To coin a phrase from Alice's Restaurant - "Son you're our boy"........... I am assuming you were potty trained at gun point.
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Does Anyone Clean Firearms Anymore
- Thread starter Doug627
- Start date
To coin a phrase from Alice's Restaurant - "Son you're our boy"........... I am assuming you were potty trained at gun point.
I am a “clean it after you shoot it” kinda guy. At my house, the sun never sets on a dirty gun. I’ve bought many a dirty gun. I use the filth as leverage when negotiating; sometimes good for saving a few bucks.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
One thing that has not been mentioned is corrosive ammo. A lot of us here are of the age that when we started shooting there either was a lot of corrosive ammo still around or we were taught by elders with lots of experience using corrosive ammo and the religious, almost anal cleaning required after shooting anything was a necessity due to the corrosive ammo still fresh in the memories of people. That lesson has stuck with us.
Now today with corrosive ammo pretty much a non issue and with all the advances in ammo, the necessity of immediate and thorough cleaning has fallen by the wayside. I myself am guilty. A bore snake followed by an exterior wipe down with an oily cloth suffices for the SBEII until the end of the season unless it is dunked.
Now today with corrosive ammo pretty much a non issue and with all the advances in ammo, the necessity of immediate and thorough cleaning has fallen by the wayside. I myself am guilty. A bore snake followed by an exterior wipe down with an oily cloth suffices for the SBEII until the end of the season unless it is dunked.
When your life depends on it, do you want your weapon clean and properly lubricated or one that has not been cleaned in the last 500 rounds? The choice is up to you.
OP
Having not been in the military (and regretting it), I have thought that the teaching of cleaning your firearm after every use was based upon the thought that you may not get a chance to clean before the next engagement if you waited. Fighting conditions can be harsh and foul a firearm quickly. Therefore, cleaning your firearm as soon as reasonably possible kept it in ready condition at all times.
My dad had joined the North-South Skirmish Association back in the 1950s. So I was exposed to the same issue because of my dad (and later me) shooting black powder.
Repeater
Member
Well, now matter what or how many, I shoot it...I clean it. Usually the same day. I have weapons from the 1870's to the present...all treated the same.
Dave.357
Member
Can not think of a reason to put a dirty gun away.
I still have a lot of military surplus ammo I bought in the 60's and 70's. I just assume it is all corrosive and clean the gun every time I shoot that ammo. I'm not so fussy if I shoot newly manufactured ammo.
I shoot a lot of cast and have shot a fair amount of 22 lr. I know that with a clean bore both take between 25 and 100 rounds of seasoning before the accuracy comes in play. I am cautious not to clean a seasoned bore until the accuracy starts to go south. I wipe things down, and living in an arid climate where things don't rust if oiled, that is all I generally do.
I have seen enough muzzle crowns washed out to believe that improper cleaning or a wrong rod can cause more damage to accuracy than anything else.
IOW, I feel that most "authorities" on this are wrong. I shoot mainly revolvers, single shot break actions and bolt action guns. I own a couple of AR's and have some semi auto pistols but they are not really my thing. I averaged 5,000 rounds a year for 25 years and never had a gun fail to fire due to lack of maintenance.
Obviously your mileage may vary. Do what keeps you happy but please protect your muzzle crowns.
I have seen enough muzzle crowns washed out to believe that improper cleaning or a wrong rod can cause more damage to accuracy than anything else.
IOW, I feel that most "authorities" on this are wrong. I shoot mainly revolvers, single shot break actions and bolt action guns. I own a couple of AR's and have some semi auto pistols but they are not really my thing. I averaged 5,000 rounds a year for 25 years and never had a gun fail to fire due to lack of maintenance.
Obviously your mileage may vary. Do what keeps you happy but please protect your muzzle crowns.
A lot of my early shooting experience involved muzzle loaders which meant you clean it asap. Many of the cartridge guns I shot back then were milsurp and we shot surplus, corrosive ammo in them. Like the muzzle loaders they needed to be cleaned asap to avoid damage. Got me in the habit of cleaning whatever gun I shot after shooting it. Which habit carried over to the 22's and shotguns even though we shot modern, non-corrosive ammo in them.
To this day I still tend to clean every gun after shooting. With modern ammo I don't feel pressured to get all of them clean immediately but they will be cleaned, I just have more time available to do it. The exception being muzzle loaders and guns shot with surplus ammo. Which I still have quite a bit of in some calibers, bought lots of it when it was cheap and still shooting it today.
As a side note if I'm considering selling a gun it's going to be clean when I do. When we had the gun shop a lot of guns came in that were in dire need of cleaning. The prices we offered reflected that, dirty actions and barrels can conceal some issues and that affects what we could realistically expect to sell a gun for. Ran into enough cases where things were found after cleaning that made that a good policy. Still feel the same way when looking at used guns for sale, if it's dirty any offer I make will be lower than I would consider for a clean one.
