To Clean or Not To Clean

[Birddogs]

I suppose this is sort of a random rant, and to each his own. But why do I frequently see brags on almost every gun forum I'm on, stating things such as....I've got 12000 rnds through my Glock without one cleaning....or my SIG has 8000 rnds without a misfire or FTF and I haven't cleaned it once. Unless you're conducting some sort of torture test or care nothing about the reliability of your firearm, why would you ever do such a thing? IMO, I never, ever, fire a gun and put it away dirty. Even if I haven't fired a round through it, suppose its been on my hip all week, I still do a takedown of it at the end of the week, run some oil down the barrel, and kiss it goodnight. Why would you set yourself up for disaster? We all know what a little negligence can do to any gun....or do we? Nick

 

[orange]

Because sometimes cleaning is very, very much a pain in the ass.. and the guns in question are reliable enough to function even with powder and lead residue everywhere.

See: Ruger .22 automatic. For a thorough cleaning the bolt has to come out; otherwise there's not enough room to push a bore brush completely through. Reassembling the gun afterwards is tricky; you have to tilt the whole thing one way, pull trigger, push mainspring housing into place, wave a dead chicken, tilt the gun another way, rotate mainspring housing into place, curse, then hope the little tab hanging off the hammer engaged the whatsit on the thingy...can't just see if it did, either, because some bastard decided to make the gun out of opaque metal.

I exaggerate (I own a Ruger Mk.II and it's not hard to reassemble once you know the trick to it), and actually I am also one of those people that disassembles/cleans guns after each range trip, but I can certainly understand the other side of the argument. If it's difficult, and the gun very VERY unlikely to blow up, why bother? Plus it does give bragging rights, sort of. "See, my gun is so reliable that I fired ten billion rounds through it and then my dog peed on it and it still works!"

 

[Bigum1969]

Because sometimes cleaning is very, very much a pain in the ass.. and the guns in question are reliable enough to function even with powder and lead residue everywhere.

See: Ruger .22 automatic. For a thorough cleaning the bolt has to come out; otherwise there's not enough room to push a bore brush completely through. Reassembling the gun afterwards is tricky; you have to tilt the whole thing one way, pull trigger, push mainspring housing into place, wave a dead chicken, tilt the gun another way, rotate mainspring housing into place, curse, then hope the little tab hanging off the hammer engaged the whatsit on the thingy...can't just see if it did, either, because some bastard decided to make the gun out of opaque metal.

I exaggerate (I own a Ruger Mk.II and it's not hard to reassemble once you know the trick to it), and actually I am also one of those people that disassembles/cleans guns after each range trip, but I can certainly understand the other side of the argument. If it's difficult, and the gun very VERY unlikely to blow up, why bother? Plus it does give bragging rights, sort of. "See, my gun is so reliable that I fired ten billion rounds through it and then my dog peed on it and it still works!"

The "Wave a dead chicken" line made me laugh my a$$ off. Reps to you!

 

[turnandshoot4]

I refuse to clean my 10/22. I don't know why, I just don't. I think I shoot it too much (as if that was a bad thing). I usually shoot until I have to be somewhere and end up late to where I am supposed to be. Eliminating the time to clean it right after I shoot. I'll end up cleaning my "nice" guns though.

 

[mike8170]

I went out yesterday, and fire more than 500 rounds through 2 of my 1911's, 100 through each of my M1 carbines and Garands, and I CLEANED THEM AS SOON AS I GOT HOME. Now the cleaning was :
Punching a brush down the barrel
Swabbing patches until clean
No heavy carbon on the chamber or bolt
No dirt or grit on the rails that the bolt or OP rods ride on
Added grease

Next month I will run copper solvent down the barrels.

Now I will never clean a weapon to white glove standards, but you have to take care of them. It prevents wear, and insures that they will function when your life depends on them. When I have been overseas, I cleaned my M4, M9, and inspected (after my gunner cleaned) my M2 everytime we got into a FOB. I guess it is a habit I picked up over the last 22 years.
I don't believe in neglecting anything of value, which I hope everyone values their weapons, especially if they carry them on a daily basis.

Just my 2cents worth.

 

[smokingman]

At my house we always clean after shooting. It is not an option for me.I even clean my aks(not saying I never abuse them,but when the abuse is done they get cleaned). It is also a good family time. My daughter can clean most any weapon to my satisfaction. She has been cleaning since she started shooting at 6(her first firearm was a cricket 22).To me cleaning is a matter of respect for my investment.

 

[Dogman]

JMHO, if it's a 1911 style gun clean it after shooting, even if I haven't shot my Para but have been carrying it for a while I take it apart and do a wipe down and oil, I do the same with my Kahr. My Glock's on the other hand I'll clean them after 3-4 shootings, otherwise I do a wipe down, bore snake, 5 drops of oil and I know I don't have to worry about them working because I didn't do a complete breakdown and cleaning.

 

[Bubbajms]

Well, the glock just goes in the dishwasher, so that's not a biggie

(Wife would kill me!)

