Do you clean the lint out of your carry weapon?

[rantingredneck]

For those of you who carry a lot and shoot a little:

Do you ever strip and clean your carry weapon even if it hasn't been shot, if it gets lint, dust and other daily detritus in it?

The reason I ask is it's been about 3 weeks to a month since I went to the range. Unusual for me, but I've been busy. I looked down at the hammer of my P345 today and the recess it rests in was full of lint and crud. I came home and stripped it and brushed it out.

Do any of you clean regularly even if your carry gun hasn't been shot. Particularly interested if you are one who pocket carries a semiauto....

Speaking of which I'm going to go clean my Guardian now. :)

[Walter]

I field-strip my "carry" gun every four or five days and clean it, lube
it, and re-assemble it. I also empty each magazine, wipe down each
round, blow out the mag with compressed air, and reload them.

Mine is a matter of habit. When I was a grunt Marine in Viet Nam,
I cleaned my weapon EVERY day, if it was possible. Of course living
in the "bush" meant the weapon needed cleaning every day, even if it
hadn't been fired. Just to make sure it would shoot every time.
And I got in the habit of emptying my mags and cleaning them at least
once a week, including wiping down the rounds individually.

A clean firearm should fire every time. A dirty one might not, and
that's a chance I don't want to take.

Walter

[shooter1]

I pocket carry a small auto in a pocket holster. When I take it out of my pocket at night, I do a quick visual. When it gets dirty enough I clean it if it has been shot or not. When I go to the range I fire the mag of carry ammo thru the gun, reload it and back in the pocket.
str1

[W.E.G.]

Keyboard duster makes short work of it.

[Tanzer]

I practice fall, winter and spring but get very busy during the summer. Every week I field strip, inspect and maybe wipe down. I run an oily pach down the barrel followed by two dry ones, and maybe oil & wipe the outside and frame. Gotta keep it A-1, I guess it's a psychological thing...

[ZeSpectre]

I tend to inspect each time before the sidearm goes into the holster.
Also, once a week I...
-Field strip
-Inspect (especially for any sort of barrel obstructions or crud)
-Clean where necessary (as someone else said, those "airduster" cans are great)

Generally the whole thing takes a maximum of 5 minutes, usually much less.

[obxned]

About once a week I check for lint or dirt, check to see if the rails are still properly lubed, and give it a nice rubdown with a silicone cloth. This seems to be enough to keep it rust-free and reliable.

[Douglas Chesson]

No, I carry a CZ .40; I fire it at least twice a week. No dust here.

[Playboypenguin]

Yup, I blow mine out with an airgun in the garage. Then reapply oil if needed.

[Wildalaska]

What does the word cleaning mean?:D

WildpigpenAlaska

[crankshop1000]

A shot from the air compressor works well.Good reason to carry a 642 without the exposed hammer.Far less likely to get fouled up from pocket debris.Chuck.

[Spenser]

Once per week I'll wipe it down with a silicon cloth, and make sure it's still nice and oiled. I'll hit all the crevices to make sure there's no buildup of lint or dirt. I'll also completely field strip if I've been out in the rain or wet any.

[smallshot]

What lint?

[rantingredneck]

Carry it enough between range trips/cleanings and you'll see. Mine had more lint than my grandfather's navel the other day. :D

[GeneG]

About as often as I clean it out of my navel.

[stevelyn]

It's a Glock. It'll take more than lint to make it gag.:D

[hoser1911]

Clean lit and other crud from a CCW SD pistola? You've got to be kidding me! Don't you know bubble-gum & wrappers, grease & grime from the change in your pocket, ink, paper napkins and good old fashion 'spewe-ee' make the bullets go faster in an urban environment?

[Black Adder LXX]

Lint... I've always called it schrapnel... :p

[BigJimP]

yes, clean them at least once a week even in a relatively clean environment. If you're out in the woods, in a really wet or dusty environment, clean it daily or as soon as you can. Like the others said - clean the rounds and the mags as well - a lot of junk finds its way in there.

[radom]

It still amazes me that people worry more about having lint in the belly button than their guns.

[JoshB]

I clean mine about once a week just to get the lint, etc out. A little build-up won't make the pistol FTF, but it may if you leave it like that for a while. A small paint brush comes in handy if you're just trying to remove lint, etc.

[Creature]

yep...I always keep a clean gun. If only because I wouldn't want to be caught with dirty underwear and a linty gun if the BG comes a callin'!

My mom would be very disappointed in me if I didnt.

[JustSteve]

Ever think of using Static Guard ?:p