Is detail cleaning absolutely necessary?

[colorado_handgunner]

Not if you won't be able to put it back together (like me!)

 

[Slamfire]

Pistols have gotten complicated, starting in 1938. I just field strip this pistol, and ones like it. I looked at the detail disassembly instructions and decided that it was a bad idea.

M1911 was designed so it could be completely disassembled, but later designs got so complicated that only armorers with special tools can take the things down.

 

[sohcgt2]

Maintaining it is one thing. How many people take their car apart periodically? I've got a Mustang since new with almost 200,000 miles. Only engine part replaced is the water pump and spark plugs. Will it last another 200,000 miles if I take the engine apart and clean it?

Mine has a half million miles and no engine failure, but I clean the engine internally once a year and change the oil every 3,000 mi. An engine doesn't need to be disassembled to be cleaned. My POS truck has over 500,000 mi. and I sold my last car @ just over 700,000 miles. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and if you keep it clean and lubricated it will outlast you. My Glock G22 has many thousands of rounds with no failure of any kind. My precision .308 has many thousands of rounds and will put 5 shots in a quarter @ 100yds.

Take care of your gear and it will take care of you.

 

[murdoc rose]

I've shot guns that havent bben cleaned in decades and some that looked like it had been a lot more so no not necessary but it is advised



"They've retained it just because it gives them one more thing to scream at recruits over and keep them occupied with."

sounds about right to me

 

[FiveStrings]

After finding some decent online instructions I recently detail-stripped and cleaned the lower half of my 1911 - after 16 years and thousands of rounds. The gun was shooting fine, it just bothered me that I'd never been into the guts before. Almost a spoonful of crud came out! The trigger pull is noticeably smoother. I wouldn't recommend waiting as long as I did, but I wouldn't think it necessary to do that more than every couple of years or so.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/pistol1911/fulldisassemble/index.asp

 

[donato]

GRIZ22 has the correct answer. Only detail strip your gun if it is broken and needs to be repaired; otherwise, gunscrubber and then re-lube.

 

[sohcgt2]

I've seen this happen twice with Glocks on the range before I retired. We wound up taking all the slides apart to clean it out. We found that those who used Gunscrubber or an immersion in solvent on a regular basis had little or no crap in the firing pin channel.

And if the firing pin is removed from time to time and its bore cleaned with solvent and a pipe cleaner then it will have no crap in the channel as opposed to little to no crap. If you are too lazy to clean your firearms thats fine, I don't rely on yours to function, but to recommend that others should not clean theirs is at the very least presumptive, and if it results in a critical failure it could be life threatening.

More guns are damaged by periodic detail stripping by people who think they know what they're doing than are worn out.

I agree if you are not capable of doing the job then sub it to a professional.

This is what I do and the only time there is a need to take a firearm down completely is when it's broken. I have guns I've had for over 20 years with over 20,000 rds thru them that have never been apart more than fieldstripping.

Your good luck does not mean that periodic cleaning is not needed, it means you claim to have no failures/premature wear/breakage due to your maintenance schedule.

I stand firm on my position, Cleanliness is next to godliness. Keep it clean, Keep it lubed, and drive it like you stole it.

 

[Joe Demko]

What makes your experience more valid than his?

 

[Mad Magyar]

I attribute it all to the military. They required the white glove cleaning at one time because it was necessary. They've retained it just because it gives them one more thing to scream at recruits over and keep them occupied with.

along with buffing the floors.

and KP! (I was in the old Army before they went commercial)..

To OP, I was surprised how clean the innards were when stripped down. I say if you are bothered by not doing it; go ahead: it's an education anyway...

 

[GRIZ22]

Quote:
This is what I do and the only time there is a need to take a firearm down completely is when it's broken. I have guns I've had for over 20 years with over 20,000 rds thru them that have never been apart more than fieldstripping.

Your good luck does not mean that periodic cleaning is not needed, it means you claim to have no failures/premature wear/breakage due to your maintenance schedule.


