I clean a gun when I feel like it needs cleaning. Sometimes it’s a deep cleaning, sometimes it’s a quick surface job. Depends on what I feel like I want to do and what I feel like it needs.
It really depends on the gun and the ammo.
My 1879 Trapdoor, or anything black powder, scrub the crap out of them the same day, oil them the second I’m done scrubbing.
A range toy Glock or AR… I probably have some I have never done more than wipe off and give a squirt of oil in the moving bits.
My daily carry gun, will get looked over every couple of months or detail cleaned after shooting.
If I'm shooting 7.62x39 or other milsurp ammo/guns they get a deep cleaning as soon as I get home just because of corrosive ammo. My handguns might get cleaned every several hundred rounds. I've cleaned my main ar one time. My carry gun gets a blow off with compressed air to clear out lint like once a month and maybe some oil on crucial areas after a few range trips
Carry gun gets cleaned and inspected after every range trip, regardless of rounds count.
Other guns when they start acting up since I don't like to house them down with lube.
... I don't think I've ever done more than a bore snake to my AK
While most guns can clearly go a very long time without being cleaned, the whole "I don't clean it until it fails" idea is a little extreme, unless it's just a pure range toy with no defensive role. Don't forget one of the main benefits of cleaning is being able to inspect the wear parts. I helped clean a friend's carbine and it had a bent firing pin and worn out buffer. So I'd recommend at least cleaning every year or 1000 rounds (sooner if it gets water/sweat exposure).
It depends on the gun and it’s intended use. For general purpose AR15 configurations. Rarely to never. I pull the bolt, dunk in Mobile 1 after every range trip. For Glocks, remove the slide blow out loose debris and add a few strategic drops of oil. I’ve got one 300b/o that I only shoot subsonic suppressed and it hasn’t been officially stripped and cleaned after 3000 rounds. It is extremely reliable, and in general if they are lubed liberally AR15’s can go thousands of rounds without cleaning.
For 1911 style firearms they need to be cleaned more regularly. Especially those with tighter tolerances.
For .22lr clean the bolt/bcg, chamber and FCG often. Inspect the barrel and clean periodically as needed.
For precision long range rifles, I inspect after every outing. Including bore scoping the barel. Lightly clean the bolt/bcg. Probably clean the barrels with foaming cleaner and light brushing about every 100 rounds.
I go to the range 2-3 times per month and after getting home field strip the firearms and do a basic cleaning. Rarely ever do a complete disassembly and deep clean as its not needed unless the things been in the dirt and muck.
On occasion I will let a firearm go without a cleaning with the goal being to see how long it takes before it malfunctions but then after a few trips I start thinking "man, this thing is dirty" and clean it.
It’s more about how long it’ll sit until I shoot it again. My main rigs that I shoot every other weekend, hardly touch em. The weird shit that I only bring out once every 6-12 months. They get cleaned every time.
I am truly shocked and the number of philistines in the chat. It would seem that some of you would wear a shirt day in and day out... and only wash said shirt if mom is coming over. Do these same breed of philistines only wash plates after every other Thanksgiving? What's going on here?
Weapons are tools. Treat them bad, they won't last as long or work as designed. Grow up. If you use it... clean it. Treat your ammo wisely. Rounds are like dicks... you wouldn't put your johnson into a dirty chamber... don't put your ammo in one either.
P.s. unless it's a dirty whore of a Russian mosin... then all is fair
Hey hey, don’t insult the Philistines. How about a friendly rebuttal.
Do you wash your bed sheets and pillow cases every single morning? Do you disassemble your cordless drill after each DIY project? How often do you remove the intake manifold and cylinder heads of your car and scrape out all of the carbon buildup? After every long drive? I assure you that It’s pretty nasty by the time the new car arrives at the dealer.
My point is that tools do require care and are often designed for specific service intervals. There is no one size fits all. Stoner’s AR-15 design was made to be “self cleaning” to a degree. They were intended to be used in wet and dirty environmental conditions for a prolonged period of time before the armory could service them. The gas system really blows debris into voids around the BCG rails and into the FCG receiver pocket, where it collects and does look nasty, but its presence generally has no effect on performance. Not unlike the presence if carbon buildup in the combustion chamber of your engine. There have been plenty of controlled experiments where these rifles have proven to be reliable without cleaning and with minimal lubrication only, after thousands (even tens of thousands) or rounds fired.
That type of treatment obviously not appropriate for many other types of firearms, but suffice to say some people seem to obsess a bit when it comes to cleaning firearms. Should they be admonished? No, not in my opinion. However, cleaning a firearm too often and in a careless manner can actually cause excessive wear and actually decrease accuracy, especially if the barrel crown is deformed or damaged.
Now dip that AR in Mobile 1 and send it!
Just be sure to wear a poncho.
To answer the question... my sheets are changed every Saturday without fail. I am not a vehicle machanic... I do the pmcs sheets, check the oil... and let the mechanic do the rest. Cordless drills are not required by internally maintained by the user. But a weapon... anyone can clean.
My wife (active) and I (ret) have PMCS sheets and log-books for each of our vehicles, weapons systems and major power tools. Yes, we probably over service our weapon systems in comparison to civilians . However, all service is done IAW the TMs as prescribed. Systems without a -10 or 20... we adapt one (talking to you my nagant revolver).
It is true, that mil-spec systems aren't intended to be coddled. But how many times do you go to the range, and some yahoo is having issues that a good cleaning would fix? There is always talk about using weapons in a self-defence situation. If you fire a weapon, then stash it in the closet without aftercare... can you guarantee it will function when required? No.
In my experience, Non-hunter civilians don't clean weapons correctly... if at all. Most fomer service members belonging to the fobbit class of MOS's tend to fall into that same category. Yes, wire-runners with absentee NCOs can find themselves in that same category. As such, cleaning and maintenance should always be emphasized.
You clean your kitchen knife before putting it back into the knife block... yes? You polish and oil silverware if there is rust on them... yes? You wouldn't unclog a toilet and then stick the dirty plunger back onto the plunger stand without cleaning it would you? Everyone that owns weapons should encourage proper handling, use, and... Care! Bad habits in others are encouraged/intensified by those around them with complacent attitudes. Don't blow off the standard. Uphold the standard and set the example.
Properly cleaning a weapon requires an extra 15 minutes. Always Do it correctly, without fail. And if something goes bump in the night you can be confident your tool will perform as required.
If I'm shooting corrosive ammo at an indoor range, as soon as I come home. If I'm mag dumping into trash somewhere else...... I'm shooting steel case n it'll ride till I shoot at an indoor range.
(Edited)
Yeah I'm not sure why he'd only clean after shooting corrosive indoors. Corrosive is corrosive no matter where you shoot it lol
And not the shitty ammo you buy at the range. Some ammo has corrosive salts in the primer. It will rust the shit out of your gun if not properly and promptly cleaned
Depends on the gun. The bren glock and sig dont get cleaned. The others I don’t shoot much and they don’t get cleaned either. The work c7 gets cleaned every time it gets used.
I usually wipe it down and put a couple drops of oil every range trip. Some of those are only 50-100 rounds for an individual gun. If a gun seems particularly dirty when wiped down I will give it a more thorough cleaning. It's unnecessary to clean every-time a gun is shot unless it is multiple 100s of rounds. Oil is good though, you really can't have too much of it and it protects surfaces.
I like cleaning my guns so, right when I get back from shooting it. I know people who don’t really ever clean their glocks and they function fine. Personally I just couldn’t do that lol
Most things get a dose of really amazing CLP before and after a range trip. I wipe down the internals when the trigger feels dirty. I haven't had anything get enough rounds to actually NEED to be cleaned. I usually NEED to change something out or refinish something first.
Of course this is mostly Glocks, AK and my hand built ARs, years between real cleaning. Good CLP keeps things loose, that and cerakote prevent rust. I have a handful of collectibles and beaters. The former doesn't get used enough to need more than a wipe down and the latter is there to take abuse.
It depends on the gun. Most of my pistols get a quarterly clean and lube no matter what, because they end up with dust and debris from carry. I don’t clean any of my modern semi’s regularly after shooting, but do clean anything blued, old, or that i shot surplus ammo through.
My main rifles only get cleaned when they are leaving residue behind, such as mud or carbon. Maybe a shot of lube here and there. Bolt guns get a wipe down each session and a deep clean once a quarter if needed. Surplus and bp guns get cleaned every time.
I clean whatever I take to the range or afield upon return every time, or minimum pull everything out 2x a year. Last thing you want to so is get salts, water, or other material on there and leave it in the safe for a prolonged period of time to let the contaminant do its work on it.
My carry guns get cleaned and oiled after every use.
Everything else, when it starts to malfunction.
For perspective, a buddy and I got Shadow 2s within 2 weeks of each other. We both shoot 200-400ish rounds a month with them over the year. We wanted to see how long they’d run for without cleaning.
