Do you clean your carry gun, before leaving the range?

[Esoxchaser]

My carry guns get field stripped at least once a week. Detail stripped at least once a month. I shoot them almost daily so I guess the answer is "No" I do not clean them when done shooting, but they get cleaned frequently.

 

[smalls]

I figured he was talking about a field strip cleaning. But I should add that I also wipe my gun down with an oily rag every couple days to keep it from rusting, and take the top end off every week or so to make sure there's no dust, or fuzzies in there, and throw a little oil in the barrel. I really only get to go shoot once a month or so, so it goes without a good cleaning for a while.

 

[Fotno]

"Never put away a dirty gun" was cemented in my head from my childhood, but my dad never had defensive guns. So, I used to be anal, and clean my carry gun after each trip to the range, but realized that I took it apart, cleaned it, and now I have no idea if it shoots. I did before, because I had just shot it.

I clean mine before every third range trip, now

I had that same instruction as a kid, and followed it for many years. I think the older shooters got into the habit as a holdover from blackpowder shooting and military training.

Nowadays I clean mine every five hundred rounds or so.

 

[bergmen]

I think the question needs clarification. If by "clean" you mean wipe down the exterior, yes. If you mean field-strip and brush the bore, brush the internals, and oil as needed, that's at home. If you mean detail-strip by completely disassembling the gun - only when I'm working on one.

Yep, that is what I do (wipe down at range with oily rag when finished). I have tools at the range if needed (squib load dumps unburned powder down the barrel, etc.) but I do cleaning at the range. Ranges are for shooting (IMO).

Dan

 

[smalls]

I had that same instruction as a kid, and followed it for many years. I think the older shooters got into the habit as a holdover from blackpowder shooting and military training.

Well, all my dad's guns are hunting guns. So the only time they were really shot was while hunting, or sighting them in. Then they may sit in the safe for half the year, so they needed to be cleaned before putting them away, and there's no advantage to not clean them. My carry gun gets shot often enough, and I lube it up enough that it doesn't need to be cleaned every time I shoot it.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Then they may sit in the safe for half the year, so they needed to be cleaned before putting them away, and there's no advantage to not clean them.

After hunting season is over then yes, clean them well. However cleaning after sighting in will cause the next shot or two to be different than the sighter shots due to not having a fouled bore. That means that when you get out into the field to take a shot, it might not be as good of a shot as you want. Granted, out to 200 yards the change in POI probably will not be enough to miss the vitals of a large animal, but I prefer to know that my round will be going right where my crosshairs are.

After sighting in my hunting rifles I will run a brush and swabs down the bore at the range, and then fire 3 more shots to foul the bore enough to get POI back to POA. (That is if it took more than 3 shots to sight it in)

 

[Rexster]

It depends upon what I am doing later. It also depends upon how many rounds I have fired.

Notably, most ranges familiar to me do not have a good place to perform a detailed cleaning.

A 60-round qual course at the PD range does not really create enough fouling to threaten functioning. I may or may not use a bore snake, and may just wipe the exterior of the weapon. If I plan to shoot again within a day or two, I might delay the full cleaning until after that next session.

If I fire several hundred rounds, I will probably use another carry weapon for the trip home, and detail-strip and clean at the earliest opportunity.

 

[skt239]

Sometimes. When I shoot on my in laws property, I'm usually there for a weekend so I clean all the guns. After leaving the indoor range, the gun goes back in its holster and I don't give it a second thought.

 

[colorado_handgunner]

Wipe it out with a Remington Oil wipe, then clean fully when I get home.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[21H40]

I don't do any sort of full-on bore scrub, but I always wipe them down after use at the range.

I guess it comes from military habits - you do a light cleaning every time you make it back inside the wire. Nothing too intense, but just enough that you know everything is in good working condition.

 

[MedWheeler]

If I put a couple hundred rounds through my PF9, it might get a little finicky if it doesn't get at least a once-through with a cleaning rod. But, that's pretty much based on hearsay, as I've never sent that many rounds downrange at one time (or between cleanings.) So, no, I don't clean it, or any other gun, at the range. If I ever have that concern, I'll simply bring another carry gun that does not get shot that session.

 

[FMF Doc]

Yes, when I am done, I am walking out the door with it back on my hip. If I don't want to get my shirt dirty, I have to clean it. Now, I won't say it gets a full dys/asy, but atleast a quick field strip and wipe down.

