Family Time/Gun Cleaning

[Uncle Buck]

I had a great time yesterday shooting and cleaning the revolvers yesterday. My nephews are visiting from back East and one of them had never fired a pistol before and the other one, he only fires a pistol when he comes to Missouri.

Shooting went great, but it got dark too early. The best part was later in the evening when we sat down to clean the pistols. We laid down a couple of newspapers, covered with a towel, on top of the coffee table.

I learned a lot about my nephews during that time... (Some of which I wish I did not know now. ) I was really surprised to see they wanted to clean the guns. (My experience with the local nephew, who no longer shoots with me, was that he wanted nothing to do with the cleaning. This is why I no longer shoot with him.) When they finished cleaning the ten revolvers, they wanted to know if they could clean the long guns in the safe.

I have to tell everyone, I really enjoyed it.

 

[Scout]

Gun cleaning with my boys also provides a chance to teach them disassembly, safety and operation of weapons they may not have used yet. And you're right about the value of the social time, too.

 

[pgdion]

Unlike fishing ... where I hate to clean the fish, gun cleaning is something I enjoy. And my sons enjoy it too. It's more 'gun' time after the range and a chance to chat about the days outing or whatever else. I also enjoy just handling them. Probably the engineer in me but guns are a mechanical masterpiece. I always marvel at all the fine machining and the complexity of some of the parts and the designs. Amazing when you think about it. And like any fine machine, they are fun to work on and fun to keep in perfect running condition.

1 month to the Fall .22 Pistol Leagues ... Woo Hooo!!!
__________________________________________
Engineer, Scout Leader, Motor head, Shooting sports enthusiast

 

[EdInk]

It's a darn shame you don't live closer to me. I have a range bag "full of quality time" you could spend for me.

 

[cw_mi]

Yeah I'm going to have to say , I'm not too fond of "cleaning time". It is more enjoyable shooting them.
Funny thing is when I do clean them it turns into "family time" , I go off into my den and start doing my thing. First the dog shows up, then the wife, then the teenage daughter, then the cats. Now unfortunately I'm the only one doing the work..

 

[pgdion]

*Laughing* - yea, dogs are funny aren't they? He's always the first one, and he'll lay right down in the middle of everything and he won't move. Then one son, then the next ...

The boys will at least help but sometimes help is more work then it's worth.

Well cw, at least it's still 'family time' right?

 

[spacecoast]

I clean when my wife's out of the house - unlike the rest of us, she does not enjoy the smell of Hoppe's #9.

 

[aarondhgraham]

I don't have family as such,,,

Bu when me and my buddies go to the range,,,
Often we meet at one person's house,,,
Then we go shoot.

More often than not we also meet up after shooting,,,
That's when a 12-pack of cold ones comes out.

We clean our guns while making up lies
As to why we missed certain shots.

When I shot black powder revolvers,,,
This was a time honored ritual.

.

 

[dgludwig]

she does not enjoy the smell of Hoppe's #9.

She probably wouldn't be too fond of my setter then...

 

[Quantrill]

Usually I only take one gun at a time to shoot (so I only have one to clean). But having 2 grandchildren out with us for a week, lets us take more cause I got help cleaning them and quality time besides.

 

[shortwave]

to tell everyone, I really enjoyed it.

. Congrats to you Uncle Buck.

I know your nephews enjoyed your company as much as you enjoyed theres.

Also "thank you" for sharing your knowledge/time with our future pro-gunners.

 

[stevieboy]

Try as I might I've never been able to lure anyone into sharing the joys of cleaning with me. My wife is a pretty avid shooter but she quails at the thought of pushing a patch through a barrel. Hence, when I clean, I'm a lonely guy.

 

[orionengnr]

Uncle Buck--
You are a lucky man...and your nephews are lucky to have you. I have fond memories of my favorite uncle, who passed away recently.
If you do not have children, you will very likely have some very appreciative heirs to pass some of those guns on to.
Thank you for helping to foster the next generation of shooters.