How often is it necessary?

T

tyro

New member
I shoot 15 rounds of WinClean through my S&W 342PD daily.

How often is it necessary to clean it?

There is something in my personality that insists that anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

Is there such a thing as overdoing gun cleaning?

I wonder if daily cleaning of the 342 after only 15 rounds of firing WinClean is really necessary.

Tyro
 
Ditto what ms1200 said.

At a minimum run a brush/patch through the bore and cylinder, wipe down the cylinder, the ejection rod (both ends), and the inside of the frame, and the outside of the entire gun. I have found that if you do this right after you have finished shooting, then the cleaning job is much easier. Takes just a few minutes, and should help ensure the reliability of your pistol.
 
Call me lazy .....

But .....

I rarely clean my firearms. I have a Ruger Mark II that probably has over a 1000 rounds since its last cleaning, and it still shoots better than I, and in the 18 years I've owned it, it has NEVER had a failure of any sort.

Both my centerfire and rimfire revolvers rarely get cleaned, and again, I can never recall having any problems with them.

My Sigs get cleaned a little more frequently because I do carry those as my CCW's. My centerfire rifles and shotguns get cleaned around every 250 rounds, and my rimfire rifles get cleaned when I start to have problems with feeding or ejections.

My blackpowder firearms, well that's a different story - those get cleaned IMMEDIATELY after a shooting session regardless of how many rounds I shoot.

Personally, I feel that cleaning firearms that use modern primers and propellents do not require the attention most people give them, and you certainly cause premature wear and tear by OVER CLEANING.

Just my personal thoughts ......
 
"and you certainly cause premature wear and tear by OVER CLEANING."

Over the years no one has been able to satisfactorily explain to me why "over cleaning" will cause premature wear and tear. At least not with any normal cleaning methods I am aware of.
 
Frosty,

MS 1200 nailed it.

Letting the rod drag on the muzzle is one of the biggest causes of premature accuracy decrease in a firearm, especially a handgun.

I can't even count how many guns I've seen over the years that have shown evidence of this.

One of the reasons there used to be wear from cleaning, though, is a hold over from the days of corrosive-primed and black powder ammo.

It wasn't uncommon for some people to clean every day for a week after shooting.
 
I'm inclined to go with weekly.

Mine sees about that many rounds every couple of weeks. I think I clean it about every other month. I make sure there's nothing under the ejector star after every session.:)
 
I make sure there's nothing under the ejector star after every session. :)
Click to expand...
Not only is there never anything under the star after shooting WinClean in my 342, I can't see any evidence of it having been fired.

I read on this board recently about the danger of over-oiling the innards. I tend to overdo everything. One way to avoid over-oiling is to avoid cleaning... :). I quess I have been fishing for reassurance that its safe to not clean just because the gun has been fired (which was my original inclination, and my practice with other guns using other ammo).
 
Mike...

" Letting the rod drag on the muzzle is one of the biggest causes of premature accuracy decrease in a firearm, especially a handgun."

To me, that is not over-cleaning, that is improper cleaning methods. You can get coated cleaning rods, plastic cleaning rods, or you can be a little more careful with the way you clean.

Also, in cleaning a short revolver, it is very easy to keep the rod centered and avoid wearing the muzzle.

People can carry their cleaning habits (or lack thereof) to extremes. That is their right. Myself, I will keep my guns clean without over-doing it.
 
Cleanliness Count's, At Least In MY Book-

I refrain from the practice of storing dirty firearms. In
comparison to my kitchen sink; I want my weapons
just as clean, cuz you never know as to when
you might need one of them to save your bacon.:D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I agree with a few of the others on here... I have NEVER ran anything down the barrels of my handguns or rifles and they get shot a bunch.. meaning many thousands of rounds a year.

I will take the cylinder out and run a brush thru the center pin if it starts to drag a bit and put a bit of Remoil in it and with my Freedom Arms 44 the cylinder chambers may get a bit tight if a spec of unburned powder is in it and it'll cause the case to fit tight and not allow it to rotate but a Freedom Arms revolver is made so tight it needs to have the cylinder clean to keep it functioning.

