Time Shooting vs. Time Cleaning

[Mark IV Series 80]

If I bring three handguns to the range, and shoot for 1.5 hours, I can spend 3 hours cleaning the guns.

What is your ratio: Time shooting your guns vs. time cleaning your guns?

 

[C.R.Sam]

Well over a hundred to one.
I do clean em, just not often.
And when I do, takes maby 20 minutes to do a full strip, clean, degrease, inspect, relube and reassemble.

Sam

 

[HSMITH]

An average pistol session over the last month is a G22, a 1911, and a Buckmark 22. There would be 300 22lr, 200 45 and 200 40 shells consumed in an average outing over 3 hours. I clean the Buckmark every 5000-10000 rounds whether it needs it or not. The 1911 eats lead bullets primarily, and cleaning the lube mess and ash takes a little time. The 1911 takes maybe 5 or 6 minutes to clean, with a full detail cleaning every 2000 or so rounds taking 25 minutes. The G22 takes 3 minutes or so to clean, and less than 15 minutes to detail strip and clean every 1000 rounds.

Adding it up I shoot for 3 hours and clean for 10 minutes. Your choices all have WAY too much cleaning time.

 

[jar]

I'm one of those strange ducks that's been known to clean guns for the fun of it. Take them out of the safe, fondle a while, and then clean them up. It's a comfort thing, something that is nearly Zen like.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I probably clean my guns once a month or so, and it takes around an hour (that's for two or three guns.)
I shoot, on average, ten hours in a month (bullseye on Monday nights, practical pistol once a week or so. Rifle when I get a chance.)
So 10:1 is pretty close.

Gun wrenching time is closer to 1:1.

- Chris

 

[Pheonix]

I clicked 5/1, but in reality it is 5 hours per day 1-3 days per week followed by 1 hour to clean 3 guns. Shotgun rarely gets cleaned. 22. is often neglected. The G26 is always cleaned that day and my Savage 112 in .308 is never dirty and untouched for more than a day. Believe it or not I have to put fourth and effort and fight guilt to not clean everyday.

I read somewhere that many guns are worn out by excessive cleaning.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I typically spend an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half cleaning a semi-automatic pistol, and half an hour more cleaning a revolver.

 

[Mark IV Series 80]

Well, I'm not too far off the norm.

I like to get the guns really clean, especially the carry and home defense guns.

If the gun will be fired again within a couple of weeks, I'll do a "quick clean" - bore, chamber / cylinder, lube, and wipe it down..... This can be done in about 15 minutes.

A "complete cleaning" - field stripping, scrubbing the parts with solvent and a brass "toothbrush", blowing everything out of the slide with Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber, getting the bore spotless, inspecting the parts, and lubricating.... This will take an hour or two.

 

[sm]

Ditto CRSam's post

 

[sanchezero]

I marked that I don't clean my guns. While not true in the technical sense, my shooting to cleaning time ratio is so much higher than those listed that it might as well be true.

 

[10-Ring]

The nice thing about shooting w/ a bunch of guys is that I get to shoot alot of diff't guns & don't have to clean them all. Normally, I bring 2 guns and 200- 500 rounds each. Typically shoot for a few of hours & spend about 20 minutes each to clean.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Hard to tell, most of my day at a the races are waiting, taping and scoring.

 

[berettaman]

I shoot'em and the GF cleans'em.
Clenun is wumans wurk.

Seriously I might wipe the outside down with silicone rag and run a bore snake down the barrel while it's still warm but that's about it.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Really, my girlfriend makes me pick up her brass.

 

[Kamicosmos]

I said 1:1, but I dunno. Kind of a hard question.

Depends on my mood when I get home. Sometimes, I may spend a couple hours on one gun, or an hour to clean 6. A few of my 'babies' seem to get the extra care, for example, my AR and Desert Eagle always get the full on cleaning, things are spotless when I'm done. Maybe it's cause they're my most expensive ones?

My poor Marlin .22 gets cleaned about once a year however, yet on occasion I too will open the safe, grab a couple and clean them while watching football or something.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I said 5:1 ratio. It varies according to the gun and whether I cleaned it from last time. My last gun, a Randall, wasn't cleaned from the prior three range trips. Found out wishful thinking is just that. Darn it! It didn't self clean.

I conceded defeat and cleaned it this last time (9/8) and it still needs more barrel scrubbing (all we had at the range were nylon brushes).

 

[Blackhawk]

I don't keep track, but I estimate about 2:1. I tend to dawdle when cleaning them and while being otherwise entertained. I also enjoy cleaning them....

 

[blades67]

The number of guns I take to the range affects how much time I'll spend shooting, and vis versa.

The exception is when I go to Tuesday Nite Steel I only shoot for about five to seven minutes (depending on the senarios and how well I shoot them) out of about two and a half to three hours spent at the range. That's five minutes shooting and one and a half hours cleaning (30 min X 3 days)!

 

[Devonai]

Standing Wolf and I are the of the same mind. I always spend at least one hour per weapon. I don't know how to get rid of all the fouling and little brass flecks in less time. If I do a shorter job I concentrate on the barrel, recoil spring/rod and slide.

 

[Zach S]

I'm one of those strange ducks that's been known to clean guns for the fun of it. Take them out of the safe, fondle a while, and then clean them up. It's a comfort thing, something that is nearly Zen like.

I used to be like that.

Now I just pull the slide off, wipe the rails down a little, re-lube and reassemble. Then I run the bore-snake through it, sometimes twice. Thats it, untill I change the recoil spring.

I do keep my LDA clean though, but I dont shoot it a lot, primarily to aviod cleaning it.

 

[gulogulo1970]

I vote 1:2. I guess I'm weird, I like to come home after shooting and clean them up. Plus I clean all of my guns once a month weather I shoot them or not. Maybe its kinda anal but I never have encountered any rust on any of my guns. Plus I like the smell of Hoppe's #9 and Tetra oil.

 

[Chupacabra]

I would say 2:1, but it really depends on how thorough I want to be and if I take both my guns to the range. If I take just one it'll get a nice cleaning for about 45 minutes to an hour. If I take both it takes a bit longer as there are more parts to scrub down.