Post your least favorite gun(s) to clean

[sandmansans]

So I was wondering what's your least favorite gun to clean? I myself enjoy cleaning my guns after a day at the range, I find it therapeutic but when it comes to my s&w500 and m&p 15-22 I don't share those sentiments. With the .500 its inherently a dirty gun, I assume just due to the fact that you have so much exposed lead being fired out of the gun (400-700grain). The worst is cleaning where the compensator meets the barrel, those grooves and lips are a real PITA to clean. The barrel is also a chore, as it seems I can't find a brush that conforms perfectly to the inside of the barrel. The ones that I have found of size, don't have as rigid of bristles as the smaller calibers. they wilt and bend easily..
The 15-22 with the .22 gets wax all over the darn place is another pain. There so much lead and wax residue after shooting and it's in hard to reach places. I've found that using Gun Scrubber and aerosol remoil, spraying it in and then taking the air compressor and blowing it out is the easiest and most effective way for me. As for the .500, I find myself using a buttload of q-tips.
An honorable mention goes out to my k frame 66-2. With its tight space around the forcing cone at the top. I find myself spending the majority of the time in cleaning this gun on this very small spot. The lead and residue accumulates there and it's such a tight spot it makes getting any patch or other material a chore. other than that it's not a bad gun to clean.

In case you were wondering my easiest to clean is my Taurus PT99. Its the easiest gun ever to clean. You can strip it completely in a matter of seconds, lots of space to clean with patches and q tips.


What are yours?

 

[Rustyt1953]

None.

I love cleaning guns. It is soothing and therapeutic. I become reacquainted with each one. As I disassemble them, I marvel, all over again, at the engineering brilliance behind each part, asking myself, "how did someone think of this"?

After gently cleaning and/or lubeing each piece, inhaling the intoxicating aphrodisiac that is Hoppe's, I reassemble them while thinking, "wow, how fortunate am I that I get to shoot these again". As I tuck them back in their little beds, I look upon them and muse, "soon.....soon".

 

[Fat Frank]

Least favorite gun to clean?

Somebody else's.

 

[swsig]

That's an easy one for me. It's my 1974 Ruger Standard .22lr. It's actually not too difficult to clean, as I use Frog Lube, which greatly diminishes carbon buildup. The difficult part is disassembly-reassembly. Disassembly starts with removing the mainspring-bolt stop assembly from the grip. This requires lowering a very stiff lever on the mainspring housing, then delivering a light tap with a cushioned drift on the bolt stop. Once that is out, I remove the bolt, then I deliver a sharp blow to the barrel-receiver assembly with a rubber mallet to dislodge it from the grip. Once everything is cleaned and lubed (I use Hoppes #9 bore cleaner and oil in the barrel), reassembly is the reverse. I must pound the barrel-receiver back onto the grip with sufficient force to ensure that bolt stop holes in the grip are aligned with the holes in the barrel-receiver. That can be tricky. Even a slight misalignment will ensure that the gun will not go back together. Next, I insert the bolt into the barrel-receiver assembly and put the safety on Safe. Then comes the difficult part, reinserting the mainspring-bolt stop assembly. If all goes well the bolt stop will go through all the holes with minimum effort. If not, an extra mallet whack or two on the barrel-receiver may be necessary. Once the bolt stop is in, then the mainspring part must be pivoted into the back of the grip. To do this, I hold the Ruger up about 60 degrees from horizontal with the grip in my left hand and the mainspring housing in my right. I move the safety to Fire, pull the trigger, and look for the tiny and barely visible hammer strut to drop down toward the housing. I then align the strut so that it goes into its equally tiny receptacle in the housing as I push the housing back into the grip (without allowing the bolt stop to slide out) and snap the lever shut. If I'm really lucky, I'll accomplish this on the first try. If not, the whole assembly usually comes loose and I have to start all over again. I think my personal record is around a dozen attempts.

