When and how often do you clean your guns?

[Mike-in-WV]

Whenever I'm done shooting and it doesn't matter if I fired one round or
fifty I will clean and scrub the bore spotless, run an oil patch down it a few times and then a dry patch . Most of the time this is done as soon as I get home and very seldom does it sit untill the next day.
If I have been hunting I will run an oil patch down the bore and a dry one at the end of the day and rub it down with an oil rag and then a dry one and I'm ready for the next day or next time. I always check and clean the action if needed. Two or three times a year I will strip the gun and really give it a good clean and lube job.
Am I over doing it or is this the way most of you do it.? It's just the way my Dad taught me to take care of my guns. Mike

[J Miller]

Generally ..... I clean my guns after each shooting session. Unless I'm going back to the range in a day or so. I wipe them down when ever I handle them.
If I'm out in the desert or camping or something like that, I'll usually clean them when I get home. Unless they get wet.

Joe

[Sixgun]

Generally ..... I clean my guns after each shooting session. Unless I'm going back to the range in a day or so. I wipe them down when ever I handle them.
If I'm out in the desert or camping or something like that, I'll usually clean them when I get home. Unless they get wet

That's about what I do. My gunroom's most prized tool is a separate airline from the garage. Compressed air really does a nice job in getting into the nooks and crannies. We all know that dirt does the same to a gun as it does to an engine---acts as an abrasive to hasten wear but.................some guys go overboard in their cleaning rituals which can do same thing as dirt.----------Sixgun

[marlinman93]

I clean as needed. If I sight a gun in for hunting I sure don't clean it before the hunt! I want that bore to be just the way it was when I sighted it in, so no fresh bores for me in the field!
If I go to the range to plink, I run a bore snake through the bore, and then wipe the gun down outside. If I take a gun hunting, and I'm not going again soon, I'll take it all apart for a thorough cleaning.
When I shot Bullseye matches, I NEVER cleaned my gun. The bores and the entire gun was left as fired after each match, with just the outside wiped down. I never took a chance on doing anything to my match pistol that might change it's point of aim, or function. Only cleaned it if it was starting to give me problems with functioning.
I clean my collection once a year. Take all of them out of the safes and inspect them, then run a patch down the bore and wipe them off, even if they haven't been fired.

[Warhawk]

I clean as needed. If I sight a gun in for hunting I sure don't clean it before the hunt! I want that bore to be just the way it was when I sighted it in, so no fresh bores for me in the field!
If I go to the range to plink, I run a bore snake through the bore, and then wipe the gun down outside. If I take a gun hunting, and I'm not going again soon, I'll take it all apart for a thorough cleaning.
When I shot Bullseye matches, I NEVER cleaned my gun. The bores and the entire gun was left as fired after each match, with just the outside wiped down. I never took a chance on doing anything to my match pistol that might change it's point of aim, or function. Only cleaned it if it was starting to give me problems with functioning.
I clean my collection once a year. Take all of them out of the safes and inspect them, then run a patch down the bore and wipe them off, even if they haven't been fired.

I agree with your cleaning philosophy. I only clean mine when they need it. Precision rifles need the bore cleaned more often than other types, and I do a lot of that. I absolutely DO NOT clean a bore on a hunting rifle after I check the zero, I want it exactly as it was last time it was fired.

[joakleigh]

I clean as needed. If I sight a gun in for hunting I sure don't clean it before the hunt! I want that bore to be just the way it was when I sighted it in, so no fresh bores for me in the field! If I go to the range to plink, I run a bore snake through the bore, and then wipe the gun down outside. If I take a gun hunting, and I'm not going again soon, I'll take it all apart for a thorough cleaning.
When I shot Bullseye matches, I NEVER cleaned my gun. The bores and the entire gun was left as fired after each match, with just the outside wiped down. I never took a chance on doing anything to my match pistol that might change it's point of aim, or function. Only cleaned it if it was starting to give me problems with functioning.
I clean my collection once a year. Take all of them out of the safes and inspect them, then run a patch down the bore and wipe them off, even if they haven't been fired.

+1 on the red section. I like to call gun cleaning "work thats not work" sure at times its tedious and ya may have better things to do but its nice to do work that does'nt involve a production schedule or punchin in and out every day. My huntin rifles will all be cleaned up and oiled for storage in the next few days. My muzzleloaders are already in storage mode. They are cleaned within an hr. of me returning home from a hunt or a shooting session. I look into my flintlock's shiny barrel and feel like a proud parent. While my cousins are not quite as fastidious with there guns . Its a shame looking down a poorly cared for muzzleloader bore. Shining the light down the bore it looks like someone hit it with 50 grit sandpaper

[Old Savage]

I used to clean every time when I was done except when going hunting when I found a cold fouled barrel more consistent on where the first shot went.

Now it depends on how many rounds have been put through the rifle. I shoot less rounds at a sessions any more.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I clean at the range and when I get home I pull them out of the case and wipe and they are ready for the safe.
If going hunting within a few days and I am checking zero, Like Marlinman, they just get wiped off on the outside.
I like to get to know what my rifles do with a clean bore for the first couple of shots. I have some rifles that will shoot into the same spot clean or dirty.