Not really good luck but because of my maintenance schedule. Guns get cleaned after they are fired. Yes a clean gun is a happy gun and a happy gun will take care of you. If you are of the type that cleans their guns every 3000 rounds or when they stop working you are asking for problems anyway.

Gun dropped in the mud or immersed in water? Sure there's more cleaning to do but in either case a good cleaning with WD40 to chase out the water followed by Gunscrubber and proper lubrication does everything a detail strip will do. Removal of the side plate on a revolver and flushing out with Gunscrubber once in a while and relube is a good idea but far from detail stripping. If you flush out the innards while the gun is assembled on a regular basis and relube you won't build up crap inside.

to recommend that others should not clean theirs is at the very least presumptive, and if it results in a critical failure it could be life threatening.


I did not recommend not cleaning. If the gun is cleaned properly to start with there is no need to detail strip. I was a LE firearms instructor for nearly 30 years and as long as people did what I told them in regards to cleaning there were no failures due to lack of cleaning. I oversaw thousands of guns. revolvers, semi autos, rifles, shotguns and smgs, in that time and if they were all detail stripped on a regular basis that's all I would have had time to do.

Not luck but experience.

 

[sohcgt2]

What makes your experience more valid than his?

It is not more valid, but I'm not suggesting that the owner of a firearm should not maintain that firearm.

This is what I do and the only time there is a need to take a firearm down completely is when it's broken..... I did not recommend not cleaning. If the gun is cleaned properly to start with there is no need to detail strip.

Maybe you can see why I missunderstood you.

Gun dropped in the mud or immersed in water? Sure there's more cleaning to do but in either case a good cleaning with WD40 to chase out the water followed by Gunscrubber and proper lubrication does everything a detail strip will do.

I clean my Glocks in the dishwasher, but I would never recommend that to another person. I recommend following the instructions in the owners manual. Most owners manuals recommend against going beyond field stripped, any further disassembly should be done by a trained professional.

if they were all detail stripped on a regular basis that's all I would have had time to do.

I only have to maintain the guns I use and rely on, and that was the feeling I got from the OP since he mentioned only 2 guns. I suspect if I had to clean thousands of guns I would never even field strip, by the time I wiped them all down with oil it would be time to start over.

For the record the reason that soldiers are required to detail strip their weapons is to promote familiarity. If you take it apart and reassemble it so many times that you are able to do it in your sleep (so to speak), then you will see potential problems (a bad spring, worn extractor, etc.) before they arise.

Keep your gun as clean as you want.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I don't think it needs it beyond what you are doing. My of my firearms cleanings take 15 minutes or less. I just use either Rem Oil wipes or Breakfree CLP most of the time (may reevaluate in the future if I run out). I had a firearm that I shot about 500 rounds through and didn't clean it or oil it for 15 years. I live on the West Coast so humidity isn't a problem. When I got around to cleaning it and then shotting it, it was just fine. I don't reccomend doing this. If you're cleaning and lubing you will be fine.

BTW, I would prefer dirty and lubed vs. clean and dry.

 

[donato]

I stand firm on my position, Cleanliness is next to godliness. Keep it clean, Keep it lubed, and drive it like you stole it.

Most all agree. It's just that you do not need to detail strip a gun to clean it in detail.

By the way, it is quicker to clean the internals of a gun with a gun scrubber than running it through a dishwasher cycle.

 

[frankiestoys]

Clean machines

Most of my guns are Revolvers, real easy to maintain and mine always look fresh.
My auto,s are a different story i dont break them down often but they always get a good soaking.
My long guns get a good cleaning every 500 rounds.
I just like my stuff clean.

 

[herkyguy]

+1 for antiquated military thinking.

I always had fun buffing the deck.

 

[Joe Demko]

Running guns through the dishwasher blasts them with the silicate abrasive that is one of the components of dishwasher detergent. It will be blasted into every nook and cranny of the gun. I question whether that is a good or necessary thing.
Firing residues include lead compounds. I personally try to avoid consuming lead when I have the option. Therefore, if I were going to put a gun through a dishwasher, it would not be the dishwasher I use to actually wash my dishes.
YMM, of course, V.