Cleaning your guns

[EJFudd]

What is this "Cleaning Guns" thing all about? Are you actually suppose to do that???

Well, it must be a thing because I have no less than 13 gun cleaning kits... no joke... 2 of them just bought this year.

Back in my youth I was obsessed with keeping my guns clean even after firing a single round. 35 years later.....I can't remember the last time I cleaned any of them. I'll clean a brand new one then relube, but after that it's a basic wipedown and done. If I notice malfunctions and such I'll do a thorough cleaning. But that hasn't been the case....yet.

Truth. At least in my case, the older I got, the less often I even thought about gun cleaning. Sometimes, I wake up and feel guilty about that... and in one case I may have actually damaged the gun from a lack of cleaning after using.

To say that I dislike gun cleaning is an understatement. I genuinely HATE gun cleaning. If I ever win the Powerball lottery grand prize, I intend to hire a full-time gun cleaner dude and set him up in my brand new gun cleaning room addition... complete with venting system, multiple benches and unlimited supplies!

 

[fencer]

I admit, I am a little OCD about firearm cleaning. And a few other things as well.
I just can't put a gun back in the safe that is not cleaned and lubricated.
Yes, I know this is unnecessary, and that most modern firearms function just fine with a thousand rounds or more between cleaning.

In the Corps, often times rifles were cleaned out of boredom. Dad was a Marine and older brother too. We kept our guns " squared away" and always have.
Then when my son was old enough to start shooting, it became a ritual after a range trip, to teach him about how firearms work, and a bonding experience.
He was able to take down, clean and function test every gun I owned by 11 years old, and knew what the major parts were and what they did.
I also break down and clean the magazines too. Everything goes back into the safe, cleaned, lubed and function tested.

I also have this irrational concern about emergency use. Lets say you know an AR is GTG for 1000 rounds between cleaning, but you have taken to the range a couple of times and put 700 rounds down the pipe. Well, if the SHTF and you really need that rifle, it is going to start having issues in about 300 rounds and Murphy's law means 150 rounds. Nope.
Also, if the shit were to really hit the fan, you might be handing out rifles to others, who may not be as comfortable with dealing with FTF or FTE issues. My wife and daughters can shoot pretty well, but dealing with a malfunction, not so much. If I buy a gun that consistently has issues, no matter how much I may like it, I have little patience with it, and will probably get rid of it, even 22 semi's. I don't keep jamomatics or inaccurate firearms. If it's a gun I really like, I may try to tweak it, by replacing a recoil spring, or polishing a feed ramp, replacing an extractor etc. but I am not going to great lengths to try to overcome a design flaw.

Yeah, I know it's a little OCD, and I know that needing to put 1000 rounds through a firearm is never going to happen ( probably ), but I figure there are worse things in the world.

 

[1903Collector]

Stuff that doesn't get fired much I swab the barrels and re-lube any untreated metal, wipe down with silicon cloth twice yearly. Carry guns get cleaned after every range trip or sooner if they full of lint and crap. .22's and AR's get cleaned after each range trip cuz, they both filthy animals. Bolt guns get the barrels and bolts cleaned after each session, rest of the gun gets a cleaning once a year. Shotguns...I must be doing something wrong because those tubes never come clean!

I hate cleaning wheel guns which is a problem because I really like wheel guns.

 

[rewster]

Anyone can disassemble a Mk II or III. The question is, can you reassemble it?

Simple answer - NO !!!!! That's why I bought a Mark IV !!!!

 

[P51MA]

Do you clean your guns, if you don't use them for a while. or Do you clean your carry guns? After you put the away for the night?

Depends on the gun. Carry guns gets the outside wiped down with some rem-oil (this is a dry lube, will evaporate) once every week or two in the summer to repel sweat, and a tiny splash of Hoppe's inside once in a while. Wipe off any lint or hair that finds its way in there.

Most striker fire guns should be ok without religious cleaning I think.

The one thing that needs daily cleaning are open emitter red dots, they get dirty almost immediately. It's to the point that I am considering enclosed emitter dots.

 

[yogi]

I disassemble and clean my Ruger Mark III twice a week whether I shoot it or not.