[Mike-in-WV]

You guys bring up an interesting point about the accuracy of a clean barrel verses a dirty one. If my guns don't shoot the same clean or dirty then there's something wrong. Here is why I feel that way and keep in mind that I don't claim to be an expert on this subject. This is just what I have observed over the years......... Lets say that I just got a new rifle and I'm off to the range to sight it in. The first thing I do to a new gun is clean the barrel ! Now I shoot say 3 rounds and they are in one hole at 25 yards but low and right. After adjusting the sights I shoot 3 more and they are dead center so I try it again and get the same with the next 3 rounds. Now I move out to 50 yards and do the same thing all over again and then on to a 100 yards and so on. I end up shooting 2 box's of shells that day and they all shot perfectly.
Now I go home and scrub that barrel until it shines so bright it will hurt your eyes to look down it. The next day I go back to the range and the first 3 shots should be dead on just like the day before. There is no way I should have to shoot a couple boxes of shells to make it shoot like the end of the day before. The idea that I have to have a dirty and leaded up barrel before my gun will shoot straight tells me there is something not right with the rifeling. This is all just my opinion but I have shot alot of guns in the past 50 years and never found that one shot better dirty then it did clean. Mike

[oregon73]

I usually clean them when I get home from shooting.

As I kid I remember one of my grandfathers never cleaned his guns, and the other did. Both had guns that shot well, but guess whose looked better?

Rob

[au2183]

Everytime I shoot them or handle them they get cleaned. Otherwise, at least once a year.

[cas]

I only clean them when they're already clean. Much faster that way.

[Dastook]

Mike in WV. My experience with precision shooting, I get the tightest groups with a slightly fouled barrel. Then when I clean, the POA is not different enough to make scope adjustments but the group opens up until I get six or eight rounds through it. This is not the case for all the rifles I have but I would say it is the majority. Of course this is still maintaining a cool barrel.
I have a USMC buddy who is a sniper. After coming back from patrol his rifle is cleaned, not by him but Marines that are trained to do it for him then he goes directly to the range and checks his zero and leaves it fouled. He says his Gunny would kick his *** if he takes a clean barrel to the field.

[Mike-in-WV]

Mike in WV. My experience with precision shooting, I get the tightest groups with a slightly fouled barrel. Then when I clean, the POA is not different enough to make scope adjustments but the group opens up until I get six or eight rounds through it. This is not the case for all the rifles I have but I would say it is the majority. Of course this is still maintaining a cool barrel.
I have a USMC buddy who is a sniper. After coming back from patrol his rifle is cleaned, not by him but Marines that are trained to do it for him then he goes directly to the range and checks his zero and leaves it fouled. He says his Gunny would kick his *** if he takes a clean barrel to the field.

Thanks for the info and good to know even though I really don't understand just how it works or why. Maybe it just makes the bullet
a little tighter in the barrel. I'm not a good enough shot I guess to tell the difference. But I'm still not going to admit that I'm getting old and that my eyes are not what they used to be. Mike

[JReed]

Dastook
Levergunner


Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Posts: 36

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:25 pm Post subject:

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Mike in WV. My experience with precision shooting, I get the tightest groups with a slightly fouled barrel. Then when I clean, the POA is not different enough to make scope adjustments but the group opens up until I get six or eight rounds through it. This is not the case for all the rifles I have but I would say it is the majority. Of course this is still maintaining a cool barrel.
I have a USMC buddy who is a sniper. After coming back from patrol his rifle is cleaned, not by him but Marines that are trained to do it for him then he goes directly to the range and checks his zero and leaves it fouled. He says his Gunny would kick his *** if he takes a clean barrel to the field.
_________________
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I only clean mine when they are going to be put up for more then a couple weeks.
When I go to the range for my annual rifle qual I don't clean my M16 all week I just keep it wet with CLP (wet to the point that it splatters on my glasses as I fire) and make sure the gas tube on the bolt carrier doesn't get cloged with crud. All the guns I have dealt with shoot better when they have fouled bores.

[horsesoldier03]

Each time I go to the range I try to clean the same day or maybe the next day at the latest as long as I dont plan on shooting again that week. Here deer season is only about 10 days so normally I will clean the gun after the season ends with the exception being if I shoot a deer early in the season or if I run into bad weather. Of course I am also guilty of having a few pet guns that always get special treatment as well as the ones that border abuse.

[505stevec]

Often enough that the wife wonders why I am stroking them so lovingly but not so often as to make myself wonder When I went through Firearms instructor school for the State and then the Feds I did not clean my pistol for the first thousand rounds (just to see how it would work) The first time was a Para Ordinance P-16 Limited and it worked without a hickup. The second time was with a Glock. THis also worked flawlessly for me. Other than that... What else am I going to do on the weekend after the chores are done

[cutter]

Monthly regardless of condition, or after a shooting.

