How Often do you Clean your Firearms?

[fortyofforty]

Do you clean them every time you shoot them?  Do you clean them when you get around to it?  Do you just shoot them and never worry about it?

There is a theory that says it's better to clean after a lot of shooting, but then fire at least a few rounds again, to verify everything is working properly.  There might be some validity to that idea.

What say you?

[BMyers]

I use to clean mine every time I was done at the range. Now, I try to clean it once a month, which we usually shot 3-4 matches in that time frame.

 

[JArthurD]

I clean every time I fire my guns.  For weapons not normally fired, I still clean them at least a few times per year.  There are many schools of thought on this topic.  I probably do an armorer's tear down on every gun a few times per year, to check for wear on parts/springs.  I personally would not carry or put a gun away without cleaning it.  -Maybe it is a carry over from my military training.

[Tvov]

Can you add a choice of "After a few sessions at the range"?  I don't usually clean after every time shooting, unless it was a LOT of shooting.  I do try to clean all the guns at least once a year so if nothing else I can check the functioning of the "safe queens". 

[Leigh1964]

As a child I was told, "Never let the sun set on a dirty gun."  

40+ years later and it still rings true...

   

[crockett]

I clean them every time I shot them. Don't want to have lead dust on my hands when handling a gun at home.

Also, I like to reload and shoot with Bullseye, very accurate, and that stuff is dirty as heck.

[M2 Carbine]

About every week I'm shooting a different gun (home ranges).

Usually after shooting the gun a couple weeks I'll clean it before putting it away and getting another gun.

I think a lot of guns receive more wear from cleaning than shooting.

Edited July 6, 2018 by M2 Carbine

[mlk18]

When it comes to my fighting guns I clean them when I think they need it. Not after every trip to the range but perhaps every 3 to 4 trips. And I am not overly meticulous either. Although I will detail strip and clean them every 12-18 months. If it can't run dirty than it's probably not a worthy fighting gun.

When it comes to my collectibles and fun gun, I clean them far more often with much more attention paid to maintaining their appearance. Of course I shoot them far less too.

[Citra47]

Accept for pump shotguns (don't ask me why) I clean all firearms when I am finished shooting or within a couple days. All firearms from the safe, fired or not, I try to clean at least once per year. Any weapon exposed to rain, dirt or other unsavory Florida elements gets cleaned when I am finished using it fired or not.  

[Gun Shark]

Every time I shoot them. Pretty anal about it.

[Boogieman]

God hates dirty guns.  That's why he makes them jam.

[Mr. Black]

I think that a lot of people that say they clean their guns EVERY time after they shoot them, either A don't shoot very often, or B they don't have very many guns in their rotation.  Or a combination of both.  Just generalizing a bit.   

My wife and I run a part time business in firearms instruction, and we have a pretty large fleet of what we consider to be "class guns".    I would flat out need to hire a full time employee just for cleaning guns if I held fast to the they must be cleaned after any firing rule.  

That being said in the modern world, I think a lot of people over clean their guns.   

To answer the thread title, I'd say a thousand rounds or once or twice a year.  

Edited July 6, 2018 by Mr. Black

[MikeG36]

1 minute ago, Mr. Black said:

I think that a lot of people that say they clean there guns EVERY time after they shoot them, either A don't shoot very often, or B they don't have very many guns in their rotation.  Or a combination of both.  Just generalizing a bit.   

My wife and I run a part time business in firearms instruction, and we have a pretty large fleet of what we consider to be "class guns".    I would flat out need to hire a full time employee just for cleaning guns if I held fast to the they must be cleaned after any firing rule.  

That being said in the modern world, I think a lot of people over clean their guns.   

To answer the thread title, I'd say a thousand rounds or once or twice a year.  

I used to over clean my guns - now I'm much less anal about it. A huge +1 for Mr. BlacK! 

[Valmet]

Every time I use them, no question. It’s a labor of love. 

[Glock19c]

My carry piece is cleaned after each range visit.  My other piece I use for practice gets a good clean after 2-3 range visits at 100-300 rounds per visit.  

