Gun Cleaning
- Thread starter NAB
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christcorp
New member
Again; if you like/want to clean you gun after each shooting/shot; then go for it. It's not going to hurt anything. But a clean gun in the pocket gets just as much pocket lint and dirt that a dirty barrel gun after leaving the range will get. Probably no more or no less. Obviously, if you put your gun in a situation (Like a pocket without a holster) then you have another variable that you need to be concerned over. But that concern of pocket lint/dirt/etc... has nothing to do with cleaning your gun after shooting it. That's a totally different situation. Like I said, a 100% perfectly clean and lubed gun can have lint/dirt issues in your pocket just like a dirty barrel gun can. Then again, there are those that think doing an oil change every 3000 miles is beneficial. Even though there isn't one bit of data to support that.
Clean your gun when you think it needs to be cleaned. There's no pat answer to this. Guns won't mysteriously malfunction just because you fired a round or hundred through them since the last cleaning; nor will they become magical instruments just because one is fastidious about cleaning them after each trip to the range.
I like having clean firearms, so I clean them after each trip to the range. It's as simple as that. It's not because I think they won't go bang the next time unless I clean them, but because I prefer not to leave crud in them.
I like having clean firearms, so I clean them after each trip to the range. It's as simple as that. It's not because I think they won't go bang the next time unless I clean them, but because I prefer not to leave crud in them.
Christcorp,
I guess I am advocating leaving as little to chance as possible. A filthy pocket gun, to me, is better than a filthy pocket gun with added carbon and brass shavings.
What's the point in spending all sorts of money on a gun, and letting it go to pot? I prefer a non-jamming, fluid-cycling gun. Gritty triggers, hard case extraction and dirty leather don't really do it for me.
As far as the oil change, 3,000 miles is a recommendation. Cleaner oil protects better, because it has less water from condensation buildup (just like your gun gets when you go from a cold temp to a hot one, like in summer). I have done oil changes that have been in for 20k miles, and I have also changed oil after every race. Cleaner oil simply isn't as broken down as older, dirtier oil.
I guess I am advocating leaving as little to chance as possible. A filthy pocket gun, to me, is better than a filthy pocket gun with added carbon and brass shavings.
What's the point in spending all sorts of money on a gun, and letting it go to pot? I prefer a non-jamming, fluid-cycling gun. Gritty triggers, hard case extraction and dirty leather don't really do it for me.
As far as the oil change, 3,000 miles is a recommendation. Cleaner oil protects better, because it has less water from condensation buildup (just like your gun gets when you go from a cold temp to a hot one, like in summer). I have done oil changes that have been in for 20k miles, and I have also changed oil after every race. Cleaner oil simply isn't as broken down as older, dirtier oil.
After every day at the range
Carry & HD isn't an issue here in Oz, we can't do it.... end of story.
When I shoot my ROA's & Pietta (1858's) of course, they get the huge clean to get rid of the Bp crud..... (but I luv doin' it, sometimes just do it for the heck of it in between range days
My Vaquaro's, 44 mags have the mottley old west case hardening, so they get regular wipe overs with a fairly oily rag, just to stop that brown powdery rust that sometimes attacks, and also the same wipedown after the days shooting. I shoot Trail Boss in these 2, very clean burning stuff, so I dont have to scrub at all (the bore), usually once in & out with a bronze/brass brush (with a barrel crown protector & brass rod), a couple of lightly oiled wads followed by a dry one is all the barrels need.... other than that, wheel's out, brush thru the cylinder holes, followed by lightly oiled wad, then dry, a .22 tiny wad of cotton thru the cylinder pivot hole, wipe all the crud (usually not much) off the wheel, lube the pin, put 'em back together, wipe over, back in the box
Sounds like alot, but it's all taken care of in 5 - 10 minutes
In short (after all that ^) After every time they get shot with... sometimes in between (just for fun)
Carry & HD isn't an issue here in Oz, we can't do it.... end of story.
