# How often do you clean em up?



## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

I saw this question posed on another forum but I feel more at home on OGF. How often do you clean. Myself it is everytime I shoot. Go home and clen em up or if I have not shot that week a quick wipedown once a week for lint dust etc. I have a buddy who swears over cleaning will shorten a guns life. Just curious to see everyones thoughts here.


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## IGbullshark (Aug 10, 2012)

i was told that cleaning to often does in fact shorten the life of a firearm but that you should clean your personal defense firearm after every shooting session. guns you just use for the range don't have to be cleaned nearly as often. i will say, i didn't clean my personal defense firearm for about 6 months at one point and didn't have a problem.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Over cleaning? Have you ever seen how many times a gun is cleaned while being a service weapon in the military? Not sure I would put much stock in that.

I clean/swab/ and wipe down everytime I shoot. However, I only break the weapon down about every 5 to 7 shoots depending on how many shots are taken.

Mr. A

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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

Mr A I agree that is why I posed the question I thought it very odd. My dad was in the Army and he was the one who instilled in me to ALLWAYS have a clean gun. I just dont get how a well maintained gun will falter because of maintinence


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I suppose you could have wear and tare on the part from fully breaking it down? Seems like it would take a heck of a long time till that was an issue though.....

Mr. A

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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

Just my opinion but I clean everytime I put the gun away, If I am going to shoot everyday for a week then I only clean after the week, when I am going to let it sit for a while. That is for pistols only. Rifles get cleaned after each day of shooting and sometimes after just a few shots if I am just punching paper for compitition.


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## Workdog (Jan 10, 2007)

I think it is not a matter of *if *a barrel or pistol is cleaned, but *how *it is cleaned. See the link provided: http://schuemann.com/Portals/0/Documentation/Webfile_Barrel_Cleaning.pdf

"... doing inspections of a number of rifle barrels with a very high quality borescope over the past two years has shown that a number of shooters are doing significant damage to their very expensive Stainless Steel barrels..." "illustrate the impact that improper use of some cleaning materials and methods can have on barrel steel. The barrel in the picture had somewhere between 150 and 350 rounds through it when it was retired - it quit shooting well and was very difficult to pass a patch through. Note the gross pitting and cracking evident on the surface of the barrel..."


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## eatinbass (Aug 6, 2012)

It depends of what I'm shooting...

The black rifles get cleaned after shooting.
The Savages shoot best slightly fouled so only when needed.
The Ruger 10/22 for squirrel at the end of season (or rain/snow).
The target .22 after shooting.
The O/U at the end of season.
The pistols when the lint, from carrying clogs the barrel.....

My personal preference is to use KROIL for most of the cleaning. This stuff is not a solvent, per say, but a penetrating oil. It works by loosening the fouling and allows the patch or brush to remove it from the barrel. 
ED'S RED is a great for most cleaning but does nothing for copper. It does leave a light coating the helps control corrosion.
PRO SHOT Copper Remover is what I use to remove copper build up. Its very mild and does take some time to work.
HOPPE'S #9 is my favorite at the end of the season for initial cleaning. I patch and brush thoroughly, clean the HOPPE'S out and then attack the other fouling with KROIL or PRO SHOT.
Using bore guides and a good, one piece, coated cleaning rod can reduce cleaning damage caused by the rod rubbing the bore.

True, The U.S.A. armed forces clean judiciously and have issued steal, segmented cleaning rods but they also have extra barrels....and a staff to change them.


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## Burks (Jun 22, 2011)

I clean after every shooting session except my Savage Mark II, I haven't cleaned it yet.


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## Agitation Free (Jul 11, 2010)

Depends on the situation. If I go hunting on a dry day and I don't get a round off, I'll just wipe the gun lightly with oil. If I go hunting and I dont get a round off and it poured rain, I break it down that day and completely clean it. When I hunt and shoot on a dry day, I clean the gun within 24 hrs. When I go to the range, I'll clean the guns within 24 hrs. Some guns require more maintanance than others. My S&W model 41 doesn't seem to get dirty enough to clean until I put 200rds through it. Last year I bought a Colt SP1 from a friend that bought it new in the late 70's. He said he shot it maybe 100 times and put it away. The carbon on the bolt face and the throat of the barrel was so hard, it took me 3 days (mostly saturating the parts with bore solvent) of repeated cleanings to remove it all. The barrel and everything else, cleaned up without a problem. The best thing to do with any firearm is to clean it a.s.a.p. after use.


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Ive been cleaning (simple filed strip) my handguns after each use. I actually enjoy the process.

However, I have never done a detailed (full take-down) cleaning? How often/ after how many rounds should this be done?

They are Glocks, and never really need to be cleaned, but I like to take care of my toys.


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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

Rooster said:


> I&#8217;ve been cleaning (simple filed strip) my handguns after each use. I actually enjoy the process.
> 
> However, I have never done a detailed (full take-down) cleaning? How often/ after how many rounds should this be done?
> 
> They are Glocks, and never really &#8220;need&#8221; to be cleaned, but I like to take care of my toys.


I appreciate ur response and i am looking at a glock but really they never need to be cleaned i doubt that. Opinions please

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## Workdog (Jan 10, 2007)

fredg53 said:


> I appreciate ur response and i am looking at a glock but really they never need to be cleaned i doubt that. Opinions please
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Like Rooster, I "field strip" all my guns (pistols/shotguns) after use and clean them. Every time. My guns do not have any rust, and they all operate. I have seen guns others use and abuse, and many have rust inside and out, and gummed up extractors, firing pins, slides, etc.

My G17 has thousands of rounds thru it, and all it's had is field strip and clean. I suppose the firing pin channel and extractor could gunk up eventually. Best bet is to go on a Glock site like Glock Talk http://glocktalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=219 and see what they recommend.


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## eatinbass (Aug 6, 2012)

I clean my Glocks regularly. Lint and firing residue still gets into the FCG


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

I have had my glock 4 years and carry everyday. I give it a good spray down with an air hose every couple weeks. I have field stripped it twice and sprayed it with the can of gun cleaner. I've probably got 3 thousand rounds through it and never had a problem.


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

fredg53 said:


> I appreciate ur response and i am looking at a glock but really they never need to be cleaned i doubt that. Opinions please
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I was really just joking about not needing to clean a Glock. There are plenty of quality handguns out there. Having said that, durability and ease of maintenance was a big factor in my decision to go with Glocks. I cannot personally attest to their durability (they are only a few months old), but this is kind of famous (among other torture tests):

http://theprepared.com/content/view/90//administrator/

I think that I will probably do a full break-down next year, more out of curiosity that anything else. Even if it is not necessary, I cannot think of a reason not to keep a firearm clean.


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