Frequency of cleanings

K

KLCane

New member
I am sure this has been discussed over the years, but just curious as to how often you guys clean your firearms? I have been doing it each time after I shoot. Do you clean them brand new before you even shoot them?

I sort of enjoy stripping them down and making them all shiny and new looking.
 
I clean them after every range use. I even strip them down and clean brand new guns before using them. It's a labor of love for me and I've been doing it that way for 32 years. Have yet to wear one down from cleaning.

Jim
 
I always fully strip and clean and lube a brand new gun before I shoot it.

And yes, I clean a gun after every range visit..

I will also fully strip a gun to a bare frame about every 3,000 rds ...fully clean, inspect, lube and reassemble / or once a year, even if I don't shoot it often.
 
I treat new guns the same as any
new car. With the car I tear it
down to its last bolt.

Most of the time, be they cars
or guns, they have too many
parts and can be discarded.

With a new toaster, I am sort of
in between.

How about you posters on new
toasters?
 
I clean my carry guns after every range trip. During the summer months I'll wipe down the outside weekly to prevent rust.

My other guns get cleaned much less frequently. Sometimes only after I start seeing malfunctions.
 
I usually do a disassembly per the manual and clean the gun when it's new so I know how it looks before I shoot it and also because I've found issues on a number of occasions while completing the process.

Two of them involved some kind of compound/metal shavings left over from the manufacturing process. The detritus was crammed into hard to reach areas on the gun and needed to be cleaned out--in one case it was preventing proper function.

It also lets me properly lubricate the gun. Some guns ship with a heavy preservative oil which isn't ideal as a gun lubrication product. Some ship with a lot of oil/lubricant on them, more than is needed/recommended for actual use.

From there, how often I clean depends on the gun, what its intended use is, and how often I shoot it.

A range only rimfire is going to be cleaned pretty rarely.

A self-defense use firearm is going to be cleaned after every range visit.

A range-use only centerfire will be cleaned when it needs it. If I shoot 500 rounds in a visit, it will probably be cleaned before it's used again. If I shoot a box or two through it and plan to take it back to the range before too long, it won't get cleaned unless it has already had a good number of rounds through it since the last cleaning. I do keep track of how many rounds I shoot through each of my firearms so I have a good idea of the last time they were cleaned and how many rounds it has been since then.
 
All new-to-me guns get a thorough cleaning before I take them to the range for the first time.

Range guns (not carry guns) get completely disassembled and thoroughly cleaned twice a year.

Carry guns get quick cleaned after every two or three range trips. Complete disassembly and cleaning twice a year.

Revolvers are on a different schedule around here. They get disassembled and cleaned once a year or less depending on how often they're actually used.
 
I do a field strip, clean, and lube before going to the range with any pistol, new or used, and after each range session. I disassemble the slide of my primary carry pistol, a Glock, once or twice a year, to clean the firing pin channel. I will occasionally do a bit more disassembly for more deep cleaning - pulling the extractor out of my Berettas once in a while is the example that pops into my head easiest, from having been done most recently - but I don't detail strip the frame for cleaning purposes. I get them clean enough for reliable function without doing so, and am content with that.
 
New guns get disassembled and examined before using - bore checked, cosmoline or other preservatives removed if necessary, lube added if necessary.

Firearms being used every month or two get cleaned when they get cleaned. Cleaning is just for functional purposes and to remove enough gunk so I can visually inspect wear and tear parts for cracks. Always nicer to spot the cracked part before it becomes a loose part rattling around in the innards and locking everything up.

Firearms that have been immersed in water get cleaned at the first opportunity.

Firearms being stored for over a month get cleaned before storage (usually). Sometimes I’m lazy on firearms that I am very familiar with and know what they’ll tolerate, especially if they are just range guns.

Firearms that have ceased functioning 100% for mysterious, undiagnosed reasons get cleaned top to bottom and relubed (including aggressive chamber and bore cleaning).
 
New, field strip, and clean all the manufacturing residue and protectant. lightly lubricate points of friction.
New yo me used, field strip, clean and lube same as new. Never know what the previous owner did.
Wipe down, and run oiled patch through bore after shooting. Field strip, clean, and lube after a few firing sessions.
Carry guns, wipe down, clean bore with patch, lightly oil, and the clean patch through bore maybe once a month. Just to clear lint, and whatever other fuzz that sometimes accumulate.
 
Every range trip, unless I barely shoot it. Fifty rounds and I will clean it for sure. And yeah, I clean em when I get one that's new, or new to me.
 
Cleaning is for squares. Just buy a new gun when the old one gets too dirty. LOL

It's best to clean any tool after every use.

Carry guns should be cleaned at least once a week I think, you pick up a lot of lint, especially with pocket carry.
 
I clean mine when I think they need it. That seems to be about every 1,000-2,000 rounds. The .22’s get cleaned more frequently, but they also probably have the most rounds sent through them between cleanings, closer to the 2,000 round mark. At that point a .22 actually does need cleaned or I risk getting jams. A centerfire handgun probably isn’t even close to needing cleaned at that point.

That being said, my guns do get their exterior wiped down with an oily rag after handling them, and my carry guns get disassembled about once a month to blow out any lint.
 
Inspection, clean, and lube after every range visit and nothing has gone more than three months without getting fired.
 
Whenever they get dirty/shot or whenever I want to fondle them....cleaning is simply an excuse for fondling . Rubbing with a soft cloth and a few drops of lubricant to protect the finish is another good excuse .
How often....after a range trip of course and about every 3 to 4 months to make sure all is well.
Gary
 
I bathe once a month whether I need to or not.
Oh you were talking about guns. I try to clean mine after every range session unless it’s a gun I shoot a lot. Sadly I am very bad about remembering to clean them, but I always wipe them down before they go back in the safe.
 
When I was shooting every weekend, and usually the same gun every weekend, I'd do a wipe-down of everything I could reach after each range trip, a field-strip cleaning every 1000 rounds, and a detail-strip, deep cleaning annually.
Guns that might not be shot again in the near future would get the field-strip cleaning after each use.
Guns that hadn't been shot at all still get an annual field-strip cleaning.

I have some guns that belonged to my dad that I've never fired, but which have had 30 annual cleanings.
 
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