New Gun in Box - Clean it or Shoot it?

[The Lone Haranguer]

When you buy a new car, it doesn't roll straight off the truck into the lot. It is cleaned and inspected before putting it out. It is the same with a new gun. I've received NIB guns ranging from swimming in oil inside a plastic bag to bone dry.

 

[larry starling]

Its a 1911 you better lube it well before use. Kimbers are known for being real tight.

 

[natman]

I usually do a detailed strip, cleaning out the machining grit and making sure everything that needs lubrication gets it. At the very least I clean the bore. You want to get all the grit out of it before it's fired. I once pushed a foot and a half of red grease out of the barrel of a Zastava 223. It would have been real exciting if I'd tried to fire that one first.

 

[daehawc]

I'm also one who likes to clean and inspect before shooting.... most times. I did go to a gun shop once that told me you are never supposed to disassemble a gun before shooting it or it wont break in properly and you might not get it back together.... I dont go to that shop anymore.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Clean.
I fired my new Ruger P95 without cleaning (first gun, didn't know any better). Ruger had put some nice protective factory grease in parts of the action and I took it shooting outside in 40* weather, causing all sorts of jams. Clean and oil later solved the problems.

Now, on a bolt action rifle, I have taken some shooting without any real cleaning, but I have always looked them over first.

 

[bobelk99]

I love Kimbers and endorse cleaning before use, as they do.

Consider this one: I bought a new 1911 from another manufacturer. Instructions with the gun stated to not disassemble or clean the gun for 500 rounds.

I called the manufacturer and they stated that the weapon left their facility in a clean and residue free form, ready to fire. Trouble is, that weapon cost 3 times what a Kimber does. It's a lot cheaper to clean it yourself before firing.

 

[JohnKSa]

My routine with a new gun.

Read the manual.

Look the gun over and run through the basics of handling it.

Look through the manual again as required to take it down and clean it.

Clean it, examining it so I know what it looked like out of the box and checking for other issues. I once found a cavity on a new gun full of some sort of milling debris and compound.

Shoot it.

Clean it again looking for wear and checking for other issues.

 

[heron]

I've gotten a couple that had filthy bores from the factory, but I don't strip them, just clean the bore and inspect the action carefully and add a little oil. Almost all of the owners' manuals tell you to clean them before firing.

Minimum -- clean the bore, then go have fun.

 

[jfh]

My experience with a Kimber suggests that you should at least field-strip it and then lube it up. Mine (ST II 10mm) ran hot from the the tight fitting; by round 350 it was noticably better.

If you haven't taken a Kimber down before--e.g. with the Swartz safety--be sure to read the instructions in the manual first.

Jim H.

 

[MisterMike]

I bought a new Taurus 24/7 Pro C a couple of years ago and couldn't wait to shoot it. Darned thing wouldn't cycle fully and I had to nudge the slide forward after each shot. Disassembly showed why--it was absolutely crammed full of a thick pink protectant. After a thorough cleaning, it functioned perfectly, as it has ever since.

I felt like a dope . . . because I was. Guns are machines. Only good things can come from cleaning, inspecting, and lubricating them when they're new.

 

[Spike89]

Awesome I'm glad that I read this when I did. My family members said nothing to me about instructions when buying a new gun. I just bought my rifle so I will be disassembling it tonight before my day at the range tomorrow. Good post!

 

[JohnBT]

"When you buy a new car, it doesn't roll straight off the truck into the lot. It is cleaned and inspected before putting it out. It is the same with a new gun."

It is? The dealer prepped my new vehicle in January. Are you saying the gun dealer should be prepping my new guns too?

 

[Kleanbore]

Read the manual. I bought a new 9mm last year, skimmed the manual, wiped out the bore, and went out shooting. When I returned and went to strip down the gun, I saw a blurb near the end of the manual that emphasized the importance of cleaning the factory-applied preservatives from certain action parts before using the gun.

 

[rodensouth]

The Kimbers I have all came to me pretty dry. I would at least learn how to take the slide off and oil it before shooting.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Clean it out. Most of the gunk that is applied to the firearm is to prevent rust, not provide lubrication. Clean out the barrel especially, if there are any burrs, gunk, etc it is better to get it out by cleaning than by shooting. No your gun won't be "ruined" if you don't clean it first, but firearms are substantial purchases, why not take the time to provide a little extra care that could extend the quality, and quantity of service it will provide.

 

[Old Shooter]

Field strip, clean, lube, re-assemble and check mechanical function and then shoot it.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

A semi-auto gun with a free floating firing pin may be safe clean, but if the firing pin channel is packed with preservative grease, it may slamfire. Depends on design.

New in the box implies to me expect it to be packed with preservative grease. Clean and inspect before firing. RFM (Read field manual) before use.

 

[essayons21]

Consider this one: I bought a new 1911 from another manufacturer. Instructions with the gun stated to not disassemble or clean the gun for 500 rounds.

What is the rationale behind this? I understand that some manufacturers do clean and test fire before the gun leaves the factory and it is ready to fire, but what harm could possibly be done by field stripping and cleaning? How would disassembly affect "break-in?"