I beg to differ, I carry a dirty gun.
Hungry Seagull,
I am not directing my reply to you sir.
Instead we continue to have new folks wanting to be matriculated into the firearm community. I was just raised to be responsible, in passing forward as passed to me.
My post applies to not only Conceal Carry handguns, also handguns rifles and shotguns, one may be called upon to use for serious situations.
Such as those kept in the home or business.
Mr. Murphy is always looking for an opportunity to trip one up, and prefers to trip one up, at the most worst times possible.
After shooting, I will inspect, maintain, and clean if need, while at the range. Then I will shoot the gun, with carry magazines, to know, the gun runs, with its magazines.
I will not (prefer not) to carry a gun that has been taken down, inspected, maintained, new parts, or cleaned if need, that I have not shot first.
I will (prefer to) use another gun instead.
A revolver is also fired, while more forgiving if you will, I still gotta know that revolver runs. Correct basics for me, include shooting after inspect, maintain, and clean if need, no matter if semi-auto, or revolver.
Repetition becomes habit, habit becomes faith.
I competed for too many years, and I started really young. I have seen too many folks, have a glitch with a clean gun.
I have seen too many folks clean a clean gun, use improper methods, and focus on cleaning that which is not critical for gun function, and not inspect, maintain, and clean if need, that which is important for the safe, reliable, functioning of a firearm.
Many times, this is due to getting the latest greatest gun cleaning kit, wonder lube, and solvent.
I care about chambers, feeding, and extraction.
I subscribe to Shuman's thoughts, about cleaning bores - I don't.
Sure if the gun gets wet, exposed to mud, snow, rain, etc, one needs to inspect and maintain the bore, clean if need. This does not mean it has to be so pristine and shiny one can eat off of it.
Competition, I want you to clean your gun, even if you cleaned it the night before, you have time before we start shooting, why here, I will even let you use some gun cleaning stuff I have/ that is available here at this range/club.
If you screw up something, over cleaning, focusing on that which is not important, and not inspecting or maintaining that which is, I own you.
If you get in a hurry, and forget a part, or install it incorrectly I own you.
I showed up to win, and the Mental game is 90% of shooting and the other 10% is the physical stuff, like guns, gear, ammo gun kits, gun oil, solvent, grease, cleaning rods, pull through cleaning cables, boresnakes...etc.
I have beaten many folks, before the first shot was fired, and others by the time the second, or third shot was "attempted". Often times, I had yet to shoot.
In the real world there is no time outs, no "do-overs" and dead is forever.
I was raised with gun fit to shooter for tasks, and once the Physical was found for me, forget it, just get multiples of same. Never ever steal from the Mental 90% and use for the physical 10%.
I have no problem with having other guns, and ones that operate different and all that.
That said, anything can and will break, need service, or attention. I was raised to have at least 3, of same, for serious use.
I and mine chose to have 4. Concealed carry, competition, home, business, serious means having 4 multiples of same.
Primary, back up, back up to primary and back up if needing service, and one off site, in the event one ends up in evidence locker, or disaster hits (fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, etc).
Another reason, is I simply did not have time to "clean" as some choose to define "clean" it today.
If I was not shooting a competition, I was shooting practice rounds, or reloading, or traveling to shoot.
One of my guns, now gone due to disaster, was a Gov't Model of 1911. It had about 1 1/2" inches of rifling left near the muzzle end of the barrel.
It takes more than a box of fifty shells to do that to a barrel.
Now I did never got into metallic reloading, instead shotgun shells. So with trusted folks in my circle, I did the shotgun loadings and others did the metallic.
Lots of 200 gr lead went through that barrel. Correct me if my memory is off, still it was the 200 gr of HG #68 lead loads.
I competed with that load, and carried that load.
I had four 1911s just alike, stock, except for stocks, and gold "bead" ( enhanced) front sight on two.
I carried the two with gold beads, and one more often than the other. One had a bit more bluing left than the other. Magazines were USGI/Colt 7 round, with the dimple follower.
Oh, my other "just because" tweak, was making thin, wood, base pads, folks today call them "bumper pads".
I had some BBQ ones made of Ivory, which I used with Ivory stocks.
My mags were numbered, still, I liked my base pads, and it made it easier to see, identify and find my mags.
Re: Getting made and smell.
Never have.
And I was around others, including those not into guns, or flat out against guns, besides my tight circle, or like kind, or "gun settings".
Methinks, some of the new-n-fangled ain't so good. Like the man said "I use whatever lube/solvent was in the shooters kits.
Too many guns are messed up by improper methods, and improper tool use.
And again, cleaning a clean gun.
I gotta know the gun runs, before I step out into reality with it.
This is another reason I prefer simple guns, that can be field stripped with no tools, or using few tools, or expedient tools.
Mr. Murphy is lurking, and waiting, to screw my life up.
He has, in serious times, more than once.
So you do everything you can to minimize problems, and there is no guarantee you will not have Mr. Murphy show up.
i.e, being out , travel, competition, whatever and say needing to get a gun apart, inspect, maintain, (say a blown primer, or seeds, or pc of wood, or pc of clay target) and a Gov't Model of 1911, without a FLGR, is easy to get apart and back together. Shotguns, are easy to punch receiver pins with a car key, or stick. Side Saddles impede me being able to do this on a shotgun.
I have fixed a GM of 1911 for a new shooter, that had recoil guide plug go "fritz". Muddy conditions and he dropped, then stepped on it when we finished that
fun dealie, and were in safe area, inspecting and maintaining, and getting the mud and water out.
[not a full tilt boogie cleaning)]
I had another plug , still he did not realize a spent 45ACP casing would fit and work as well. JMB designed the 1911 to do this.
Twice I have fixed a shotgun, with a stick, and pen knife, that lost receiver pins. Once during a "mud and the blood and the skeeters run" and once on a bird hunt.
I play for keeps, lest I not make it back. -Wanted Dead or Alive, Bon Jovi.
