Is Cleaning Every 500 rounds too Seldom?

I am one of those guys who pets his guns while watching TV. By the way its not a new habit...i'm 72 and nave been shooting for 65 years.
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Oh Lord.... I'm 53, and I was hoping I'd out grow that :p
 
I was taught to clean after every use, besides that, I enjoy cleaning my guns and handling them frequently. I am one of those guys who pets his guns while watching TV. By the way its not a new habit...i'm 72 and nave been shooting for 65 years
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+1 5 or 200 rds, I couldn't go to bed thinking about my "dirty weapon"..:)
 
I definately clean them after ever range session, no matter how many rounds are shot through them. And I clean my weapons on a monthly basis, even if I dont shoot them, but I just love the smell of Hoppes.
 
my g17 and xd 45 usually get cleaned every other range session, unless i get bored and just feel like cleaning them. Thats about every 300-500 rounds.
 
I clean my carry piece every time I shoot it. That way on the off chance I'm ever falsely accused of shooting at someone or other reckless discharge (unlikely but still possible), I can prove my innocence by showing that the gun is clean and hasn't been fired.

As far as how often you clean your other guns, it should be remembered that cleaning itself isn't harmless to your bore and that in this day and age of stainless steels and non-corrosive primers, more bores are ruined by cleaning rods than by rust. I live in a very dry climate, most of my guns are stainless and I shoot only non-corrosive ammo, so I only clean my bores when they become fouled badly enough to affect their accuracy. However, your situation may differ and you may want to clean more often.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but I wonder if I'm ruining my gun with my cleaning routine. Every other session (unless I use extra nasty ammo) I disassemble and spray thoroughly with gunscrubber, then spray the rails, slide, etc. with that Remington dri-lube teflon stuff.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but I wonder if I'm ruining my gun with my cleaning routine. Every other session (unless I use extra nasty ammo) I disassemble and spray thoroughly with gunscrubber, then spray the rails, slide, etc. with that Remington dri-lube teflon stuff.
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I wouldn't say that you're ruining anything, but I do think you're no longer doing "maintenance", you're doing "cleaning as a hobby". :D
 
I'm another one of the "clean after every use" people. Generally its right after I come home, but sometimes it will wait till the next day if I am very busy. If I am planning on shooting the next day, I may forgo the cleaning until after that.

I just like to clean my guns. Even after years of ownership, I am still fascinated by them.
 
I'm cleaning at around every 200 rounds or so. Any more and I feel guilty putting a dirty gun away. Any less is too soon for me.
 
500 rounds? For me, that would be too many rounds out of one gun before cleaning unless I was at the beginning of a reliability test. Much like many folks here with formal training courtesy of Uncle Sam, I have to clean it as soon as I'm able after a fire session; but, honestly, it really isn't required unless the ammo is corrosive. I couldn't stand to let it get much past 200 rounds, however.
 
take care of your weapon and it will take care of you :D dirt cause jams.
I clean mine everytime I shoot it!
 
Probably on a modern firearm you would be able to skip cleaning for 1000s of rounds of decent ammo with no big problems. Most are reliable no matter how unreliable their owner is.

However, not cleaning is not a virtue.
 
I shoot cast bullets almost exclusively in all my handguns be they revolver or auto. Cast bullets use "dirty" powders, and the bullet lube required results in more carbon (dirt) than jacketed rounds. Therefore, 500 rounds leave a gun very dirty and it should be cleaned.
 
I at least clean my carry gun every time it is fired. Whether that is 1 round, or 200 rounds. Time permitting, I clean all my guns after firing. I also try to clean my infrequent guns once a month. Not super thourough, just try to keep them in fighting action.

When in doubt, clean it.
 
Every few hundred rounds I:
  • Run a boresnake through it.
  • Removed slide, Q-tip off loose dirt and oil
  • Touch-up lube with CLP.
  • Inspect to see if it needs any further detailed cleaning. It usually doesn't

BTW, I only shoot jacketed or copper washed (.22) ammo.

For long-term storage I will clean thoroughly.

Maybe I am lazy, but my thought is that I have better things to do with my time than clean guns.

H.
 
I clean my guns after every session. About 50 rounds for rifle, 50-150 for handguns. It's a habit I got from the military to clean them after each use. In the Army we had to clean them every time they were used for training regardless of whether they were fired or not. Every nook and cranny was cleaned.
 
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