New Guns, Clean them first or no?

[DMW1116]

Not always but I do at least check the barrel for obstructions. I’d hate to find a stray object the hard way.

 

[CapnMac]

Well, in the "new glow" of having gotten one's treasure home, it always seems to wind up being field stripped. Might as well clean at that point, too.

If forced to rationalize away the "kid with a screwdriver effect" (c'mon, y'all took the clock or toaster apart, didn't you--you can admit it, Mom ain't here )
I'll state that it's a bit like when I get a new vehicle, at some point I'm getting up on the supplied jack to see what changing a tire would be like. And far better in one's nice dry concrete driveway versus next to a muddy verge in the rain at 0200.

But, that's a rationalization.

It's way, way more about, look how cool this thing is, and the insides are as cool as the outsides. And, there's a certain warm-and-fuzzy in getting field stripping down pat.

 

[jdc1244]

Who is so urgently pressed for time they cannot briefly inspect, clean, and lubricate new firearm prior to first use?

it’s not a matter of being ‘pressed for time.’

It’s a matter of your FFL where you buy the gun is also a gun range.

Factory lubrication addresses both corrosion and lubricating internal moving metal parts – parts that aren’t cleaned during a regular field strip, anyway – either before first-time shooting or after.

Many guns are test-fired at the factory with a quick bore clean and wipe down.

Of course one should inspect the bore and other components for issues before shooting – if the bore appears to be thick with a Cosmoline-like substance, clean it; if the bore is clear, it’s fine to shoot first.

For some it’s preferable to clean first; but there’s nothing wrong with shooting first absent cleaning.

 

[lee n. field]

I confess I am guilty of shooting new guns right out of the box. Is this a mistake? How many of you clean and oil a gun first before you fire it?

Clean and lube (per the manual recommendations) first. Partly as familiarization as to disassembly and reassembly.

 

[WYO]

If the gun looks ok and the bore isn’t plugged, I’ll shoot it without taking it apart or doing anything to it. I run it with duty grade ammo right out the gate using both hands and each hand only, then try one handed limp-wristing. Good guns with good ammo rarely give me any kind of trouble at all.

I won’t drive a new car off the lot like I just stole it, but I’ll do the equivalent with a new gun.

 

[dekibg]

Who is so urgently pressed for time they cannot briefly inspect, clean, and lubricate new firearm prior to first use?

I don’t know bc i have never done that but I can see someone buying a gun and immediately trying it on the range that store owns .

 

[Rodfac]

Clean it right out of the box? Of course...no tellin' if the factory lubed it whatsoever, let alone get all the machining dust/chips cleaned out. I also wipe down the entire gun with an oily rag for rust prevention & check all screws that I can get to. I also like to run a box of factory jacketed rounds through it as a benchmark for accuracy trials vs. my hand loads. Best Regards, Rod

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Many manufacturers say you should clean a gun before you use it for the first time.

Of course one should inspect the bore and other components for issues before shooting – if the bore appears to be thick with a Cosmoline-like substance, clean it; if the bore is clear, it’s fine to shoot first.

Clean and lube (per the manual recommendations) first. Partly as familiarization as to disassembly and reassembly.

What these guys said....

 

[PzGren]

I have bought very, very few new guns in the last years and they were sub-$1000 carry guns that I quickly inspected and shot without any cleaning or lubrication, that follows usually after the range session. I expect a carry gun to run wet or dry. Used guns get a much more thorough inspection and service.

The last Ratzeburg Korth received immediate attention and loving care as well as a trigger adjustment, before it was tested at the range!

 

[IWAC]

...A Good Thing to do. Won't hurt a thing!

 

[desmobob]

I'd be interested to hear from someone who wrecked a new gun by shooting it before cleaning and lubing it.

It won't wreck a gun but it can make one not function correctly.

I have always cleaned and lubricated new firearms, sometimes detail stripping, depending on the type.

What can happen if you don't? One of my favorite shotguns is a Franchi 48AL Deluxe in 20ga. After a long search, I found a new, old stock Deluxe in 28ga; the one I really wanted but couldn't find when I bought the 20ga. I brought it to the skeet club immediately, right out of the box. I showed it off and bragged it up, then began to shoot a round. I didn't get past the first station before the gun quit.

How embarrassing! Turns out that a small piece of Styrofoam from the box got into the action and stopped the hammer from staying cocked.

If you've purchased a lot of guns, I bet you've seen where the bolt handle of a rifle or shotgun has chewed up molded styrofoam packing inside or even poked all the way out clean through the box. It appeared that some bits of this Styrofoam chewed up by the bolt handle got inside the gun through the bolt handle slot in the receiver.