When I shoot my ROA's & Pietta (1858's) of course, they get the huge clean to get rid of the Bp crud..... (but I luv doin' it, sometimes just do it for the heck of it in between range days
My Vaquaro's, 44 mags have the mottley old west case hardening, so they get regular wipe overs with a fairly oily rag, just to stop that brown powdery rust that sometimes attacks, and also the same wipedown after the days shooting. I shoot Trail Boss in these 2, very clean burning stuff, so I dont have to scrub at all (the bore), usually once in & out with a bronze/brass brush (with a barrel crown protector & brass rod), a couple of lightly oiled wads followed by a dry one is all the barrels need.... other than that, wheel's out, brush thru the cylinder holes, followed by lightly oiled wad, then dry, a .22 tiny wad of cotton thru the cylinder pivot hole, wipe all the crud (usually not much) off the wheel, lube the pin, put 'em back together, wipe over, back in the box
Sounds like alot, but it's all taken care of in 5 - 10 minutes
In short (after all that ^) After every time they get shot with... sometimes in between (just for fun)
christcorp
New member
govmule. First, 3000 mile oil change might be a recommendation, but it's NOT from the manufacturer. It's from the jiffy lubes of the world who want more money from you. Look at your owner's manual. It Probably says 5000-7500 miles. And for what it's worth, new oil actually DOESN'T protect better. There's actually a break in period where theoretically, if you changed your oil TOO OFTEN; e.g. every 500 miles, it would actually do MORE harm than good. It takes a certain amount of heat/friction for oil to actually become a better lubricant.
Now, back to my responses on cleaning a gun. If you look at my first response, I mentioned using canned air (30 second job) after shooting to blow off any PHYSICAL frictions such as dirt, grit, etc... from the mechanical portions of the gun. Then a quick spray of lube on the mechanical parts and on the frame (Which I wipe off, just to get rid of finger prints and skin oils). As csmsss correctly mentioned, you can shoot 100 rounds through your gun, and it's not going to all of a sudden become "Less reliable" because there's carbon and lead in the barrel. Hell, you could shoot literally THOUSANDS of rounds and never clean the bore/barrel and it wouldn't affect the reliability of the gun. Even lead round nose bullets wouldn't stop it.
I do agree that grit and dirt in the mechanical portions of the gun could pose a slight possible problem. That is why I said I blow it out real quick. But if a person is putting gun in their pocket without a holster, then all bets are off. I will bet that the 100% immaculate clean gun, and the gun that's rarely cleaned, have the EXACT same percentage chance of malfunctioning because of some foreign matter from your pocket getting into it.
Now, back to my responses on cleaning a gun. If you look at my first response, I mentioned using canned air (30 second job) after shooting to blow off any PHYSICAL frictions such as dirt, grit, etc... from the mechanical portions of the gun. Then a quick spray of lube on the mechanical parts and on the frame (Which I wipe off, just to get rid of finger prints and skin oils). As csmsss correctly mentioned, you can shoot 100 rounds through your gun, and it's not going to all of a sudden become "Less reliable" because there's carbon and lead in the barrel. Hell, you could shoot literally THOUSANDS of rounds and never clean the bore/barrel and it wouldn't affect the reliability of the gun. Even lead round nose bullets wouldn't stop it.
I do agree that grit and dirt in the mechanical portions of the gun could pose a slight possible problem. That is why I said I blow it out real quick. But if a person is putting gun in their pocket without a holster, then all bets are off. I will bet that the 100% immaculate clean gun, and the gun that's rarely cleaned, have the EXACT same percentage chance of malfunctioning because of some foreign matter from your pocket getting into it.
Sure. And lots of OEM's recommend changing the filter every OTHER oil change. Are you such a cheapskate that you do that, too? The fact of the matter is the oil is consistently subject to shear forces, condensation build up, heat breakdown and fuel wash of the cylinders. Many newer hybrid cars use 0w30 oil. Pick a bottle up and shake it - it has nearly the same viscosity as water. Good luck getting every last drop out of that stuff. NOTHING gets held in suspension.
