Rifles get wiped down after every trip to the range.
Barrel gets cleaned when a loss of accuracy shows.
Barrel gets cleaned when a loss of accuracy shows.
Does Anyone Clean Firearms Anymore
- Thread starter Doug627
- Start date
I clean after every use. my carry guns get oil rag wipe down everytime i put it back in the safe. cleaned about once a month . My safe keepers get oiled up at least once a year .
I clean them when they start to malfunction.
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2023
- Messages
- 613
- Reaction score
- 1,118
I’m old school, I was taught “gun, horse, man…”
That’s the sequence of care prior to calling it a day.
That’s the sequence of care prior to calling it a day.
A gun shop that I used to visit frequently had a sign on the counter that read "Guns cleaned for $35" Did a brisk business at $35 per. Amazing until you realize that many people cannot even tell you the brand of gun they own let alone how to field strip it for cleaning. To forum members it may seem strange but many gun owners are oblivious to any thing mechanical about their guns beyond loading and firing it.
SWFan27
Member
Handguns and rifles get a good wipe down, and usually with a little Ballistol and a soft tee shirt. I shoot handguns more than anything and I clean them thoroughly when I do. I try make them as close to new as possible. I went to the range today and have four of them needing a wipe down after the wife goes to bed.
Last edited:
DoD does the "torture test" before designating a model as standard issue. Why duplicate the trial by fire. Paul and George said happiness is a warm gun. Well. happiness is a clean gun. Bang bang, shoot shoot.
Then field strip it and clean it, pilgrim.
Then field strip it and clean it, pilgrim.
Shooters that do not clean their weapons after use:
1. those that haven't been in the Military
2. Glock owners
4. owners of stainless steel weapons
5. Cops
6. lazy people.
1. those that haven't been in the Military
2. Glock owners
4. owners of stainless steel weapons
5. Cops
6. lazy people.
How often you clean your guns has much to do with how old you are and how long you've been shooting, IMHO.
I'm 73. When I started shooting, revolvers and 1911s were the mainstays. I got into handloading early on, so almost all my ammo was loaded with traditional lubed cast bullets. In that context, you shot and then went home and cleaned your guns because they truly needed it.
Nowadays, with striker-fired pistols shooting jacketed bullets, cleaning a handgun can be put off almost indefinitely. Some people take that to extremes, as noted above. How often do I clean my guns? Well, it depends.
My handloads are almost always loaded with jacketed, plated, or coated lead bullets. After a range session, revolvers get the chambers and under the extractor star brushed out, and the barrel gets brushed out and checked for build-up. The recoil shield gets wiped off too. I rarely shoot .38s in my .357s, so that crud in the chamber at the end of the .38 case isn't an issue. The autoloaders get a bore snake run through the barrel twice. Normal cleaning with solvent, brushes, dental picks, and pipe cleaners gets done every 500-1000 rounds, depending on the gun. My Glocks and Walthers could probably go longer and sometimes do if I field-strip them and re-lube.
Modern guns will run fine if they're dirty, as long as they're adequately lubed and not shooting traditional cast bullets.
I'm 73. When I started shooting, revolvers and 1911s were the mainstays. I got into handloading early on, so almost all my ammo was loaded with traditional lubed cast bullets. In that context, you shot and then went home and cleaned your guns because they truly needed it.
Nowadays, with striker-fired pistols shooting jacketed bullets, cleaning a handgun can be put off almost indefinitely. Some people take that to extremes, as noted above. How often do I clean my guns? Well, it depends.
My handloads are almost always loaded with jacketed, plated, or coated lead bullets. After a range session, revolvers get the chambers and under the extractor star brushed out, and the barrel gets brushed out and checked for build-up. The recoil shield gets wiped off too. I rarely shoot .38s in my .357s, so that crud in the chamber at the end of the .38 case isn't an issue. The autoloaders get a bore snake run through the barrel twice. Normal cleaning with solvent, brushes, dental picks, and pipe cleaners gets done every 500-1000 rounds, depending on the gun. My Glocks and Walthers could probably go longer and sometimes do if I field-strip them and re-lube.
Modern guns will run fine if they're dirty, as long as they're adequately lubed and not shooting traditional cast bullets.
Do I clean them?
Religiously....
Religiously....
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2025
- Messages
- 102
- Reaction score
- 140
Raised that way, too. Maybe because the guys that trained me were raised up during the time ammo was corrosive and could ruin the barrel of their rifles if not well cleaned after shooting it.
I sometimes field strip and clean mine even when I haven't shot them. Get caught out in the rain and well soaked? Pull it apart, dry it off, clean/lube it.
Carry it for a few weeks and it gets "linty"? Pull it apart and clean/lube it.
Not hard, doesn't wear the parts out as many claim and I feel better knowing it's clean, lubed and ready to go if I need it.
RobertK3026
Member
Clean and lube after every use.
Inspect EDC regularly and clean and lube the ones I don't use twice a year.
It's not hard and I can hide in the garage for a short time..
Inspect EDC regularly and clean and lube the ones I don't use twice a year.
It's not hard and I can hide in the garage for a short time..
Puller
Member
Yeah, I'll just say opinions will vary on this comment.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2006
- Messages
- 3,498
- Reaction score
- 6,059
I recently got a fantastic deal on a 586 that my LGS took in as part of a package. The exterior looked great, but there was so much dried oil and crud inside it was almost impossible to cycle the action. None of the salespeople on duty knew how to get inside. It has the best action of any of my Smiths and goes on every range session...after which I clean it.
