[Ohio Shootist]

I've recently started shooting again for the first time since I hunted as a kid 35 years ago. I remember that my grandfather was always very insistent about the need to keep one's firearms clean. We just had pump and break-action shotguns, but after every day in the field, his parting words were something along the lines of, "go home and run your brush through the barrel with some Hoppe's, then run patches through it until they come out clean, or you'll ruin the barrel."

Now that we have the internet, I can scan the various boards and see what everybody else does. Here's what I've noticed:

1. Owners of semi-automatic, centerfire rifles and pistols appear to be the most persnickety, giving their weapons a field-strip and cleaning after every trip to range or field.

2. Although rimfire powders are said to be "dirtier" than centerfire, owners of .22LRs, including semiautomatics, do just the opposite, with many experienced shooters claiming they rarely run a patch through their guns, much less give them a full cleaning. Some even claim their guns shoot better dirty!

3. Semi-auto shotgun shooters fall somewhere between nos. 1 & 2.

4. Pump and break-action shooters run patches or a boresnake through their barrels after every session, but only rarely disassemble their guns for cleaning.

So, how does one reconcile all this? If modern powders are non-corrosive, why do we need to clean our guns at all? Was granddad just passing down folk wisdom from the black powder era? Why would cleaning be good for a Glock, but totally unnecessary for a Ruger 10-22?

Please explain! I don't want to do anything unnecessary, but every time I put my 22 away without cleaning it, I feel like a traitor to my ancestors!