How Often Do You Clean Your Handgun ?

How Often Do You Clean Your Handguns ?

  • I clean my guns following anytime they are fired.

    Votes: 108 74.5%

  • I clean my guns often but not always

    Votes: 27 18.6%

  • I rarely clean my guns

    Votes: 5 3.4%

  • Other, please elaborate.

    Votes: 5 3.4%
  • Total voters
    145
  • Poll closed .
I bought my first revolver in 1969 or so and I was religious about cleaning my guns except for the 22 because my elders told me they worked better just wiped down. Clean the bore once in awhile. I'm not advocating that, just saying.

I continued to clean them religiously, same day or ASAP, after firing. Then a friend turned me onto the Glock. I loved beautiful blue S&W revolvers and wouldn't own a "plastic gun". My friend and I were at the range and he said just shoot ten rounds out of this model 23.

So even though I was a Bill Jordan follower (no semi autos for CCW) I acquiesced and gave the Glock a try. It was love at first firing. My friend showed me his collection of Glock Annual magazines and I read of how they are indestructible.

Unlike carrying my M-29 4" blue in my glove box and having to treat the finish like a newborn babe I could take my ungly old glock and throw it under the seat. Shoot it and clean it or not clean it. I shot that glock hundreds of rounds and didn't clean it for YEARS. Never a FTF or a malfunction with this old Glock. It s a 1990s model.

I cleaned it the other day and it was a sight to see. Not recommending this or bragging. Just being honest and I appreciate all the other posters who didn't mind admitting that they also don't clean them all the time. In case I didn't mention it I hate cleaning my guns. My new Sig P238 or my old P229, my centerfire revolvers will always get cleaned ASAP but my Glock and my K22 just get a wipe down.
 
I'm not a Glock fan ( or any poly frame gun for that matter ..) ...but if I had one, I would clean it every time I shot it.

I don't care if you pay $ 300 or $5,000 for a nice custom 1911 handgun ---its hard earned money / why not clean a gun everytime you shoot it - and take care of it ?

I clean everything I shoot / every week. At least once a year / I strip virtually every gun I own down to a bare frame ( handguns and shotguns ) - clean, inspect and lube them....because I like them, and I'm proud to own and shoot them...even guns I have not shot in a year. Its not that big a deal !
 
I will clean after every use.

Plus while "zeroing" a new scope or iron sights, I will run a patch down the barrel after each shot, and will let the barrel cool.

Also while playing with a "new" load, I'll again run a patch down the barrel after each shot, and will let the barrel cool.

Aways believed that the first shot from a cold barrel is the most important one!
 
i have been carrying for about 8 years. my collection has consisted of a S&W 5904, a Bersa Thunder 380, and a Maverick 88. i shoot once every 4-6 weeks. it feels more awkward skipping a post-range cleaning of my guns than it does to skip my daily shower! the cleaning of my firearms after shooting them is, in my opinion, as much a part of practice as attaching silhouette targets to the hanger clip. it allows me the opportunity to tinker with my firearm, which leads to more familiarity with my weapons

i am sure that all of my guns would work just fine without the OCD-level cleaning, but why take a chance?
 
Quick cleaning after every outing. Thorough cleaning about once a month during leagues. I guess that's a thorough cleaning about every 4th outing or so.
 
Every time I use em,,,

They get a bore brush with hoppe's and a good wipe-down.

They get a real thorough scrubbing when I think they need it.

I'm not obsessive about absolute cleanliness,,,
But they will never fail from being "crudded up".

.
 
I don't consider my range session to be over until after my guns have been cleaned. Usually, it's the very first thing I do when I get home from the range.

Partly I clean out of force of habit but there are other good reasons for my doing it. A dirty gun is a gun that is covered with toxic chemicals including various lead and mercury compounds. I dry fire a lot between range sessions and I don't like the thought of exposing my skin to the toxic residues that are left over from shooting. Second, cleaning a gun is a good way to identify potential mechanical problems. My final step whenever I clean is to do a thorough check of the gun for proper working order and safety. I can't count the number of loose screws I've discovered while doing that.
 
I clean them after every day of shooting. I whip them down if I shoot just a few rounds but if I shoot a couple of mags they are getting a regular cleaning. Some guns don't mind a little dirt but, some will malfunction with just a bit of buildup on them.
 
Clean after shooting. Military was pretty successful in drilling into me never let the sun set on dirty gun :-)
 
I guess the true question should be "how thoroughly do you clean your guns..and how often?"

After all, there is a difference between a light, general cleaning and a "strip everything down and scrub until the patch/cloth is white" type cleaning.
 
I guess I should have mentioned that carry guns and home defense/self defense guns are always cleaned thoroughly and checked out to the best of my ability before they "go back on duty".
I guess the true question should be "how thoroughly do you clean your guns..and how often?"
Click to expand...
Carry/SD guns always get a very thorough cleaning though not necessarily a detail strip.

Other centerfire guns get a standard cleaning most of the time and a detail strip & cleaning maybe every 1K rounds or so.
 
I shoot 3 days a week. doesnt make sense to clean them everytime for me. once every 2-3 weeks they all get a good cleaning.
-George
 
I clean mine after I shoot them.

Sometimes its immediately after I shoot them....
Sometimes its a few days after I shoot them........
Sometimes its a couple weeks after I shoot them.......

And for a couple of them, I can't remember the last time I cleaned them.

They all get a good wipedown after they are shot or handled.......but sometimes thats as far as I get.
 
My dad cleaned his guns as soon as he got home, and I do the same at age 53. I never considered anything else until I started participating in online forums and read that there were completely respectable people who did otherwise. ;)
 
Just my opinion, but CC'ing a freshly assembled gun is a bad idea even if it passes a functions check. You just never know...
 
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