How often to clean your firearm

CherStew

CherStew

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2016
Messages
32
Reaction score
34
Location
Oklahoma
I read the S&W recommendations in my owners manual. But then when I talked to the dealer they gave conflicting information. The manual says the oils are for shipping; that you should clean your firearm before firing. They said not necessary. then my private instructor says I should clean it after every time I shoot. I am confused.
 
Register to hide this ad
I always clean, inspect, deburr both new guns and new mags. Sometimes I find something and correct it before hassling with an issue.

How often after that? When they need it. If I'm shooting every day, maybe once on Saturday night......:D

I like to clean guns and mags more often when they are new, just wearing in. Always before a match. If your gun needs lube, clean it first. Too much lube, or lube over dirt = gummy mess.
 
Last edited:
The oil & grease used for shipping a firearm has to hold up for months, maybe years. Some manufacturers use some pretty heavy stuff. You do need to clean and lube a new gun before going to the range the first time, if not to clean it, at least to get familiar with the parts.

I clean after any range trip, because I don't know when I'll take that gun again.

Guy in the lane next to me a few weeks back had a new pistol, first time at a range. He was cussing and real angry. It was jamming, would not chamber the first round. He asked for help. Looked at the gun & box. Gun had been slathered in heavy packing grease. Dripping in it. Five minutes with a rag and rod/patches, and it would at least chamber and fire a round. His LGS also said "just go shoot it". They were wrong.
 
It is very important for my psychological well-being that I thoroughly clean my guns after every shooting session. I don't even like to put off cleaning until tomorrow. Since I shoot only one or two guns on any specific range trip, it isn't a big deal. And honestly, I kind of enjoy it. It's therapy! However, other than a function inspection, I do not clean my guns before a range session.
 
I don't always do a full strip cleaning. If I am planning on shooting the gun again before very long then I will check the barrel and if it is really dirty then I will at least run a cleaning patch through it. I also will wipe down the whole gun to clean any powder residue from it. It also depends how dirty the ammo was. Some cheaper ammo is very dirty.
I will do a complete cleaning after shooting if the gun might get stored for a log time.
Wilson Combat says a complete strip and clean can go several hundred rounds between detailed cleaning.
 
Last edited:
Always clean a brand new S&W before shooting.

Lots of preservatives and non lubricating stuff throughout.

Frequently you will find poorly machined areas and debris as well. This should either be wiped off or, if it won't be wiped off send it back to S&W
 
I clean my pistol, rifle, and/or revolver after every firing. I always clean a new gun before shooting to help me learn it and how it goes together. I am never satisfied that I have cleaned the gun properly.

I have built an excel spreadsheet and log in range time for each gun. They have their own page. I refer to that spread sheet to see the last time I shot the gun and if the time between firings is excessive I will get that gun out and give it a quick rubdown after inspecting.

For the revolvers if I only fire one load out I don't pull the cylinder off. Other than that the cylinder comes off.
 
I thoroughly clean every new or used gun, clean it every time I shoot it and detail strip guns I shoot often once a year or so.
 
I always clean and lube a new gun before ever firing it .. That includes before dry firing it more then a few times .... the Sig P238 I bought just after Christmas this year was bone dry .. Absolutely no lube of any kind on it .. and that was anywhere on it .. It almost looked like it had been degreased .. I had dry fired it 2 times just to make sure everything worked when I picked it up at my FFL .. after cleaning and lubing it was very apparent the action was much smoother ..

After each range trip or in the back forty whether I fire 5 rounds or 200 I clean it after use .. I like a clean lubed gun if I would ever need it I would know it would function properly !! If I haven't fired it in 2 weeks while carrying it every day I also clean and relube to get rid of holster dust and any dirt it might have picked up from carrying .. If I was to get it wet like being caught out in the rain I also clean and lube it too !!
 
I clean mine after trips to the range, it doesn't take very long and like someone else said, therapeutic.
I once said I'd hold off and let the gun get dirty, that lasted one day, made me crazy thinking about it.
 
I pretend to complain about it, but I enjoy cleaning them after everytime they're fired. The lone exception is my .22 Glenfield, which may see a few rounds between cleanings, or if I fire a handful out of my CCW and know it's going to be fired a good bit before the week is over, I might let that slide.
 
I just bought a Shield and before I fired it I cleaned it. It had a lot of grease and oil on it. I re lubed it and so far it has worked perfectly. I also clean it after each use especially since it is new but will probably continue to do that as eventually it will be the gun I carry.
 
I clean any new gun I have and lube it before the first range visit. Then I clean and lube it after any range visit. Now on my hunting rifles I clean them before the season. Then I go to the range and check the zero and make any needed adjustments. Then I don't clean it again until after the season is over and that's because oil in the barrel can throw a flyer on the first shot.
 
I clean when "I think it needs it." You've received a lot of answers and like many aspects of this endeavor there is no right or wrong. It doesn't hurt to properly clean, inspect and lube a new gun. It doesn't hurt to properly clean and lube immediately after firing. Whatever floats your boat. Clean it only enough to ensure accuracy and function or clean it until >you're< happy. Do be sure to lube/protect it so it doesn't rust. "Properly" means don't abuse the gun while you're cleaning it.

I suggest that you don't overthink this one. The right answer for >you< will become apparent in short order. No need to do "what everybody else says you should do."
 
I changed my philosophy...

I changed my philosophy and I'm sorry I did. I always cleaned my revolvers after each outing but I've now got three semis and I've skipped a few cleanings between outings. I started getting failures of all kinds and the ammo I made wouldn't plunk test right. I thought it was a short leade cut in the barrel. Turns out, that after only a couple of hundred rounds my rifling was so gunked up that it wouldn't let the bullet seat in the chamber. A good cleaning fixed that problem and now I've decided that cleaning after every round was the best idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top