"You never have to clean this gun"

[shouldazagged]

Reminds me of the part-time clerk (I'm not sure he was even being paid) who, on finding that I like revolvers, proudly showed me his EDC--a snub .44 Magnum that was literally dripping oil. His OWB holster was so oily it was staining his pants. He was proud of how well he kept it lubricated. I had to tell the chump that the oil oozing from the chambers could trash his ammo and convert the Magnum to an oily doorstop.

Kind of the mirror image of "And you never have to clean it!"

[johnwilliamson062]

I have abuddy who's EDC is a G27. He carries it daily and didn't clean/oil it for 5 years. I am not even sure he unloaded the mag or anything at all in that period. He was telling me it wasn't a problem and it woudl work. We were shooting trap at the range so we walked over to the pistol range and he unloaded it into the back stop rapid fire.
I ask him to disassemble it and it is stuffed full of lint, mostly denim. I mean stuffed. Real mess. I was impressed.

He does clean and shoot it pretty regularly now.

[Topher127]

My LGS had a glock they put close to 100k rounds thru without cleaning. It still functioned, but was inaccurate and the shooter was wearing enough carbon to need a bath in CLP after shooting. Could you? Sure. Should you? Nope.

[wpsdlrg]

Well, after all....Glocks are "perfect", aren't they ? So, surely they don't need any maintenance, right ! ?
:



(Yes, massive sarcasm, for those who don't get it.)


"Glock Perfection"....................: (giggle, giggle).....that's funny !

[orionengnr]

You can't get any ammo for it, so it won't need cleaning.

[Seven High]

They said the same thing about the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War. Wrong!

[Hawg]

I'd have to believe that's a big liability suit waiting to happen first time a filthy gun misfires.

For a misfire? REALLY?

[Nathan]

My LGS had a glock they put close to 100k rounds thru without cleaning. It still functioned, but was inaccurate and the shooter was wearing enough carbon to need a bath in CLP after shooting. Could you? Sure. Should you? Nope.

I think this is the point. It seems that the Glock mechanism can go forever by adding a few drops of oil every 10000 rounds, but it wouldn't hurt to clean it, if only to keep you clean!

BTW, my 1911 can go a while too, but why torture it?

Consider too that many, many guns bought don't see 1000 rounds in their life.

So, with Glocks and pump shotguns, I would say that statement is about right with a few disclaimers.

[Cesure]

My LGS had a glock they put close to 100k rounds thru without cleaning. It still functioned, but was inaccurate and the shooter was wearing enough carbon to need a bath in CLP after shooting. Could you? Sure. Should you? Nope.

I wouldn't expect any barrel to be accurate after 100K rounds. How many rounds are they rated for?

[JohnKSa]

Accuracy will almost certainly begin to degrade after a point, but depending on the accuracy requirements of the person using the gun, the pistol may still be shooting with acceptable accuracy after 100K rounds.

There are a lot of variables that control how soon the accuracy degradation begins and how rapidly it progresses. It's pretty difficult to make accurate predictions.

Of course, barrels are replaceable at relatively moderate cost. There's even a reasonable chance that Glock would refurbish the gun at no cost, possibly even including barrel replacement, if you sent the gun to them for service.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Good Lord. Why would someone believe a salesmen?

lol and why would someone purposely NOT clean their gun? Especially their carry gun. I know someone personally that had a Glock 27 and he never cleaned it from the day he got it, to the days he shot it, to the thousands (about 2k) of rounds he put through it, till the day he sold it. I understand..kinda...If you're trying to prove a point with one of your many guns. But doing that to your CCW?!

Why?


Anyways, I clean my guns. All of them. No matter how many rounds I've shot through them at the range.

[rwilson452]

I recall someone perhaps Springfield was touting the XD as reliable. So someone decided to test it. Last I heard ( lost contact ) He had 5000 rounds. down the barrel without cleaning with no malfunctions.

I suspect if someone were to take either a Glock or XD home and maybe put 10 or 20 rounds down range per year, It would be a long time before it needed cleaning.

When I was in a warmer climate I put about 200 rounds a month down range with my 1911 and cleaned it after every trip to the range. Now I live in a colder place and don't have an indoor range to shoot at, Winter shooting is sparse but summer shooting is about 100 rounds per pistol. Yes, I reload.

