Competitive Gun Cleaning...

[al503]

I completely clean the top end and wipe down the lower after any typical range session/match that I shoot more than 200 rounds. That includes a couple/three runs of a bronze brush through the bore followed by a couple of patches on a jag wth CLP/FP10.

~5K rounds = full detail cleaning with the addition of 1 patch of solvent in the bore.

[XD Niner]

I pull a bore snake with a couple of drops of CLP through the barrel of each of my pistols after every practice session. I do so while the barrel is still warm. Maybe I am making a mistake.

I clean my pistols after 500 or so rounds and before every match. However, I think I will adopt the approach of shooting a hundred rounds or so through them before the match just to make sure everything is okay.

A lot of good info here but it looks like most of us base our cleaning practices on urban legends and perceptions.

[Paradox]

On the subject of cleaning barrels...

I bought a CZ in 9mm about 3 years ago and decided to just shoot it. 4000 to 5000 rounds later the bore has gotten noticeably smoother (tooling marks are all but gone). Once I decided to run a wet patch through the bore, I got ... almost nothing out. Note: I do this ONLY with pistols that shoot jacketed bullets, as I am not sure this applies to cast bullets.

If you are uneasy about not brushing/cleaning your barrel, just clean the chamber. For note, I did run in excess of 5000 rounds of .40 out my Edge before I finally decided to clean it... the soot was rubbing off on everything (I did squirt FP-10 on the rails and barrel hood every 500 rounds or so)

[XRe]

All that being said... I used to shoot with a few of the folks from Glock, when I lived in Atlanta. If I recall correctly, they had bought back several pistols from gun ranges that had documented 100,000 and 200,000 rounds on them with NO cleaning, and I think at that point were in search of one with 300,000..... Apparently, they all still shot fairly accurately, as well... I was told they were pretty nasty on the inside , but still ran fine...

[kevin c]

I clean my (Limited) guns less and less often now. I've found that they run fine unless I'm shooting lead. Then the lube buildup after a lot of rounds makes things sluggish. Jacketed ammo with a clean powder like Viht means just fine carbon buildup only and normal function.

I will clean before a major match, though. While I don't mind a minor malf in practice, I will not be happy if it happens at a big match, so why should I take that chance? But the main reason I clean two or three practice sessions before a big match has been stated above - if there is anything wrong with any part I inspect during the detail strip and clean, I have time to fix or replace it and test fire the gun afterwards.

I do clean my bore, partly out of habit, but also because I've been told that leading is not stripped out by shooting jacketed ammo, and may build up. If I shot only jacketed I might follow the good Mr. Schuemann's advice.

[Harmon]

i clean them as needed. no set number of rounds, ect.

but i cant see cleaning a gun after each match...between practice and some weekends i shoot 2 matches, i just dont have time to clean that often...

ive never put a bore brush down my KKM 40 barrel and its as shiney as new on the inside.. i do brush the chamber when it needs it.

if you clean after every match and practice session, and you practice more than once a week and shoot a match every weekend, plus clean the bore with a brass brush your barrel probably will start showing signs of wear due to excess cleaning.

i know one person i went to school with that had a fetish over clean guns...he would fire 20 rounds and do a detail strip of the gun...CRAZY!

[revchuck]

I clean mine at around 500 rounds. As for detail stripping, I'm comfortable doing it with 1911s and S&W revolvers, but for my CZ and Beretta, I spray BreakFree into the innards until it runs out the bottom, and then blow it out with canned air. I hate showing up at a gunsmith's with my gun in pieces in a box...

[Bear23]

I tend to clean my 1911/2011's after every match, but usually on a weekly basis, consisting of practice and then a match weekend... So the guns have around 500-1000 rounds through them before they get really cleaned. I don't clean the barrels, i just run an oiled patch through them. The topends come off and everything gets wiped down.

On my 1911 on which i shoot moly bullets, i do have to clean the bore now and them and it does get leaded up and accuracy suffers. Not really sure if it is just Moly residue that builds up quickly with a little bit of lead, or just lead..

[diehli]

Everytime I read the title of this thread I think that one of the shooting shows on TV has turned gun cleaning into a timed event. Is it just me?

