How often do you clean your pistol?

[Team 57]

I was kind of surprised when I saw this on another thread...

...at the 500 round mark I cleaned it for the very first time, the thing was full of packing grease from the factory and combined with all the crud from the dirty ammo I was using I was surprised the gun functioned at all. ... I cleaned it again at the 700 round mark and at this point is just over 1,000 rounds, 1 year old and probably should be cleaned but has never failed me.

As someone who is about to purchase their first gun, I was just wondering, how often do you clean your pistol (or how often should you clean your pistol)?

Being in the military, we clean it after every trip to the firing range. Does it matter what type of pistol you have (e.g., I understand that Glocks can run real dirty and still function just fine)?

[LockedBreech]

I clean and lube my pistols every time I shoot them.

I clean and lube my nightstand gun and carry gun at least twice a month, whether or not they have been shot.

It has worked for me. In nearly five years and 4,000+ rounds the Beretta has never once failed, and the LCP has failed three times out of 1,000+, all three directly due to extremely evident shooter error.

[shootniron]

(e.g., I understand that Glocks can run real dirty and still function just fine)?

Lots of guns will run very dirty.

Do what works for you. It is not necessary to detail clean most guns after every use...unless that is your fetish.

[Sheriff Gotcha]

With the time constraints I have with work and family obligations I can't clean every time I shoot. I try to clean every 300 to 500 rounds which coincidentally has been every range trip because I have been blowing through ammo as of late.

I just bought my to be carry gun yesterday so I will probably clean both of my pistols before I take them to the range on Tuesday.

[Tactical Jackalope]

I clean them like a crazy person with serious OCD. I love my guns too much to have them dirty. I only shot 50rds through my P220 and 100rda through my Glock 17 and they both got a tremendous as always cleaning with TW-25 gun grease.

[nazshooter]

Unless I'll be shooting them again within the next few days they get cleaned right away. Storing them dirty just doesn't seem like a good idea.

[thedudeabides]

How often I clean them depends on the gun.

Whether they run dry or wet depends on the gun.

What I lube them with depends on the gun.

[Kreyzhorse]

Clean it when you buy it. Clean it after shooting it and wipe it down every couple months even if you don't shoot it.

Cleaning your gun is easy, cheap and doesn't take much time. Some even consider it fun.

[Sport45]

I clean mine whenever I want to.

[Hal]

Being in the military, we clean it after every trip to the firing range.

Good habit to get into....
Cleaning time is also inspection time.
I learned the expensive way that screws can come loose & if you don't catch that before the loose screw shears off, you have a real expensive repair to deal with.
Or worse - in my case, I can't find anyone local that will repair the sheared off screw on my Trapper - so I now have a .44magnum club...

[shootniron]

so I now have a .44magnum club..

Well, at least you won't have to clean it...

[Walt Sherrill]

A good many adults, nowadays, learned gun-cleaning practices from their fathers who, in turn, learned it from their grandfathers, who were WWII vets. In WWII the ammo was corrosive, and it was essential that guns be cleaned frequently to keep the actions from developing rust and locking up.

Since WWII there has been a profound change in the chemistry of gunpowder, and nearly everything available (but military surplus ammo) is non-corrossive.

Many folks clean because they feel they must, but they really DON'T have to as much as they do. More than one gunsmith has noted that he has seen more damage and wear from excessive cleaning than from a lack of cleaning. (Even brass brushes, while softer than barrel steel, will wear things out, if used to excess...)

Many of us have tried going for long periods, just to see how it affects the guns. I've gone several thousand rounds in a CZ, but finally got so grossed out that I just HAD to clean it; the gun continued to function and didn't seem to care.

Nowadays, I'll wipe out the chamber frequently, use a Boresnake to lightly clean the barrel, but won't even do a field strip all that often. A field strip and detail clean is a rare occurence.

If you MUST clean, clean -- but the gun probably doesn't need it as bad as you need to do it. <grin>

[ET.]

