How often do you clean your guns. Really!

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I kinda think that people who say they clean all guns every time they shoot, either don't shoot very often or don't shoot very many guns...

when I go to the range, I'll be shooting 8 to 12 different guns.... and I go to the range 2 to 3 times per month.....that would be way too much time cleaning, to clean every gun every time I shoot...
 
Depends on the gun, climate, and how much they've been shot.

Range guns which are fun/cheap to shoot but aren't relied on for defensive purposes are cleaned...well, not very often. If they start to jam they get a squirt of oil in the action and then wipe off any goo that runs out. I still try to pull a patch with solvent through with a cable followed by a clean one.

Black powder and corrosive ammo guns get a thorough (not necessarily complete) disassembly and cleaning with hot water. Oil, reassemble, and check for rust two days later.

Carry guns are kept clean enough to eat out of. They may go several hundred rounds between cleanings but are kept out of carry rotation until cleaned.

Others are on a case-by-case basis depending on use, value, and how much it will benefit from the cleaning.
 
+1 for everytime they are shot. The guns I don't use regularly get cleaned once every six months or so.
 
Sometimes I'll just clean my carry gun because it's getting full of lint or grime. I probably clean my guns more than I shoot them in that respect. Basically whenever they aren't perfectly clean, they get cleaned. My friend is in the army and he makes fun of me for cleaning my guns. He says that a clean gun just means that you don't shoot enough. Maybe he's right, but I think I shoot quite a bit. There are a lot of people that shoot much more than I do, though.
 
I find cleaning mine relaxing too. I thought i was weird :eek:

I cant understand how non glock owners are going hundreds of rounds without cleaning :eek: ive always been taught to keep them as clean as they were new... kinda thought it was the law of the land.
 
In Army basic training I was taught to religiously clean my weapon. I never forgot that lesson and still clean every weapon I own after going to the range or hunting or every 3 months - whichever comes first.
 
We're supposed to clean them?

If they don't work dirty, I don't want them.
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Likewise, but I treat my firearms the way that I expect them to treat me. I want them to work when I need them, so I do my part.
 
I carry Glocks and revolvers and I can't remember the last time I cleaned them. They just keep on rollin'.

I do, however, shower on a weekly basis.

Biker
 
I clean all guns after range work.
Carry guns once a month for maint.
Gun Safe Queens I clean and oil once every six months if they don't get out to the range...
 
My carry gun is always clean when it is in my holster.


Lately I have taken to keeping the AR clean too. Although it has gone past the 1k mark before with nothing but a little oil on the bolt and carrier.


Hunting guns go the whole season. Cleaning bore affects POI and I hunt with a fouled bore for consistency.

I clean my 22lr pistol when it needs it for reliability.

My IPSC gun, rarely unless I am going to a match. It went more than 750 rounds last year before I had a malfunction, and I attribute that to Aluminum Blazer, which it didn't like to extract for some reason. Zero problems with brass.

I used to be obsessive about clean guns. Shooting is much more enjoyable when you can relax about a gun having some carbon buildup or a ding here and there from honest use.
 
If it's nice weather and there's nobody at the range, we sometimes clean at the range right after shooting.

If not, I get to clean them in the garage, to keep the VOC level down in the house. (I used to do it sitting in a recliner, with a mat on my lap, but times are changing and we all have to be aware of air quality issues. Heck, I even wear nitrile gloves now.)

I know this is excessive, and I won't try to defend it as a requirement to guarantee function or prolong useful life. It's just a habit, and it doesn't take that much time, so I'm probably going to keep doing it. :)
 
Every other range trip or so. My colt custom, whenever I feel it really needs it.

Hell my Colt went 2 years without cleaning, oil/lube and fired perfectly every time. Albeit I did not know, I was young then and assumed my dad still cleaned the weapons lol. I didn't find out till after a bobcat I had shot with my rifle was not dead and very pissed off at me. The colt worked, saved my arse from a clawing, but... I trust it. More than my Kimber CDPII which was just sent out for failure to feed.
 
After every use, and then if it's a long time between uses, I'll do a light clean and oil ('Bout due now on 2 of them come to think of it......)
 
My handguns, rifles and shotguns are all cleaned after they are shot. I was always taught this by my father and grandfather and I teach this to my kids today. I just like to know they are always in good working order.
 
well, lets see. my high powered rifles, (centerfire) every time i shoot! maybe not the same day, but definitly within a day or two.
22 rimfire, just depends on a number of factors. how dirty the ammo is, how many rounds went through the gun, which gun, etc. usually, at the very least, i would guestimate every 200 rounds or so (unless i shoot more all in one day). i never let any gun get very dirty. my pistols, usually after every time i shoot, unless i just run one magazine through one of them.
 
+1 for everytime they are shot. The guns I don't use regularly get cleaned once every six months or so.
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I strive for this with handguns, but don't come close with rifles. I would be spending an awful lot of time cleaning if I followed the 6-month rule. I wipe them down about every 6-months and of course after use. Do you change your oil if you don't drive a car 3,000 miles in 3-months? I don't since most manufactures recommend 5,000 mile or more intervals now.
 
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