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

[Stealth]

I got this idea for a show -- "The Gun Whisperer"

We get a host to go to homes and put his ear up to a firearm. He will quietly say the tagline "Talk to me.....Tell me what's wrong".

Then proceed to clean and repair it, etc.

My serious point is learn what your firearms need and do it. If you need to clean after every 50-100 rounds then do so. But as many people say here - do not over clean. You can scrub/over clean a firearm. You can also under-clean one. Find the balance.

Inspect your firearms and clean only when needed.

[Peter W Bush]

How did you do that?

Do what?

[Jason_2111]

You can scrub/over clean a firearm.

Umm... say again, over?

Unless you're taking a steel brush to your parts and/or just cleaning it wrong, no, you can't over clean. The Marine Corps is living proof of that.

One could argue that cleaning a clean weapon could be OCD and a waste time, but that's a completely different thing.

[Sh00tFurst]

I'm glad there's people here that believe in cleaning their guns. I was starting to lose hope after reading another thread a few weeks back where guys were advocating just lube and go. To each his own I guess.

[SixPointEight]

Umm... say again, over?

Unless you're taking a steel brush to your parts and/or just cleaning it wrong, no, you can't over clean. The Marine Corps is living proof of that.

One could argue that cleaning a clean weapon could be OCD and a waste time, but that's a completely different thing.

I agree, I love the people that are telling me the brass brush i use is gonna wear out my AR barrel. I bet a lifetime of me cleaning it will do less damage than a single magazine fired from it

[Jason_2111]

I agree, I love the people that are telling me the brass brush i use is gonna wear out my AR barrel. I bet a lifetime of me cleaning it will do less damage than a single magazine fired from it

Yup, I'm with you.

I was a Marine Corps armorer for 8 years, and part of that time I was stationed at the MCRD (boot camp) in San Diego. The rifles there are probably the most used weapons and abused weapons you'll see anywhere. They're scrubbed to death by recruits, and all have round counts that are staggering.
With the exception of some faded parkerizing, no problems from cleaning that I ever saw.

I should of course, qualify that with "proper" cleaning. Once in a while you'd get some idiot punching his bore half way down, and then trying to reverse direction on the bore brush. That plus brute force is a good way to ruin an AR barrel.... the copper brush will pit the inside of the bore.

I don't know why ranges never clean their rental guns either. It always drives me nuts. I expect them to be funky, but some are barely usable.

[Lone_Gunman]

I clean every gun I own after shooting it. Sometimes I will pull one out that hasn't been shot in a while and give that one a quick rub down and punch the barrel. It's just a thing with me I guess. I've always been taught if you take care of your guns they will take care of you.

[Rangda]

I don't mind cleaning my gun after I have my fun.

[Kerplow]

to each their own.

if you gotta have em clean, do it.

if you dont give a rats smelly butt, dont bother.

i regret not cleaning my SKS years ago after a desert camping weekend. it acquired a bit of a patina by the time i finally pulled it out of the closet and it has only gotten worse over the years. rust is a pain in the butt once its gets started. maybe when it doubles in value again i'll get it re-blued!

[JTROKS]

OK! I'm guilty. First chance I get I'll clean the guns I've been shooting with. Aight! Aight! Aight! After I put a couple of hundred rounds through the Marlin Papoose I'm buying for my 7 year old.

I used to be a shoot and clean kind of guy, but now I usually use a nylon brush to get most of the gunk out then a moist patch to remove most build up from the rails and breach, then a brush and patch through the barrel if I see too much crud in the barrel then off she goes shooting again. 22s are more of a carbon fouling than leading. Then at some point where it keeps jamming up then that's the signal for a thorough cleaning.

[chickenfried]

i don't neglect my firearms. But I don't treat em like I'm going to eat off em either.

[Toast]

I love cleaning my guns and my car. It's very relaxing.

[lazs]

I think a little common sense is in order here.. No.. you probly can't "overclean" an AR.. they are a crappy design so far as the gas system and.. you clean em from the breech.

Take a Garand or M14 tho.. and an old steel rod. I have seen a lot of Garands that were "overcleaned" the muzzle is worn and nicked from the cleaning rod. The gas cylinder and sight is loose from being taken off so many times.

Heck.. if first shot accuracy is the thing.. you are better off with a barrel that has a few rounds without cleaning than a sparkly clean one. No big deal tho.

When I was younger I was real anal about cleaning em.. I would remove the sideplate on my Smith and wesson revolvers every time to clean!

Now? If the gun gets less than a box or so at a session.. I will do a good cleaning every other time maybe.. I inspect them every time and grind off the carbon and lead with a frontier scrubber (highly reccomended) or a lead wipe away cloth.. I will inspect the bore and wipe the thing down with a ClP rag.

When I do clean the bores I get em spotless shiny. probly every hundred rounds or so. I don't take em all apart except every year or so. Mostly because I am sure that all the solvent used in lesser cleaning sessions is flowing crap into the action. Still.. It is rare that I see much crud in the internals even after a year.

[Notblake]

At least field strip a gun before you buy one used?

[joefrank64k]

Years ago I was of the "clean after every range day" crowd, but have now seen the light...with modern guns and non-corrosive ammo, you simply don't need to clean guns all that often.

And even with corrosive ammo, ONE patch of ammonia, ONE dry patch, and ONE patch of Break-Free while still at the range and you're GTG.

And in response to those who equate not changing your motor oil to not cleaning your gun...When I got my new FN 5.7, the owners manual recommended cleaning no more than every 500 rounds...unless, of course the gun was subjected to extreme conditions like salt water. So, I'm just following factory recommended maintenance...like changing my oil every 10,000 miles in my car.

Lube and appropriate grease as needed, but no routine cleaning...I've got other things to do with my time, like shoot more guns at the range!!!

But hey, to each, their own...