how often to clean guns?

[Caseless]

Cleaning is optional, unless ammo used has corrosive primer. Oiling the barrel is more important. But your safe may smell smokey using this maintenance routine.

[sd_shooter]

It depends...

C&R or AK/SKS with corrosive ammo
Immediately after a range trip. In SoCal this isn't that critical since the air tends to be dry, but if you have humidity you'll get rust spots pretty soon. (I use a couple patches with water followed by a normal cleaning routine)

22s
After about a brick (500 rounds). The carbon tends to build up on the bolt head and must be scraped out.

Others
Whenever I find the time. Could be years.

[Chapped Hide]

I clean my handguns, shotguns and 22lr after every shoot. My AR gets cleaned every 500-1000 rounds. For me, cleaning my guns is relaxing and something I look forward to doing.

[omgwtfbbq]

I clean my firearms after every trip to the range. Not necessarily right away, but within a week depending on how busy I am.

The only firearm that gets different treatment is my AK. I go as long as I can stand before I clean it. Not any practical reason for this other than it's an AK. I don't shoot corrosive ammo, otherwise I would clean after every use.

[alfred1222]

I clean every gun after i shoot it, and i clean every gun in my safes every 5 weeks regardless of whether its been shot or not

[Twystd1]

I keep some impeccably clean.

I keep some of em kinda clean.

I keep some dirty as hell with only a wipe down and a shot of gun oil.

It depends on the weapon and the use.

-T

[JoshuaS]

Depends.

1. For self-defense weapons, clean after every range trip. If carried, check and inspect at least weekly, if stored at home (say in a quik access safe) check and clean every month

2. For safe queens or firearms not going to be shot in a while, if they are stored in a controlled environment (like a safe with dehumidifiers, etc) I would check them periodically. But if stored in you car, or garage, or in a sock drawer, at least every few months. You can put these in gun socks, or protective coating, etc, whereas self-defense choices need to be read to fire

3. For guns you take regularly/semi-regularly out to the range, it depends. If you go shooting and are going again in a few days with the same gun, and you didn't have a high round count, I would skip it. Otherwise, at least a very basic wipe down. My 10/22, I don't take the trigger group out and clean that every time. I just wipe out the easy to access spots and run a quick bore snake. But with my Ruger Vaquero, I do a pretty good job each time, but I don't worry about the cylinder face being perfectly spotless.

To some degree it is taste. The important thing is that ones you rely on for defense be in the best possible working condition, and that you don't let any go so as to start to rust. Also, more frequent cleaning makes cleaning a little bit easier.

[aklon]

I field strip and clean after every trip to the range, no matter how many rounds I've shot. After each 500 rounds, I detail the gun.


For those residing peacefully in the safe, every six months they get a dry patch down the bore, followed by one lightly oiled.

[Mitch]

Some of you guys make me feel a lot better about my, um, habits.

[dgc357]

Not very often. Usually just run a Boresnake through the barrel and call it a day. I do grease and oil when needed though. Maybe once a year I will do a detailed cleaning.

[JMP]

Depends on the gun. Proper lubrication > cleaning.

Improper cleaning is bad news for the gun. I cringe every time I go to the range and I see folks jamming stainless steel rods and yanking bore snakes through nice barrels.