Blindfolded and drunk (clothes optional)…..at least that’s how I roll

 

[glockforlife]

Pistols and rifles after every few range trips and after every match. Detail strip every year or two.

 

[Road_Clam]

LOL you got the joke.

Our younger crowd doesn't understand the 'fun' of reassembling a Mark II / III before the internet and Youtube videos.

Im really surprised my mkIII still shoots considering how many times i've thrown the gun across my shop from 10 or 11 unsuccessful attempts at closing the friggin main spring lever from incorrect assembly . And ok..... Yes i have anger issues .

 

[greencobra]

i use the houdini method, i toss them in the safe and just like magic, poof...they're all clean when i retrieve them next time. ya gotta believe in magic.

 

[Mountain]

Im really surprised my mkIII still shoots considering how many times i've thrown the gun across my shop from 10 or 11 unsuccessful attempts at closing the friggin main spring lever from incorrect assembly . And ok..... Yes i have anger issues .

Ruger Mark III, the gun that made Mother Theresa drop F-bombs.

 

[TheGreekFreak]

I like my guns the way I like my ladies: clean, lubed, and wet when I see them

Leaving it dirty after use makes me feel like I came home from the gym and didn’t shower.

 

[MGnoob]

Do you clean your guns, if you don't use them for a while. or Do you clean your carry guns? After you put the away for the night?

Sure, if you mean, take it out and discharge all the ammo from time to time?

I was trying to find a photo of my pistol in the sink, but couldn’t locate it

 

[Matt_SERE]

I keep my EDC cleaned and ready to go all the time. I fire a box of ammo through it once a month to verify operation and makre sure everything is OK.

I used to live in the city and was oncall. I would get called out overnight a lot. If I was anywhere near Mass Rifle, often btw, I would stop in the indoor range and empty it and a spare magazine. Holster and drive home.

Living in Cambridge I soon grew weary of carrying a 'just fired' firearm on me late at night. I started carrying a small cleaning kit in the truck with me. Cleaned at the range before leaving.

 

[whacko]

About every 6 months I clean all my guns. I spread the cleaning out over a few days and put aside some time each day. I also clean every gun after shooting, before it gets put away in the safe, never put away a dirty gun. Guns that sit in the safe unfired need to be cleaned at least on a 6 month cycle. This way you will always know they are clean, lubed, function checked and ready for use. Plus it is relaxing.

How often do you go the the range?

 

[cpgeneration]

Well, it must be a thing because I have no less than 13 gun cleaning kits... no joke... 2 of them just bought this year.

Truth. At least in my case, the older I got, the less often I even thought about gun cleaning. Sometimes, I wake up and feel guilty about that... and in one case I may have actually damaged the gun from a lack of cleaning after using.

To say that I dislike gun cleaning is an understatement. I genuinely HATE gun cleaning. If I ever win the Powerball lottery grand prize, I intend to hire a full-time gun cleaner dude and set him up in my brand new gun cleaning room addition... complete with venting system, multiple benches and unlimited supplies!

View attachment 870171

I would love to be the gun cleaning dude at that place! I can reload precision ammo too !

 

[Matt_SERE]

I would love to be the gun cleaning dude at that place! I can reload precision ammo too !

Gun Care Center – Greater Houston Sports Club

greaterhoustonsportsclub.com

 

[JDL]

How often do you go the the range?

Not as much as I used to and not as much as I would like. This winter even though it was a mild one did keep me off the range. At 73 I am not quit as spry as I used to be, however now that the weather is changing I will be trying to do at least a once a week range session. Also when I do go to the range I do not shoot every gun in the safe, some guns get very little use.

 

[Malibru]

I run into folks and have had to "store" their guns from time to time...
It's amazing what firearms people will use as their everyday carry, and the condition that they carry it in. As in dirty/uncleaned, rust spots, junk lodged in the barrel, magazines that are not fully loaded to capacity (if you can carry 7, or 8, or 10, why only load 5?). Then there is the type of ammunition that they carry: lots of FMJ, blazer aluminum, cheap off brand junk, and then the usual mix of multiple bullet weights and types. In the same magazine. Not loaded to capacity.
And more than once: ammunition loaded backwards into magazines, and somehow slammed into the mag well and retained. Not one in the chamber mind you, because, you know, they want to be safe.