I too learned from my father who was taught in the military. It was a sin to put up a gun dirty. "If you have the time to shoot it, you make the time to clean it". I remember coming in from the snow with my shotgun and sitting down to clean it as Mom brought us hot chocolate. It was the first thing we did. Now that Dad has passed on and I'm not as young as I used to be, I've gotten slightly lazy. If we go to the range and shoot 100 out of a Glock, M&P or the 1911's I might not always clean them. It gets easier & easier to put them to bed dirty the older I get. I seem to be more worried about what Obama, Reid & Feinstein are doing to my gun rights & my IRA balance these days...

[Skans]

I clean my carry gun every time I fire it, and if I see it getting lint etc. on it, I'll clean it then too. Other than my Glock 17 I clean my guns after I fire them - it's all part of the fun. The Glock really doesn't need to be cleaned that often - it seems to like wallerin in grime.

[JWT]

If it gets used it gets cleaned. Another one who was taught that from his dad.

[Saudadeii]

Like the others, every time I use it. Typically, as soon as I get home.

My old Winchesters get a good wipe down and oiling annually even though I haven't shot them in many years.

[TunnelRat]

After each range trip I wipe down the inside of the slide and frame with a cloth, wipe off the exterior of the barrel (paying attention to the feed ramp), relube the barrel and locking block, and call it a day. Every few hundred rounds or so I get the bore brush out and clean the inside of the barrel. I only shoot FMJ so it tends to stay relatively clean.

As Walt said most people clean their firearms far more than they need to. I also worry about guns that won't go 100 rds or so between cleanings without having failures. If they do, I sell them.

[SR420]

The revolver gets wiped clean after each use.

My Glock pistols have never been cleaned.

[Hal]

Quote:
so I now have a .44magnum club..

Well, at least you won't have to clean it...

LOL! Too funny!

[LarryFlew]

You're supposed to clean them???

Seriously I like relaxing and cleaning but have a friend with a CZ 75 pre B that probably does 4-5K rounds before even thinking about it and it never misses a beat. On the other hand I have had guns that won't run if not cleaned each and every time. So much depends on the gun itself.

[JD0x0]

I'll echo a previous post.

"if you have time to fire it you have time to clean it"

At least sit down for 5-15 minutes and give it some love. It's remarkable how easy tools are to clean when you keep them clean and don't let the grime build up.

[kilimanjaro]

Clean and oil after every use, and once a year everything comes out of the safe and is cleaned and oiled, whether it needs it or not. Takes two days out of the Christmas holiday big week off, maybe a day in January if I don't get it all done, but it's a religious penance or festival kind of thing.

[t4terrific]

Originally Posted by Team 57

I was kind of surprised when I saw this on another thread...



As someone who is about to purchase their first gun, I was just wondering, how often do you clean your pistol (or how often should you clean your pistol)?

Being in the military, we clean it after every trip to the firing range. Does it matter what type of pistol you have (e.g., I understand that Glocks can run real dirty and still function just fine)?

Make it last forever. Take good care of it. If you think it could be cleaner, clean it. If you wonder if it could use. A little more lube, lube it. Don't leave any doubt as to whether it should be cleaned or lubed. Keep it that way. It will be more reliable, and it will wear better.

[chris in va]

I use my carry gun for competition so it gets cleaned after every range trip.

[SgtLumpy]

I run a dry patch through the bbl and through the cylinder bores in a revolver before and after every shooting session. Other than that, I never use any kind of solvent like Hoppe's or Shooter's Choice. Once a year I use a tiny bit of Break Free CLP on all the bearing points and the bbl, but follow any bbl oil with clean patches till it's reasonably dry. I clean the face of revolver cylinders but I don't go overboard with them. They always have carbon on them.

I rarely shoot any non-jacketed ammo. If I do, I usually follow it with 50 rounds of jacketed at least. I used to typically shoot 200+ rounds per gun every week. Since "The Ammo Thing", I've cut that down to maybe just 50-100 every two weeks.

My pistols live in a safe that won't allow dust on them. Whatever I carry will collect lint from clothing. I wipe that off with one of those silicone impreg cloths, maybe a Q-tip.

But generally I don't clean them much. When I do, I use only CLP. And I shoot them a lot. To give you an idea of how LITTLE CLP I use, a 4 oz bottle lasts at least a decade for several guns and an occasional hinge or door lock.


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq