How often do you clean your gun?

[anothervr6kid]

Reading a post about breaking in a barrel, it made me think... how often do you clean your rifle?

I clean mine within a few days of shooting it. I found it shoots best this way.

 

[former naval person]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Do what you want. I'm cleaning less and less. Action and lugs are cleaned and greased. Barrel bore...about 500 rounds or more. JMHO

 

[matt33]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do what you want. I'm cleaning less and less. Action and lugs are cleaned and greased. Barrel bore...about 500 rounds or more. JMHO </div></div>
I too am cleaning the bore less and less. I came from the school that taught me to clean the rifle after every shooting session. However, I'm discovering that this is probably wearing out the barrel more than shooting it. Also, my rifles all shoot better once fouled.

Regarding barrel "break in", I personally think it's a load of crap.

 

[McKinneyMike]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Some barrels shoot better dirty, so not so much. Time with a gun will tell you when it needs to be cleaned. It is really caliber/cartridge/barrel dependent IMO.

 

[shoot4fun]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I used to clan every time I shot. Now I may run a bore snake thru about every 200 and clean about every 500. I do regularly clean the bolt and lugs and grease very regular though.

 

[malaga2]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do what you want. I'm cleaning less and less. Action and lugs are cleaned and greased. Barrel bore...about 500 rounds or more. JMHO </div></div>

this !

 

[Mark Walker]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

After every match....

 

[landtoy80]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shoot4fun</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I used to clan every time I shot. Now I may run a bore snake thru about every 200 and clean about every 500. I do regularly clean the bolt and lugs and grease very regular though. </div></div>

I bought a bore snake for my SVT40. Thought it would be a qwick way to clean out the loose stuff between many rounds. After using it a couple times I asked my self, are I not just pulling a dirty piece of rope through my bore??? Its no longer used...guess I could clean it between uses...

I use to ram a rod down the bore to clean it after every shooting. I thought about it and it did not seam like a good idea. So I went with a pull through system where a clean cloth is pulled through. That and the foam bore cleaner keeps my bore clean when it needs it with no brushes scraping the bore. My new rifle has a not quite 150 rounds through it and I see no reason to clean it. I am so anal about stuffing any metal down the bore other than bullets I asked Otis to put a coating on the brass ends of their cable so the bore will not have contact with the brass.

If you shoot corrosive ammo clean it after shooting other wise keep the gunsmith rebarreler at bay and try and wear it out with bullets not cleaning supplies.

 

[Malibumick]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I clean mine every "blue moon" or when accuracy starts opening up. Like others I do clean lugs and grease but also clean chamber.

 

[scottsnipe]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mick265</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I clean mine every "blue moon" or when accuracy starts opening up. Like others I do clean lugs and grease but also clean chamber. </div></div>

Same here, mine shoots best after a few hundres rounds are down the tube. cleaning only after groups open up.

 

[gugubica]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I dont, really.

 

[anothervr6kid]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I think i'm not going to clean mine next time I go out and see how it shoots.

 

[Graham]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Once every five years, whether it needs it or not.

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I used to clean the piss out of rifles but I have since learned that to much cleaning can hurt the rifles barrel worse than shooting. So I clean less and shoot more now.
I run a bore snake thru my rifle with some hopps #9 and spray a little Rem Oil on the areas that may rust and Voila!
Ready to put away or shoot more.
Have fun and shoot!...... Not have fun and clean.
......SmokeRolls

 

[MEDICGORDO]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

When my break turns green from copper or is rendered useless by carbon.

 

[ToddKS]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I clean mine whenever the accuracy seems to drop off. For me that is about every 150-200 rounds shooting a Savage Model 12 in .308.

 

[leadbullet]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

whenever the accuracy goes away, i clean the barrel on bolt action rifles, in semi-auto it depends if they are piston or DI then again hardly ever or before a match.

 

[Kells81]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I used to clean after every Range session but got rid of that to where now I clean them before I leave the country. Was able to get my 308 up to 400 rounds this time without cleaning it. Most of my rifles with decent barrels on them seem to shoot the same clean or dirty.

 

[MAGUA]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Graham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Once every five years, whether it needs it or not.

</div></div>

Remind me not to buy a gun or a used car from you

 

[JFComfort]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Usually every couple hundred rounds.

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I've cleaned the bore on my 308 probably 3 times since rebarreling 1800+ rounds ago.
Different calibers and barrels will need different attention however.

<span style="font-style: italic">"Cleaning a barrel before the accuracy wanes is like wiping your ass before you shit"</span>-LB

 

[kombayotch]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

In most cases, I wait until the accuracy starts to go south before I clean. The exceptions are the day before a shooting competition or when I do pressure testing. In both cases, I clean and then immediately re-foul the bore to a point where I know my velocities and accuracy will be stable and predictable.

Having the rifle tell you when it needs to be cleaned is only a good thing if it doesn't happen at a time when you're depending on it.

