...go clean it.

It doesn't matter if you haven't shot it in a while, clean it. If you carry it, it's getting dirty every day. Lint, dust and dirt build up in the gun and can cause it to malfunction. If you carry a gun, it's to save your life. Don't die because you failed to do a quick clean.

Here's why...

A guy, we'll call him Bob, started a new job and befriended another, let's call him Stan, who had been there a while already. Both were shooters and had a lot in common. Bob always admired the Colt Commander that Stan carried on a daily basis even though he never got to shoot it.

Eventually, Stan retired and was going to move far away. As a parting present, Stan gave Bob his daily carried Colt; gun (still loaded), holster and belt. Gun still in the holster. Of course Bob was excited and moved almost to tears by the gesture.

With great anticipation, Bob went to the range the next weekend to try out this new acquisition. He took the gun out and aimed carefully for this first shot. Bob pressed the trigger and...nothing. The gun didn't fire. Upon inspection Bob found that the gun was so caked with lint and dirt, that the hammer was obstructed. He could only barely move the slide to rack it.

It turns out that Stan was one of those who didn't want to put too much wear on his carry gun so, he never shot it. The gun had not come out of the holster in about 20 years, ever. There was some rust on it, but not bad. A complete detail strip, clean and lube brought it back to life.

The moral here is to take care of your equipment. Clean your gun regularly. Shoot it as often as you can to ensure you stay in good form. If you ever need to use it, you will be glad you did.

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Freedom isn't free.

I pretty much clean my carry gun after all range trips, but don't think about it in between.

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What could possibly go wrong?

The day after a recent range trip, I pulled out one of my pistols to photograph for sale. Yup, I'd left one in the chamber! Thanks to my Four-Rules being ingrained, this only amounted to a humble reminder.

Good advice Rast, especially if you carry IWB. On the other hand, I'm sure there are guys out there who might be influenced by the torture tests on You Tube, that show handguns, Glocks in particular, being thrown in water, dragged behind trucks, dunked in mud, and still able to function. A guy watches a few of those might figure if it can take all that and still work, what harm's a little pocket lint? Not how I look at it, but as always, YMMV.

Great Reminder--Thanks
Keep em clean and treat like there always loaded.
Jim

Don't let the Glock guys hear you, they seem to think it's some kind of badge of honor to not clean their guns.

I remember a story, possibly one I read here, about a police armorer inspecting an officer's gun and finding pieces of Cheetos or something like that in it.

A good example of, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

I regularly put a few rounds through my S&W 638 at the range. It goes like this; Pull gun from pocket, empty carry rounds, load up with reload du jour, shoot gun however many times, put carry rounds back in gun, put carry gun back in pocket. Happens all the time.
Same thing happens at home at the bench, but instead of shooting it I clean it.

I'll put in a plug to wipe out your holster when you clean your pistol. Especially if you pocket carry, but IWB too.

If your holster is full of lint, when you're push your clean pistol back into your dirty holster, now you're back with a grubbed up pistol.

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Vegan by proxy.

If one is to neglect a carry piece. Better not carry at all.

This way, You will be well aware you are not armed.

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Expect the unexpected

Once upon a time, I was at the range with a close friend who is a retired Federal officer. He was shooting his Kahr (IIRC) which was his normal carry and range gun. All of a sudden it stopped shooting. I was sure that he cleaned his guns after shooting BUT, I also knew that he was used to having an armorer perform annual (at least) maintenance. I was fairly sure I knew what the problem was so we went to my house and I disassembled the gun and then went and pulled out the firing pin (I think the kids call it a 'striker' nowadays). I cleaned out the channel for about 15 minutes using spray cleaner and Q-tips. I can't tell you how much copper chips (filings?) I pulled outta that channel, but I used at least 15 clean Q-tips until I got it cleaned. Made sure the channel was dry and the firing pin was clean; put it together and it was shooting normally again. p.s. told a friend who never cleaned his guns about it.... he had several carry guns including an XDS and Glock's with over 5,000 rounds each thru them. A week or two later a told me that he had cleaned his guns and found NOTHING to speak of inside the 'striker' channels..... FWIW,
J.

You really should shoot your carry gun at least once a year, if nothing else to shoot up the ammo you are carrying with it so you can rotate your carry ammo as well. This helps avoid a multitude of problems, though it does cost more than it used to. (Carry ammo is now not only more expensive than it once was but is harder to find.)