 

[shooter521]

I don't baby my guns, but I don't neglect them either. They get cleaned when they "need it," whatever point (round count or time interval) that may be. The ones I carry regularly get more TLC than those that are just for playtime.

 

[Seancass]

To me cleaning is a matter of respect for my investment.

To me, in my opinion, i think, to my self, it's desrespectful to the gun to not clean it. It bothers me when my friends don't clean their guns and i tell them so. They're worth a lot to me and I can't imagine how mad i'd be if they some how failed because I hadn't taken care of them. It also makes me a little nervous about buying used guns, i suppose like used cars, ya never know.

 

[Littlejoe]

I suppose this is sort of a random rant, and to each his own. But why do I frequently see brags on almost every gun forum I'm on, stating things such as....I've got 12000 rnds through my Glock without one cleaning....or my SIG has 8000 rnds without a misfire or FTF and I haven't cleaned it once. Unless you're conducting some sort of torture test or care nothing about the reliability of your firearm, why would you ever do such a thing? IMO, I never, ever, fire a gun and put it away dirty. Even if I haven't fired a round through it, suppose its been on my hip all week, I still do a takedown of it at the end of the week, run some oil down the barrel, and kiss it goodnight. Why would you set yourself up for disaster? We all know what a little negligence can do to any gun....or do we? Nick

I clean and inspect my carry gun every week. It don't matter if I have shot 500 rounds or 5 it comes apart and gets a good cleaning. If I am going to trust it to protect my family and myself it will be in top shape. My shotguns and rifles get cleaned after every event. A tool will only work as good as you care for it. Just my

 

[bigg cheese]

when I first picked up my 1911, I bought a cleaning kit with some kind of "cleaner and lube" all in one. Are these any good? I still went out later and bought the "hoppes" oil, and I can tell a distinct difference.

Is it really worth it?

 

[GIJEW]

There's cleaning & cleaning. I don't obsess over metal fouling at every cleaning, but leaving a bunch of carbon in the barrel that will absorb moisture is just dumb!
Having said that, I've been told by knowledgeable people that they don't clean their .22's because the wax lube 'laps' the barrel and they don't want to mess that up. They're talking match rifles/ammo, but what about generic stuff like WsuperX? "Turnandshoot" how's your 10/22 group? Personally, I've peeled bits of lead from the barrel of my Ruger single-six when using a brush.

 

[Turtle]

If I have to do any more than wipe the feed ramp every 1000rds then It wasnt worth the money. And If its not a top notch weapon I wont touch it. And diffrent is always a plus! I plan on hikeing miles into no where and staying with just my rifle, side arm and backpack. Wet,dry,dirty,or clean It must fire. And it will tredge the river in my arms. I like to go where only turtles dare to go. Slow and steady is the only way of life. How I dream of summer.

 

[m_deaner]

I try to clean my guns every 300-500 rounds, but I don't obsess over it.

I clean the barrels of my .22s about once per year, if that. Most of the match .22 shooters say not to clean the barrels often because cleaning causes wear, and the lube on .22 bullets fills in imperfections in the bore, increasing accuracy. I have found that a clean .22 barrel is less accurate than one with a few hundred rounds down it since the last cleaning.

When cleaning .22s, I only use a bore snake and weedeater line with a knot on the end to pull patches through the bore. I clean the chamber with a .22 caliber brush bent at a 90-degree angle. I do not run bronze brushes down the bores of my .22s.

Just my 2-cents... when it comes to cleaning, everyone does it their own way.

 

[GJ1981]

But why do I frequently see brags on almost every gun forum I'm on, stating things such as....I've got 12000 rnds through my Glock without one cleaning....or my SIG has 8000 rnds without a misfire or FTF and I haven't cleaned it once.

I believe a lot of those posters are F.O.S. Some people feel the need to play the game of mine is bigger than yours. If someone tells me they have done such tasks great, back it up with proof...this is the internet after all.

Aside from that I can't understand why someone wouldn't want to clean their weapon. Is their life not worth 10-15 minutes max once a week or every other? I cleaned my M16 every chance I had in Iraq, 2-3 times a day when possible, there is no such thing as too clean of a weapon IMO.

 

[ianreed]

i know everyone has there own way of doing things but im never sure when the next time im going to be able to get them out and im paranoid that they arent going to work when i start so i have to end up cleaning them anyway. My grandfather was a marine and he was a hard @$$ about always cleaning after you shoot so that might have something to do with it.

 

[Buckhunter]

When I was young I used to get out dads guns and sit down and take apart and clean every gun he had about once a week. As I got older and aquired all my own guns I probably do not do as often as I should but I do not neglect them by any means. My guns that are "seasonal" to me get cleaned before and after season. I do agree that on my 22's....about once a year. Pistols & guns of value get alot more attention. I do, about once or trice a year, get all of em out for "inspection".

 

[KDUBCR250]

The "Wave a dead chicken" line made me laugh my a$$ off. Reps to you!

 

[VN Vet]

Setting at the kitchen table and cleaning my firearms is good relaxing therapy for me, so cleaning is something I like to do. I just have to lock the cat away. He loves to play with small parts. LOL