The lack of cleaning has never caused any of my guns to shoot poorly. I feel there are many other factors that cause poor groups and the cleaning is not on the top of the list except for a shooter that has mastered all the other aspects of shooting first.

Even my BR 22 rifle has never been cleaned and I just shot a 250 (perfect score) with it the other day. There may be a level that you can obtain that it may be benificial but for the majority of us we will be hard pressed to find it helps.

But......... it's like anything else, ever notice how much better, smoother and faster a car seems to run if you wash and wax it? Seems to be more of a mental thing than a reality.....

Just my thoughts and what I've learned over the years... if you feel it helps you and your groups, then by all means keep at it. I'd rather spend more time competing and shooting and putting them in the case and calling it a day when I'm done.

I also agree totally with some others on here, more damage is done by improper or over cleaning than anything else. I veiw all my guns as tools, nothing more, not a collection or an investment although there is a small fortune spent in obtaining them. They each perform a special purpose and as long as they do that well then I'm happy.

Good luck, hope you find the infor you need from all the posts..

Topstrap
 
Actually, I won't carry a clean gun, at least not after a really thorough cleaning. My theory is it went bang the last time I pulled the trigger, I assume it will go bang again. I'm good, but, theres always that tiny nagging doubt in my mind that everything went back together again right if I took it down all the way...I'll wipe out the barrel and cylinders and carry it though.
 
Good luck, hope you find the infor you need from all the posts..
Click to expand...
Thanks. The responses have been helpful.

I was aware of comments made on other threads in the archieves, but I was not 100% sure some of them were not said in jest. I just wanted to get a more clear impression re the perspective of some whose comments are in the archieves, as well as the opinions of those who have joined this site subsequent to the posting of earlier threads on the subject of gun cleaning.

I keep my Rugers clean, because they look dirty after I have fired them, and they look better when they are clean.

But I still have not cleaned my 342PD, after having fired it nearly every day for a week. It just doesn't look like it needs cleaning. Maybe it's because its black already, or because WinClean is so clean, or maybe... maybe I'm just getting lazy.

:)
 
I'm intrigued by the idea of never cleaning one's guns. I'm even slightly inclined to try it on my stainless Security Six. But I worry about leaving my Python without a good coat of oil in the bore, as the bore is naked carbon steel. What's the realistic danger of rust in a bore coated only with a layer of nitro fouling?
 
nyetter,

I was just out your way a few weeks ago, we flew into Denver and then rode over to Boulder to the University of Boulder for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals... looks like we got out just in time... beautiful area, seeing the mountains right behind us... didn't think much of that snow on Friday though.

Anyway, I have never looked down the bore of my Python, never saw anything crawl down it so I didn't go looking for anything.... my wife has been shooting it for the past few years and other than the screws on the sideplate coming loose we've never messed with it but we only use jacket bullets in it for silhouette. She likes it, that was the first handgun I bought back in the 70's and its had a gazillion rounds thru it... still shoots better than either one of us.

I've never been hung up on having a pretty gun although most of mine are customs or expensive target handguns but I find it amusing to see the look on someones face when they find out about my lack of time spent cleaning. With cast bullets and some types of powder I can see where they can get mighty grungy looking. The way I take care of mine works for me but it may not be for everyone. Mine don't sit for more than a day or two between outings, always a shoot of some type somewhere to go to so they kinda stay warmed up.

If I were carrying one that my life depended on daily then I might be a bit different about certain parts of the action and working parts but I still feel it's a waste of time to worry about the bore especially with jacketed bullets.

Topstrap

Good luck,
 
One place where I believe that Clean after Shooting is absolutely essential is when shooting 38's in a 357. If you don't clean the clynders, and clean them well, you will quickly find that you can't even get a 357 in them anymore.

When I shoot 38 in one of my 357s, and that's what I'm usually shoot there, I clenn the cylinders and put a 357 casing in each one as soon as I get home.
 
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