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

[Sh00tFurst]

I actually love cleaning my guns.

It's like church for me.

[KracknCorn]

I clean them when they need to be cleaned... don't like being anal about things

[BigDogatPlay]

I've always believed that if it didn't shoot dirty I wouldn't want to own it.

That said.... I recently PPTed a pretty nice vintage S&W Model 19. Whomever owned it prior to me aparently didn't believe in keeping it clean. It was fired and uncleaned when I took bought it, and still was when I shot it post delivery.

It's nice and clean now though....

[SixPointEight]

I clean every trip. If I bring three guns. I clean three guns. I could use my AR barrel, my shotgun barrel, or my mosin barrels as straws. Clean clean clean. And my XD will be the same.

[nick]

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.

Yup, that's why we get so many parts kits with ruined muzzles. More barrels were ruined by shooting that by cleaning in the military.

[Air]

It depends on the gun for me. It's sad, but I generally take guns to the range that I don't worry about cleaning. The nicer stuff gets cleaned after each range outing though.

Speaking of .22's, I've detail stripped my 22/45 once. When I got it. That was 2 or 3 years ago. It still runs fine.

[Greg-Dawg]

It's more like: STOP BEING LAZY!!!

I need to clean my guns...

[M1A Rifleman]

You mean you bought a used gun and didn't field strip and clean it first before firing? Hmm.

Hint, it is also advisable to field strip and clean new guns before firing.

[BigDogatPlay]

Hint, it is also advisable to field strip and clean new guns before firing.

This is especially true for stainless guns... very good advice.

[Jason_2111]

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.

+1000 I do the same thing. I would add that if you have an AR, it's a good idea to have a no-go headspace gauge to pop in every time also. Checking for bad headspace is a great way to keep from losing a hand or an eye, and should be done on a clean weapon.

Carbon hides cracks.

Not to sound like the Preventative Maintenance Nag , but if you've got weapons you never fire, those should get a good once over every so often as well. AR's are notorious for this... the gas blowback system makes every nook and cranny fill with carbon that seeps out as the weapon just sits put away.

A clean weapon is a ready weapon.

[Alexjr1967]

A few ppl touched on it ....but why did you not field strip and inspect the firearm prior to taking it to the range ... especially since you bought it used

[neuron]

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

That's quite true for .22LR blowback autopistols with short (<3") barrels, especially ones without a mechanical extractor (like the Beretta 21A). In the short barrel the round doesn't develop as much velocity as in longer barrels, and the case can stick (FTE) if the chamber gets dirty. That's the major reason (i.e. dirty chamber) that the 21A, for example, has a reputation for FTE stoppages. Some folks "solve" the problem by using only very high velocity rounds (e.g. CCI mini-mag). While it's good to use HV ammo in these guns, scrubbing the chamber every 50-100 rounds will do the trick and allow you to shoot any .22LR ammo.

[Peter W Bush]

A few ppl touched on it ....but why did you not field strip and inspect the firearm prior to taking it to the range ... especially since you bought it used

Because I bought it the night before and took it out the next day. Like I said before, I always strip and inspect everything (including the other guns I bought from the guy, which were very clean) before I shoot it, even guns I've had for a long time. I pulled the slide back and took a look at whatever I could see and it looked OK. It wasnt until I disassembled everything that I saw all of the carbon buildup.

[Dwight K. Schrute]

Why would I want to change the oil in my car? It runs just fine. Maybe y'all should find more reliable cars.

/sarc

[PutTogether]

Because I bought it the night before and took it out the next day. Like I said before, I always strip and inspect everything (including the other guns I bought from the guy, which were very clean) before I shoot it, even guns I've had for a long time. I pulled the slide back and took a look at whatever I could see and it looked OK. It wasnt until I disassembled everything that I saw all of the carbon buildup.

How did you do that?