To early to clean my xd?

[cali shot doc]

I just got my xd last week and i have put about 500rounds through it. Is it to early to give it a good cleaning? It's shooting pmc bronze and reloads i got at a local gun show. (9mm)

How often do you give your guns a thorough cleaning with lube and oil and solvent?

newbie here!

[ParaGunner]

Since it's new,I would wait a couple hundred rounds more. Maybe go up to 1000

[Team Amish 1]

It won't hurt it if you clean it now.

As a matter of fact, whenever I buy a new gun, I clean and lube it the way I like it, before I ever shoot the first round.

My Glock gets a field strip clean and a drop of oil every 600-1000 rounds (whether it needs it or not) and a detail clean probably every 1000-1500, depending how much time I have.

Enjoy the new toy!

[Jmanchester]

I try to clean my Beretta every 400-600 rounds and replace the lock and block like clock work. You can probably go 1000 rounds and not hurt anything.

Hope that helps.

Jman2

[RIIID]

When it malfunctions it's time to clean it.

Rich

[twodownzero]

I lubricate my guns, but I rarely clean them.

[G34 CORDY]

i clean mine everytime i shoot it. it dont hurt to clean your gun. i have never had a malfunction to date out of my G34 and i bet its because i clean and oil it after every use. i dont understand why people dont clean there guns more often

[twodownzero]

i dont understand why people dont clean there guns more often

Because improper cleaning is responsible for more damage and wear to gun barrels than almost any amount of shooting.

I oil the bore to keep it from rusting, but there's no reason to keep it squeeky clean. I'd rather wear it out with bullets than scrub my guns.

I also used to clean my guns a lot more. Now I shoot a lot more and clean less. I spend my time at home reloading instead of cleaning guns.

[G34 CORDY]

i have never over scrubed my barrel? if your doing that then you need to learn how to clean your gun PROPERLY! if your wearing your gun out cleaning it you need some help from someone that knows what there doing... your not going to convince me that cleaning is a bad thing. mine are SQUEEKY CLEAN!! and never a problem. i also shoot alot but also maintain my equipment.

[Chris iliff]

Clean smean, shoot the piss out of it!

[G34 CORDY]

shoot the piss out of until it jams in a match!! me myself i like to shoot a clean match.

[Team Amish 1]

Shooting it until it jams in a match be not necessarily be the most advantageous OP.

Nonetheless, you may be surprised how long you can shoot your gun before it hiccups.

I say clean it as often as you like and if you neglect it for too long, you'll probably find out.

But seriously, an XD or Glock won't be upset if you neglect it for a few matches.

[G34 CORDY]

iam not going to argue if you all want to clean your guns or not, myself i will because i like the peace of mind and a clean gun before a match. you dont have to clean it hell you dont have to change your oil in your car but it would make it run alittle better if you did on when it called for it.

[paul gilman]

I clean a new gun every 100 to 200 rounds or about very match and practice when I first get it this is to inspect all of the wear surfaces, I run 1 wet patch through the barrel and then 3 or 4 dry patches then lube, after about 1000 rounds I then shoot it in practice until it malfunctions then clean and inspect this gives me a base line on how many rounds I can shoot between cleanings.

[calishootr]

to clean or notto clean is a debatethat almost ranks right upthere with 9mm vs. 45 stopping power, its to each his own as to when to clean or not??? some OCD types that i know will clean their guns always before a match, back in the day, when i was doing 9 matches a month, i woulssomtimes do that, but then, between cleanin the guns and loadin ammo, there wasnt much left for anything else.

I used to run an indoor shooting range where the rental guns would get a cursory 'wipedown' after each rental, we had Glocks go 60,000 rds in 6 months without serious cleanings, now oil??? you wouldnt run your car without it right???

[GrumpyOne]

to clean or notto clean is a debatethat almost ranks right upthere with 9mm vs. 45 stopping power, its to each his own as to when to clean or not??? some OCD types that i know will clean their guns always before a match, back in the day, when i was doing 9 matches a month, i woulssomtimes do that, but then, between cleanin the guns and loadin ammo, there wasnt much left for anything else.

I used to run an indoor shooting range where the rental guns would get a cursory 'wipedown' after each rental, we had Glocks go 60,000 rds in 6 months without serious cleanings, now oil??? you wouldnt run your car without it right???

There is no debate about that subject.....

[GrumpyOne]

i have never over scrubed my barrel? if your doing that then you need to learn how to clean your gun PROPERLY! if your wearing your gun out cleaning it you need some help from someone that knows what there doing... your not going to convince me that cleaning is a bad thing. mine are SQUEEKY CLEAN!! and never a problem. i also shoot alot but also maintain my equipment.

Cordy, you don't have to over scrub your barrel, just let a brush rod scrape up and down on the lands and grooves to affect accuracy. A clean gun is nice if you are gonna show it off, but not necessary to have it run properly. If you do indeed clean as often as you say, sooner or later, probably right before a match, you'll break something, or put something back together wrong, and you will have malfunctions. Which brings me to the next question: When you clean, do you completely strip it down or just field strip it?