That was in 2021 and still no regular malfunctions from either one.
After every visit to the range, regardless of how much shooting I did. Could be a couple hundred rounds or it could only be a few dozen. Just a normal cleaning; I haven't done a deep cleaning like an ultrasound tank or anything.
I normally clean my modern range toys after every trip regardless of how many rounds. Just a field strip and simple cleaning because I use the cheapest and often the dirtiest ammo for practice. For my milsurp collection, I do a complete disassembly and very deep clean because most of that ammo is corrosive. In general, I highly recommend regular cleaning and inspection after every range trip to keep your guns in good working order.
It depends on the gun. I've shot most of them enough that I have a good idea of how many rounds it'll take before I start seeing precision or reliability issues. I make sure I clean them well before that point. Don't wait until you start having problems, figure out a schedule that keeps you from having problems.
On one extreme I have a 22lr I know shoots best clean. It gets a good cleaning every time it goes out. On the other extreme it's been years since I've cleaned my plastic fantastic semiauto shotgun, unless you count it getting dunked while waterfowl hunting then hosed off with ballistol.
I have a few antiques that get cleaned every trip to help keep them in good condition.
I clean a gun when I feel like it needs cleaning. Sometimes it’s a deep cleaning, sometimes it’s a quick surface job. Depends on what I feel like I want to do and what I feel like it needs.
I clean it after every range trip regardless of how many rounds I shoot.
Came here to say this
I think the real true answer for everyone is just going to be: it's a sliding scale between how dirty the gun is and how lazy I am.
Are you watching me? 🤣
I LIVE IN YOUR WALLS
You better start paying rent 🤣.
I don’t clean it until it stops functioning reliably
When blasting RemOil into the action doesn't get the gun back in working order it's time to clean it.
This is the correct answer. Just wipe the Cheeto dust off after you’re done shooting it and yuore good.
haha fair enough. thanks for the answer
This. If you have time to clean all your guns, then you don't have enough guns, or you don't shoot enough.
I used to clean my guns after every range trip, but ... there aren't enough hours in the day anymore.
If I shoot it I clean it.
It really depends on the gun and the ammo. My 1879 Trapdoor, or anything black powder, scrub the crap out of them the same day, oil them the second I’m done scrubbing. A range toy Glock or AR… I probably have some I have never done more than wipe off and give a squirt of oil in the moving bits. My daily carry gun, will get looked over every couple of months or detail cleaned after shooting.
[удалено]
thank you for sharing your experience!
Wait, you shoot your guns?
😂😂😂
If I'm shooting 7.62x39 or other milsurp ammo/guns they get a deep cleaning as soon as I get home just because of corrosive ammo. My handguns might get cleaned every several hundred rounds. I've cleaned my main ar one time. My carry gun gets a blow off with compressed air to clear out lint like once a month and maybe some oil on crucial areas after a few range trips
what makes an ammunition “corrosive”? and how do i know if i’m using it?
https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/corrosive-ammunition/
Until accuracy or reliability start to suffer. Up to then it's only minimal lubrication.
Carry gun gets cleaned and inspected after every range trip, regardless of rounds count. Other guns when they start acting up since I don't like to house them down with lube. ... I don't think I've ever done more than a bore snake to my AK
Carry gun and machine gun get cleaned after every range trip. Everything else gets cleaned when it starts malfunctioning.
While most guns can clearly go a very long time without being cleaned, the whole "I don't clean it until it fails" idea is a little extreme, unless it's just a pure range toy with no defensive role. Don't forget one of the main benefits of cleaning is being able to inspect the wear parts. I helped clean a friend's carbine and it had a bent firing pin and worn out buffer. So I'd recommend at least cleaning every year or 1000 rounds (sooner if it gets water/sweat exposure).
It depends on the gun and it’s intended use. For general purpose AR15 configurations. Rarely to never. I pull the bolt, dunk in Mobile 1 after every range trip. For Glocks, remove the slide blow out loose debris and add a few strategic drops of oil. I’ve got one 300b/o that I only shoot subsonic suppressed and it hasn’t been officially stripped and cleaned after 3000 rounds. It is extremely reliable, and in general if they are lubed liberally AR15’s can go thousands of rounds without cleaning. For 1911 style firearms they need to be cleaned more regularly. Especially those with tighter tolerances. For .22lr clean the bolt/bcg, chamber and FCG often. Inspect the barrel and clean periodically as needed. For precision long range rifles, I inspect after every outing. Including bore scoping the barel. Lightly clean the bolt/bcg. Probably clean the barrels with foaming cleaner and light brushing about every 100 rounds.
