Cleaning

Jun 2011
50
0
Seattle area
happiness is a clean gun

Any firearm that has a round put through it gets a cleaning. It is kind of a habit that I learned and continue to do. I use Hoppe's on the barrel only, and Weapon Shield CLP on the rest of the firearm.

boomer :cool:
 
Jun 2011
49
0
Vancouver, Wa
Your best bet is to clean it after shooting...no matter how many rounds you put through it...bore solvent (Hoppe's No. 9, Montana Extreme), copper solvent, and lube. It's a good habit to get into...just remember to make sure you have a good coating of lube on it/them during storage.
 
May 2011
255
0
Woodinville WA
I'm very good about cleaning. My understanding however is that unlike when I was a kid, good modern ammo residue isn't corrosive. It is abrasive though. So after reading that I don't rush home and clean anymore. I do clean before the next trip, but I don't mind the gun sitting 4 days. I also don't sweat it with under 30 or so rounds.

If someone has verifiable info that this isn't true, let me know. I wouldn't let them sit if I thought damage was being done.
 
Apr 2011
157
0
Oregon
I used to clean if I fired 1 or 100...

If I only fire 10 or 20.. my auto's I take the slide off and wipe down the rail and breech face... look down the barrel.. if carbon build up I give it a scrub.. mostly a solvent dampened swab then a dry one.. drop of oil on slide rails and back together...

after several outings I will take the gun fully down... never more than 200 fired....

Revolvers I swab the barrel.. and cylinder... scrub as needed... wipe down crane and frame...

I will clean right away if the gun is to be shelved for any length of time...

I like my woman clean... I like my guns clean...:top:
 
May 2011
288
0
NW Quadrant WA State
There are several schools of thought.

Some say clean after every session.

Others say most wear and damage comes from too frequent cleaning.

With modern non-corrosive ammo the same necessities that were there pre-WWII don't exist today. Yes, clean out the dirt and soot but the corrosive residues are no longer an issue.

I don't own any firearms that are merely "stored". Every one I own gets shot fairly regularly. After each session I do a brush down, pull a bore snake through the barrel, and place a very small amount of lube in the appropriate wear points.

That's for handguns. My rifles get different treatment. The AR's get a bore snake down the barrel and a quick inspection/cleaning if necessary of the bolt.

My "bolt action" doesn't get cleaned until its seen 100 or so rounds. This is my "accuracy piece" and after a good scrubbing of the bore it needs a dozen or so fouling rounds to get it back to "same hole" accuracy. A recent article on accurateshooter.com had some comments from one of the premier shooters who used to carefully clean his competition rifle after 20-30 rounds. He kept logs on his cleaning process. Then he started extending the cleaning intervals and found that accuracy wasn't effected, one way or the other, when he went over 100 rounds before cleaning.

I have put several thousand rounds through my .308 barrel and it still is just as accurate as when I took delivery of the rifle (providing I do my part and don't jerk the trigger).

Twice a year I clean everything right down to the finish. A wash down of brake-kleen, pick all the carbon particles out of corners and crevices, inspect all wear points, then re-lube and reassemble as necessary.

Pistols and AR's get post session "Bore Snake" cleaning and the bolt actions are cleaned every 100 rounds or so. With my shooting schedule no firearm in my possession fails to be shot at least once a month. I don't want any of them to "get lonely".
 
Apr 2011
157
0
Oregon
Others say most wear and damage comes from too frequent cleaning.

My guns have been cleaned after every time out... sometimes twice a week...

They look like new... some 60+ years old...

The ones that show wear or damage are the second hand guns I have... that were taken apart and reassembled by owners that did not know how to properly do so... scratches, buggered screws stuff like that... one example is on 1911's the slide stop will scratch the frame if you get frustrated and try to hurry and force it... when you get it right, it comes out and goes back in with little effort... my used Colt has a big arched scratch from the first owner..

Take time learn your guns, be careful... many guns have little tricks to them that make dissassembly and reassembly so much easier, and you won't damage them... Clean away....
 
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Jan 2011
69
0
Grandview, WA
You bet, that's part of the enjoyment of shooting/hunting. Love the smell of a little Hoppe's, the gleam of a clean barrel, the disassembly/reassembly of a rifle/pistol. Clean your guns!!!
 
Apr 2011
157
0
Oregon
You bet, that's part of the enjoyment of shooting/hunting. Love the smell of a little Hoppe's, the gleam of a clean barrel, the disassembly/reassembly of a rifle/pistol. Clean your guns!!!

Copy that....

I love the smell of burnt gun powder at the range...

But not in my safe...
 
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