Clean or dirty handguns?
- Thread starter Dingoboyx
- Start date
PoorSoulInJersey
New member
Unless you can control just how dirty something is when you shoot it, you don't have a consistent firearm for competition anyway. Does he have 1 gram of gunk in his barrel? Or 1.3 grams, because that's a big difference.
If it's clean, it's a lot more consistent than if it's some variable degree of dirty (which, by the way, changes just as much from one shot to the next as your clean one does).
It sounds to me like he's just trying to excuse a dirty gun. Either that, of he's fallen victim to the superstitions common to those who compete.
If it's clean, it's a lot more consistent than if it's some variable degree of dirty (which, by the way, changes just as much from one shot to the next as your clean one does).
It sounds to me like he's just trying to excuse a dirty gun. Either that, of he's fallen victim to the superstitions common to those who compete.
christcorp
New member
So, we're talking about the bore. Exactly what is it that some lead or powder residue in the barrel is going to do to your gun? Is it a moving part? No. Is it going to clog the barrel and "Jam" a bullet? No. Is it going to change the ballistics of the shot at 30 feet from a dead center chest shot to totally missing the bad guy? Hardly. There's no rationalizing this. If you like to take a brush, solvent, and pads down the barrel of your each after you're done shooting, then have a nut. Nothing wrong with that. As some have said, it's got medicinal therapy if nothing else. But if you choose to blow out, use gun scrub, clean the mechanical parts of your gun and a quick lube before putting them away, then that too is perfectly fine. The barrel/bore itself will have no effect on whether the gun goes "BANG" when you need it to.
I think we have a winner! Match shooters are funny people. If you were winning while shooting standing on one leg, you'd have people emulating that next time.
Don't worry comn-cents, I'm breathing normally.
I just have never seen any sign that a non-mercuric primer is really at all corrosive. This includes polishing up brass that has been sitting around uncleaned for years. As far as trusting clean or dirty guns, my Glocks will motor through any amount of grit (it seems) without stopping. My S&W revolvers need more TLC, mostly because they get grit under the extractors from unburned residues in the chambers.
L_Killkenny
New member
I clean my guns when they need it. Guns do not need it after ever trip to the range or the field. There are lots of guns out there that only see the occasional wipe down and a once/twice a year cleaning. They kinda prove the needlessness of cleaning after every trip. That being said, it isn't gonna hurt anything and if you enjoy it more power to ya.
funny
My 9x19 1911 finally got sluggish after over 5K through it, so I guess I'll have to clean it now.
If I cleaned a gun after each use I'd do nothing but clean guns.
BUT, (and this is terribly important), IF I've cleaned / disassembled / modified a gun IN ANY WAY, I shoot it again.
See, that way I know it works......ay?
Bores get left alone UNLESS I see a decrease in accuracy.
My 9x19 1911 finally got sluggish after over 5K through it, so I guess I'll have to clean it now.
If I cleaned a gun after each use I'd do nothing but clean guns.
BUT, (and this is terribly important), IF I've cleaned / disassembled / modified a gun IN ANY WAY, I shoot it again.
See, that way I know it works......ay?
Bores get left alone UNLESS I see a decrease in accuracy.
Housezealot
New member
I have tried not cleaning a gun after a day shooting, I can't do it. mabey I won't clean it that night but I can't let it go much longer, Its kind of like when my 2 year old is crying in bed just becuse he doesn't want to go to sleep, I know it shouldn't give in and check on him but some how I always end up cleaning the gun, Uh I mean checking on the kid
stonewall50
New member
Well I have a little to add. I know some former Recon Snipers, and I also was watching the top Sniper Competition on the military channel and i hear some prefer it one way, others prefer it another.
Accuracy would change after fouling, but the question is how much? If your gun is a self defense shooter, your not looking for the same accuracy out of your handgun as a sniper's rifle. Self defense for me is putting the rounds into center mass until the person hits the ground. If I was a competition shooter who needed the same performance consitantly I would do a little practicing with my guns and the consistancy.
My personal choice with ALL of my guns(shotguns too) is to wipe down the barrels and clean the powder out with a brush after every hunt and shooting session. My Deer rifle, I clean after every shooting session because that is a cold bore shot. But IMHO I would say try both practices and see what you like.
Accuracy would change after fouling, but the question is how much? If your gun is a self defense shooter, your not looking for the same accuracy out of your handgun as a sniper's rifle. Self defense for me is putting the rounds into center mass until the person hits the ground. If I was a competition shooter who needed the same performance consitantly I would do a little practicing with my guns and the consistancy.
My personal choice with ALL of my guns(shotguns too) is to wipe down the barrels and clean the powder out with a brush after every hunt and shooting session. My Deer rifle, I clean after every shooting session because that is a cold bore shot. But IMHO I would say try both practices and see what you like.
interesting view point....
Having a Glock, it's my understanding that the biggest failure of them is OVER oiling the gun.
To the point that it makes me almost paranoid to clean it too often ... None the less I always clean it after a shooting session. Typically anywhere from 50-200 rounds.
I have gone back to using the supplied Nylon brush instead of the Copper Brush in a kit I purchased due to others making comments about Wire brushing too often.
My father who taught me to clean a gun has always been a bigger fan of 1911 and guns that require more lube and cleaning than a Glock. I still get nervous about using Hoppes #9 inside the barrel followed by a small amount of lube on a pad, then running a dry pad through the barrel a final time.
Having a Glock, it's my understanding that the biggest failure of them is OVER oiling the gun.
To the point that it makes me almost paranoid to clean it too often ... None the less I always clean it after a shooting session. Typically anywhere from 50-200 rounds.
I have gone back to using the supplied Nylon brush instead of the Copper Brush in a kit I purchased due to others making comments about Wire brushing too often.
My father who taught me to clean a gun has always been a bigger fan of 1911 and guns that require more lube and cleaning than a Glock. I still get nervous about using Hoppes #9 inside the barrel followed by a small amount of lube on a pad, then running a dry pad through the barrel a final time.
David Armstrong
Moderator
It's not just Glocks. When I was working on guns regularly, I'd estimate that 90% of them that I saw had too much oil on or in them.