[Bigahh]

I always clean my barrels after each session, but before checking zero I fire 2 rounds to foul. For some reason they just wont hold a perfect zero until slightly fouled. I run oil down the barrels when I know I wont be shooting them for awhile. I am told some of the solvents if left for a period of time can pit the barrels, so I always run a oil patch down them.

[Ysabel Kid]

I'm with Joe - try to clean after every shooting session, unless I know I will be taking the gun out again within the next few days/week. I clean black powder guns after every session period.

A clean gun is a happy gun!

[Hobie]

When they're dirty and/or wet.

[Marlin .35]

I clean them immediately after the hunt or the range session. They do not sit around dirty. Sometimes I will clean then right at the range, so when I get home, all I have to do is put them in the rack!! Art

[Old Savage]

The two most differing conditions a barrel will shoot in are clean and fouled. I eliminate that variable by only hunting with a barrel that has been fired since it was cleaned. No more than a couple of shots though.

[spaceman spiff]

+ what Hobie said.... a dirty rifle is intolerable. INHO

Regards,

Troy

[Charles]

Mike-in-WV You dad taught you right!

[LeverBar]

I feel better when my guns are clean. So I clean them often. (I shoot often.) Rifles and handguns in my safe that are dirty bother me. Feels as if I'm not doing my part in keeping them pretty for my sons to inherit.

I grew up in Western Oregon--WET! I rarely go hunting with a dirty rifle.

My CCW is never dirty. (Okay, Okay. It is dirty after I shoot it--We're talking after I get home and take care of it.) It feels better in my hand when clean, doesn't get my clothes dirty, and is more beautiful and intimidating when clean.

[Travis Morgan]

Depends on how dirty they are. If I just shot a few rounds, I'll wipe 'em down good, maybe run the bore snake or a wet patch through, but not get too excited about it.

If I shoot a hundred rounds or more, I'll probably give them the full tear down/detail cleaning and examination. Leverguns and sixguns get pretty nasty pretty quick.

Anyone come up with a really good way to clean the forcing cone on their handgun? I was thinking about using a rifle chanber brush.

BTW, if it's a .22, all bets are off. I might wipe them down, but cleaning is a 2-3 times a year event, unless I've really been shooting alot.

[Mike-in-WV]

Mike-in-WV You dad taught you right!

Charles, I'm the youngest of six and my Dad taught all of us to hunt and proper care of the gun on a single barrel 20 g. Ivor Johnson shotgun that he bought at Sears in the 30's for $12.00. We also had to learn to clean it and oil it down every time we came in and he would sit there and watch us so we did it right. That gun took allot of Rabbits , Grouse, quail and Pheasant and gave all of us kids some great memories. We miss you Dad, Mike

[gundownunder]

The .22 gets cleaned when it plays up or when hell freezes over (which ever comes first).
The 357 probably every 100-150 rounds or when I'm not being a lazy bugger.
The Ruger single six gets seriously scrubbed every time I pull the trigger cause its got a nasty fowling habit and I dont know whats causeing it yet. I've just switched to copper washed bullets for the ruger and I guess if that solves the problem I'll cut back on the cleaning on that one too.

[Noah Zark]

Training learned at the University of Parris Island in 1972 has become habit. 2111 (Small Arms Repairman) MOS training at APG shortly thereafter was a "booster shot" for me, too.

Therefore, firearms are cleaned the same day as they are fired.

Semper Fi,

Noah

[El Chivo]

I clean about every other outing, or every 50-100 rounds. This may be a no-no, but I don't worry about a time limit.

If the gun is clean, before shooting a silhouette match I fire one off at a swinger. I think it shoots more consistently if slightly dirty. Not that it shoots better, but it does shoot differently. All the subsequent shots are done with the barrel slightly dirty, so why not the first one, too? Warms the barrel a little bit, too.

That is why I don't worry about cleaning absolutely every time.

[Old Savage]

That's what I think.

[Old Ironsights]

IMO There is such a thing as too clean.

Unless there is obvious crud in the grooves or where a wipedown can't reach in the action (either of which necessitate a teardown cleaning) I simply run a CLP'd boresnake through the barrel and wipe the rest down with a RiG rag, dust out the action with a dry-brush/canned air and lightly lube.

Land sakes guys, how did those old guns ever survive without all that fancy cleaning gear we've got now?

Run a an oiled patch/snake through it and keep the grit out. That's how the guns were designed to be cleaned...

[ohwin94_61]

I tear my guns down every 6 month's or so if they haven't been fired to check and make sure there not getting any rust and make sure they still have a good coat of Oil and Rig Grease {{ just because a gun ain't been fired doesn't mean it cant rust or get dirty this is where a lot of people neglect to do }} . But if they have been fired it's the first thing I do when i get home . But when there taken for hunting I clean them before and after the hunt and range before to check the barrel and clean a way anything in the barrel and after a hunt if they have been fired or exposed to a rain mud or snow

[ohwin94_61]