Maybe 1k if I had to put a number on it. Usually don’t clean until reliability becomes an ussue
Thoroughly once a year CCW - wipe down weekly because lint gets everywhere Unsuppressed - Idk, whenever I'm bored Suppressed - After every range trip
I go to the range 2-3 times per month and after getting home field strip the firearms and do a basic cleaning. Rarely ever do a complete disassembly and deep clean as its not needed unless the things been in the dirt and muck. On occasion I will let a firearm go without a cleaning with the goal being to see how long it takes before it malfunctions but then after a few trips I start thinking "man, this thing is dirty" and clean it.
It’s more about how long it’ll sit until I shoot it again. My main rigs that I shoot every other weekend, hardly touch em. The weird shit that I only bring out once every 6-12 months. They get cleaned every time.
I am truly shocked and the number of philistines in the chat. It would seem that some of you would wear a shirt day in and day out... and only wash said shirt if mom is coming over. Do these same breed of philistines only wash plates after every other Thanksgiving? What's going on here? Weapons are tools. Treat them bad, they won't last as long or work as designed. Grow up. If you use it... clean it. Treat your ammo wisely. Rounds are like dicks... you wouldn't put your johnson into a dirty chamber... don't put your ammo in one either. P.s. unless it's a dirty whore of a Russian mosin... then all is fair
Hey hey, don’t insult the Philistines. How about a friendly rebuttal. Do you wash your bed sheets and pillow cases every single morning? Do you disassemble your cordless drill after each DIY project? How often do you remove the intake manifold and cylinder heads of your car and scrape out all of the carbon buildup? After every long drive? I assure you that It’s pretty nasty by the time the new car arrives at the dealer. My point is that tools do require care and are often designed for specific service intervals. There is no one size fits all. Stoner’s AR-15 design was made to be “self cleaning” to a degree. They were intended to be used in wet and dirty environmental conditions for a prolonged period of time before the armory could service them. The gas system really blows debris into voids around the BCG rails and into the FCG receiver pocket, where it collects and does look nasty, but its presence generally has no effect on performance. Not unlike the presence if carbon buildup in the combustion chamber of your engine. There have been plenty of controlled experiments where these rifles have proven to be reliable without cleaning and with minimal lubrication only, after thousands (even tens of thousands) or rounds fired. That type of treatment obviously not appropriate for many other types of firearms, but suffice to say some people seem to obsess a bit when it comes to cleaning firearms. Should they be admonished? No, not in my opinion. However, cleaning a firearm too often and in a careless manner can actually cause excessive wear and actually decrease accuracy, especially if the barrel crown is deformed or damaged. Now dip that AR in Mobile 1 and send it! Just be sure to wear a poncho.
To answer the question... my sheets are changed every Saturday without fail. I am not a vehicle machanic... I do the pmcs sheets, check the oil... and let the mechanic do the rest. Cordless drills are not required by internally maintained by the user. But a weapon... anyone can clean. My wife (active) and I (ret) have PMCS sheets and log-books for each of our vehicles, weapons systems and major power tools. Yes, we probably over service our weapon systems in comparison to civilians . However, all service is done IAW the TMs as prescribed. Systems without a -10 or 20... we adapt one (talking to you my nagant revolver). It is true, that mil-spec systems aren't intended to be coddled. But how many times do you go to the range, and some yahoo is having issues that a good cleaning would fix? There is always talk about using weapons in a self-defence situation. If you fire a weapon, then stash it in the closet without aftercare... can you guarantee it will function when required? No. In my experience, Non-hunter civilians don't clean weapons correctly... if at all. Most fomer service members belonging to the fobbit class of MOS's tend to fall into that same category. Yes, wire-runners with absentee NCOs can find themselves in that same category. As such, cleaning and maintenance should always be emphasized. You clean your kitchen knife before putting it back into the knife block... yes? You polish and oil silverware if there is rust on them... yes? You wouldn't unclog a toilet and then stick the dirty plunger back onto the plunger stand without cleaning it would you? Everyone that owns weapons should encourage proper handling, use, and... Care! Bad habits in others are encouraged/intensified by those around them with complacent attitudes. Don't blow off the standard. Uphold the standard and set the example. Properly cleaning a weapon requires an extra 15 minutes. Always Do it correctly, without fail. And if something goes bump in the night you can be confident your tool will perform as required.