I clean my gun(s) when they quit running right. I don't normally add oil to help keep it running, so that results in a more frequent cleaning than if I did add oil (I'm a diehard Slide Glide user).

With my Limited gun, it gets cleaned after several thousand rounds. I tend to do a full cleaning (i.e. detail strip) on it because about the time it starts getting sluggish is when there's a bit of gack in the trigger, too, so both the top and bottom ends need cleaning.

With my Open gun the top end gets cleaned more frequently than the bottom, 'cause it starts to get sluggish, but the trigger's still nice. I clean the top end after about 1200-1500 rounds and clean the bottom every other time I clean the top.

I'll detail clean either gun before a major, but I like to make sure I get at least 150-200 rounds down the pipe before match day.

As far as how I clean it, I use rags, Q-Tips soaked in Breakfree, and Boresnakes. If there was something like Wilson's chamber brush for .40 and 9mm, I'd get rid of the Boresnakes, otherwise they're just too damn easy.

[Loves2Shoot]

If there was something like Wilson's chamber brush for .40 and 9mm, I'd get rid of the Boresnakes, otherwise they're just too damn easy.

A dremmel and felt pad the appropriate diameter for the chamber

[Middle Man]

A humorous, drifting side note:

Do you know what a Dremmel at full throttle sounds like to a gunsmith?

[smokshwn]

Money!

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Cuz it isn't too long before the customer says "So I decided to fix my.....

[Middle Man]

Cuz it isn't too long before the customer says "So I decided to fix my.....

Or "I thought it needed a little polishing, just to smooth it up..."

Judicious is not a word that enters the majority of first time dremmel users stream of consciousness.

[Carlos]

Apparently Glocks do not require cleaning. Rather, they just need mud, dirt, rock salt, run over with a truck, dropped from an airplane, shot with a .22, etc. :

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...topic=31297&hl=

[reneet]

Everytime I read the title of this thread I think that one of the shooting shows on TV has turned gun cleaning into a timed event. Is it just me?

That's exactly what I was thinking

I clean my gun(s) when they quit running right.

That's my normal philosophy as well. However, upon initial signs of malfunction, I'll add some FP-10 to the barrel's top & bottom lugs, muzzle end and chamber. Once a drop of oil or 2 stops working, I'll clean the top end which entails Scrubbing the chamber with a Hoppes bronze brush & bore gel, clean firing pin & hole, clean extractor & hole, remove piles of gunk from rails with dental tool, squirt with Gunscrubber, brush off any remaining residue, lubricate & reassemble. Once a year or so, I'll do a complete cleaning - normally just prior to nationals.

[TMC]

I completely strip the guns down once or twice a year and clean everything. I'm always amazed how much gunk gets into the extractor passage in the slide.

I pull the top end before every match, wipe it and the lower down with a rag where I can and reoil.

I shoot a match almost every weekend and I don't look at it as how many rounds have I shot since it was cleaned but have I done everthing I can so I don't have gun problems at the match.

[rtr]

Everytime I read the title of this thread I think that one of the shooting shows on TV has turned gun cleaning into a timed event. Is it just me?

Makes me think the same thing.

[Bigbadaboom]

I clean mine only for inspection purposes about every 1000-2000 rounds or every 2-3 months and 1 match prior to a big match. I shoot "Black Bullets" so about every 10,000 rounds I dip my bbl. in a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to remove any moly build up at the chamber edge.

[North]

I shoot a Single Stack 1911

I clean my top end after I shoot it, everytime, almost, well at least every other time. When I clean the top end, I pull a rag through the mag tunnel in grip and wipe down the lower.

I've had this 1911 3.5 years, and I've been shooting USPSA for 2. As near as I can figure It had been 2.5 years and 15,000 rounds since I detail stripped and cleaned my pistol. I only shoot my reloads in this gun. 4 grains of reddot and 230 grains of roundnose lead. I detailed it tonight.

Boy did it need it. The back of my trigger looked like it was growing something. My sear and disconnector wear growing the same stuff on them, as well as my hammer strut. It was just UGLY.

But, I was not getting any malfuctions. The trigger pull was a crisp 4 pounds before and after.

So I reckon if you shoot a clean powder and jacketed bullets you could go a long time between detail cleanings.

PS, I live and Shoot in dusty New Mexico.