This is flat out false. From the day motor oil begins being heated, sheared, and contaminated, it degrades. Otherwise, Summit racing would sell "500 mile" motor oil to the real car guys. If you believe that, I have a bunch of well-used oil I'll sell you cheap - you can mix it with fresh
. I'll rescind this if you can back it up, but I can't turn up anything online that supports that school of thought.First, "physical frictions" are not always observable by the naked eye. Dump some glass beading media on the rails of your semi-auto and let me know how it performs. Second, the barrel is the last place I'd be worried about the build up - cylinder bind, stovepiping, and FTF/FTE situations would worry me far more and be much more likely. Additionally, all that heat and crap that fly out of a shell displace lubricant. If a few months go buy, who's to say rust or corrosion have not formed? Most of the innards of a gun are unfinished steel - usually needs some protection.
"Slight possible problem" is risky enough for me. I don't want to end up "slightly dead", so I clean up potential "slight problems". Insofar as your bet about the dirty gun performing the EXACT same way, with EXACTLY the same failure rates, explain to me why at every range I have been to, when someone has a malfunctioning, filthy rental and complains, the first thing any RO does is break it down and clean it, please. Additionally, to say that an already dirty gun is not more susceptible to a mechanical malfunction as opposed to a clean gun GETTING dirty is disingenuous - there is a dirt threshhold somewhere, and the dirty gun will simply hit it first.
If you don't believe me, pick up some notoriously finicky guns - Taurus PT-22s, Beretta Jetfire/950s, or a 10/22 with a dirty mag. A lot of those are super-reliable - WHEN CLEAN. Shoot them filthy. They WILL malfunction. Why chance it that that could happen when you need it not to?
christcorp
New member
I was using the automobile oil change as an analogy. If you honestly believe in the myth that a car really should have an oil change every 3000 miles; then I definitely can't find room to discuss that with you. If you believe it because you don't know much about mechanics, hydraulics, lubrication, or cars in general; and you're taking the advice of the Jiffy Lubes because "They are the Experts"; then I can buy that. But if you believe you know something about cars, mechanics, lubrication, etc... and you STILL believe in the 3000 mile oil change myth, then there is obviously no room for a discussion. But again, that was to make a point and as an example.
As for your gun. You can clean it as much as you want. No one is stopping you. And if you think that the residue from the powder of a fired shell is going to reduce the reliability of your gun, than by all means clean it after every round fired. It doesn't bother me. I never said to not clean a gun. I clean my guns. But it isn't necessary to clean a gun every time you shoot it. If you want to, go for it. It's not going to hurt anything. But if you don't clean it, other than wiping it down, until after a few hundred rounds, that's fine too. I thoroughly clean my guns twice a year. In the spring and in the fall. (Usually before hunting season). I probably put about 100 rounds a month through each gun. I have a lot of guns and don't shoot each gun every week. But I do shoot each gun at least once a month. As I said previously, after shooting, I'll air can it real quick on the mechanical portions in case any grit or dirt got into it. Then I lube the mechanical parts, wipe it down, and put them away until next time. And I am 100% confident in my guns. Including my carry guns. And if they malfunctioned, I am positive it wouldn't be because I didn't clean it thoroughly after each shooting. But again, UNLIKE a car and it's oil change, you're not going to hurt anything by cleaning your gun after each shoot. Hell, you could clean it after each individual round shot and that cool too if you want to. I have friends that just love cleaning their guns and find it relaxing. They clean their guns pretty much every week. Even if they haven't shot it in months. Anyway, do whatever makes you feel good.
As for your gun. You can clean it as much as you want. No one is stopping you. And if you think that the residue from the powder of a fired shell is going to reduce the reliability of your gun, than by all means clean it after every round fired. It doesn't bother me. I never said to not clean a gun. I clean my guns. But it isn't necessary to clean a gun every time you shoot it. If you want to, go for it. It's not going to hurt anything. But if you don't clean it, other than wiping it down, until after a few hundred rounds, that's fine too. I thoroughly clean my guns twice a year. In the spring and in the fall. (Usually before hunting season). I probably put about 100 rounds a month through each gun. I have a lot of guns and don't shoot each gun every week. But I do shoot each gun at least once a month. As I said previously, after shooting, I'll air can it real quick on the mechanical portions in case any grit or dirt got into it. Then I lube the mechanical parts, wipe it down, and put them away until next time. And I am 100% confident in my guns. Including my carry guns. And if they malfunctioned, I am positive it wouldn't be because I didn't clean it thoroughly after each shooting. But again, UNLIKE a car and it's oil change, you're not going to hurt anything by cleaning your gun after each shoot. Hell, you could clean it after each individual round shot and that cool too if you want to. I have friends that just love cleaning their guns and find it relaxing. They clean their guns pretty much every week. Even if they haven't shot it in months. Anyway, do whatever makes you feel good.