I almost never use a bore brush and if I do it's nylon.  Anyone else not use a bore brush much? 

[Mr. Black]

9 minutes ago, Glock19c said:

 

I almost never use a bore brush and if I do it's nylon.  Anyone else not use a bore brush much? 

I pretty much use boresnakes for everything in the last 5 years or so.  I probably have 15 boresnakes now.   To include shotgun boresnakes.   Love them.  

[Will Beararms]

If you clean them every time you shoot, when you do miss a cleaning, its not a big deal. For me, a cleaning means a boresnake, field strip, wipe down a lube. 

I recently changed to HK from Glock for my carry pistol. I didn’t realize how much lint collects in a Glock from that open grip. I now see the logic in the grip plug. 

 

[Mr. Black]

Fun video.  Classic.  

 

 

[t4terrific]

I clean and oil each gun after shooting it. I clean and lube my EDC Glock 23 about monthly, but wipe it down for dust pretty much daily.

[Leigh1964]

5 hours ago, Glock19c said:

I almost never use a bore brush and if I do it's nylon.  Anyone else not use a bore brush much? 

After 40+ years, l still rely on copper/bronze bore brushes; they are softer than stainless or carbon steel barrels and after 500 rounds of range ammo in a single session, plastic bore brushes require more elbow grease.

As for people "over-cleaning" a firearm?  It only hurts if they are doing it incorrectly.........

[Highspeedlane]

After every range trip for centerfire. I usually clean .22 rimfire every few hundred rounds or so. Today's miracle spray cleaners make it easy to blast the crud out of a semi auto .22 pretty easy though.

[Collim1]

Guns I depend on for self defense I tend to keep fairly clean, and apply fresh lube every couple of weeks. 

 

I have quite a few range only guns that I only clean when they begin to malfunction, or get so funky they are dirty to handle.  I do apply plenty of lube before each shooting session.

 

I had a P320 in .45 that went several thousand rounds without cleaning. I eventually cleaned it when it started to get so dirty to handle I was staining my clothes.  

 

I have a RRA AR15 that went 5k+ rounds without cleaning. I cleaned it only after it needed a new extractor, and it got so nasty it sprayed my shooting glasses with crud after every shot. 

 

I don’t enjoy cleaning guns, and I barely have time to shoot as much as I want, much less clean guns afterwards. I have range only guns specifically for the purpose of not having to worry about cleaning them after I shoot. 

 

Even my carry guns and duty pistol only get a true proper detail cleaning about once or twice a year these days. Most of the time they get a quick wipe down and bore snaking with ballistol or CLP.

 

my guns are ALWAYS adequately lubricated no matter what though. I never neglect on lube. My experience has been guns will go thousands and thousands of rounds without cleaning and maintain reliability as long as they are continued to be properly lubricated. I’ve also never noticed a loss of accuracy even when extremely dirty. 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Collim1

[ASU666glocker]

My “fun guns” I clean after 5-6 range trips (500-1k). My duty gun every time I shoot it or once a month per policy. 

ETA: my ccw is also my backup gun at work, same cleaning applies as my duty gun. 

Edited July 6, 2018 by ASU666glocker

[Boogieman]

I also have levels of cleaning.  EDC is cleaned after every range trip.  Same for any home defense firearm.  As well as any gun used in a training class.  On day three of a Thunder Ranch course a lot of students bragged that they hadn't cleaned their Glocks.   Clint Smith advised otherwise but...well...Glock guys being Glock guys and all.  On day four several went tits up.  On day five they all started the day with squeaky clean Combat Tupperware.   Mr Smith's 45 acp 1911 and my squeaky clean Delta Elite ran flawlessly.

The Glock guys didn't like that at all.  :-)

A fun gun that I'll be shooting again in a few days probably not.  A gun that will be going in the safe for a while gets detail stripped and cleaned.  And of course anything fired with black powder or corrosive ammo gets a real good scrubbing ASAP.

But seriously.  I can thoroughly seriously scrub and lube a Glock in under 10 minutes.   A 1911 in about 15.  Why carry a dirty EDC?

 

 

[Redhookbklyn]

I clean them after every range trip.