Hello all, new to the thread... and shooting i guess. I have a 9m 2.0 I'm about to put 500 rounds through. Should I clean my gun part of the way through or is all 500 rounds good to go?
Thank you.

Is your pistol clean and lubed now? Then fire it up and start on that 500. If the ammo you are planning to use shoots dirty, then you may want to stop and clean the piece, especially if you begin to get failures to feed or eject. But normally a properly maintained pistol can handle 500 rounds of modern ammo.

I clean after every use because I enjoy cleaning and I like a clean gun. I feel that a clean gun will be less likely to experience a problem. The cleaning process also gives me a chance to inspect the gun's mechanism for potential issues. But that's just me. I know that there are those out there who are proud that they've put tens of thousands of rounds through their gun and have never taken it down for cleaning. Well, bully for them. I have no desire to subject my guns to a testing-to-destruction policy. I suggest that 500 rounds should be a maximum limit between cleanings.

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What, me worry?

I dont recall ever cleaning a gun completely during a range trip (which at least used to consist of several hundred + rounds), but i have used a bore snake to make a quick pass thru a barrel on a PC model I had at the time. But that one would get dirtier anyways.

Guess a person could carry some basic cleaning stuff with them, if they are going to shoot hundreds of rounds or perhaps the conditions aren’t great then at least the tools to clean are handy if needed.

I clean after every range trip, regardless of number of rounds fired. I don’t put a dirty gun away. I take pride in my stuff and want it to look good and last.

My brother came over this past winter to help me change the belts on my 13 year old snow blower. He bought the same model 2 weeks after I did. He remarked mine looked brand new while his was covered in rust. I told him I don’t put it away wet. I brush the snow off and wipe it dry. When we were done I changed the oil. He looked at me like I was crazy and said he had never even checked his oil, let alone change it. Mine still purrs like a kitten and his looks and sounds awful. I maintain all my stuff. Always have and always will.

With handguns, especially those designed as defensive weapons, not precision target firearms, I see little need to clean during a range session. These types of firearms usually have sufficient tolerances between the parts to allow them to function when dirty. I clean my firearms after each trip to the range.


For a new firearm or one purchased as used, give it a good cleaning and proper lubrication before the first trip to the range.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I would suggest cleaning any 'new/used' gun that you purchase BEFORE you try to fire it. I guess, my next suggestion would be to clean it after each range/hunting session. I do this to ensure that it fires the next time I take it out. I actually saw a friend's Kahr 9mm stop firing in the middle of a qualification. We brought it home and I cleaned out the striker (firing pin) channel; it was literally filled with very small brass filings and assorted crud. It worked fine after that. Finally, I was wondering why you would feel the need to put 500 rounds of ammo thru your gun in one range session. That's a lot of abuse for anyone, even a young person (in my humble opionion).

J.

To me, unless you are a professional shooter, 500 rounds in one range session seems like a really, really, really lot.

Run the 500. Clean it when you get home.

As long as you’re not throwing it in the mud periodically during that time, you should be perfectly fine without cleaning it for 500 rounds. Actually, I’d find a gun suspect if it couldn’t do that.

Now, that being said, I clean all of my firearms after each range trip/use … Do they always necessarily need it? No, but I find the practice to be relaxing so I do it. Just make sure that you’re careful about what you’re doing. Not only to tons of people have accidents every year while “cleaning their gun” because they “swore it wasn’t loaded” … but make sure you pay particular attention to the muzzle because if you nick the crown of the barrel, it WILL affect the accuracy of the gun.

A common question in classes I've taught.
I usually pose a replying question - what are you asking the gun to do?
Is it for home defense, or CC and to protect your loved ones?
Or just locked away until it's next range-toy trip?

If it's intended use has anything to do with protecting yourself and/or loved ones - why would you NOT clean it?
A very simple process that doesn't take more than several minutes and helps ensure proper function and long mechanical life.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Welcome! As stated above, a cleaned and lubricated pistol should digest 500 rounds in a session without problems (been there, done that). That said, why not bring your favorite cleaning supplies (I usually have a small bottle of Break-Free and a Bore Snake) to the range?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

500 rounds in one trip? Glad I'm not paying for the ammo. Before prices went crazy I did sometimes fire a couple hundred in one trip, never 500 though. I wouldn't worry about the gun needing cleaning during the firing of 500 rounds, I don't think that'll be a problem.

I used to clean any guns used after every range trip but now that I've cut back on the number of rounds fired, and considering that I often shoot several different guns, some of those guns might only have a mag or two run through them and I don't think it's necessary to clean them after so few shots.

I would clean them if I intended to store them for an extended time, but if I only fired a few rounds and thought I'd be shooting that gun again soon I wouldn't feel the need to clean it.

i am in the minority of those that clean any gun/any caliber/any amount of ammo, i shoot at the range, a good cleaning & lube, when i get home.

i've cleaned my gun(s) even if only 25 rds when thru them.

can't say i care much if others think that's over kill, they are mine and these are my habits. cleaning fluids are cheap, patches are cheap, oil is cheap, compared to the costs of broken parts, or a trip to the gunsmith.

when i turned wrenches for a living, after EACH car i worked on, my tools got cleaned, BEFORE i started the next job.

some habits are hard to break.