The oil in cars debate is getting off-topic. We ain't gonna see eye-to-eye on that - but good luck selling your used truck when you tell the guy who wants to buy it you changed the oil every ten thousand whether "it needed it or not".
However, you didn't address what I said: EVERY GUN will malfunction if dirty enough. Why, pray tell, would you NOT do everything you could from keeping one from malfunctioning? If you had an unreliable ejector, would you replace it, or keep shooting in the hopes it performed well when you needed it to? I agree with you to some degree - CHANCES ARE, if it shot fine at the range that day, it'll probably shoot okay two weeks later. But I cannot for the life of me understand why you could leave something undone that could make your gun MORE RELIABLE. I think Pasteur once said that "Chance favors the prepared shooter and well-cleaned and lubricated gun." (Or something like that. ;-))
It's a false economy - You spend lots of money and time on range time, ammo, gun, leather, permit, and carrying your piece (which is frequently uncomfortable and annoying.) Why would you try and save yourself the time it takes to strip and clean, three or four patches, and some CLP or the like? I simply do not understand the savings there.
As an afterthought - I carry at the range. I shoot, and I always have one gun that is NOT getting shot - it is just being carried. I'd hate to have four or five dirty guns, and one of them be inoperable, and confront someone in the parking lot who decided to find some pawnable goodies. So far as I can tell - there is no harm done by cleaning. Nothing to be lost but some time you might otherwise use watching TV, or posting on TFL
What's to lose?
However, you didn't address what I said: EVERY GUN will malfunction if dirty enough. Why, pray tell, would you NOT do everything you could from keeping one from malfunctioning? If you had an unreliable ejector, would you replace it, or keep shooting in the hopes it performed well when you needed it to? I agree with you to some degree - CHANCES ARE, if it shot fine at the range that day, it'll probably shoot okay two weeks later. But I cannot for the life of me understand why you could leave something undone that could make your gun MORE RELIABLE. I think Pasteur once said that "Chance favors the prepared shooter and well-cleaned and lubricated gun." (Or something like that. ;-))
It's a false economy - You spend lots of money and time on range time, ammo, gun, leather, permit, and carrying your piece (which is frequently uncomfortable and annoying.) Why would you try and save yourself the time it takes to strip and clean, three or four patches, and some CLP or the like? I simply do not understand the savings there.
As an afterthought - I carry at the range. I shoot, and I always have one gun that is NOT getting shot - it is just being carried. I'd hate to have four or five dirty guns, and one of them be inoperable, and confront someone in the parking lot who decided to find some pawnable goodies. So far as I can tell - there is no harm done by cleaning. Nothing to be lost but some time you might otherwise use watching TV, or posting on TFL
What's to lose?You're good. It takes about a dozen patches for me to clean a handgun. About 30-40 minutes for a field strip and clean, an hour or more for a detail strip and clean. When I'm done the only way to KNOW everything is installed correctly and working is to go to the range and shoot it.
So no, I don't clean my guns every time I shoot them.
christcorp
New member
I agree. No harm whatsoever in cleaning. Never said there was. We can leave it at that. I do clean my guns, just not as often as you recommend. And as for the car, I will concede the entire topic and everything I've said, IF you can find where I said to do an oil change after 10,000 miles. I specifically said to do it at the interval recommended by the manufacturer; which is between 5000-7500 miles. But if you somehow read 10,000 miles in there; what can I say. But again; I've already said numerous times that there is absolutely nothing wrong in cleaning your gun often. You can clean it every day even if you don't shoot it. But properly handled and maintained, you don't need to completely clean the gun after each time you've shot the gun. But you can. You're not going to hurt anything.
I don't feel that there is such thing as over cleaning.
