dirty guns - unsafe?

[kellyj00]

Has anyone ever hurt themselves or their firearm by shooting it while it was dirty....such as neglecting to clean it for a long time?

First hand experiences or links to articles would be great!

 

[kermit315]

a glock will go 100000000 rounds without being cleaned with no FTE or FTF, and still hit point of aim to 500 yards with stock sites.

just kidding

nah, sorry. I clean everything i have right after i shoot it. closest i can say is that .22 in the rental case at the range. none of their guns look all that clean,and i am sure that .22 see's alot of action, because it is never in the case. the one time i shot it i kept a pretty tight group (1 ragged hole) and had no issues though.

a bigger caliber or more finicky gun will most assuredly produce different results though.

Jamie

 

[alex_trebek]

I once read on this forum somewhere about a makarov that slam fired. The author of the post claimed that the firing pin was stuck forward from dirt. No one was hurt in this case, but obviously could of.

That was the only case I have ever heard of. the same problem can occur with the SKS, but never directly heard of, or have it happen.

 

[davinci]

I clean my guns after each trip, mostly because I get anxious to shoot again and enjoy cleaning them.

Also, I'd use hoppes #9 for cologne if it didn't burn so much.

 

[hso]

I quit cleaning my Hi Power just to see how many rounds it would take before it quit running properly. After 6,000 rounds it started having problems feeding so I ran a bore snake though it and tooth brushed the slide and kept on going.

 

[fishingjld]

only failure to feeds on my model 60 glenfield/marlin. other than that no injuries. unless you include my ego when i shoot .45.

 

[230RN]

I've always found that dirty firearms seem to shoot better than clean ones, especially (semi) autos.

Seems the gunk takes up some slop, leading to better shot-to shot consistency in going into battery.

All the above, within reason.

A firearm prone to slam fires should have the firing pin and firing mechanism cleaned, and it's possible to get foreign material between the sear and the hammer or striker notch of any firearm, so that engagement is reduced, perhaps to a dangerous level.

In re cleaning the bore, a fouled barrel will shoot more consistently from first to last shot if it is not scrubbed squeaky-clean.

Again, all within reason.

But that's why they have fouling shots at matches.

I once had the chunk of lead which builds up between the cylinder and the top strap of a revolver get blown out to the side and pwang off a rock next to me. I was shooting my own cast bullets at the rate of fifty per day for practice, without much cleaning, and after that I used a bronze bristle brush and a sharpened prybar made out of a brass rod to get it out. I'm not sure that was any more or less dangerous than the somewhat "normal" lead spitting from a revolver, but I wouldn't have liked to get hit by it.

I am given to understand, but do not have direct knowledge, that polygonal barrels ought to be cleaned pretty regularly --comments?

---------
"More guns, cameras, small boys, and coffeepots have been ruined by excessive cleaning than any other single cause." --230RN

 

[davinci]

I dunno about polygonal rifling, but since it has much less area that can 'build up' with stuff, I'd say that it would require less cleaning.

I'd like to cite the glock torture tests on this one, glocks being polygonal.

 

[gp911]

I have yet to see a malfunction due to a gun not being cleaned thoroughly after each range session. I clean my guns, but not very often. They shoot just fine, no malfunctions whatsoever. I have friends whose guns feel slicker than owl snot, all lubed and shiny, and they shoot no better than mine with the powder stains and running with very little lube. It seems to be a personal preference rather than a real maintenance issue.

gp911

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I had a moisin with a dirty chamber get a laquered steel case jammed in it so bad I had to use a hammer to open the bolt. However that shot hit the steel target at 150 yards dead on.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I've heard this about .22s especially. I can't bring myself to try it; it's just not me. Once I let my .22 rifle, after a range session, stay dirty for 2 weeks. Problem was, I didn't go back to the range for three, so I still haven't tried it. I had every intention to go back with a dirty rifle, but those 2 weeks just drove me nuts.

Don't know about this cuz I can't work up the courage to try it. Guess I'm a clean freak.:banghead:

 

[eliphalet]

Carried a Marlin 60 in a rolled up blanket for several years in a camper shell. It needed to be cleaned every 2500 rounds or so as it would begain to jam.
My deer/elk rifle will not be cleaned till season is done or I get caught out in the rain. Just a quick wipe down if that.

I think most guns would be just fine with a shot of WD-40 and a wipe down most of the time. remember it's a gun, not fine china ya eat off of.

 

[sm]

CCW:
I carry a dirty gun.

Home/Office gun : dirty

Competition:
Unwritten rule : Compete with a dirty gun.


Here is the deal.
One needs to shoot a gun to learn that guns' nuances.
This allows one to "know the gun".
This aids in Inspecting & Maintaining. Notice I did not type "cleaning".

More guns are messed up by improper cleaning.
This includes, but not limited to, taking down too far, improper technique, improper tools, cleaning what is not needed and not cleaning what does and ...cleaning a clean gun.


I concern myself with what makes the gun run.
For ME, I don't clean bores. I subscribe to Wil Shueman's thoughts on this.

Chambers, extraction, and magazines now, I Inspect and Maintain
Under the extraction star on a revolver, gas ports on semi-shotguns...I Inspect and Maintain

Folks have bores they can eat off of, but the chamber on a shotgun is so gritty with plastic, the shotgun won't run...
Or the revolver will not turn the cylinder because the dirt under extraction star, or ejector rod is loose.

Folks ...clean clean guns.
Every time they see or hear of a new wonder solvent, or lube, they clean a clean gun to try this wonder wallet flush.

But...will the gun run if need be?

I have seen so many folks show up to compete and in cleaning the night, or morning of, get a part backwards, or forget this , or not do that and the gun won't run.

This would be really bad if someone were to need this gun in a serious situation.

I inspect and maintain and shoot the gun once back together. I know the gun went bang, and this includes the magazines.

Now carry the damn thing and quit messing with it.

Mr Murphy looks for any excuse to mess up your life. Quit making it easier for him.

Not to mention, if one gets in a serious situation, there is no guarantee it will be a nice sun shiny day and one will get to run in and clean.

Take a Skeet Shooter that does high round counts and knows his /her gun will run in rain, sleet , snow, extreme heat and humidity of a Southern Summer for 200 rds a DAY, or MORE.
These folks (we) shot an easy 500- 1k rds a WEEK with a dirty gun in all sorts of weather.

Take some of the handgun shooters that practice this much a week.

1. they need the practice time instead of cleaning.
2. they know the gun so well, they can feel when it is time to rack the slide, toothbrush breechface, extractor, add lube and run the gun.

I've seen shotguns messed with more than shot, the receiver pins were more loose than a shotgun with 30k rounds fired through it.

 

[solareclipse]

ive had plenty of problems with dirty rental guns..

i no longer shoot mine since i am too anal about keeping them spotless. seriously.. i just have to rebuild any gun after shooting it.

so i just rent now

 

[Black Adder LXX]

Biggest problem I've ever seen is buildup causing failures to feed properly, etc. 22 autoloaders are pretty bad for this in general. I've had dirty rental guns jam a lot because of being dirty. I've never heard of anything 'dangerous' because of this, except maybe the guys that got the first M16s in Viet Nam being told they didn't require cleaning and their new rifles jamming in combat...
Of course I keep mine clean, so I don't worry about it.

 

[GRIZ22]

A dirty carry gun can be very unsafe if it doesn't work when you need it. I've seen many posts claiming they only clean their gun every 5,000,000 rounds. I hope they don't carry those.

I generally keep all my guns clean,