 

[GLOOB]

Well, depends. I've shot some really dirty factory ammo, before. Wouldn't want powder residue all over my holster or range bag. But normally I have no need to mess with the gun til I get home.

I always bring a rag and bottled water with me when I go shooting to clean my hands. I haven't had any need to wipe down any of my firearms, other than the cylinder of a revolver after 100+ cast reloads.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Usually if I am taking my carry guns to the range I carry different firearms. My range is pretty anal about *ALL* range guns be unloaded until shooting. But they never know about what the don't see.

 

[Revoliver]

Where's the both option?

I actually do a quick brush scrub and wipe down with one of those cheap $2 winchester presoaked cloths from wally world before leaving the range and then do a proper cleaning when I get home.

 

[smalls]

Allaroundhunter, sorry I should have been more specific, I meant after hunting season. They got a wipe down with an oily cloth after the range trip, though.

 

[AK103K]

I wont carry a dirty gun, but it has nothing to do with the function of the gun, it has to do with possibly walking into a <deleted> storm I had nothing to do with and get caught up in the aftermath. Why put yourself in a position you dont need to be in, because your to lazy to clean your gun?

When I do go to the range with a gun I carry, its duplicate (I have multiple exact duplicates of everything carry) goes in the holster when Im done, and the dirty gun goes home unloaded. This way, all guns get a workout on a regular basis, and I dont have to carry a dirty gun.

No. But then I hardly ever carry a gun that's just been cleaned either.

I want to know the thing works and the best way to do that is send lead down range.

I shoot all the guns I carry on a regular basis, as well as a couple others that get shot every week. All of them are cleaned right when I get home, every time.

In 50+ years of doing this, I have yet to have a gun Ive cleaned, not shoot the next time out with ammo I carry in the gun. Even with my reloads, in all those years, I can probably count all rounds that didnt go off, on just my fingers. When they did occur, it wasnt the guns fault, it was the ammo. 99.9% of the stoppages Ive had, were intentionally induced, and I cant remember the last time I had one that wasnt.

If you dont want to clean your gun, just say that. You dont have to make up excuses to try and justify it to those of us who do clean them.

 

[Sam1911]

If you dont want to clean your gun, just say that. You dont have to make up excuses to try and justify it to those of us who do clean them.

If you don't believe, or don't care about the reasons some of us have for not wanting to carry a freshly cleaned gun, that's your concern. But don't call anyone who does so a liar just because you can't quite see it our way.

 

[AK103K]

Who called anyone a liar?

All I said was, you dont need to make excuses.

 

[Sam1911]

There must be a difference there I've overlooked.

 

[Sport45]

You dont have to make up excuses to try and justify it to those of us who do clean them.

Excuses? I don't have to justify my practices to anyone. I simply stated my philosophy on the matter. You are free to have a different opinion.

 

[AK103K]

There must be a difference there I've overlooked.

Must be.

Maybe its a central PA thing. Living here, I see it all the time. Its amazing how the smallest thing or misunderstanding seems to turn into a slight of some sort.

Might could be its the Mushki influence.

 

[Sam1911]

Ok. Fair enough.

To that end, if you just have a compulsion to clean your gun, just say that. You dont have to make up excuses to try and justify obsessive cleaning to those of us who don't.

 

[AK103K]

Hey, I readily admit it.

Must have been misinterpreted, eh?

 

[loose noose]

Being a Certified NRA Range Master, and conducting qualifications for quite a number of years, I've seen several dirty(quality) firearms that did not fire properly; ftf, fte. All due to being dirty to the point, where the shooter had to disassemble his weapon and clean it properly. Never have I seen a properly cleaned, and lubricated firearm of good quality not function as it should. I disassemble my weapon after every range session, and check it thoroughly for proper function, such as is the firing pin intact, is the extractor functioning, how about the ejector, is the barrel bushing seated properly. That's on autos, also on revovers is the cylinder rod still tight, if not how are you going to open the cylinder and eject the spent rounds? Perhaps you didn't notice the trigger pull increasing. How about carbon build up around the forcing cone. Granted there are a lot of things that can go wrong with an auto, and just a few things that can go wrong with a revolver. But I do believe that anyone who has a carry gun owes it to himself/herself to make certain the firearm (handgun) will function when in time of need. That means cleaning the arm. BTW I carry a Springfield XD in .40, which is very similar to a Glock, also a S&W model 19, and a Colt Gold Cup in the venerable .45.