How often to clean?

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Five-O

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How often must one clean after a shoot? Every time? Or does it depend on the gun? I shot my G19 for the first time 10 days ago and have not had time to clean it. I plan to shoot again July 18. Should I clean it before I shoot, or shoot and clean it after?
I heard that it's not necessary to clean a shotgun very often, but what about handguns? Or long guns?
And does it matter how many rounds are fired? I only shot 10 rds.
I have all the cleaning materials, I'm just lazy.:(
Eddie
 
Don't get all paranoid about it.

I clean mine when the function starts to suffer. Typically that's about ever 350 to 500 rounds.

I know one person that is quite happy about the fact that he has not had to do more than clean and lube the slide on his 1911 for about 2000 rounds. It must be REALLY yuckky in there by now! ! ! !

DO check for lead buildup if you're not shooting jacketed rounds though. That can sneak up on you and get ugly.

Some others will do it every few hundred just on general principles which probably isn't a bad thing. Especially if it's just a quick top end strip, clean and re-oil every couple to three hundred. They save the trigger action total strip and clean for every 1000 or 1500 or so.

The good news is that today's powders are not corrosive so the worst you're looking at is some messiness and eventually a build up of the residue to where it slows down the slide and it begins to stovepipe or misfeed.
 
If you want to be a responsible gun owner, regular cleaning of your firearms is a must. I schedule in time to clean my guns after a shoot. Your gun will probably function fine for your next shoot, but over time it will develop problems if you don't clean it immediately after every shoot. Care for your guns, and they will care for you.
 
The prudent and serious Gunman always thoroughly cleans, inspects and lubricates his weapon after every time he fires it.
 
1. Whenever a noticeable portion of the bore is obscured by debris
2. Whenever the debris interferes with normal functioning
3. Immediately after shooting corrosive ammo(military surplus, usually only an issue with rifle rounds- use water soluble cleaner)
4. Whenever you feel like having a clean, shiny gun :)

Whether you clean it or not periodic inspection, especially prior to firing, is always a good idea.
 
Just like the oil and bearings in your car, all the moving parts of your weapon will establish a wear pattern, a clean and lubricated weapon= normal wear, a dirty grungy weapon= excelerated wear. Unlike your car, the bearing surfaces on the gun don't have a constant supply of oil to wash them off, or a filter to trap the gunk. Price for repair/replacement aside, the time you NEED that pistol to work is NOT the time to start wondering if you are cleaning it often enough. Everything has a cost, and everything has a value.....
 
Meh, regular cleaning is just a waste of patches and solvent. I lube before taking the guns out, run a quick wipedown on feedramp and rails.

I clean every 500 rounds or whenever I feel like it, which ever comes first. Usually 500 rounds.

Your gun should easily handle 500 rounds easily without malfunction.
 
Usually the routine maintenance is to clean it everytime you shoot it. If you haven't been shooting it and it has just been sitting in a well confined/non-dusty place, then clean it every year. If you haven't been shooting it but carry it alot (ESPECIALLY if you ankle carry) then at least try to clean it every 3 months. You really should be okay as long as you don't put your gun through nasty/rough enviornments/conditions (I.E. the sandbox, underwater, the Democratic Oval office, etc.)
 
You shoot a gun - you clean it.

You don't shoot a gun - you clean it every six months.

I have to narrow the collection down to 20 guns or so. I'm tired of cleaning 20 every month...
 
if

ur gonna carry it, It must be clean and ready to go. If your gonna range shoot it, maintenance can be put off more .

I guess it all depends on w hat kind of pride you take in ur guns to.
 
I clean & lube every time after firing, even if it's a few rds. Yeah, maybe the military had an influence on me; but I just couldn't sleep well thinking about all the crap lingering in the innards of my pistol. I have the time and I find it completely relaxing and satisfying, regardless of the waste as some of you have put it. I realize the OP might not be talking about a carry piece; but if he is: you are playing "roulette" if not at cleaned-lubed perfection.:)
 
I shoot alot of cast pills in mine so after a day of IDPA i pull it down and clean it. as for shooting jacked pills not so often. I know with my long guns they are more accurat after two or 3 rds down range. My thoughts are if you take care of it it will take care of you.
 
You clean when you quit shooting and the "action" (whatever it was that you needed your gun for) is over. If you fire one shot or 100 or 1000 you clean your weapon.

If I shoot less than 10 or 20 rounds, I just run patches through the barrel. If I shoot more than that I use solvents. If I shoot a LOT I run a wire brush through it, then some solvents and then some patches. I always field strip the unit and wipe it down and lubricate the moving parts and areas where friction is.

Guns are man made and subject to failure and breakage like everything that is man made. Do not neglect your weapons.
 
I think sometimes i shoot my guns just so i CAN clean them.For some reason i enjoy cleaning just as much as shooting.Mabey just handling the steel more is why.
I know mentally i feel better knowing my nice and clean gun is ready to go if called apon for HD.Not everyone see's cleaning guns like me,and every has posted the time when its neccessary to clean them.
I will admit i dont do 100% tear downs for cleaning,but in time when i get more familier with the 2 i own i will learn to take them down fully.But for now i can reach almost everything with a soaked patch.
 
I clean my firearms after I shoot them.

I have spent a great deal of money on them and they are worth the 15-20 minutes each takes to clean them up. The choice is yours.
 
For me it depends on what type of gun it is and what the purpose of the gun is.

Range guns get their actions wiped down and lightly lubed with Breakfree CLP after shooting. If they get real dirty or I don't plan on shooting them for a while then I'll fully clean them (field strip and clean the bore).

My hunting rifle gets fully cleaned before hunting season, then only the action is wiped down after sighting so the barrel stays slightly fouled. It gets fully cleaned after the season. It also gets fully cleaned before testing reloads so I have a benchmark for accuracy.

My carry and home defense guns get fully cleaned after every shooting session whether I shot 1 or 1000 rounds during the shooting session. I like the piece of mind that comes with inspecting and cleaning those guns.

I detail strip and clean every gun maybe once a year. More if they somehow get real dirty.
 
I agree with Fumbler. It dependes on what type of gun. My hunting rifles get cleaned twice a year, after sight-in, and after the season is over.
Other guns:
  • .22 auto - When it starts kicking gunk out the port
  • Centerfire handguns- about every 300 - 500
  • SD - Every time I shoot it
  • AR's - When I think it's dirty enough.
 
After each range trip I fieldstrip the weapon and clean the bore and accessible parts with Hoppes. After a few range trips, I completely disassemble the weapon and dump all the parts in a bucket of mineral spirits, scrub them with a nylon brush, let them dry, lube, then reassemble.
 
+1. :) And brush my teeth after every meal, just as I generally clean my handguns after any and all trips to the range. The only exception are the .22 target pistols, which I usually clean every other time they come out of the safe.
 
If I shoot them they get cleaned, if not they get wiped down about every 6 months. If I sweat alot due to summer temps or work, my carry gun gets a lite quick wipe down at bed time. Once a week the carry gun gets inspected for lint, sand, ect and wiped.

As a teen I had a shotgun I had fired a 1/2 dozen or so times on a rabbit hunt. I got home, cleaned the bunnies and myself, and decided I was too tired to clean the gun. The next afternoon I went to clean it and found a very light coat of rust in the bore. The warmer house air must have condensed on the cool metal, I`ve never let a gun set since.
 
You shot it ten days ago, and plan on shooting again July 18th?

So 30 plus days...

How quick does stuff rust in your neck of the woods?

How often do you clean your car?
 
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