Your Gun Cleaning Schedule: How Often?

[Single Six]

I've always been one to clean my guns, both long guns as well as hand guns, immediately following a range outing [or after even only firing one or two rounds, like, say, to deal with unpleasant or tasty critters]. How often do you guys feel this should be done, or putting it another way: In your opinion, am I over-doing it, and if so, could "excessive" cleaning cause more harm than good? Thanks as always.

[InigoMontoya]

I haven't cleaned a gun in probably a decade.

When they start acting up, I clean 'em. But as long as they're functioning properly? Hey, I'm good.

[dfsixstring]

Military instilled an obsession for keeping my weapons in ready condition at all times.

[kayakersteve]

I do my carry gun every time I finish my practicing, but my safe guns go longer in between cleaning. I will occasionally wipe the safe guns with some wd-40, however, even though I have a dehumidifier running to make me feel better about not cleaning them as much

[TXAZ]

Some immediately after shooting, some about a year.

[FloridaVeteran]

For me, it depends on the gun, how much and what type of ammo I ran through it and whether it looks dirty enough to possibly cause malfunction or excessive wear. Most, I don't clean each time I shoot and some, like my CAS lever guns, other than a bore snake I wait until I'm ready to take them apart, an involved process. Otherwise, just light lube. But my new PMR-30 I plan to clean after each session because I see flecks of copper and lead near the feed ramp.

I grew up in the clean-after-each-use era, too. But many modern guns have become unbelievably resistant to harm from crud. There are a couple of Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel shows where the guys pile incredible abuse on guns and mostly the guns still fire reliably and most lose little accuracy. They even abused the heck out of a reproduction Peacemaker and it still fired OK, which surprised me.

[motorhead0922]

About every 500 rounds or so.

[FrosSsT]

I clean them after I use them, and just wipe down the ones that sit in the safe occasionally with some RemOil

[DaleA]

This has been discussed a lot and I doubt my contribution will change many minds.

I have shot .22 competition on two different rifle teams. We would shoot 100 to 200 rounds a week from September to May. We cleaned the .22 rifles at the end of the shooting season in May. (Whether they needed it or not. )

This, as always, assumes you're not using corrosive primed ammunition or black powder.

[Terry A]

I clean whatever one I use either when I get home or the next day. The only exception is if I just fire just a round or two at something that needed shot.

Any sustained shooting it gets cleaned.

I've grown to actually enjoy cleaning firearms. Use to feel it was a chore.

[JKilbreth]

Dfsixstring said it for me. I'm military too, and that's where I first learned the proper way to take care of a firearm. And that means cleaning every firearm every single time I fire it, possibly even more often.

My personal philosophy on weapons cleaning: If your weapon is showing signs of malfunction due to improper (or general lack of) cleaning, you're doing the wrong thing.

I've never heard of a firearm being "too" clean. Just make sure you know what you're doing when you take it apart, and make sure you use correct tools and cleaning solutions.

Now, I do not own any vintage, antique, or "ye ole" firearms, so I can't attest to their cleaning needs or schedules.

In short, if you're really concerned about proper cleaning of your firearms, then you're probably already on the right track to taking care of your investment.

[Mike Irwin]

Every 11 minutes for long guns and every 7 minutes for hand guns.

[Single Six]

So, Mike, what are you trying to say....?

[arch308]

If I shoot it, I clean it. Only exception to that is hunting season. The rifle I am going to use that season gets the zero chk'd before the season starts then cleaned at the end of the season. Then it gets a full disassemble and cleaning before going back in the safe. If I change rifles during the season they are treated the same.
Has worked for me for over 30 years.

[Boatme98]

No schedual. I have a few older temperamental pieces that I clean after each use, but with the newer stuff and modern non-corrosive ammo, I might let them go for a few sessions.

[Botswana]

I'm a big believer in regular care and maintenance but also try not to go overboard.

Anything that is easily field strips comes apart after a range trip. It gets a complete wipedown, solvent, bore brush, polish on all contact points, lubed, and wiped down again after it's reassembled.

Anything else gets some attention. Chamber wiped down, oil on contact points, maybe a cloth down the barrel. Once it starts giving me problems then I'll break down and get the tools out for a full cleaning.

I'm not of the "new" school that evolved during the 10+ years I wasn't shooting that seems to mandate guns get so oiled up they are practically dripping with the stuff. I find maintenance is a lot less intensive and the guns run much better with just enough oil and not too much. Otherwise all that extra lube just turns into gunk and attracts the exact crap you don't want in your gun in the first place.

[FJ4ZROX]

After each range session before they go back to the safe...unless I'm planning another range session with the same gun within a couple of days.
Obviously not the "norm" as most of the guns I've bought 2nd hand have been FILTHY when I checked the action. I owner said it showed he liked the gun and shot it...my take is he neglected a tool that needed maintenance.

[zincwarrior]

I've always been one to clean my guns, both long guns as well as hand guns, immediately following a range outing [or after even only firing one or two rounds, like, say, to deal with unpleasant or tasty critters]. How often do you guys feel this should be done, or putting it another way: In your opinion, am I over-doing it, and if so, could "excessive" cleaning cause more harm than good? Thanks as always.

Generally after each time shooting. On rare occasions where I am shooting that firearm again in a few days and it wasn't a major shoot I'll postpone until after that. Otherwise I at least clean the barrel and chamber.

If its a CHL it gets cleaned if it comes out, no matter what and will actually clean them about once a month regardless.

[Ben Towe]

With the exception of my carry gun, not very often. Over cleaning can do more harm than good, and many weapons are more accurate if they aren't spic and span. The carry gun gets nasty rather quickly and so it gets more attention. I'm a farmer so if I disk some ground or plow some tobacco then my pistol gets a lot of dirt and dust in it, not to mention if it's raining, and then I have to run a fence line, it gets soaked too.

[sigcurious]

I used to do a pretty thorough cleaning after each session. Now I still clean after each session, but only the functionally sensitive areas, rails, lugs etc. Then every few sessions I'll do a full cleaning.

[WIL TERRY]

WHEN THEY QUIT WORKING and not one second sooner !!!

[Tom Servo]

Every time I shoot them. It's how I was raised.

The overwhelming majority of "defects" I see with guns are due to a lack of even basic maintenance.

[johnjohn]

After every use. Cleaning and a good inspection catch potential problems before they become a "big deal".

[RaySendero]

I clean all handguns and shotguns after each use.

For rifles:

For rimfires:
Except for the original new barrel cleaning - I don't ever clean a rimfire barrel until accuracy drops. But will clean rest of rifle after each use.

For CR rifles:
I clean any shot with corosive ammo immediately at the range.
I clean all iron sight rifles after each use.
I clean all scoped rifles after each range session except when sighting-in for a hunting trip.
For hunting, I will clean the gun but leave barrel dirty and clean it only after the season ends unless something in accuracy tells me different.

[Kreyzhorse]

If my guns are fired, I clean them. It is as simple as that and I don't believe that cleaning a gun is more harmful than leaving one dirty.