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I fall in the camp of....guns are tools / tools get dirty when you use them / so you clean them, to maintain them ( grit in working mechanisms does not prolong the life of the tool ) / so they're clean and ready to go the next time you use them.
There is something to the issue of .22's....on a match shooter level....where its almost like the barrel on a very accurate .22 needs to be "primed" to perform consistently. It may be superstition ...or it may be true / I'm not sure...
To me ...learning how to properly strip any gun you own down to a bare frame ( handgun, shotgun or rifle )...is part of owning that gun ( and makes me understand the mechanism better )...and to me, it makes owning that gun more fun.
In terms of shotguns...if I ever shoot in inclement weather....I always remove the stock on that gun...clean, lube and inspect it ...and to dry it out inside ( even on O/U's ) to make sure there is no moisture inside before I put them back in the safe..../ and on all my shotguns - pumps, semi autos and Over Unders....at least once a year, I strip them all down to a bare frame...and clean, inspect and lube them ....just an annual maintenance program ( good job for a rainy winter day ).....( and I do the same thing on my handguns...1911's, Sig Sauers, S&W revolvers, etc...)...
and I think - on some of my guns that I've owned for over 40 yrs...is why they still look so good / and perform so well --- even after many thousands of rounds thru most of them.
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