I second jimmyj's #5. At qualification 40 years ago the officer next to me fired the 6 rounds of duty ammo in his Model 15, which then would not open. He could not recall when he had last cleaned it, but it wasn't after the previous qualification 6 months before...or the one before that.
Part of our academy kit was a Lewis Lead Remover. You can lead a cop to Hoppes, but you can't make him delead.
I second jimmyj's #5. At qualification 40 years ago the officer next to me fired the 6 rounds of duty ammo in his Model 15, which then would not open. He could not recall when he had last cleaned it, but it wasn't after the previous qualification 6 months before...or the one before that.
Part of our academy kit was a Lewis Lead Remover. You can lead a cop to Hoppes, but you can't make him delead.
Last edited:
rockquarry
Member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,663
- Reaction score
- 10,664
I'm in agreement. That's why I wasn't all-inclusive.
I bought a Browning Medalist recently. It's in beautiful shape and appeared clean - on the outside. I saw a good amount of "schmutz" around the chamber and bolt face. The bore was clean, so I brushed out the action and headed for the range. Foolish me. It wouldn't feed. The firing pin was gummed up and wouldn't let the case rim slide up the breechface. So it jammed. I was pleased with its accuracy, but it required manual intervention. A single shot, it was.
OK. I should have torn it down and cleaned it thoroughly beforehand. I got the thing apart and found sticky goo in the firing pin channel. The action was revolting. The gun is a 1975 model and there was no indication it had ever been detail stripped and cleaned. A 50 year old combination of 22LR residue, gun oil, solvent and I betcha WD-40. Ugh. My hunch is the gun jammed up years ago and got shelved. Probably the reason it's in good shape but sticky. At least nobody seems to have damaged it with enthusiastic cleaning.
Now she's clean and slicker than deer guts on a doorknob. I will reserve further comment until I get some rounds down the tube.
OK. I should have torn it down and cleaned it thoroughly beforehand. I got the thing apart and found sticky goo in the firing pin channel. The action was revolting. The gun is a 1975 model and there was no indication it had ever been detail stripped and cleaned. A 50 year old combination of 22LR residue, gun oil, solvent and I betcha WD-40. Ugh. My hunch is the gun jammed up years ago and got shelved. Probably the reason it's in good shape but sticky. At least nobody seems to have damaged it with enthusiastic cleaning.
Now she's clean and slicker than deer guts on a doorknob. I will reserve further comment until I get some rounds down the tube.
How often you clean your guns has much to do with how old you are and how long you've been shooting, IMHO.
I'm 73. When I started shooting, revolvers and 1911s were the mainstays. I got into handloading early on, so almost all my ammo was loaded with traditional lubed cast bullets. In that context, you shot and then went home and cleaned your guns because they truly needed it.
Nowadays, with striker-fired pistols shooting jacketed bullets, cleaning a handgun can be put off almost indefinitely. Some people take that to extremes, as noted above. How often do I clean my guns? Well, it depends.
My handloads are almost always loaded with jacketed, plated, or coated lead bullets. After a range session, revolvers get the chambers and under the extractor star brushed out, and the barrel gets brushed out and checked for build-up. The recoil shield gets wiped off too. I rarely shoot .38s in my .357s, so that crud in the chamber at the end of the .38 case isn't an issue. The autoloaders get a bore snake run through the barrel twice. Normal cleaning with solvent, brushes, dental picks, and pipe cleaners gets done every 500-1000 rounds, depending on the gun. My Glocks and Walthers could probably go longer and sometimes do if I field-strip them and re-lube.
Modern guns will run fine if they're dirty, as long as they're adequately lubed and not shooting traditional cast bullets.
After finally buying and shooting some Glocks, they just don't seem to get as dirty as others when shooting jacketed bullets. And my 9mm's and 357's are loaded with jacketed, and don't get nearly as dirty as with lubed bullets.
As far as people selling their guns dirty, am betting they can be hiding the barrel condition.
FWIW..
I shoot ~12,000 rounds annually.
Everything I own is inspection ready.
I actually spend more time at the bench cleaning than I do shooting. LOL
,
I shoot ~12,000 rounds annually.
Everything I own is inspection ready.
I actually spend more time at the bench cleaning than I do shooting. LOL
,
My experience is very different. All of my fellow Glock and striker-fired gun owners are very serious gun people.
I’ve been a gun owner since 1978. I’ve been around lots of gun owners over the past 47 years.
Recently during the past 5 years I’ve been very active with a small group of guys. We usually meet and shoot at one of three ranges about 12 to 20 times a year.
Some CC and some do not. They all are very experienced (retired military, LE, and high security professionals) with all type of handguns and rifles and they “really are gun people.”
Obviously there are gun owners who have a “shoot until it doesn’t” mindset or belief. Perhaps someone can explain, rationalize or justify that “thinking”, however my old brain cannot.
If a Top Fuel dragster engine failed it would probably not be considered a life or death situation. After EVERY run, if those engines can be stripped down to the bare block and completely rebuilt in 40 minutes, why can’t a gun owner field strip, clean, and lube their self-defense firearm after every use? Or.. BEFORE it fails to fire?
Similar threads
