How often do you clean your guns?

[j. villarreal]

How often do you guys clean your guns? After every range session? Every leap year? What are the potential issues with waiting too long to clean? Thanks!

Jason

 

[gunman41mag]

How often do you guys clean your guns? After every range session? Every leap year? What are the potential issues with waiting too long to clean? Thanks!

Jason

If I shoot a gun with corrosive ammo, I clean it after I'm finish shooting, otherwise I mite take as long as a month to clean the gun & I don't have any rust problem

 

[fire259]

usually after a range trip. Spend the first half of the day at the range and the second half at home cleaning.

 

[lovemachine]

I've put around 1200 rounds thru my EDC Glock 19 so far, and have yet to clean it. No FTF's yet either.

I probably should clean it soon.

 

[Jenel]

I clean all of my carry guns once a month if I don't shoot just to clean dust, dirt, and debris and to re-lube. I always clean after a shoot. My long guns/ non carry guns get cleaned and lubed every six months or after a shoot. My shotguns never really get cleaned. That might seem a little excessive to some but I know that if I have to shoot my gun will go boom, not ka-boom.

 

[Dargasonus]

On my .22's I will always clean them after every range session. I only clean my larger calibers if I have been shooting cheap, dirty ammo after a session. Otherwise I may only clean them once every 2-3 trips. With the exception being my two HD handguns, which are cleaned every time.

 

[qonorio]

I clean my weapon after every trip to the range. I tend to shoot lots of ammo.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

While not all guns need cleaned every time...

I generally clean mine "soon" after shooting.

If it's only a few mags through a pistol, even my carry pistol, it might be a good few weeks before I get to it.

In the world of rifles especially, more harm can be done by over-zealous cleaning, as well as cleaning too often, than just letting it sit dirty.

Shooting ANY kind of corrosive ammo in ANY firearm means that it should be cleaned VERY very soon after shooting. Doubly quick if it's humid. If it's the middle of winter and 15 degrees when you shoot that corrosive ammo... leave the weapon outside (provided safe...) or in your car. You can get away without immediate cleaning if the humidity is LOW.

-J-

 

[Hoosier8]

I usually clean after a range trip but for the herd, I clean and lube once a year using Eezox which has worked great at keeping any rust from forming.

 

[doglb]

Regardless of how much I shoot I always clean my guns after each range visit. Overkill....can be but its just a habit I got into.

The only problem that seems to arrise is that if the whole family goes shooting...Im always the one stuck doing the cleaning!

 

[TankerScout]

I usually do it how I did it in the Army- after every time we went to the range. They'll be times when I won't have enough time to do a thorough cleaning, so I'll at least "punch the tubes" until I get a chance to do a field strip and better cleaning. If it hasn't been fired for a while, I'll do some type of general spot cleaning/detailing (i.e., cleaning off the dust bunnies/lint, making sure certain parts are lubed, check for rust, etc).I guess that's just drill and training they imparted on me.

 

[possum_128]

I clean mine after every use, I don't care if I just fired one shot at a snake or a full mag. I also go through every gun I own every three months or so and run a oil patch down the tube as well as oil where needed with a light coat on all blueing. A dirty gun breeds a dirty mind.

 

[Bullfrog80]

Generally clean after every range trip... If I plan on taking it back the next week it is a lighter quick cleaning. If it is going to be stored it is a detailed cleaning. I won't take them to the range more than twice without a thorough cleaning though.

 

[revsaxon]

The carry gun gets cleaned after every shooting/once a month (lint/dirt tends to build up in it from day to day, I know it causes no harm but its just the anal retentive part of me that feel the need to clean it). The .22's/cans get cleaned after every shooting, the bigger caliber guns get cleaned about once a month (unless ive been shooting corrosive ammo, in which case its later that day, and in some cases ive been know to pour water down the barrel at the range itself). Not sure the last time I cleaned my shotguns... maybe 2-3 years? Re-oil the metal/metal parts periodically, but its a shotgun... not like there is really any tight tolerances to get jammed up...

 

[Jake46184]

It's like cleaning anything; the longer you let it go, the harder it is to clean. I like to clean all of my guns after each time they're used. If I'm bored, I'll pull a gun out of the safe that hasn't been cleaned/lubed the longest and do it just because.

 

[us_agent]

Usually right after I'm done at the range, or at the range.

 

[HmDBrian]

my carry gun every month or so if it hasnt been fired, which it usually is fired twice a month, and my long guns are cleaned after every range visit or every couple months just to relube and what not.

 

[JetGirl]

Shoot it = clean it.

 

[BlueEagle]

Carry guns are about once a month, regardless of whether or not it was fired. All handguns are cleaned after every range trip. All rifles are cleaned after every second range trip. Shotguns....they usually just get oiled and a quick rub down. Probably cleaned once a year or so.

 

[fishin4wd]

newbie cleaning

I live close to an indoor range and in colder months I go sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. If I just go shoot 50 rounds over a quick lunch break, I might skip a cleaning or two but normally I try to clean it every time I shoot it.