During my 30 year career we had weekly uniform & weapons inspections, and discipline for neglecting your service weapon was a certainty. In retirement I still maintain all my guns w/special attention to my EDC 340PD & LCP.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

For many folks, cleaning their EDC is virtually the only gun handling they do.

The gun handling is probably more important than the cleaning!

Good advice, Rastoff. I normally shoot my EDC 1.0 M&P 40c twice a month, and give it a thorough cleaning after every use. Due to The Plague, I have not shot it in seven months. But I haven't been carrying it much either, since I only go out about once a week for groceries. Nevertheless, that means I've carried it 30-40 times (in my DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster) without a cleaning. Two weeks ago, just out of curiosity, I field stripped it to see what was there. The answer: Lint-O-Plenty! Most surprisingly, I found the biggest wad of lint deep in the mechanism, on top of the trigger bar tab that pushes in the striker block. So more frequent inspections and cleanings are in order from now on.

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What, me worry?

Moral of the story, shoot your carry gun regularly.

Moral #2 don’t trust a free 1911


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LOL. I had that happen at the range. Friend gave me his 1911 and squeeze and no bang. So i asked him, "when did you clean this last? A: Oh about a year ago.

I still harass him about that on occasion.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I hear stories like this often from those who don't clean their guns. I think they're just in denial.

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Freedom isn't free.

Not strictly a bottom-feeder issue, either. 30-odd years ago I was at qualification standing next to an officer who fired 6 shots from his Model 15 and then could not reload. The cylinder would not open due to a backed out ejector rod. Once that was resolved the empty cases were found to be glued to the cylinder by a combination of verdigris, lint and trona dust mixed with whatever weather he had worked in since the previous qualification. He was reprimanded for not maintaining his weapon and the watch commander was admonished for not having a stand-up inspection for 6 months. This officer had been first on the scene at a bank robbery the week before.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Rastoff, good advice and a happy ending! I like it.

I suppose I'm the world's worst about carrying guns I've never shot...It's a habit I really need to break......Ben

I clean my guns on the same schedule as Jerry Miculek. He shoots more rounds then I ever will and it works for him.

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balin
NRA Life Member

Hmm, I admit, I'm one of those guys who doesn't clean his carry gun after every use. I always fire the chambered round at every range trip, which is once a month. With the ammo shortage, it's been around once every 6 weeks. I've taken advantage of a lot of good advice here before. I think I'm going to clean my 9c and 2.0 compact today

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Carryng a gun you've never shot seems beyond foolish but if its just a rabbits foot, probably fine.
You dont have to clean your gun after each shooting session. Many failures can be traced back to improper assembly after cleaning. So me, I clean my edc, then take it to the range with me & fire a mag to verify its running. I may go 600-800rds before cleaning my competition guns.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

If I shoot a gun it gets cleaned - even if it's only a few rounds. If only a few rounds it takes no time at all to clean it. If many rounds are shot - it's dirty.

Cleaning a gun each time you shoot it just makes sense to me. Not only are you inspecting the gun, but you are also relubricating it at the same time.

Checking the proper functioning of the gun after cleaning and reassembly is no big deal as long as you understand how to do it, (not a difficult task).

Some guys do not clean a gun until they have shot hundreds and hundreds of rounds - that's their choice but is not my style.

I clean and lube after each range session. I also clean and lube my defense weapons regularly because I've never tested how long they can go being neglected. I'm scared to let one sit for a long time and go to the range and have it not function. Needing it for real would be even worse.

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PPPPPP. Always clean your weapons and check for function, esp. if any changes are made.

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No baby we aint

This reminds me of a story my old partner told me from his days as a Trooper. They were going on a raid and one of the detectives retrieved their revolver from where they usually stored it, under the car seat in the holster. When he attempted to open the cylinder to make sure it was loaded it wouldn’t open. It had rusted so much it had to be beaten open with a mallet.

I have worked with guys who only cleaned their guns before their annual requal, and then only because they knew the range officer would check.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

Just because of reading on this Forum, I shoot minimum of 6 rounds through my EDC including at least 2 of the defense rounds I keep in it whenever I get to the range. Clean every gun I shoot at a range trip, which is maybe twice a month, and pull my EDC apart about every 2-3 weeks or so just because of the pocket lint or M&Ms that may get stuck in it. (They DO melt in your pockets, BTW!)

That could lead to a sticky situation.