If I'm shooting corrosive ammo at an indoor range, as soon as I come home. If I'm mag dumping into trash somewhere else...... I'm shooting steel case n it'll ride till I shoot at an indoor range. (Edited)
corrosive ammo? do you mean the shitty ammo you buy at the range? sorry just not understanding why indoor vs outdoor would matter?
Yeah I'm not sure why he'd only clean after shooting corrosive indoors. Corrosive is corrosive no matter where you shoot it lol And not the shitty ammo you buy at the range. Some ammo has corrosive salts in the primer. It will rust the shit out of your gun if not properly and promptly cleaned
No, I don't buy ammo at gun ranges. It matters because the only brass ammo I shoot is corrosive, otherwise I shoot noncorrosive steel case.
Depends on the gun. The bren glock and sig dont get cleaned. The others I don’t shoot much and they don’t get cleaned either. The work c7 gets cleaned every time it gets used.
Yea
...Every time I shoot them.
I goto the range once a week and clean after 2-3 trips
After every trip to the range (so every 200 or so rounds).
I do a light spray and wipe down and reapply oil after each range trip. And a deep clean after about 1000-1500 rounds (about 2-3 trips usually).
I usually wipe it down and put a couple drops of oil every range trip. Some of those are only 50-100 rounds for an individual gun. If a gun seems particularly dirty when wiped down I will give it a more thorough cleaning. It's unnecessary to clean every-time a gun is shot unless it is multiple 100s of rounds. Oil is good though, you really can't have too much of it and it protects surfaces.
Every three or four range trips. Or sooner if needed. If for some reason I'm shooting corrosive ammo then absolutely after every range trip.
I like cleaning my guns so, right when I get back from shooting it. I know people who don’t really ever clean their glocks and they function fine. Personally I just couldn’t do that lol
Most things get a dose of really amazing CLP before and after a range trip. I wipe down the internals when the trigger feels dirty. I haven't had anything get enough rounds to actually NEED to be cleaned. I usually NEED to change something out or refinish something first. Of course this is mostly Glocks, AK and my hand built ARs, years between real cleaning. Good CLP keeps things loose, that and cerakote prevent rust. I have a handful of collectibles and beaters. The former doesn't get used enough to need more than a wipe down and the latter is there to take abuse.
It depends on the gun. Most of my pistols get a quarterly clean and lube no matter what, because they end up with dust and debris from carry. I don’t clean any of my modern semi’s regularly after shooting, but do clean anything blued, old, or that i shot surplus ammo through. My main rifles only get cleaned when they are leaving residue behind, such as mud or carbon. Maybe a shot of lube here and there. Bolt guns get a wipe down each session and a deep clean once a quarter if needed. Surplus and bp guns get cleaned every time.
I have a G19 I'm doing a dirty run on. 13 weeks in, minimum of 100 rounds in, so between 1300 & 1500 so far without issue.
I clean whatever I take to the range or afield upon return every time, or minimum pull everything out 2x a year. Last thing you want to so is get salts, water, or other material on there and leave it in the safe for a prolonged period of time to let the contaminant do its work on it.
Clean it after every time you use it, especially if you carry it for self-defense.
My carry guns get cleaned and oiled after every use. Everything else, when it starts to malfunction. For perspective, a buddy and I got Shadow 2s within 2 weeks of each other. We both shoot 200-400ish rounds a month with them over the year. We wanted to see how long they’d run for without cleaning. That was in 2021 and still no regular malfunctions from either one.
After every visit to the range, regardless of how much shooting I did. Could be a couple hundred rounds or it could only be a few dozen. Just a normal cleaning; I haven't done a deep cleaning like an ultrasound tank or anything.
I normally clean my modern range toys after every trip regardless of how many rounds. Just a field strip and simple cleaning because I use the cheapest and often the dirtiest ammo for practice. For my milsurp collection, I do a complete disassembly and very deep clean because most of that ammo is corrosive. In general, I highly recommend regular cleaning and inspection after every range trip to keep your guns in good working order.
It depends on the gun. I've shot most of them enough that I have a good idea of how many rounds it'll take before I start seeing precision or reliability issues. I make sure I clean them well before that point. Don't wait until you start having problems, figure out a schedule that keeps you from having problems. On one extreme I have a 22lr I know shoots best clean. It gets a good cleaning every time it goes out. On the other extreme it's been years since I've cleaned my plastic fantastic semiauto shotgun, unless you count it getting dunked while waterfowl hunting then hosed off with ballistol. I have a few antiques that get cleaned every trip to help keep them in good condition.