Fortunately, it is all worth it because my Ruger is a lot of fun to shoot. It has a very light and very smooth SAO trigger, and with .22lr ammo being relatively inexpensive, I can find myself shooting hundreds of rounds at a range session before I begin to notice. If you've ever wanted a fun-to-shoot semi-automatic that you can pound with a mallet, a Ruger Standard is for you.

 

[OLDSTER]

Cleaning

Ruger Mark/Standard .22 pistol. I love 'em and have always owned ( in over 50 years) at least two. But when it comes to cleaning time I need to get in the right frame of mind to tackle the project Usually takes a few days to prepare

 

[kpap]

Yep the ruler mark3 22/45 is a giant cluster to take down and reassemble. The first time must have been pure luck, because the second time I attempted this task I was convinced the gun was possessed or broke. Finally gave up and called ruger a vary helpful associate walked me through the reassembly of this nightmare. He laughed when it was over, and said he gets calls every week helping fellas like myself. So now I do the bubba cleaning on this gun, I try to clean it without taking it apart, someday I may get the nerve to attempt to take it apart again.

 

[Faulkner]

When I read the title of this thread I figured the Ruger .22's would make the list pretty quick. I have half a dozen MKII's and a MKIII and I've never found them difficult. Different, yes, but not difficult.

 

[ordy]

I don't really enjoy cleaning any of them but it has to be done. In spite of my dislike, I'm meticulous and have come up with efficient methods to get the job done.

 

[Muss Muggins]

No contest. . . Browning Challenger II .22 semi auto . . . Little parts, tight tolerances, pain to strip, pain to reassemble . . .

 

[Farmer17]

My Rossi M92 .357 lever gun. But that's only if I do a full field strip, I can usually just use a lot of solvent and aerosol Remington Shotgun Cleaner and scrub and blow out the crud then lube it with some Bear Grease and Remoil.

 

[johngalt]

I used to be very particular about cleaning, but after some research, I don't think it is good for the gun, especially if it is a tightly fitted target gun. You can cause more wear by constantly stripping it than shooting it. Any more, I don't clean until it starts to malfunction (which is rarely), just wipe it off with an oily rag.

That said, my target 1911 with the super tight bushing is a bit of a pain.

 

[Mickey D]

So I was wondering what's your least favorite gun to clean? I myself enjoy cleaning my guns after a day at the range, I find it therapeutic but when it comes to my s&w500 and m&p 15-22 I don't share those sentiments. With the .500 its inherently a dirty gun, I assume just due to the fact that you have so much exposed lead being fired out of the gun (400-700grain). The worst is cleaning where the compensator meets the barrel, those grooves and lips are a real PITA to clean. The barrel is also a chore, as it seems I can't find a brush that conforms perfectly to the inside of the barrel. The ones that I have found of size, don't have as rigid of bristles as the smaller calibers. they wilt and bend easily..



What are yours?

May I suggest Montana Xtreme products.
I was recently introduced to their brushes, jags and cleaners. Pricey but excellent.

 

[Muss Muggins]

. . . Any more, I don't clean until it starts to malfunction (which is rarely), just wipe it off with an oily rag. . .

I'm not a gun cleaning psycho, but anything I intend to carry to defend me and mine gets cleaned before it malfunctions, no matter how hard it is to do the job . . .

 

[pharmer]

HK91. The breechface must be cleaned with dental picks through the ejection port. Last time I did it charcoal briquets fell out. Didn't affect the operation but it was disconcerting. Joe

 

[Arik]

All of them!!!

I can't believe they haven't invented self cleaning bullets. Just fire a few at the end of each range trip and pooof clean!

 

[gregintenn]

Anything fired with blackpowder!

 

[DGT]

To me, the toughest is the C96 Broomhandle.

 

[TTSH]

All of them!!!

Beat me to it. God Almighty, do I ever hate cleaning guns.

 

[Fishslayer]

SKS after shooting corrosive ammo.

Ruger MKIII .22s. Not nearly as bad as people say but a bit of a pain...

 

[RJJ 1971]

HP TS 995 - 9mm Carbine. Not fun at all.
My GSG 522 was easier to take down and clean.