 

[Cap'n Mike]

My EDC guns I blow the lint off with the air compressor every few weeks.

 

[Thunder Dump]

What does everyone do with a new piece? Strip and lube first or run a few hundred through it out of the box?

 

[tinhorn]

What does everyone do with a new piece? Strip and lube first or run a few hundred through it out of the box?

Disassemble it, polish the innards, dehorn it, lube it, overspend on a holster.

 

[FPrice]

If I take a gun to the range, I at least clean the outside and pull a bore snake through the barrel.

I spend my winters trying to give each gun a deep clean and check for any wear and tear.

You do what you think is best for your guns.

 

[40 Creedmoor fan]

Two thoughts on this topic:

• Cleaning is relaxing to me. I put on some 80's pop music(screw you, Nirvana killed music) and just zone out while cleaning one gun at a time. When you're done, you feel relaxed and destressed.
• Cleaning even carry guns(corrosive sweat!? What, you've never heard of a full leather-back holster?) is on as needed basis. If I drop the gun in the dirt, it gets a cleaning. If I shoot in the rain, it gets a cleaning. If I give the gun to someone to shoot, it gets a cleaning(yes, I'm a germaphobe)

 

[LakeTrout]

Do you clean your guns, if you don't use them for a while. or Do you clean your carry guns? After you put the away for the night?

Let me just say that I’m awful at grammar too. Not as bad as you. But bad. But holy hell I actually love this post. Because you’re so bad at grammar but actually trying like a maniac. You’re throwing in all kinds of punctuation and stuff, not where it belongs or anything like that, but you’re throwing it in there. It’s literally like Haiku for crackheads that haven’t taken an English class. Great to see. It’s like someone who can’t swim but they’re flailing like a rabid cat being dunked under water. Again, I suck too and I also flail.

But to answer your question: When I owned guns I would clean them when they were dirty. Either from range sessions, or from carrying, I’d wait until they seemed to need to be cleaned. Mostly it was a visual thing. I think they need to be cleaned less than you think. Try to think about what kind of gunk and how much gunk could cause a failure. And clean often enough to prevent that.

 

[EJFudd]

What does everyone do with a new piece? Strip and lube first or run a few hundred through it out of the box?

... or just put the brand new piece lovingly in the safe and go do rent-a-gun at MFS or elsewhere and let them do the gun cleaning.

 

[allen-1]

I went to the range Sunday with friend, son and grandsons. Put a couple hundred rounds through the .22's, maybe 20 or 30 through the 9mm's. Son and friend brought 5.56 and 7.62.

Cleaned the .22's, (glock, buckmarks and 10/22), because rimfire is filthy. Not a detail strip, but solid cleaning, wiped them down with silicon and put them back in the safe in their bags.

Looked at the 9mm G34, wiped it down with the silicon cloth and put it back in the safe; same with the P320.

Son and friend can clean the 5.56 and 7.62 - not my guns.

I'll typically field strip and clean my glocks after four or five hundred rounds, and detail clean them after a couple thousand rounds.

 

[VTski4x4]

What does everyone do with a new piece? Strip and lube first or run a few hundred through it out of the box?

Throw some quality oil on the bolt and rails and go.

 

[drgrant]

LOL you got the joke.

Our younger crowd doesn't understand the 'fun' of reassembling a Mark II / III before the internet and Youtube videos.

Even with a video f*** those things. not worth it.

 

[drgrant]

@Mountain at one of the shops I worked at the gunsmith gets paid constantly just to clean those guns because people just don't want to deal with the stupid things so they'll shoot them a few times until they stop working and then they just bring them in and pay him like 25 bucks to clean it.... they don't even care about the cost because it's worth it to not have to mess with the stupid thing. I picked up a mark iv 22/45 during covid.... what a difference...so simple.

 

[tuna]

Usually just a wipe down. Full detail strip and clean every 3-4 months or so. I'm less worried about shooting residue than I am about lint and crap building up.