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Member of NRA, GOA, GSSF

>>I clean after every use because I enjoy cleaning and I like a clean gun<<

Ditto that!

A clean gun should be able to easily shoot 500 rounds without additional cleaning. Of course, if it's a new gun, clean and lube the gun first.

After 500 rounds I would clean the gun when I got home. I used to clean after every outing, but one time I took family members out to shoot. We probably shot about a dozen guns, revolvers and semi-autos. After that cleaning marathon, I no longer clean after every shoot.

I'll clean a gun every several hundred rounds. In between I'll wipe it down and maybe a dab of oil on the rails if necessary.

*Nothing wrong with cleaning a gun after every shoot, especially if you enjoy it.

IDK where you line in PA, but where I live, and in the dead of winter, except for the top of the engine, there is no place on the snowblower that gets wet.

Too cold for that.

There will be some places where melt drips off the engine and promptly re-freezes, so no brushing off, either. It'd take an ice scraper.

Clean and lube it well before you go to the range. Keep shooting it as long as it keeps functioning. Then clean it when you get home. If you start getting numerous malfunctions before you reach the 500, then clean it.

^^^THIS^^^

I have to wonder if over cleaning isn't as hazardous to longevity as not cleaning enough. Or at least not cleaning carefully enough.

I do a quick lube and touch up after most range trips and a more thorough cleaning every 4 or 5.

SUPER careful with the crown of that muzzle.

I leave it in the garage to let the snow and ice melt and then wipe it dry. Then it goes back into the shed. I wouldn’t think of leaving chunks of ice and snow all over it, either. It’s gets put away free of snow and ice and dry.

I do the same thing, (except it is stored in the garage 3rd stall) but with an unheated garage, this can take awhile. I chip off what ice I can and leave it at an angle over a drip tray, and the front off the floor. This is so the melt will drip away from the blower.

Many times, I will use the blower again before ANYTHING else melts.

Prior to ammo prices going nuts, I routinely shot 300 rounds per range session without issue. On a rare occasion, really dirty ammo might require a quick cleaning of an extractor claw on some guns, but I really only remember that happening to me once...and I was (am) typically at the range twice a week.

Think much of it has to do with your introduction to shooting and whoever may have mentored you.

For me, in the early years it was my Dad. Raised as a dirt-poor Depression-era kid, his ethos was you TAKE CARE of what you own. Didn't matter if it was a shovel, an axe, your car, gun, whatever.

And - he was a WWII Marine - so, that may be my ingrained thought process as far as keeping my shooting hardware very clean and lubed.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Clean after each and every use, and even in between uses. I'm living in fear of my Gunny finding some kind a dirt on that there white glove of his.

There are two challenges to keeping a gun running without malfunctions.

The obvious first is dirt from firing ammo. Some ammo shoots fairly clean; some shoots dirty.

The second is the environment. Dust, dirt, sweat, rain, high heat and other environmental contaminants will effect your gun’s ability to run reliably.

How often do I clean? As often as I need to.

I just returned from a four day handgun course in the desert with temperatures averaging 108-112 degrees all afternoon. The drying heat and desert blowing sand are a good combination to foul a gun—along with shooting 130+ rounds per day. My V1 9mm M&P full size had a minor hiccup once at the end of the second day. I did a short striker reset (chamber check) for dry practice and the slide failed to go into battery by about an 1/8”. Had I run the slide fully rearward and forward under recoil spring pressure I would not have had an issue. The oil on the gun had evaporated through firing and the high heat. The gun was dry, and perhaps a little gritty.

My normal field strip and clean interval is between 4-500 rounds, but the gun under normal conditions will still run fine beyond that. I also normally lubricate with grease rather than oil, because it stays in place longer. I quick cleaned and oil lubed my gun the 2-3-4 nights and wore it home concealed. I’m going to do a full detail cleaning early next week.

I shoot a number of guns. While I enjoy cleaning, I don’t like spending an hour and a half cleaning six guns after every range outing. Most of my range guns are wiped clean and put away dirty. When they hiccup after hundreds of range rounds, I clean them well.

My three carry guns stay pretty clean, but I see no need to clean them after every few rounds. Over cleaning, especially incorrectly, is not good for a gun. Modern, reliable carry guns can go hundreds of rounds between cleanings.

However, my carry guns ride Appendix IWB. That means lint from my cover garments can accumulate on my red dot sights and even in the back of the slide. Even when not fired, my primary carry gun (the one I took to the course) needs cleaning every month or so. I feel environmental dirt is more harmful than fired ammo dirt and that is what actually drives my cleaning intervals. Clean guns that stay in safes without firing (my backup and alternate carry guns) rarely get cleaned.

