My advice to new firearm owners who ask how often to clean it

[Bob D]

I don't clean mine anywhere near as often as I made my Joes clean the ones I signed for.

I do wipe em down and lube em up, but I clean when I feel it's necessary. I had a private turn in a rifle that he had successfully "cleaned" so much that the blueing was coming off. It's really not necessary for them to function. I like nice things though, so I'll take care of my babies.

 

[SteelheadTed]

I don't clean after every use but I do take care of them. I only shoot 100-200 rounds in a pistol at time, if that, cleaning every time seems a bit much. Perhaps an argument can be made for a AR you fire 500 rounds through in a weekend but even then, unless you drag it through the dirt or are using a dirty powder, I don't see it as necessary.

I wonder what percentage of malfunctions are an issue of carelessness rather than cleanliness. Introducing junk into a chamber because a magazine fell in the mud is an issue whether it was cleaned right before that or not. A magazine that doesn't feed because it has been dropped isn't a function of cleaning either. Rounds that won't chamber because the round is out of spec isn't a cleaning issue.

 

[Finnthedog]

If you clean your firearm after each use you aren't testing yourself or your gun

Test your kit get good

 

[OldTengu]

I probably clean my mags more often than my guns. Pocket lint and grit in em is a bad time.

 

[DLS]

So for those of you that clean your carry gun every month or so ... am I right inferring that you don't shoot them???

Otherwise you are packing a dirty gun?

I'm on the camp that says you practice with your carry piece, and do it often. For me that's a minimum of twice a month and weekly if possible.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I'm definitely not religious about cleaning my guns. Bores get cleaned if I notice accuracy loss, surfaces get oiled for rust protection, and actions will get a quick scrub if I notice a lot of buildup.
I have a few guns that I swear run better after 100 or so rounds post cleaning.
My carry guns gets more love, but they're subjected to lint/sweat/rain/dirt.

 

[madmax]

Deep cleaning is over rated!
Feild strip, whip, generously lube, whip, light lube and call it good

 

[Aero Denezol]

My first instructor told me that you aren't only cleaning it you are doing a safety and visual functionality test.

^^^this 100%.

 

[American123]

Don't remember the last time I cleaned my Glock carry piece, I'm probably on range trip 6 at this point and at somewhere between 500+ rounds fired. I guess you could say I regularly test the conditions it will work reliably. Considering I'm on likely 3000+ rounds through it without issue, I'm not worried.

 

[clanhanson]

Cleaning religiously or after each range session is overrated and causes excess wear and tear. Checking for bore obstructions often is NOT overrated.

 

[Knebel]

If I know I'll be going shooting more often, I usually just inspect and spray some clp. Some more expensive guns get a more thorough cleaning.

 

[RedRover]

I approach it...

SD Firearms - At a minimum, the actions are always cleaned after use; w/ special attention to maintain feed-ramps polished and rails/bolts/springs lightly oiled/lubed. At a maximum; white-glove inspection ready.

Range Toys - I may let these go a few sessions before a thorough cleaning.

Precision Rifles - Actions get same attention as SD firearms. As for bores.. I tend to do the 'foul cycle'; only cleaning once accuracy starts to wane. A thorough cleaning, run a handful of rounds to foul the barrel until groups tighten up. Rinse/Repeat.

 

[Hueco]

My protocols are similar to @RedRover's.

SD guns get field stripped and wiped down after use...maybe a quick patch down the barrel...lubed back up and ready to go. My 1911 sees the most action and it's also a carry gun for me - it gets detail stripped every 1k rounds and gets the white glove treatment. Pre-pandemic, 1k was every ~3-4 weeks. More like every ~2-4 months now. I'll patch the bores but save the brushes for every few hundred rounds.

My 10/22 and CZ457 (rimfire semi-auto and bolty, respectively) get actions wiped or scrubbed down as needed. I don't worry about the bore until accuracy wanes.

My revolvers are both range toys (Vaquero and Wrangler) - they get wiped down after use with the same bore treatment as above - quick patch or two, but save the scrubbing for after it's been at least a few hundred rounds.

I do think that you can clean so often that you end up causing more wear and tear than is necessary. But, if you're new, it wouldn't be a bad thing to get very used to (at least) field stripping your guns. I would certainly do that once a week or more until you are intimately familiar with your firearm.

 

[Flopsweat]

I clean 'em in the Spring when I take my bath.

 

[Flymph]

I like to clean every few hundred rounds. Give things a good wipe down if I expect them to last. I'd at least run a wet patch down the bore if I shot a few rounds through something and planned to store it for any amount of time.

 

[WalkingTall]

Who doesn't like the smooth clean action of a well cleaned/oiled firearm? I hate when mine gets all funky and you can feel it not quite running rounds through as clean as it should. Keep it clean. Plus always good to know intimately how to disassemble and reassemble.

 

[slimmer13]

I wonder how many "religiously clean after every use" guys are also "barrel break ins were invented by manufacturers to wear them out faster" guys?

I'm a "clean when they get dirty" guy. And I don't consider 1-2 range trips dirty.

 

[titsonritz]

I clean 'em in the Spring when I take my bath.

Just like Will Penny.

 

[Jason999]

I pull 'em apart and clean after every trip to the range, but I enjoy doing it.

Beyond that... I'll wipe them down with an oiled rag every two months. Most of my firearms haven't been shot in years anyhow, it's the peril of owning so many in ancient (expensive) calibers.

 

[HA556]

Long ago in a land far away , I was told to "Take care of my rifle , so it will take care of me."
The lessons and skills I learned from those men , kept me alive.

Never were there truer words when it come to firearm maintenance! My dad taught me that same expression when I was knee high to a short frog!

I've been where you'd think you could keep sand out of certain places by sinching up all open areas! But, found out later, if there's sand in the cheeks, there's probably sand in the chamber! KEEP IT CLEAN!