How Often Should I Clean My Carry Gun?

[Catskillkid]

How Often Should I Clean My Handgun?

Well, good people of the forum. What say you?

 

[Frankly]

When it gets dirty?

 

[Podmonkey]

Generally after every range session. But I just wipe everything down quick with Hoppes and squirt a little oil here and there and in the bore, send a bore snake through once or twice. Takes me 10 minutes or less. I also spread small amounts of grease wherever I see a lot of wear.

 

[Saltwater60]

I clean mi e after every range trip. I shoot 10 rounds or a few hundred I clean them.

 

[dwa12479]

When it stops running.... j/k

My EDC I shoot weekly, around 50 rounds or so. If that's all I run, I'll clean it every couple months or so. Many of the classes that I take/have taken through RPD or MDTS will have you shoot 500-800 rounds in a single day. I'll do a thorough cleaning before and after a beating of that magnitude.

Titegroup is my normal powder, and it's a very clean powder. Evan after hundreds of rounds, there is barely any fouling in the barrel. I know people that use Unique regularly, and that stuff is filthy. So really it depends on how much you shoot and the type of ammo/powder that you're using.

 

[Phazer]

Pffft....when I'm bored and have nothing better to do with my life.

I hate cleaning firearms. When I get around it, mine get a few runs with a bore snake with some Seal 1 and a quick wipe down of obviously dirty internals. If I have to spend more than 5 minutes on a firearm, I start to hate the process even more.

They all go bang with I pull the trigger. Good enough.

(BTW - I do not claim to be a expert in pistol or rifle maintenance.)

 

[Frankly]

I never clean the pistol barrel so long as I shoot jacketed bullets as there is nothing to clean. I do take a felt on a Dremel with polishing compound and polish the feed ramp. I'll squirt a strong gun blaster CLP into the lower housing, brush out the carbon and lube the slide rails, wipe the barrel and lugs with oil. Reassemble and test.

It's the magazines that often get the dirtiest. Cleaning those.... Disassemble and brush out.

 

[kev74]

I think mine get more dirty from lint than they do from shooting.

I probably don't clean them often enough, but they always go bang.

 

[Criticalt]

I clean after each range session.
I usually fire 100-200 rounds each time.
I use factory loads and some are pretty dirty.

 

[Snappo]

How Often Should I Clean My Handgun?

Well, good people of the forum. What say you?

I clean my weapons any time I use them. Boresnake, patches, and a CLP. There are a few CLP's that say they are the best but I have been using Break-Free lately. Honestly it only takes 2 minutes to clean your piece so why not do it before putting it back in the safe?

 

[Snappo]

I clean after each range session.
I usually fire 100-200 rounds each time.
I use factory loads and some are pretty dirty.

Holy shit! I usually fire 20 to 30 rounds max.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I carry a Smith 642 Airweight 38+P. I hardly ever clean it, It doesn't need it. It definatly isn't a pussy gun. It gets shot maybe 20 times a month, I haven't done diddly squat to it in the last two years, I did how ever run a wire brush through the cylinder and barrel and a few patches and that cloth or cotton end piece through it earlier today, clean as a whistle.
If I had to clean a handgun all of the time to carry it I'd stick with a base ball bat or a knife.
642 for me.

 

[Bananabandit]

Dont carry a gun. Youll shoot your eye out kid.

 

[Acer-m14]

my moss 152 22lr ( mid 60's rifle ) hates cleaning .. the dirtyer the better .. when she is clean its not fun .. she likes the gunk ...
my mosin with corrosive ammo the next day ..
my black powder guns same if not that day ...

gotta shoot them and see what they like ...... just like sex .. LMAO ...

 

[MikeyCNY]

For my carry (M&P Shield), I give it a quick wipe down after every range session, and visually inspect it weekly for any lint build-up. Probably every 1,000 rounds I do a more thorough takedown and cleaning.

 

[Darth]

Clean?

That's a name I've not heard in many years...

 

[MoMan]

It depends. But, usually after each range session or two.

 

[Eddie Gunks]

. Honestly it only takes 2 minutes to clean your piece so why not do it before putting it back in the safe?

Holy shit! I usually fire 20 to 30 rounds max.

Ha ha ha. Maybe that is why it only take 10 min. After 30 rounds it is not dirty....
Try 500 or 1000.

Anyone that likes to clean guns i have a stack to clean. Come on over. I will even buy ammo for you to play with for the suppressed select fire weapons. But you shoot one and clean two. AND you gotta clean the mags.

1911 neads to be cleaned every 200-300 for reliability.

My glock does not NEED to be cleaned. It is cleaned every 8-10,000 or whenever i can con my buddy into it!

 

[Bob]

My primary carry gun is a Glock. I put ~50 rounds through it every month, reholster it, and move on. I burn at least one full magazine of my carry load too.
I've had my current carry gun for just about a year, and I haven't cleaned it yet.

 

[4excal]

I clean them after every range trip. Mind you my weekly range trips consist of bricks and boxes upon boxes of every caliber being shot. For the peeps posting 10,30,50 a 100 rounds..meh I wouldn't even bother til your 4th range trip. BUT the OP asked about EDC and yes, the lint does get all stuck in the trigger and places..and a good compressed air shot does all it needs.

 

[Cooolone]

I keep em' clean...

After each range trip (100-300 rounds), training maybe more.
If carrying and no range trip, once per month wipe down and inspection, lint removal, etc.

Twice per year, full strip down and clean/lube...

: )

Want it to work the way it should and when I need it to! Cleaning and inspection ensures that, although I've never had a malfunction per say... It's peace of mind ; )

 

[Phazer]

1911 neads to be cleaned every 200-300 for reliability.

Though I despise cleaning guns, I have unfortunately noted this very thing about my favorite platform. After around 150-200 rounds of dirty Wolf ammo, I noticed that the slide on my Sig 1911 starts to hesitate, is a bit harder to rack, and can even fail to go into battery. This isn't anything that a 2-minute wipedown can't cure. But, it sure puts my all-metal 1911 behind my tactical Tupperware in a battle/SHTF scenario.

BTW, I haven't noticed such issues at low round counts with cleaner burning powders. Thank goodness I'm all out of Wolf.

 

[Phazer]

My glock does not NEED to be cleaned. It is cleaned every 8-10,000 or whenever i can con my buddy into it!

My FFL is a former LEO pistol instructor. He said that they kept a loaner Glock on the range to be used by those without their own pistols. They intentionally did not clean that pistol for close to 10 years and it still functioned.

(I did not personally observe said pistol. I'm only relaying what I was told.)

 

[dsdmmat]

1911 neads to be cleaned every 200-300 for reliability.

I got a few that are 1000 rounds overdue then....... LMAO

 

[dsdmmat]

A carry gun should actually be cleaned by time more than number of rounds down the tube. A month in the holster on and off the body, in and out of the holster allows for a lot of dust and lint to get all over the gun. I will clean mine once every couple of months whether it has been shot or not.

 

[Eddie Gunks]

I got a few that are 1000 rounds overdue then....... LMAO

Prove it

 

[dsdmmat]

Prove it

You driving up?

 

[togmaster]

Any machine that is kept cleaned and lubricated will function better and last longer. I'm cheap and I want my guns to last a long time so I try to keep them clean.

 

[Harry Hood]

You're supposed to clean them?

Could anyone explain how one would go about doing such?

 

[kev74]

You're supposed to clean them?

Could anyone explain how one would go about doing such?

Dish washer. If its plastic, top shelf only.