C&P after the fourth page of search results.)

Best answer? "Occasionally."

 

[silent_killer]

Everytime the firearm is fired, whether one shot or a hundred.

If its out of the safe and passed around, people looking at them or whatever. I just wipe them down and sometimes shoot a little oil on them.

 

[Ala Dan]

After one shot, 100, or 10,000 I clean 'em as soon as I get home~!

 

[JJE]

I think the answer might be different for range guns versus carry guns. I don't carry, so even though I started out cleaning every time many years ago, I've gradually shot more and more and cleaned less and less. As long as my range guns operate, I don't feel the need to clean them very often. One exception is a S&W Model 10 snubby with very nice bluing that I don't shoot very often - but I clean it every time I do shoot it because I like to see it shine!

 

[mcdonl]

Some.... everytime I look at them. I plan to use my 1911 for IDPA... so, I take it apart and clean it all the time.

Most guns though, I do not clean them until they tell me I need to... if a gun malfuncations or is not accurate I clean it.

SD/HD guns are cleaned after range use.

 

[scrat]

A lot of what i shoot is Black Powder. So they get cleaned after every shooting. Some get taken down to every screw and part. Then they are lubed liberally before being put away. Then if i havent shot them in a while some are taken out of the safe at least 1 every 3-4 months just for a wipe down and a polish on some then relubed and put away.

 

[Furncliff]

Back when my phone had a crank on it and the operator said "number please", I was taught to clean after every use. Now it's more complicated. Center fire or rim fire, field gun, range gun, bench rifle or carry gun. Maybe I have too many guns?

 

[leadaddict]

LAZYSHOOTER - Everytime I shoot them.

This seems contrary to your name!

Most of mine get cleaned very time they are shot. Although a few of my guns get cleaned every few times out (maybe once per month during the summer).

 

[essayons21]

You need another option... when it needs cleaning.

I tend to clean my collectable guns which aren't shot often after every range trip. Any dirty gun needs a good cleaning before it is put in the safe for a long period of time.

I clean my handguns when the dirt begins to interfere with function, or usually when they just start looking really gross.

I clean my carry gun every time I shoot it.

I clean my accurate guns when barrel fouling begins to degrade accuracy.

I don't clean my car after every road trip, or every 3,000 miles. I clean it when it gets dirty and needs cleaning. My guns are the same.

 

[essayons21]

A lot of what i shoot is Black Powder. So they get cleaned after every shooting. Some get taken down to every screw and part. Then they are lubed liberally before being put away. Then if i havent shot them in a while some are taken out of the safe at least 1 every 3-4 months just for a wipe down and a polish on some then relubed and put away.

I understand the rationale behind this, but the idea of detail cleaning every BP gun after every time it is shot seems a little excessive. Weapons maintenance in the period of BP was abysmal, yet there are still plenty of guns in good condition from that era. The only BP gun I have is a cheapo Uberti 1851 Navy, which is rarely cleaned and doesn't show the first sign of corrosion.

 

[CraigC]

I wipe them down after shooting and clean them when they need it. Contrary to popular belief, guns do not turn into a rusty mess and corrode into oblivion if they are not cleaned after every range session. It is entirely unnecessary Unless you're shooting blackpowder. If I still did so, all I would do is clean guns because I shoot nearly every day.

.22LR bores NEVER get cleaned.

I used to clean mine every time I shot them, then I started doing it right.

 

[Rail Driver]

For me, I clean my guns as a relaxation aid and to keep myself familiar with their inner workings and the status of their parts and maintenance... There's something kinda zen about disassembling, cleaning, checking, reassembling, function testing, reloading and stowing my collection of firearms every so often. I get lost in the beauty of engineering involved in the design and manufacture of my firearms (yes, even the Glock, but especially the 1911s and the AR). I do sometimes clean them after range trips where they see an exceptionally high volume of fire, but other than that my firearms all seem to run better with a little bit of fouling. Needless to say I'm more than happy to oblige. I do disassemble and clean them regularly, however it's more of a going through the motions most times as I simply wipe down the parts to remove any dust and reassemble and re-lube.

 

[ball3006]

I shoot mostly corrosive...

ammo so I clean every time I go shooting. I have been doing this for so long that it carrys over for every gun I shoot.....chris3

 

[XM855]

I generally put at least half a thousand rounds through any given gun every time I go to the range, so I clean after every range session. It's part of my enjoyment process.

However, if I took it to the range only to sight it in and zero it for a certain type of ammo, i.e. before a hunting trip, I'll just leave it as it is so I don't accidentally lose that zero that I worked so hard for by dumping a whole bunch of CLP down the bore.

 

[John Wayne]

When they need it. I used to be obsessive about cleaning too, but once I started shooting on a regular basis I realized I was wasting my time if the gun wasn't really dirty. It costs money in cleaning supplies and can actually accelerate wear. I have over 5,000 rounds through some of my handguns, and can't tell a difference in accuracy or function if they've been cleaned after 50 rounds or 800.

I find it mildly amusing that people want to clean a gun after shooting twenty rounds through it. Unless you're going to store it for a long time, you shot corrosive ammo, or it's a black powder gun, wiping it down is all that's needed.

 

[ryanrichmond]

Centerfire rifles/Handguns get cleaned after being shot
Rimfires get cleaned after about 500 shots (Action gets liquid cleaner and I just run a bore snake down the bbl)