A quick cleaning and lubrication would have had me removing the trigger group and I very likely would have noticed the bright white piece of foam sitting in the works.

 

[tazbigdog]

I always clean the new guns before going to the range. Oil them. Take them to the range. Load them and shoot a couple of rounds through them.

 

[d2wing]

It is surprising how much greasy gunk is in new gun barrels in recent years. It might look clean but it is not. New or used it is a good idea.

 

[Brewha]

Yeah, I clean them before shooting them. At the very least, I'd swab out the barrel and give it a good wipe down.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Yes Yes and yes I do.

 

[Brubz]

I'm the Op. I got the message. Broke down cleaned and oiled my new Taurus G3C. I still did not shoot it well first time at the range but that's on me.
I always have to relearn my grip and stance with every new gun I buy. What the heck? Just me I guess but at least it was cleaned and oiled.

 

[WrongHanded]

If you clean it first, you visually verify that all it correct with the firearm. Or at the very least, that there's nothing terribly wrong, such as an obstruction in the barrel.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Yes, I break down and clean any new gun I get...whether new from the factory or "new" as a used purchase.

Why?

It has little to do with any concern with respect to cleanliness, per se, and very much to do with knowing the ACTUAL state and condition of the firearm before I shoot it.

Field stripping a gun isn't an arduous or time consuming task. It allows me to be sure that the parts are, in fact, all there, properly assembled, undamaged, and properly lubricated.

It also familiarizes me with characteristics specific to that particular gun which may be different than what I'm used to. Like, for example, how my wife's PPK/S breaks down and is reassembled. Likewise for my CCP-M2+. Mechanical familiarity is important.

Is this important for the actual function of the gun at the range?

Quite frankly, it may very well be VITAL to this. Even if the gun wasn't packed with something more conducive to preservation than lubrication (everybody is likely familiar with cosmoline, for example), the fact that the gun may have been stored a significant amount of time with a common lubricant may have resulted in degradation of the lubricant enough to have an effect on moving parts.

I proved this to myself with my Beretta 92FS, which I KNOW was properly cleaned and stored away many months earlier. Went shooting with it one day and had a great deal of aggravation with jams. I had never EVER had any such issues before. Went home, puzzled, field stripped, cleaned, relubricated...and didn't have a lick of problems afterwards. During the process I noted that lubricated areas had a slightly "tacky" feel to them.

When you get a gun, new or used, you really don't know what exact condition it's in with respect to these factors UNTIL you go through the motions of inspecting, cleaning, and lubricating. I believe it behooves one to go through the motions beforehand in order to check these things.

 

[hoardingthemanual]

When I was a youngling I would head directly to the range from the box. Nowadays I pause for a sec to wipe off the factory lube and to function check the firearm. A lot of us have experienced factory rifles with loose fittings.

 

[SSN Vet]

I clean and lube new guns to remove preservative grease (Cosmoline) and to inspect them and familiarize myself with their mechanics.

 

[lightman]

I confess I am guilty of shooting new guns right out of the box. Is this a mistake? How many of you clean and oil a gun first before you fire it?

I wouldn't call it a mistake but I clean every new gun before shooting it. I have found a few with lots of machining residue and others that are very clean. I even clean the barrels on rifles that I have had rebarreled. Same thing, some are dirty and some have been cleaned. The dirty ones are what keeps me cleaning them.

 

[tactikel]

All shipped guns come with rust inhibitors, can’t sell a rusty gun! Always disassemble and clean a factory new gun. I bought a Mossberg 835, got 10 cleaning patches of brown gunk out it before I even got her to the range. Shot great since then.

 

[Chief TC]

Always clean thoroughly since they use compounds for storage. And I am not a "break-in" guy but I believe in shooting several rounds (10ish) and cleaning again and only with Ballistol. I rarely use anything but Ballistol but some other solvents have helped with certain powders to get everything cleaned properly. An example is I find that if I use certain ammo in my M1 Carbine, CLP is very useful to get rid of all the carbon around the gas piston.

 

[tubeshooter]

I guess I am in the "no clean" camp. I will have a look to see if anything looks way off, but beyond that I normally just shoot.

Most of the used guns I have acquired are from my LGS, who gives anything he takes in a once-over already.


I don't think I have run into any problems so far. I did have a couple of .380s that had a hiccup on the first mag; it is unclear if cleaning first would have made any difference.

 

[Beck]

I always field strip and thoroughly clean a new firearm. Then oil and/or grease as needed.