To this day I still tend to clean every gun after shooting. With modern ammo I don't feel pressured to get all of them clean immediately but they will be cleaned, I just have more time available to do it. The exception being muzzle loaders and guns shot with surplus ammo. Which I still have quite a bit of in some calibers, bought lots of it when it was cheap and still shooting it today.
As a side note if I'm considering selling a gun it's going to be clean when I do. When we had the gun shop a lot of guns came in that were in dire need of cleaning. The prices we offered reflected that, dirty actions and barrels can conceal some issues and that affects what we could realistically expect to sell a gun for. Ran into enough cases where things were found after cleaning that made that a good policy. Still feel the same way when looking at used guns for sale, if it's dirty any offer I make will be lower than I would consider for a clean one.
I love to find dirty guns for sale, its guaranteed that I am going to pay less for them than a pristine clean gun. I actually like spending the time bringing them back to like new condition. If I am selling mine, they are always clean.
greenwellg
Member
I've sat in my chair and disassembled 880 rounds of 7.62X54R for the powder and bullets. Reloaded into my brass with boxer primers and that eliminated the necessity of cleaning corrosive residue from my guns. Privi Partisan factory loads for the brass @ $10 a box should tell you how long ago that was. Reduce the charge by 10% for case longevity.
Made 256 Newton ammo. Had my own wildcat based on an 8.15X46 rimmed Scheutzen case with the bore opened up to 38 caliber. Shot MOA groups at 100 Yards with the original sights.
Now with my brother gone I have reduced my calibers to 22,38 and 44 MAG. I shoot very little compared to decades ago.
I didn't even have a cleaning kit for 22 caliber, so I used a piece of 80 pound test mono-filament line with a patch tied to the center and some Kroil to clean the pistols, all of which have mirror bores and non corrosive ammo only.
I even clean out the screw slots so in the event I have to remove a screw I have the best chance of not damaging the slot. On some old guns the screws are beat up I used to use sheet brass to clamp them in a vise and peen the heads back down and clean the slot, then heat them up and drop them in oil to restore them back to new condition.
I once disassembled my 67 Barracuda 383 Formula S coupe and polished and waxed it so much the soap and water would bead off the paint. All external fittings removed, cleaned, then reinstalled.
Made 256 Newton ammo. Had my own wildcat based on an 8.15X46 rimmed Scheutzen case with the bore opened up to 38 caliber. Shot MOA groups at 100 Yards with the original sights.
Now with my brother gone I have reduced my calibers to 22,38 and 44 MAG. I shoot very little compared to decades ago.
I didn't even have a cleaning kit for 22 caliber, so I used a piece of 80 pound test mono-filament line with a patch tied to the center and some Kroil to clean the pistols, all of which have mirror bores and non corrosive ammo only.
I even clean out the screw slots so in the event I have to remove a screw I have the best chance of not damaging the slot. On some old guns the screws are beat up I used to use sheet brass to clamp them in a vise and peen the heads back down and clean the slot, then heat them up and drop them in oil to restore them back to new condition.
I once disassembled my 67 Barracuda 383 Formula S coupe and polished and waxed it so much the soap and water would bead off the paint. All external fittings removed, cleaned, then reinstalled.
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fiasconva
Member
I'm too am one of the anal members that have always cleaned after a hunting trip or trip to the range. It just bugs me and I almost have a guilty feeling if I don't clean right away and wait until the next day or so.
I have some Egyptian 9mm that I bought a long time ago and operated under the premise that it was corrosive. I only shoot it in a Browning High Power because it field strips so nicely and makes it easier to give all the major parts a good bath.
JeffNC
Member
I've bought quite a few, used, that were filthy inside and out, dry, no lube. I don't get it either, but I believe it's tied to the 'no maintenance' generation, that just get in the car and go, never checking the oil, tires, anything. If the gun works, they could care less. I think that's why, when somebody jumps into 1911's for the first time, they complain when it starts getting sluggish or having issues. If you've ever owned and restored 30' and 40's cars or sewing machines, or old Harleys, you learn quickly they require lubrication, and regularly, and have many lube points. 1911's are the same, they need lube and plenty of it. Mine are cleaned and lubed every time they are shot, then checked for lube if needed before carrying it, since lube migrates.
On the topic of cleaning….
I watched a YouTuber demonstrate how to properly clean and lube his AR-15.
He used a product called Cu+2 Copper Remover after using Hoppe’s #9 in the barrel.
I bought some https://a.co/d/b0L2ttF
and got after my firearms. I was amazed at how much copper was removed from the barrels and how mirror-like the inside of the barrels looked after giving them a good 15-minute soak and multiple pushes of cleaning patches.
I watched a YouTuber demonstrate how to properly clean and lube his AR-15.
He used a product called Cu+2 Copper Remover after using Hoppe’s #9 in the barrel.
I bought some https://a.co/d/b0L2ttF
and got after my firearms. I was amazed at how much copper was removed from the barrels and how mirror-like the inside of the barrels looked after giving them a good 15-minute soak and multiple pushes of cleaning patches.
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