[dajarrel]

I'm one that cleans a gun when it quits running or when I can't stand the sight of it any longer

I will clean the major gunk off of the top end before a major match. I shot at 6-7 sectionals and area matches last year and must confess that I cannot remember the last time I did a complete dis-assembly of the bottom end of my gun. I keep it lubricated and try to wipe the exterior off after every use.

I do take a little more care with the firing pin and hole since I had the fp stick and dropped the fp stop out of the gun. I still have a mark on one of my shooting shirts where that fp hit me in the middle of the chest when it came 'un-stuck'.

I may be lucky, but, with the exception of the fp episode, I have not had any "dirty" gun related problems in several years. ....And yes, I probably could have prevented that one as well.

just the way I do it.

dj

[Jasonub]

i clean after i shoot. i have never jammed or had a malfunction with this procedure thus i will do it continously.

After each shooting session, i remove the barrel and run a patch with hoppes 9 and then dry patches till its clean. I shoot only plated bullets.

I wipe down the rails and slide and then slideglide it. i drop fp10 on the disconnector and where the hammer contacts the slide. also the hammer where the strut comes in. also i slide glide the guide rod. breach face is also wiped well

done in 15 mins tops.

i clean thoroughly every month. take of the grips clean the ms housing trigger group hammer sear disconnector etc.

open the slide and clean the aftec and fp hole and all internals.

guider rod is also wiped and slide glided after also the spring is cleaned and inspected.

will finish after 20 mins tops for this task. small price to pay for an accurate and reliable svi standard pistol

[Steve J]

Clean Freak Zone - or - Cleanliness is next to Godliness

I don't clean between matches on a double match weekend (every weekend is a double match weekend), but every week I completely strip (and I do mean completely) and thoroghly clean (ultrasonic cleaner) the entire pistol.

I look at it this way. Pride in my investment. I always know that everything is in good working order. I know I will not have malfunctions (I'm not good enough to survive malfunctions. Plus they piss me off.)

I love keeping a fine firearm clean and in peak performance condition almost as much as I love shooting, and at one time, reloading. How long will it run if I don't clean it? I may never know and I don't care. I like keeping fine custom firearms clean.

On not having to clean Glocks... Who cares if a Glock is dirty?

[eric nielsen]

I only clean the gun BEFORE a match, then let it get dirty with practice and friday fun shoots for the next couple weeks or 1000 rounds, whichever comes last.

Really only care about the extractor, extractor tunnel, and FP tunnel. Takes 3 or 4 Q-Tips & a little Hoppes. Rest of the top end will just get the black Slide Glide wiped off & replaced with new Slide Glide & rack the slide several times. If the new Slide Glide stays pink in color then I've spent too much time cleaning.

Might take out the hammer & sear & so on every 5K rounds if that. With Glocks there's more parts rubbing each other so I might do the trigger parts every 1000-2000. Slide Glide on that, too.

Edited February 20, 2006 by eric nielsen

[Liota]

Much like DJ, I only clean when the gun will absolutely not fire or when I get given a lot of crap by my friends. One made a comment that my gun "looked like a cow took a dump" in it. The gun got cleaned.

Benny made the Perfect guns for me. They don't necessarily like being clean and I don't necessarily like cleaning them on a regular basis.

I used to be a clean them as soon as you get home type. Not anymore.

Liota

[cautery]

Well, I'm a former Army officer and extremely anal retentive (redundant? ), so what do you think?

I clean any weapon I fire at the end of the day I fire it. I only know of one way to clean a weapon... complete strip down and completely clean each part until no fouling is evident on a clean patch/towel, etc.

I use bore brushes, but only premium broze brushes with looped copper/bronze cores. Brushes are soaked/cleaned between uses to make sure they're clean when used next. When they even start to wear, I replace them (keep at least 1/2 dozen extra on hand at all times).

Use a carbon fiber/bronze rod. Have a set of brass picks and other tools. Don't use any steel to clean a weapon. It WILL NOT hurt a bore to clean it PROPERLY (IMHO and experience).

What it all boils down to with me is this... You can't properly inspect a part if it's dirty. I watch how parts work, wear, etc... Have to be clean for that. I hate working on dirty weapons, cars, computers, etc.

CLEAN toys stay in better shape, are taken care of better, last longer...