I clean after shooting, especially if it's a carry gun. My .22lr plinking rifle is usually the last to get any attention because it's mainly just a "toy" for me and a serious PITA to take down for cleaning. My Bolt rifle gets cleaned fairly soon after shooting and then my Shotty gets cleaned about the same time as the Bolt gun.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk

When my Father was alive I cleaned them every range/hunting trip.
Because if I didn’t he would know, i don’t know how, but he would know. 😳
These days I am a little lazier. But they still get cleaned within a reasonable amount of time.
Of course that time varies somewhat.😁

For what its worth, and this is just me speaking for myself, if dealing with a new, in the box firearm, or a used one that I’m going to fire for the first time, I’d give it a really good cleaning and inspection prior to going to the range. At the range, I’d again look at the firearm to ensure nothing changed then I’d fire one hundred rounds. Following that I’d stop and clean superficially to inspect for any changes. Next, I’d fire another one hundred fifty rounds and again clean so as to inspect for any changes. Following that inspection, I’d go ahead and fire off my last two hundred fifty rounds. Once home I’d give the gun a thorough cleaning and again inspect for any damages. Not finding any I’d then consider the firearm to be trustworthy for whatever actions I’d plan for it in the future. I have used this procedure from the time I was first introduced to firearms and have yet to be caught off guard.

Use your own judgement when it comes to how thorough you want to follow any instructions given here.

A very fine lawyer, he did try a case before the supreme court, once told me that advice is worth what you pay for it.

Guns have two enemies, rust and politicians. You need to do your best to protect your investments from both.

Llance

Well, after about 250 rounds my Defender 9mm started to not lock back on empty consistently, and I had a couple of failures to feed. So I cleaned it. Along with two other Defenders and two revolvers.

Guess I was a little too dilatory in cleaning....

Thanks all. I guess what I meant to say is I'm new to maintaining guns as this is My first handgun. I do clean after every trip... though not that many. I decided to purchase 500 rds (hopefully it's compatible to what my gun prefers)... I didn't do too much research on the type not to use... but I knew "Federal" is good. I purchased Federal Syntech Range 124 Grain Total Synthetic Jacket (red tip). I read that Synthetic is better for *shooting a lot and lowering the wear in the barrel?
I didn't know if I needed to take a break half way through to let it cool down, or re-oil, or whatever... As long as there were no malfunctions... I'm a decent shot but always used other people's guns... so I never really had to know my stuff when it came to Grain, cleaning, anything like that. I purchased my 2.0 a couple years ago on consignment for !!!!$250!!!! I shot same model at a range with a couple others and fell in love with it. So glad I purchased it.
I plan on going out to my Dad's where I've always gone... trying to chop down a 6' round Bois D'Arc tree lol.

Don't worry about barrel wear. You will not wear out your barrel shooting - at least you won't for a 9mm.

For range ammo, I just buy the cheapest 9mm brass ammo I can find - Remington, Geico, PMC, Aguila - it all works.

Enjoy your gun!

Actually, you can wear out a 9x19mm barrel. The 9x19 is a high pressure cartridge and it will erode a barrel faster than the low pressure, 45 ACP. Rapid fire shooting will accelerate erosion. Most of us will not shoot enough ammo in our lives, or at least for as long as we own a particular firearm, to wear out a barrel, but competition shooters do. There was a 10,000 round torture test of both a S&W 5906 and a 1006 back in the 1990's. Both pistols had visible erosion at the end of the test. If you are not torture tested, a 9x19 barrel will last longer than 10,000 rounds, but I would expect to see erosion by the 30,000 round mark.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

My non-carry pistols only get cleaned after 300-500 rounds, but get a bore-snake run through them at the end of each range session.

My carry pistol gets cleaned after every range session.

Cleaning a weapon is meant to reduce corrosion and fouling of the barrel caused by gunpowder. With most modern ammunition, there's not as urgent of a reason to go overboard with cleaning.

There's a Youtube video called Gun Cleaning 101 by FMG magazine. If the link below doesn't work, do a Youtube search for it.

Although these guns and similar have no aesthetics , you should always clean each gun after use. While in combat would be another matter all together.

I've been known to go a few range sessions between cleaning. Never had any problems.

Lucky person to have 500 rounds to shoot these days. I clean after each range session regardless of the numbers of rounds fired.

Well every barrel may eventually wear out, but my point is few casual shooters wear out a barrel.

I remember way back when I bought my 686+ I was wondering how many rounds before I would wear out the barrel. Turns out that when I'm in the ground the gun will still be going strong....

Any gun relied upon for defense gets thoroughly cleaned before being put back in service.

My main range AR is a 20 year old Bushmaster. I have not cleaned it, nothing whatsoever, since the Fall of 2019. I just add a bit of CLP as needed. It has fired thousands of rounds since then, including some dirty Russian stuff. It works perfectly.

If you told me I was going into the L.A. Riots in one minute, and had to take that gun just as it is, I wouldn't hesitate. I know it's going to run.

My Glock 21 is a range toy that has no place in my defensive armory. I got it in January. I cleaned it at 50 rounds, but not since, and it has fired hundreds of rounds over the past several months.

My 15-22 gets cleaned every other range trip, or it starts acting up. My 10/22 bench rest rifle gets cleaned once in a blue moon.

Depends on the gun, and depends on the use.

I've quit buying centerfire ammo with lead bullets; just too dirty. So now I clean my revolvers after about 200 rounds, and my autos after, a bit more.

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John