[craZivn]

I clean my guns for the same reason I shine the dashboard of my truck: It's not necessary, but aesthetics have a positive psychological effect on me.

And cleaning my gun is just another chance to handle it and admire it's beauty. (I don't own a Glock, my handguns are a Beretta PX4 and a Ruger SP101, so when I say "beauty" it actually applies).

Ivan

[the357plan]

I plan to clean them someday, for now though, a little lubing will do.

[alex0535]

I have a Marlin 917v in .17 HMR and despite it being a rimfire, its owners manual tells me that with moderate regular use it does not require cleaning.

I do clean it because I support regular maintenance, but I never leave it completely clean. After cleaning I will put 2-5 rounds through it. Seems to like having a couple "fouling" shots. Shoots sub moa groups.

[WESHOOT2]

I rarely clean my guns. Some have over 100K rd-ct. I try to wear each --concealed, I mean-- on occasion.
It is not done purposely; I'm lazy.

I lubricate before shooting.

[Nail Shooter]

It is true that Glocks will usually run when filthy. However, *if* the firing pin channel of a Glock gets all full of crud or oil it can cause light strikes.



Nail

[TailGator]

JohnKSa's post of Glock's directions for their own pistols tells me all I need to know. My EDC is a G26, and I clean, inspect, and lube it (yes, lightly) after each range trip, and monthly if my schedule gets so crazy that I can't get to the range that often.

Without any disrespect towards those who do otherwise, the idea of "testing" a pistol by running it without cleaning for thousands of rounds is meaningless to me. I want to know if the pistol is reliable and accurate if properly maintained; running it filthy seems to me to have little bearing on the issue of reliability as I intend to use the pistol.

As far as the wisdom of running pistols for long periods without cleaning, I reason thus: The stuff we clean out is fine particulate matter of various sorts from shooting, or lint or dirt from being carried. When we shoot a pistol, lots of metal parts are moving against each other, some at very high speed. I can't make myself believe that there is no effect on the longevity of the pistol if we leave those particles in the mechanism to abrade the various parts with every shot.

You are allowed to shoot your pistol without cleaning for as long as you want, just like you are allowed to drive your car without changing the oil or run your AC without ever changing the filter. You just don't have a right to complain about the manufacturer if something breaks or wears out prematurely.

[rwilson452]

Tailgator,

I quite agree with what you said. But I must point out that nasty black stuff left behind is mostly graphite. You will find that smokeless powder is mainly nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose and graphite. Graphite performs several functions primarily as a moderator and as it is a semiconductor it eliminates static. A static discharge in a can of powder is not a preferred happening.

[craZivn]

Very interesting info Wilson, I didn't know that those deposits were Graphite.

...So, maybe Glock intends for their guns to operate dry, lubricated by the graphite powder left from the fired rounds!

[wpsdlrg]

The black deposits left behind, after firing are a mixture of things..... carbon compounds from combustion ("soot", for want of a better term), dirt and various chemical contaminants and some graphite (which is used as a moderator in the mixture). But, the "soot" is NOT "mostly graphite".....and so what if it was ? What, the idea being that graphite, which has dry lubrication properties, would serve to lube and maintain the gun....thus obviating the need for cleaning ? If that is the assertion, it is just so much nonsense.

Just as with any other machine, proper maintenance and cleaning are essential to ensure operational reliability. Fail to do periodic maintenance and you are simply increasing the rate of wear of various components and gumming up the works .... which ultimately will lead to premature failure, not to mention compromised function. Period.

And that goes for "perfect" Glocks, too.

[rwilson452]

The analysis I've done on it it was mostly graphite or better put the largest percentage was graphite I guess I should have been more detailed. I never thought it would come out the way it did. there was some things in there I didn't expect. many carbon compounds. One of which was a carbide, very abrasive. Sorry for the confusion. Maybe I should just shut up.

[craZivn]

I was being facetious with the second line of my post, just to clear things up.

[geckohawaii88]

I'm with CraZivin. Some of my fondest memories involve cleaning guns with my dad after a day of shooting. Maybe I'm weird, but I like cleaning guns.

[pat701]

Sure you don't