And the never a problem thing....Well, it hasn't been that long yet....

[waynes_world_45]

When it malfunctions it's time to clean it.

Rich

exactly.....cleaning is overrated

[Sal1950]

When it malfunctions it's time to clean it.

Rich

exactly.....cleaning is overrated

Humm, I'd like to see you guys tell a DI in the Army that. LOL

I guess "When it malfunctions it's time to clean it" works for the range, but might not be the best approach if your facing down the bad guys.

Cheers,

Sal

[CocoBolo]

Schuemann builds some of the best barrels around and his method of cleaning barrels is the one I use when shooting jacketed bullets and that is clean it by shooting bullets thru it. On occasion I will pass a patch thru the barrel to remove powder debris.

When shooting lead or moly bullets now this is a whole different story. The build up of lead and or moly can in some cases lead to the popper falling when you are shooting the paper things can get out of hand. Chemicals do more damage than a good old fashioned chore boy passed thru to strip this build up out. Use a cleaning rod made of soft material like plastic, and if that destroys you lands then get a steel barrel next time.

But back to the question at hand. With rare exception new guns have a preservative on them and not a lubricant and it can tend to be excessive. So clean your new gun before shooting it. Properly done too much cleaning won't hurt a thing, certainly you wouldn't want to come in second in a real gun fight because you didn't clean the thing. I've seen a few inside the belt carry guns that were so funked up with dead skin and rust they could not possibly work, I'm sure they had not shot many rounds since their last cleaning. So its relative to how the gun is kept more so than the number of rounds fired. I clean the revolver on my Tractor with an Air Compressor evey time I refuel the tractor.

For competiton shooting I recommend that you clean and inspect your gun prior to every match. During this process you may discover that your C-more screws are lose, and your grip screws are falling out and or other things that might cause a malfunction during the match, also a good time to clean all the mags and to clean the holster mechanism aka like the ball in the Ghost holster. I call it being prepared and I like the confidence I get from knowing I'm ready.

Also what you use for a lubricant will change the how often in time or rounds. A little oil on it and let it set for a year and its dry when you try to shoot it, a little grease on it and in a year its still lubed and ready to go. So its variable.

[JimmyZip]

Most semi-auto pistols are easy to field strip and clean. If that type of cleaning takes you more than 10-15 minutes, I don't think you are necessarily making the most of your time. I can, with a sock, solvent, a tooth brush, and a boresnake, take 10 minutes, and have a well scrubbed, and lubed pistol. It won't pass white glove with the exception of the barrel, but it will shoot as well as it should.

Mostly, though, I will clean the barrel, the inside of the slide, any gunk around the breechface/extractor, the guide rod and recoil spring, quick brushing with solvent, and wipe that puppy down until the rag is not picking up residue. Oil it, and function check. Done.

Rifles, well they and shotguns are a different story. More real estate, more cleaning.

[Sarge]

to clean or notto clean is a debatethat almost ranks right upthere with 9mm vs. 45 stopping power, its to each his own as to when to clean or not??? some OCD types that i know will clean their guns always before a match, back in the day, when i was doing 9 matches a month, i woulssomtimes do that, but then, between cleanin the guns and loadin ammo, there wasnt much left for anything else.

I used to run an indoor shooting range where the rental guns would get a cursory 'wipedown' after each rental, we had Glocks go 60,000 rds in 6 months without serious cleanings, now oil??? you wouldnt run your car without it right???

There is no debate about that subject.....

DUH, 9mm of course!

[Sarge]

i have never had a malfunction to date out of my G34 and i bet its because i clean and oil it after every use.

Not likely.

I've never had a malfunction in my 34 either and I have only cleaned it twice all year so far. Once was when I put a Vanek trigger in it and it did not make sense to not clean it with it completely tore apart. The other was a few months ago when said trigger was starting to feel a little gritty. That was after several matches, steel shoots and practice.

With minimal care a Glock will run and run. Thats why I traded up to a 34.

Sorry for the drift. To the OP, clean it as you see fit. It will probably go longer than you think. Don't wait for it to stop working if you plan on shooting matches with it. As you can see, some clean them every match and some clean them avery ten matches.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Sarge

[insatiable ONE]

?

I clean & lube mine after every range trip

[Sal1950]

I don't get this "don't bother to clean" approach. First there's the fact that each time you shoot the weapon you've burned all the protecting lube off both the inside and outside of the barrel, breach face, etc; leave it that way and your just begging for corrosion. Also there's the fact that burnt powder leaves behind some residue that mixes with the lube and gets on all bearing surfaces, that is abrasive stuff and definitely increases the ware on the weapon with each pull of the trigger.

I know you can shoot modern weapons/ammo an awful lot without having function issues, but this theory of "don't bother to clean them" is just plain abusive to the weapon and not an approach I would ever consider for my prized collection.

Cheers,

Sal