Older & Wiser or Older and Lazyer?

686 Shooter

686 Shooter

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Today I was cleaning my 686 and 629, when it dawned on me that I am no longer as anal about cleaning as I was years ago. It used to be that I would spend hours cleaning each gun until there was zero residue anywhere. Now, I still give them regular, thorough cleaning and lubrication so they are taken care of, but I don't worry if the front of the cylinder is discolored and isn't shiny silver for example.

Am I just being lazy. I mean I bought my guns to shoot not to sit and look at (although I do that too).

Is anyone else like this? Now that I got thinking of this I'm curious. How do you clean? :confused:
 
686 Shooter said:
Today I was cleaning my 686 and 629, when it dawned on me that I am no longer as anal about cleaning as I was years ago. It used to be that I would spend hours cleaning each gun until there was zero residue anywhere. Now, I still give them regular, thorough cleaning and lubrication so they are taken care of, but I don't worry if the front of the cylinder is discolored and isn't shiny silver for example.

Am I just being lazy. I mean I bought my guns to shoot not to sit and look at (although I do that too).

Is anyone else like this? Now that I got thinking of this I'm curious. How do you clean? :confused:
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I clean them after every firing until there is only a little bit of carbon on the patch I put through the barrel, and the same for the internals. My friend on the other hand cleans them once every 6 months and wonders why the inside of his shotgun is so dirty, or why his sks is rusted from shooting corrosive.
 
Same here, I used to try to get every last speck of anything. Now I care only about operational cleanliness, cosmetic cleanliness beyond a wipe down is not a priority.
For barrel cleaning, if there are a few traces of copper but the patches come out OK, that's fine with me. Hanging out here has enlightened me to the dangers of over-cleaning.
 
686 Shooter said:
Is anyone else like this? Now that I got thinking of this I'm curious. How do you clean? :confused:
Click to expand...

I have never been super OCD about perfection in cleaning but I am now at the point where if it functions 100% and accuracy is not affected I don't worry too much about cleaning them. The only guns that get cleaned immediately after a range trip are the ones shooting corrosively primed ammo. Everything else gets it when needed (as defined by function and accuracy) or when I feel like it. From what I have seen far more guns have been worn out by overzealous cleaning than actual use.

What do you guys that obsess over perfectly clean bore patches do when shooting/cleaning milsurp rifles? I have guns that will never give a clean patch no matter how many times you clean it or what chemicals you use. Despite that they are just fine to shoot and the bores look shiny clean to the eye.


Mark
 
686 Shooter said:
Today I was cleaning my 686 and 629, when it dawned on me that I am no longer as anal about cleaning as I was years ago. It used to be that I would spend hours cleaning each gun until there was zero residue anywhere. Now, I still give them regular, thorough cleaning and lubrication so they are taken care of, but I don't worry if the front of the cylinder is discolored and isn't shiny silver for example.

Am I just being lazy. I mean I bought my guns to shoot not to sit and look at (although I do that too).

Is anyone else like this? Now that I got thinking of this I'm curious. How do you clean? :confused:
Click to expand...

I used to be like you doing thorough cleanings after every outing. Now I clean them regularly, but not after each use as you do. Back when I only had a couple guns and rarely used them it wasn't a big deal, but now with more inventory and regular use it would be a full time job. I still clean any of my corrosive shooters after each outing.
 
I used to clean my stainless revolvers until the front of the cylinder was shiny as new. A little burnt residue doesn't bother me anymore….actually I kind of like the look.
 
Do you clean the engine compartment of your vehicle after every trip? Functionally clean works for me, I'm al for maintenance but I am not entering a firearms concours. Scratching and scrubbing at my guns is not a step forward, to that end I like ultrasonic cleaning. If cleaning makes the whole firearms experience better for you then I get that. I guess that for me I'd rather spend my time making ammo than getting a surgically cleaned gun.
 
