How often do you clean your firearms?

[Germz]

I've noticed a trend in multiple threads of people making references as to how often they clean their weapons and it vastly differs from my routine.

I think the military has skewed my perception on what actually is an acceptable interval of use before cleaning is required.

personally I clean my weapons after every range trip or session of shooting. Is this not normal?

[RonnieP]

You're supposed to clean your firearms!?

[the86d]

I used to, but if less than a few hundred rounds were fired these days I typically wait until they come home from a second range-trip.

[mikenewgun87]

Well....if I had ammo to shoot I would have a reason to shoot....so I would clean.

[NOTABIKER]

i took 4 rifles to the range fathers day.I shot corrosive ammo in my M-44. also shot a mini 14, yugo SKS and a bolt savage 22lr. the first thing i did when i got home is clean them all. now i will go back and clean the M-44 a second time to be sure the salts do not harm my baby.guns are like cars if you take care of them they will look nice and run a long time. i own a auto repair shop and probably 10 % of the cars that come in for a oil change have less than 2 Qts of oil in them.

[norcalcyclist]

After every range session....I NEVER put a gun away dirty.

The only exception was for a "reliability exercise" - I intentionally did not clean a G19, HK USPc, and a Colt Commander and shot them every 7-10 days over a six month period. The intent was to attempt to show which one would generate a failure due to being dirty....I gave up when none had any issues - couldn't continue to shoot them without some TLC

[camcojb]

I've noticed a trend in multiple threads of people making references as to how often they clean their weapons and it vastly differs from my routine.

I think the military has skewed my perception on what actually is an acceptable interval of use before cleaning is required.

personally I clean my weapons after every range trip or session of shooting. Is this not normal?

So do I. But then again I actually enjoy cleaning them after a day at the range.

[thegamettt]

I usually clean after a heavy day, but if its less than a hundred rounds through something chrome lined, I can wait till the next trip.

[bombadillo]

http://www.6mmbr.com/gailmcmbreakin.html

Great article by Gale McMillan about "breaking in" a barrel. Very surprising, and only one guy's take on the thing so use your own judgement.

http://www.6mmbr.com/borebrushing.html

Another great article about bore brushing. Read and YMMV.


I personally clean very little compared to others these days, and try not to damage the crown or bore. I use very gentle cleaners and solvents, no harsh chemicals anymore, and its been working very well for me. I continue to shoot Sub MOA out of a number of rifles, and I've never had an issue yet. I think some of my old rifles were definitely being over cleaned so I stopped doing it as much and got much better results.

[Supertac916]

I clean my guns every few hundred rounds, except my carry guns. I clean those after each range visit. I'll wipe down all my guns with a silicone coated gun cloth before putting them in the safe. I may clean them if I don't plan on shooting the gun for awhile.

[stilly]

I am lazy. I clean my guns right as or before they start malfunctioning. If I shoot my ppsh-41 with the corrosive ammo then I will clean it out as soon as I get home, but normally it takes a few range trips before I start to clean things. What can I say, when I go to the range and shoot 12 guns, I do not wanna come back home and clean them all right away...

[Speedpower]

I haven't clean my Remington Versamax (Tactical version) since I bought it new May of last year and I have been shooting it every month using slugs and birdshots on Tactical matches, I just shined a light through the barrel now and saw how filthy the bore is! maybe it's time to clean it!

[hundreddollarman]

I do a quick brush on, wipe off with Froglube paste after every range visit.

[hellayella]

I shoot corrosive 7N6 so after the range, I scrub with hot soapy water and chean, boresnake, and then ballistol

[shooting4life]

I clean my guns when they are too dirty to function or accuracy suffers. Needless to say, I don't clean guns very often.