How and when do you clean your weapon?

[rustybayonet]

I'm reading posts about people saying they are getting leading after 10,000 rounds and others saying shoot some fmj to clean out the barrel. How long does it take to shoot 10k? Does anyone do it in one day?

Does anyone think that after a day at the range you should pull out the brass brush and some good old gun oil to clean your weapon?

After spending 12 years in the Infantry, you learn to scrub your gun every chance you get. I cast my bullets, powder coat them and never had any build up in the barrel.

Am I just old fashion cleaning my weapons after a day of shooting?

[ArrDave]

I'm reading posts about people saying they are getting leading after 10,000 rounds and others saying shoot some fmj to clean out the barrel. How long does it take to shoot 10k? Does anyone do it in one day?

Does anyone think that after a day at the range you should pull out the brass brush and some good old gun oil to clean your weapon?

After spending 12 years in the Infantry, you learn to scrub your gun every chance you get. I cast my bullets, powder coat them and never had any build up in the barrel.

Am I just old fashion cleaning my weapons after a day of shooting?

Most competition shooters keep the guns oiled but clean them like once a month to a few times a year, not every time. I probably clean the practice gun once a quarter. Most folks have a round count of 10K a year on past 50K


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[Dirty Rod]

The more often someone shoots the less frequently they tend to clean. Fortunately, guns don't need to be super clean to run reliably as long as there is lube. When I was shooting 500 rounds a year, I cleaned my guns right after each trip. Now that it's 1000 rounds a month for me and my wife, it's every 3-4K rounds or when the springs need to be changed with just lube and a wipe down after the range. Only my carry stays clean.

10k rounds in a day? That would be exhausting. Even 1k would be a lot for me.

[TennJeep1618]

1 hour ago, ArrDave said:

Most competition shooters keep the guns oiled but clean them like once a month to a few times a year, not every time. I probably clean the practice gun once a quarter. Most folks have a round count of 10K a year on past 50K


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I shoot around 10K a year and that's about how often I clean my guns.  I'll clean them a few weeks before a major match (giving me enough time to shoot a local match or practice session to verify functionality) or about every 2 months.  Like the others have said, most guns will run very dirty, as long as they're lubed.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I like to clean my guns before a match - will run it dirty for many practice sessions, though.

Just, lube it thoroughly - usually with Slide Glide  

[armydad]

I know many shooters who clean their guns maybe once a month though they shoot them at least weekly. They are sure to oil them before shooting, and they do just fine. A buddy of mine who worked at a range and shot daily, tested his Glock 17 by only lubing it. After 20k rounds, I believe, with lube only, he still had no malfunctions. Other guns might not be as forgiving. He only shot Winchester White box, no reloads. I've seen guns that were incredibly dirty from shooting reloaded ammo, so they might not fare as well over time without cleaning

I was trained to clean and lube my guns after every shooting session, and to check them before the next shooting session, and that's what I do. I've never had an issue. I'ts been a few years, but if I recall correctly, in John Paul's video, regarding maintenance on his rifles, he said it was not necessary to clean them after every shooting session. He also talked about lubing the bolt carrier generously - to the point that oil should be flying off the gun when it's fired.

And perhaps those of us who were taught to clean and lube our guns after every shooting session, or after long periods/conditions of storage, was because older powders were more corrosive. I suppose I'm a little weird because I like cleaning my guns and I enjoy reloading too.  

[Flatland Shooter]

My father was an armorer in the Army.  Hard fast rule was we never went to bed with a dirty gun in the house.

It took years of shooting but I finally got it through my head that I could actually shoot my gun for weeks without cleaning and not affect reliability or damage the gun.

After switching to Vihta Vouri powders (it burns so clean) I can stretch cleaning sessions out even further.

I wipe 'em down and hit them with a little lube after each outing.  A good detailed cleaning and spring change at the end of the season works for me.

[EEH]

3 minutes ago, Flatland Shooter said:

My father was an armorer in the Army.  Hard fast rule was we never went to bed with a dirty gun in the house.

It took years of shooting but I finally got it through my head that I could actually shoot my gun for weeks without cleaning and not affect reliability or damage the gun.

After switching to Vihta Vouri powders (it burns so clean) I can stretch cleaning sessions out even further.

I wipe 'em down and hit them with a little lube after each outing.  A good detailed cleaning and spring change at the end of the season works for me.

Just like a kid,,don't listen to a da** thing your Father tried to teach you..

[Flatland Shooter]

My father lived six states away.  Whenever he came to visit he wanted see see what new firearms were accumulated.

Every gun I showed him was spotlessly cleaned and properly oiled.

Just because I came to terms with a dirty gun didn't  mean he did.

[M1A4ME]

Many of us had fathers and grandfathers that lived through the depression and a World War or two.

They learned to take care of what they had for several reasons that was important to their survival.

I was brought up to clean my gun even if I only shot it once (deer season for example).  It got cleaned up, wiped down with an oily rag and put back in the case till the next range session (my M1A got shot a lot back then).  If you take a gun out of the case and handle it, then you wipe it down with an oily rag to keep it from rusting where you touched it.

I actually don't mind cleaning guns, or working on them, or reloading for them.  All good fun.

Heck, sometimes I clean one that hasn't been shot.  My EDC gets cleaned a couple times a month.  A couple others in the house get cleaned every 4 to 6 weeks just to make sure they are ready when/if needed.

[TDA]

It's only a weapon if it's pointed at someone! 

[MemphisMechanic]

Oil it each time you shoot it.

Clean it before majors, or every few months. If it won't run 5,000 rounds between cleanings then it isn't something I want to be shooting. One live fire practice weekly, and five matches a month, mean that I'd be cleaning for several hours a month.

That time goes into dryfire instead.

This is the typical status of every gun I have competed with, above, right around the time I clean them.

Carry guns and household defensive long guns stay spotless at all times, however.

Edited November 8, 2016 by MemphisMechanic

[Foxbat]

Here's the picture of a friend's barrel.  According to him, it still worked as it should.

 

 

[LittleLebowski]

Just because the military teaches it doesn't mean it's writ in stone.

[safeactionjackson]

When I didn't shoot often, I cleaned firearms after each use.

That doesn't work for me any longer, probably have 10+ guns in my safe that need to be cleaned   I will sit down one night and clean .22's (the absolute worse to clean), and maybe do 2-3 pistols a night for a week to get caught up.

M G34 (IDPA gun) gets cleaned once every month or two... or like others have said... it gets cleaned prior to larger/sanctioned matches.  Doubt I've cleaned it lately with anything less than 2k worth of ammo thru it.  I don't lube it heavily, nor do I run it "wet".

~g

[neway]

My neighbor cleans mine for me. He likes to do it lol.

[njl]

You're supposed to clean them?

 

[rustybayonet]

On Friday, December 02, 2016 at 8:48 AM, neway said:

My neighbor cleans mine for me. He likes to do it lol.

Where do you live, I'm comming by.