I use a lead cloth remover for the cylinder give the crown a good cleaning a snake down the bore and that's pretty much it.. maybe 15-20 minutes
 
I run a snake through the revolver cylinders once or twice, and the bbl gets snaked 3-4 times, then a general wipe down and that's about it.

Once a year the Lewis Lead Remover comes out and I give everything a detailed going over.

M
 
"Trooper, your weapon is makin' my finger turn black...."

I was introduced to the cleaning ritual by my brother-in-law when I was 12 and he was an officer in the 101st Airborne. After a day in the field I'd come home and collapse on the couch. When about an hour had gone by, he'd ask, "Hey, sport, have you run a swab through that bore yet??" :sok2

Just a few years later I joined the Army where they had this fetish about clean firearms ('white glove' inspections). I was in a combat-ready armored unit in Germany where they were very big on 'preparedness'. IDK if we even had non-corrosive ammo in those days--I just know we did a lot of weapons training (and cleaning). One time they had our entire company dip our rifles into a drum of boiling water foaming with caustic soap. Wow, that cleaned them real good. I remember swearing that I was going to buy an M-14 after my discharge, just so I could piss down the bore every morning!

No, I never did that. Nowadays I'll (at least) "swab that bore" before bedtime (to avoid having bad :rey2 dreams) then, depending on the gun(s) used, I'll do the rest the next day. The immediate priority are the bores and bolt-faces. Bolt actions get those parts and the bolts done every time. Handguns, bores and chambers. Shotguns, bores. Semis, as above and again, depending on #of rnds, inspect/clean the gas system. I don't strip my M-14 down as long as I can hear the gas piston sliding back and forth.
They all get a thorough going-over once a year and those that don't get a lot of mileage get a light coat of oil in the bore before going back into the safe.

IDK what it is, whether it's cleaner ammo, better cleaning products, or modern manufacturing methods, but guns don't seem to get as dirty as quickly as they did in the '50s & '60s
Non-corrosive has been a godsend, and I've come to like my BoreSnakes very much. Every so often I'll put them in a mesh bag and toss them into the wash. I keep looking for Ballistol or some similar product, but it doesn't seem to be available in Canada. I did have a bottle of Break Free (which was great) that's been replaced by "M-Pro 7 Gun Oil" which seems to be a similar CLP-like product. I just keep wondering why they can't give us Hoppes #9 solvent in a SPRAY BOTTLE???? :mad::confused:
 
You are doing now what you should have being all along.

Most people do not realize it but unless you are using corrosive ammo you will probably do more harm to your gun by over cleaning than you will by doing only what is needed.

Just my two cents worth.

Graydog
 
graydog said:
You are doing now what you should have being all along.

Most people do not realize it but unless you are using corrosive ammo you will probably do more harm to your gun by over cleaning than you will by doing only what is needed.

Just my two cents worth.

Graydog
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Thanks, Dog! I'd like to think my old gunnery sergeant is reading this post!!
Too bad we didn't know then what we know now. :rolleyes:
 
Cold Warrior said:
And thanks, Shoot, for that tip about the Ballistol. I will search that down. Last time I found any in this country, the shipping charge was off the scale.
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Ammosupply.ca (sponsor) also carries it 2 sizes. Don't know what shipping from Calgary would run though.
 
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I didn't realize Ammo Supply carried Ballistol. And it's a better price than where I get mine. Thanks for the heads up dirtybarry.
 
I thought at one time Canada Ammo were bringing in some but went to look and found none anyone know for sure as the free shipping would be an advantage when ordering the usual products
 
686 Shooter said:
I didn't realize Ammo Supply carried Ballistol. And it's a better price than where I get mine. Thanks for the heads up dirtybarry.
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Er, I went to that Ammo Supply link, but their site was so whacky-jacky I never ordered any.
My first attempt was met with a message, "You are not authorized to shop here." The next time I tried I got thru, but they never showed me any stuff there. It was all about night pick-ups. Then I went back to that ballistol.ca site. Does Ammo Supply even have online shopping/shipping, or do they just work out of a phone booth?
 
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