Clean your guns!!!!!! (rant)

[nn3453]

I rarely clean my guns and they work just fine.

Maybe you need more reliable guns?

22 semi autos do need a bit more maintenance and are a bit more finicky usually. That could be his problem.

[wjc]

Agree 100 percent with the op. I look at firearms as "instruments" and would want them clean and functioning. I clean mine before and after shooting.

It's also a good check for parts that may fail..say, a recoil bushing in a 1911 because it's broken apart from the grease/oil.

[Donk310]

I rarely clean my guns and they work just fine.

Maybe you need more reliable guns?

Same here. I don't clean them that often, not only because I am lazy... but I just have too many guns and so little free time. I may take a few out to the range a few times, put it away, take it out 3-6 months later... then clean it. Despite my bad cleaning habit... in my seventeen years of shooting, they all went bang every time. However... before shooting it for the first time.. breakdown, inspect, clean, lube if needed... without fail.

[JeffM]

22 semi autos do need a bit more maintenance and are a bit more finicky usually. That could be his problem.

Haven't cleaned my High-Standard Model B for two years and I shoot it every time I go out. Hasn't missed a beat.

I don't buy guns that can't take a beating and keep running. Hell, I don't even have a complete AR anymore. They require too much maintenance and are boring to shoot.

If you like your guns clean that's fine by me, but what's with the judgment on the members that have guns that actually run?

[Peter W Bush]

I did a quick check on this one before I shot it and there wasnt anything out of the ordinary. That said, this was the first Buckmark I've ever handled. The areas inside that I thought were blued turned out to be dirty (it was a polished finish...). I bought another few things from this guy and they were VERY clean and well cared for. I'm just going to assume he forgot to clean this one or something. Theyre much harder to disassemble than all of my other autos.

I rarely clean my guns and they work just fine.

Maybe you need more reliable guns?

Just fine isnt good enough for some people...

22 autos are more finicky than most others. Other than that Browning (which works great when clean) I have some of the most reliable firearms money can buy.

[Peter W Bush]

Haven't cleaned my High-Standard Model B for two years and I shoot it every time I go out. Hasn't missed a beat.

I don't buy guns that can't take a beating and keep running. Hell, I don't even have a complete AR anymore. They require too much maintenance and are boring to shoot.

If you like your guns clean that's fine by me, but what's with the judgment on the members that have guns that actually run?

ARs have their place. I've beat the hell out of some of my guns and they still go bang. My point was YES a lot of guns will run just fine if dirty, but why try to push it???

[wjc]

Just fine isnt good enough for some people...

^^^ this

I understand that some people have a lot of firearms and it may be tedious to clean them often. I'd like to add another thought from the old school. If the firearm is clean when you put it away it will be clean and ready to go when you need it.

[Tacom]

I for one ENJOY cleaning my guns. It's very zen for me.

Seconded.

[SJgunguy24]

Cleaning is exactly why I shoot my AR very little, I hate cleaning that thing. When I'm shooting my AK's i'll run a patch and maybe some oil and thats about it. Pistols get the same treatment.

[sorensen440]

My guns are cleaned every time I shoot prior to them being put away

[Once A Marine]

If the firearm is clean when you put it away it will be clean and ready to go when you need it.

+1. It doesn't take too much time to wipe the firearm down, run a couple of patches through the bore, and apply a minimal amount of lube after firing.

[shmeddie]

I hate cleaning my guns. The only guns I clean after every range trip are my G21 (HD gun), and my savage 10fp (because clean is accurate). Everything else I clean when I get around to it which could take months. I hate cleaning.

[Snake eyes]

All of my pistols are defensive weapons so after each time I shoot one I not only clean but do a thorough inspection.

Firing pin, extractor, ejector, barrel lugs, ect. These are all things that could break or crack during a shooting sesion. Even with a badly cracked part it's still possible for your gun to funtion at the range, and if you relied only on range performance you could wind up with a SERIOUS failure if you fired the weapon in a defensive situation.

If it's a defensive weapon, treat it like your life depends on it.

[23 Blast]

There's a reason that in virtually every military organization in the world, weapon cleanliness and maintenance is taken seriously. I imagine this is true even where the legendary AK is the standard arm.

I personally don't like to clean my guns, but I consider it a necessary chore like washing the dishes or doing the laundry. Eating off a dirty dish probably won't kill me or make me sick, nor will wearing dirty clothes, but why would you do that?

When I bought my Ruger Mark II, I bought it used and evidently the previous owner was from the school of "My guns don't need no steenking cleaning!" the action was pretty gummed up with powder residue. I imagine that it probably would still fire and operate fine, but there's something in me that hates running a gun that way. If I were in a survival situation where I couldn't break down and clean the gun, then fine. But deliberately refusing to clean a gun is akin to refusing to maintain a car according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Yes, your car will probably run okay if you neglect changing oil and fluids when you're supposed to, and probably be okay if you run with low tire pressure, low brake fluid, etc, but why would you shorten the life of your car that way if it's easily preventable?

[Fot]

I clean every gun I take out shooting when I return.. It's part of the fun..