 

[LRS_Ranger]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I run a boresnake through 2-3 times after each range session... for all my guns.

 

[Spuhr]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I also clean the barrel less and less.
Reguarly for carbonresidue, never for cupper.
But I gauge the barrel, and when the boregauge dont wanna pass the bore it's time to clean with JB.
That way I will clean the barrel before it doesent shoot well any longer.
And yes, the guns shoots better now than when I was a cleaning freak.

Håkan

 

[Mike]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

You're supposed to clean them?!?

 

[Buzzsaw]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I'm anal, clean with wipeout after every session. Only during hunting season will I leave it "dirty"

 

[oneshot onekill]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mike</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You're supposed to clean them?!? </div></div>

Damn Mike... Ya beat me to it!

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Here, in Louisiana, where there's so much humidity that when you go from indoor to outdoors, much of the year there is such a temperature diff coupled with our high humidity.....guns sweat. Inside and out. (the bore and the outer partses).
So....it depends on where on the globe your gun lives;
whether chrome moly or stainless;
the caliber and velocity, etc.;
whether target or hunting rifle;
whether moly, HBN, or naked;
whether not cleaning is due to laziness or the barrel really shoots better;
whether the shooter has ADD or OCD;
whether he or she is taking his or her meds.;
whether the shooter is a sloth and a glutton, i.e.; a big lazy MFr;
But mostly whether the shooter gives a hoot
To those of us who have to ask--cleaning or not probably won't make any difference.

 

[ralfabco]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Please help me with this.


What about a few collectible safe-queens that are sitting in the back ? How often should I clean them. When I do clean them, I just run a white patch in the barrel several times. We all know, that weapons sweat. Every time I clean them, the patches come out dirty.

How often, should I run the rod inside the barrel with Hoppes # 9 ?

I do not run a heat-rod in my safe. In addition, I do not have new dessicant.



What is your opinion ?

 

[anothervr6kid]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I've heard once a year.

 

[oldgrayone]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ralfabco</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Please help me with this.


What about a few collectible safe-queens that are sitting in the back ? How often should I clean them. When I do clean them, I just run a white patch in the barrel several times. We all know, that weapons sweat. Every time I clean them, the patches come out dirty.

How often, should I run the rod inside the barrel with Hoppes # 9 ?

I do not run a heat-rod in my safe. In addition, I do not have new dessicant.



What is your opinion ? </div></div>

If it is a barrel that does not get rounds through it, you do not need to keep swabing it with #9. Use oil on safe queens. The last step after using a bore cleaner is swab it down oil, if you are not doing this you are leaving the corrosive bore cleaner in the barrel and it will attack the metal.

 

[Lowe Left]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

I tried the "clean it when accuracy goes away", but I found I had to clean it after every 5th round. 4 shots would be clustered together, but there would be that 5th shot about .5" away! I've heard if you clean it too much, it can go off!

 

[marduk185]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

i clean my gun every time a ho seems dirty or if i feel sweaty.

 

[cmh2007]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

the lazy way, i spray it with wipeout and come back 24 hours later swab it out, and oil it and i'm done

 

[marduk185]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

oh you meant your rifle...thats different

 

[marduk185]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

clean a rifle when i see it getting rusty

 

[jackh]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

if its a deer rifle that doesnt get shot much outside of season, i clean at the end of season before storing it.

i took one of my rifles out the other day, we were hunting near the coast in south texas. there was so much salt in the air that the heavy dew on the grass was rusting my rifle while i was walking around. i gave it a good cleaning as soon as i got home. i dont usually do that though.

 

[CK_32]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Every time I shoot it.

 

[fx77]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

My gun or my rifle??

 

[decider]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

when the enemy is not shooting at me... and my ranger buddy is pulling security...

 

[VJJPunisher]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Decider</div><div class="ubbcode-body">when the enemy is not shooting at me... and my ranger buddy is pulling security...</div></div>

I'm the ranger buddy, though while pullin security I've been known to dry hump fire-ant mounds

 

[marduk185]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VAJayJayPunisher</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Decider</div><div class="ubbcode-body">when the enemy is not shooting at me... and my ranger buddy is pulling security...</div></div>

I'm the ranger buddy, though while pullin security I've been known to dry hump fire-ant mounds </div></div>

weird i pull my own security with my butt out tool while dry humping my bsa scope.

 

[kylongshot]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

my guns shoot better dirty so i dont clean mine as much anymore either

 

[Midodgeguy]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

Depends on the gun, but most of mine are shot dirty for quite some time. Just add oil / grease when needed.

 

[308crosshairs]

Re: How often do you clean your gun?

After i have swabbed out the barrel of solvent i like to swab out the barrel with de-natured alcohol. After i have used solvents, especially ammonia based solvents like sweets or montana extreme, just don't want to leave any trace of ammonia in the barrel. Then a very light swab of oil down the barrel.

I don't over clean, just when accuracy drops off, then i clean.