With that being said, any well-designed pistol (or rifle) should be able to go several hundred rounds without cleaning. If it's your beater/daily carry/often fired utility pistol, seeing several hundred rounds a month, then a weekly brush up and monthly detail cleaning is in order. If it's the safe queen that you may shoot once every few months, then I would absolutely clean it after every range session. Firing a weapon does add carbon buildup, and it does displace the precious CLP that keeps the pistol from rusting.
On the other hand, if it's a utility pistol that sees use more than once a month and it's hardly ever forgotten about, you can go between sessions without cleaning it. In a reliable and well designed pistol carbon buildup shouldn't impede operation before several hundred rounds. Prob. closer to 500 or so. If it were my daily carry, I would still do a very quick clean job after ever fire. Just in case
With that being said, any well-designed pistol (or rifle) should be able to go several hundred rounds without cleaning. If it's your beater/daily carry/often fired utility pistol, seeing several hundred rounds a month, then a weekly brush up and monthly detail cleaning is in order. If it's the safe queen that you may shoot once every few months, then I would absolutely clean it after every range session. Firing a weapon does add carbon buildup, and it does displace the precious CLP that keeps the pistol from rusting.
On the other hand, if it's a utility pistol that sees use more than once a month and it's hardly ever forgotten about, you can go between sessions without cleaning it. In a reliable and well designed pistol carbon buildup shouldn't impede operation before several hundred rounds. Prob. closer to 500 or so. If it were my daily carry, I would still do a very quick clean job after ever fire. Just in case
christcorp
New member
sport45 brings up and excellent argument. While a revolver doesn't present any possibilities of malfunctioning from a thorough cleaning; a semi-auto can have issues if the gun is stripped completely, cleaned, and for some reason not put back properly. I.e. It only takes me about 30 seconds to pull the slide and recoil spring off of my carry semi-auto. It would only take maybe 10 minutes to just wipe down or clean the barrel, ejector, slide, etc... However, it only takes literally an additional 5 minutes to break down the slide further (Which I do) to take out and clean the firing pin, spring, safety, ejector, etc... However, the chances of not getting the ejector put back exactly in line, ejector spring, firing pin spring, firing pin pressure spring/plunger, etc... increases greatly when you take them out to clean properly. Then, you take the chance of the weapon not firing. However, the way to ensure 100% that everything is reassembled properly is to go shoot it. However, under the "Clean it after each shooting", you'd be shooting it, cleaning it, shooting it to make sure it's working still, cleaning it after shooting it to see if it was assembled properly, then shooting it again, etc.....
Now maybe some people don't do a very thorough cleaning. Maybe they pull off the slide; spray it will gun scrub; a few patches down the barrel (Which is the LEAST IMPORTANT part of the gun to clean; put it back together; and call it a day. When I "Clean" a gun, I CLEAN it. I can 100% completely strip down the gun and slide in 2-3 minutes. (Minus the trigger assembly). But when I put it all back together, there is only one way to ensure the firing pin, spring, pressure spring/plunger, extractor, spring, plunger, safety, and slide/recoil spring is all back correctly. That's to fire it. Go figure.
Now maybe some people don't do a very thorough cleaning. Maybe they pull off the slide; spray it will gun scrub; a few patches down the barrel (Which is the LEAST IMPORTANT part of the gun to clean; put it back together; and call it a day. When I "Clean" a gun, I CLEAN it. I can 100% completely strip down the gun and slide in 2-3 minutes. (Minus the trigger assembly). But when I put it all back together, there is only one way to ensure the firing pin, spring, pressure spring/plunger, extractor, spring, plunger, safety, and slide/recoil spring is all back correctly. That's to fire it. Go figure.
PhoenixConflagration
New member
I always use a good bit of extra virgin olive oil. That way, when you shoot, it smells like Italian food. Mmmmmm.
I've gone from fanatic to slacker I guess. I used to scrub every particle or carbon and lead from my revolvers but now it's "clean enough". The best bore cleaner I've found is Full Metal Jacket, but I'll leave a little lead in the bore as well these days. I just make sure it's "mostly clean" unless I'm not going to shoot it for awhile and then I'll give it a good going over.