*hides*

In the long ago, I bought a Glock 23 .40 caliber. Ol' Chuck Taylor was in the middle of his "shoot a Glock 17 until it come unglued" effort, (It never did.) and I was going to shoot the Glock 23 without cleaning it (Mostly because I didn't trust it that much.). At 5,000 rounds, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I detail cleaned it. Took about 20 minutes, and i couldn't find any wear. Got rid of it because the grip felt like a 1x2.

My carry guns after I retired from the Army were almost universally S&W revolvers which got cleaned on a quarterly basis or whenever I shot them. I never carried IWB. Never. Pocket carry was limited to BUGs (5 shot .38 Special S&Ws) until trousers with cargo pockets were authorized. Then, my 2" S&W Model 12-2 made it's home in the off-side cargo pocket.

Now, I'm carrying a S&W SD9 and/or a Ruger EC9s in CYA IWB holsters with Safariland universal magazine pouches. I'm still on the quarterly or after shooting cleaning cycle.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

While working as the relief armorer I took the side plates off of more than a couple of Model 10s and 64s and found mold growing inside.

Are you being serious with this? I can't imagine trusting my life to a gun I've never fired.

Agreed, but this is about cleaning even though the gun hasn't been shot. Do you do that?

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Freedom isn't free.

It depends.

There are two different kinds of dirt in guns: (1) the dirt the ammo produces from firing, and (2) external dirt that gets in. Of the two, number (2) is much the most serious. (2) includes sand, dust, lint. They can cause malfunctions. (1) shouldn't cause problems in many, many rounds if you start with a quality gun.

Anything I depend on for my life, gets thoroughly cleaned and lubricated after each firing.

My carry guns, particularly my pocket-carry P365, gets stripped, wiped out, and relubricated about every three weeks in the summer when I'm carrying it every day. My holster carried M&P9, same thing, but on a longer schedule. Even if they don't get fired, they're collecting lint and dust.

My main range AR has not been cleaned in a year. (It's a 20 year old Bushmaster A2, back when they built them for real). And it's been shot quite a bit. I just add CLP. My ARs are just range toys and I don't depend on them for life-saving fire. That being said, If you told me that in one minute I'd be dropped into the ______ Riot, and I had to grab that rifle, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd have exactly zero fear that it would not function 100%. A good AR will run many thousands of rounds with only a bit of oil; see "Filthy 14." This business of "it poops where it eats / a speck of dust will lock it up" is myth.

I've seen folks that ankle carried a J-Frame Smith, D-Frame Colt as a BUG at work let then get bad. The guns were never cleaned and during the annual qual, you'd see a bird nest of lint in the cylinder chambers and the barrel.

What's his schedule on cleaning? Now you have me curious!

Well if your life depends on it, probably smart to carry a clean working gun!

We shot just this last Friday, and I didn't clean the carry pistols. But, I promise I will do that tomorrow, (Monday). I get to clean the MBH's pistol also.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

My issue with cleaning guns & not test firing is something could have been reassembled incorrectly & you wont know until it doesnt work. Just me. But I detail clean my carry or competition guns & then shoot a mag thru them. That verifies to me everything is running.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I understand your logic, but you can function test a gun without firing it.

Edit to add:
I'm not discounting your method. I have absolutely no issue with firing a few rounds and not cleaning the gun. Your method does work. I just don't think it's necessary to fire to ensure function.

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Freedom isn't free.

Years ago when we had our shop, it became a hang out for a bunch of guys
including some LEOs.
One day I showed a gun to a customer and was wiping it down with a cloth and a LEO there asked me to use the cloth. I handed it to him and went about my business.
A couple minutes later we heard him giggling. When he raised the muzzle the hammer fell back. When he lowered the muzzle the hammer fell forward. All without touching the trigger.
I’m guessing the main-spring snapped.
When asked when he’d checked it last he didn’t know.
Thankfully he wasn’t called to draw it in anger.

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

A good friend and I went to the range. He brought a lot of S&W revolvers, probably to make me drool.

The model 14 with the 8 3/8" barrel is a beautiful piece, but when I shot it, it was really stiff. In fact, it was so bad I suggested that it be put aside and not shoot it again. He agreed and I brought it home with me. It was so nasty inside I was embarrassed. I cleaned it up and got it back to him and it functioned just like it was supposed to.

I hate to clean weapons, but NONE of ours are like that.

By the way Rastoff, you can take my name off the black list. I cleaned my shield (shot it last Friday) and checked two others. Mine was nasty, but the others were clean. My IWB carry holster was also full of lint, but no more.

Thanks for the reminder.

Have a blessed day,

Leon