Clean handgun after each session, even 50 rds.?

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Ignition Override

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Clean handgun after each session, even 50 rds. per gun?

The objective of this question is to evaluate the minimum frequency needed to avoid corrosion or allow dependable function.
Typically I shoot no more than fifty rds. per session.

Among my three Makarovs and CZ-82, none will be used as a carry gun until next fall. Still in a prolonged, mostly inactive search for which type of holster.
 
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In years past I would also clean guns after every shooting session. Those days are LONG behind me. These days I am able to dedicate more time to shoot and I shoot more frequently. I also have many more guns than in the past.

I am firm believer that on the whole, more folks have done as much/more damage to guns with overzealous & ill-conceived (and poorly executed) cleaning than they have by simple neglect and certainly, by shooting them while dirty.

I wipe my guns down as I tear down my kit from a good range day. If it's one of those guns I don't shoot often, I'll clean it. If it's one of my many favorites that gets shot OFTEN, I find excessive cleaning to be a silly waste of time.
 
With my HK I only clean every 200 - 300 rounds. No concern for corrosion and my handloads shoot clean, so no need to clean inside very often.

With a blued steel gun I would at least wipe the surface with an oiled cloth every time. The inside depends on your ammo.
 
I like to clean them. Inspecting for damage and wear would also play into that. Even 50 rounds.
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I agree. Ive never understood why you wouldnt clean/maintain them, but, to each his own. Cleaning is just part of shooting, and part of the ritual.
 
I clean every trip, no matter how few. The reason is two-fold.

Firstly, if I am disciplined and do it every time, I will not be negligent in my cleaning. If I adopted a "I'll leave it this time", it could easily snow-ball to several range trips. Then there is the fact that I may shoot a gun, but then not shoot again for well over a month, depending on my schedule.

In addition, I just like handling my firearms and what better way to do so safely, than if they are in pieces, being cleaned!!

The only downside is finding a good time when I have a moment to myself.

As far as function and reliability is concerned, I suspect most modern guns could go for hundreds between cleans. For corrosion, I suppose if they are lubed and the ammo was not corrosive in nature, then it should also be fine.
 
If i shoot 50 or so rounds I do not clean them. i keep my guns in a climate control room and use mostly non corrosive ammo. If I shoot some of the corrosive scrap or black powder i clean it when shooting session is done.
 
The exterior gets a wipe down after every range trip. A field strip and quick wipe down to keep crud from building up inside the action every so often. A true thorough cleaning a couple times a year.
 
My Father would tell me " son if you shoot it, you clean it". But this wisdom was a left-over from the days of corrosive primers and/or black powder. I rarely clean them unless it is a carry pistol. I usually brush the powder residue out of the breech area after shooting , but clean them all once every year or two and see no reason to do anymore than that. I have not noticed any wear because of this regimen and refuse to be a slave to incessant cleaning , to which I find no benefit. To each his own.
 
Yes, absolutely, a firearm is a complicated machine just like your car.

You strip down you car to its component parts and completely replace all fluids, greases and oils after every trip to the store, right?.....
I can't be the only one, can I?


(Truthfully, I'll wipe it down and give one, singular pass through with a boresnake to make sure there are no obstructions, but there's no component of modern ammunition that's going to ruin a firearm if left in there for a day, month, or even a year.)
 
I exclusively shoot NRA 50-50 Alox lubed, cast-lead bullets in all my guns. That combination is very dirty and subsequently, my guns quickly get deposits of greasy sludge on/in them. When the sludge gets to the point of being very obvious, I clean them. It is notable, that no matter how filled with sludge they become, I have never had a failure to function with any of them be it revolver or auto.
 
Often times, I'll clean clean guns...




Sometimes a quick wipe down of the chamber and slide has to suffice until I can do an actual cleaning, depending on if there's fish that need attention.
 
Cleaning

I shoot Benchrest. The previous method was to clean after shooting each target, 5 for score and sighting shots. As many as 10-20 sighters if windy.

Now, it's don't clean until the accuracy begins to go south. That could be 10 rounds or 150 or more, depending on the barrel.

Rimfire, whenever it gets over 10,000 rounds or never.

Don't let a boresnake get within 100 miles of your guns. Crud builds up very quickly and will ruin an expensive barrel.

Roy
 
Carry gun, clean often. Range guns get cleaned when they fail. You will eventually get a count on your range guns, and catch the cleaning time right before they start to fail. Taking a gun apart for cleaning causes more wear than shooting it dirty.

Don't let a boresnake get within 100 miles of your guns.
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I agree 110%. People say that tiny bits of carbon get embedded in aluminum or brass rods and scratch the inside of the bore. A bore snake catches and holds much more tiny bits of carbon than a solid rod does! Yet they praise bore snakes? I will never understand that.
 
Unless you shoot corrosive ammo, which is rare now, and it's only older surplus ammo that is corrosive.

I go a few hundred rounds or so before cleaning at minimum. I just dont have the time or desire to spend my time cleaning all the time. Cleaning involves a wipe down, inspection, bore gets a pass through with a patch no brush unless needed, then I relube. About ten minutes of work for a pistol.

Every so often I will clean more thoroughly to ensure things don't build up in hard to get areas.


It really is an old way of thinking from the days of blackpowder and corrosive ammo... even the bench rest shooters who use to clean between stages where very few rounds are shot... have stopped cleaning every time. The army marksmanship unit doesn't even clean copper foiling until they see accuracy drop off.


Just make sure the firearm is lubed properly before each trip, and it should be if you use good lube, then just shoot until it starts getting too dirty.
 
Many of the pistols made today have finishes that bond with the metal surface to keep oxidation from occurring . Also with the new cleaners and oils available now , that bond with the metal surfaces make oxidation even more difficult. Most of the cleaning after each range session with pistols tend to be ritual rather than a necessity.
 
I am firm believer that on the whole, more folks have done as much/more damage to guns with overzealous & ill-conceived (and poorly executed) cleaning than they have by simple neglect and certainly, by shooting them while dirty.
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I agree with the above statement.
As long as the guns I'm shooting are not going to be put away for long term storage (several months) I give them a good visual inspection, lube them a little if needed and wipe them down.
 
Lately I haven't shot as much as I used to, and since I don't shoot a lot of the guns I have much, and I don't know when I'll shoot a particular gun again, I clean mine after each shooting session. Even if it's just only a quick cleaning of the bore and a wipe down with oil.
 
After every use I wipe down the inside of the pistol with an old cotton t-shirt. I pay particular attention to using a brush on the feedramp and on the extractor (to me these are your major sources of malfunctions). Then I re-lube and reassemble. I do the bore about every 500 rds. No ammo I shoot is corrosive and all ammo I shoot is jacketed, so even after 500 rds the bore isn't that dirty. As far as corrosion goes, unless you're shooting corrosive ammo or storing the pistol in a very humid environment I generally think you're okay. If your environment isn't overly metal friendly and you have to store the pistol for some time, a light coat of your chosen gun oil doesn't hurt.
 
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