How Often are you Supposed to Clean your Gun?

It depends on the value and round count fired. My nice guns get cleaned every three months if they have been idle or within a day after each use. My other guns sometimes don't get cleaned but once a month if active or semi annually if idle. My cheapo .22 rifles get cleaned when the malfunction.
 
I generally adhere to the idea that "every time I shoot the gun" I clean it. If you'd in a situation where you shoot you gun one shot a day or a magazine a day or something, then it isn't necessary everyday. But for me, when I shoot, I put AT LEAST 50 rounds through any gun in question. So, I clean it.

If I'm on a farm and I fire at a coyote, that ain't time to clean.
If I'm quail hunting and I fire 5 rounds without my gun getting dirty, that ain't time to clean.
If I'm hunting deer and I put four rounds through my gun, ain't time to clean.

But, EVERYTIME I target shoot with any one of my guns, they get cleaned.

That's my rule.
 
I guess that depends upon how you were raised. :)
If you spent any time in the military you were taught that any time a round went down the barrel, the gun needed cleaning. :) My daddy taught me that long before I joined the military (he had served during WWII, so he came by it honestly)...so you might say I got a double-whammy.
Not saying that is right or wrong, but a whole lot of us have lived by it for a long time...and it works for me.
 
I just don't feel right unless I clean my guns after they've been fired ... that usually means a range session of 50-200 rounds, depending on the gun ... maybe it's OCD --- I'm afraid something bad will happen if they're not clean ... :D
 
MY GLOCKS get a spit bath after 2 clips or a range day a good cleanin
my meat guns about 10 shots or at the end of the trip.
 
If you spent any time in the military you were taught that any time a round went down the barrel, the gun needed cleaning.
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Exactly.

But... the other purpose to that practice is to have the soldiers able to take the gun down and correct anything that might be wrong with it quickly and efficiently in all conditions -- even under fire. It may save your life if your gun jams during a fire fight.

We don't get into fire fights so often as civvies, but my personal opinion is that we should have that same level of familiarity with each weapon we own. To be honest, there are a couple that I don't have that level with:o, but most are up there:). ALL of the ones that may be used for SD are at that level and kept clean for 100% operability when picked up. If I even think a gun might be needed for SD, it's clean and reliable. (and has ammo or a full mag near by.)
 
You want to know how often are you suppose to clean your guns.

Probably the correct answer is every time your shoot it. However, the guns that are being made today have gone through extensive heavy duty testing and have shot literally thousands of rounds through them without any cleaning. They've been thrown in the mud, sand, what have you and still fire. So if that being the case in theory, you could just give it a good cleaning once a year whether it needed it or not.
 
I've always cleaned them after a range session until I got a Glock 23. One of the perks that went along with that ugly thing was not having to clean it more than once every year or two whether it needed it or not. Everything else gets cleaned anytime it is shot. I also kind of enjoy cleaning my guns. Maybe it is a bonding thing ? :)
 
Every time a gun gets shot, it gets cleaned. Typically by the end of the day, but sometimes life creeps in and it takes me a day or two.

Carry? Once a month. In the safe or gun cabinet? They were cleaned before they went in and if it's been a while they also get a once-over when they come out. The only time I've had problems with a gun coming out of the safe is when it went in dirty in the first place.
 
During an "extended range session" with my carry gun, I'll dry brush the bore occaisionally, & do a thorough cleaning when I get home. In normal mode, (a few random shots here & there) maybe a brush when I get home, & thorough, about once a month.
 
When do you clean your cloths? When there dirty right?


Don't understand the aversion to cleaning gun's. I enjoy it, guess I'm just lucky that way.
 
My father told me he got in trouble frequently during WWII because he refused to clean his gun (he was a mechanic, not infantry.)
This must have influenced me in my youth - kids always do the opposite of what their parents' teach them. Since I was 12 (or younger - I can't remember) I cleaned Dad's guns religiously. To this day (I'm 54) if a gun is shot, it's cleaned the same day (and my wife and I shoot almost every week).
Also, I clean the 30 or so guns in the safe every 2-3 months, whether they have been shot or not.
I guess that's why the 1907 Dreyse Dad gave me when I was in elementary school is in good shape to this day.

Rust never sleeps - it's just waiting around the corner trying to ruin my guns....
 
My father told me he got in trouble frequently during WWII because he refused to clean his gun (he was a mechanic, not infantry.)
This must have influenced me in my youth - kids always do the opposite of what their parents' teach them.
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And out of the darkness comes the light of truth!

My father was a retired Marine (I'm sure that he still IS a retired Marine - even in the afterlife), fanatical about cleaning weapons, and he always made sure the guns were taken care of before anything else (one exception - someone had to take care of the horses if they had been part of the expedition).

So every time I put a dirty gun back in the safe, with the expectation of "getting to it later", I hear my long gone father yelling at me (usually a string of profanity that still amazes me to this day). I smile and think kind thoughts of him and all the things he tried to teach me.

But, back to the original poster's question. I clean them after they have been shot - not immediately - but within the week.
 
I think some times oiling is more important than cleaning, unless you live were dust is a regular event (TX, AZ, NV NM...) in certain area's. Some place's like TX, they have dust and humidity, so maintenance is higher.

So my question would be "how often do you maintain your gun", not just clean it.

TBS, "read your manual."
 
Sometimes your manual will give a rough round count of necessary cleaning. I've heard of some people going to a weekend pistol course and shooting 1000+ through without cleaning. I believe my owners manual says you can get by without cleaning under the 200-300 round mark if you plan on shooting again soon, you just don't want to let it build up and sit for a long amount of time.

Ammo type can also dictate how frequently you might want to clean due to how dirty or clean the powder burns.

Me personally, I clean after every range trip regardless of round count for my carry gun the second I get home - the only time I could see myself not cleaning is if I planned on going back to the range the very next day & did not have a significant number of rounds through it. If I am using another gun that is solely a range toy, I will still clean it after each range trip but may wait a few days vs doing it immediately like the carry piece.
 
I clean them every time I shoot them - range guns, carry guns ...no difference.

To me its just part of owning nice weapons - and taking care of them properly. I don't see the point of shooting them until they're so dirty they won't cycle / but there are guns out there - that will go many thousands of rounds between cleanings -- if you want to.

I was at the range yesterday - fired 14 rounds thru a Sig 239 / 30 rds thru a Sig 226 ( just because ) ....and 400 rds thru a 1911 range gun ...and 50 rds thru a primary carry 1911. I cleaned all 4 of them before I came to the office this morning....its just what I do ...( it took me about 40 min to do all 4 guns ) ...and the mags ...and lock them back up.
 
I clean any gun that I shoot.

Carry guns get a quick-cleaning every few weeks if I don't shoot them.

Other guns tend to live in the safe for a long time. If I don't get around to shooting them, they may go well over a year or longer without being cleaned. Every now and then, I'll get reminded of some gun buried in my safe (usually by forum talk or a movie I watched) and be motivated to strip and clean it, just to re-familiarize my self a bit.
 
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