I value my guns. I value both reliability and accuracy and both are affected by the cleanliness of the 'machine'. Therefore, in order to keep my guns in peak operating condition I clean them after every use, bar none.
There are times that I am just too dogged tired to clean them, of course, and in these circumstances what I will do is set a priority sequence to the cleaning schedule... cleaning the guns that need it most first and down the list from there. For instance, stainless steel revolvers generally appear at the bottom of the list, etc. And I will clean them as quickly as I am able based on that list.
Rarely, if ever, will I permit a gun to sit dirty for more than a couple of days.
Then there is the question of level of cleaning. Do we just pass a few swabs through the barrel and call it a day or do we give it the royal treatment. Once proficience is built, there is not a great deal of time needed to break a gun down and clean in fully and that is what I will do 99 percent of the time. Not necessarily to component parts, but certainly to "field stripping" specs and generally somewhat beyond that.
My Glocks, which consist of only thirty odd parts are generally stripped down to almost individual parts each use... but they are so reliable that I have no problem doing a 'field' strip for cleaning them if in a hurry.
IMHO, one needs to be familiar with his or her firearm and know how far the strip down and cleaning needs to go; and then take it there. And take it there as often as possible. It will aid in reliability, accuracy and most certainly in the logivity of the firearm and its overall appearance.
And. I NEVER us corrosive ammo to save a penny. I always use the best available chemical cleaning agents for the job that are available and although there is always much discussion and varied opinion, I generally use (a) Break Free CLP for general cleaning; (b) M-Pro 7 for heavy duty cleaning and protection; (c) Gun Butter for lubrication (in both weights... light and heavy as appropriate).
For what it is worth. Break Free CLP has never failed to clean almost anything I have put it on. CLP stands for CLEAN. LUBE. PROTECT. And it does just that. M-PRO 7 cleaner takes off anything I have ever thrown it at including lead, copper, brass and even steel. It is an engineered cleaner and protectant that actually fills the pores of the metal to prevent further deposits from sticking as well and it works well for me. And lastly, but definitely NOT least. GUN BUTTER. I have yet, in 40 years of shooting, found a better lubricant for moving parts. It comes in two weights and it is expensive as heck. A little bottle of the stuff with a hypo applicator costs about $30. Ditto the hypo of the heavy stuff. It is well engineered, works in the highest of heats and the coldest of colds and turns a sticky or scratchy action in one that is as smooth as butter (hence the gun BUTTER I suppose). I have two bottles of the stuff and a wee hypo for the range box (not necessary as the bottles are wee enough). They had a sale on... don't recall the details but suffice it to say that you want to have two bottles so you always have it near at hand and are never without some. It is amazing stuff. Truly amazing. Highly recommended.
Oh. And last but not least. I use MOLY lube (does not matter what kind) for those spots where you must MUST use a dry lube. I use it lightly on the inside of my magazines and feed tubes, etc. It is an oustanding lubricant without the properties that attract dirt and fluff that the 'wet' lubes have. I even shoot some of it into my high end target shooting chambers, where the chambers are tight as heck, etc., and extraction may suffer as a result. Makes everything smooth as can be. It was recommended to me by an military armourer and once tried I have never looked back. It is a fairly recent addition to my cleaning, lubing arsenal and it works well for me. I am impressed by the difference that it has made in my target shooting and high accuracy firearms.
I clean my guns from the chamber end whenever possible. I avoid those brass rods that come with the cheap cleaning kits like the plague and use plastic or carbon fibre rods and I make sure that the chamber sees a chamber brush (brass brush) often... I also ensure that my firing pin assembly end of things sees a brush often as well. If you are cleaning, do it properly or don't do it at all.
Fact is, that I have even been considering adding an Ultrasonic Cleaner to my cleaning kit just to make things easier and a bit more interesting. What the heck.
There is no such thing as a firearms that is too clean (as long as it is lubed).
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191123&page=5
I see people say stuff like this a lot and it makes me believe that a lot of discrepancy we see in cleaning practices comes down to a discrepancy in the definition of "cleaning". To me, this is cleaning:
- Disassemble gun as much as possible without any tools other than a punch. Get the firing pin out, if at all reasonable to do so.
(this step alone has huge variables associated with it. For example, my lever guns don't disassemble with anything short of a gunsmithing course. My Garand can be taken down to a stripped barrelled reciever with only a cartridge. Where is the appropriate level of stripping? Who knows?
- Soak a brush in solvent. Pass through the bore 10 times. Allow to sit wet minimum 10 minutes. Run a wet patch, then 2 dry patches. Repeat the whole process 2 more times, more if you can see it is necessary.
- While waiting, soak a cloth in solvent and wipe the exposed surface of all metal parts
- For any areas that show fouling after a wipe, use an old toothbrush soaked in solvent to scrub them clean. Leave them wet at least 5 minutes
-Take the same toothbrush to the bolt face, underside of the extractor hook, feed ramps, bolt ways, lug recesses and the corners where the barrel meets the receiver. Leave all these wet, as well
-Now take a clean cloth and wipe clean all surfaces you left wet
-strip the magazines and wipe all internal surfaces with a cloth soaked in solvent
-oil all metal surfaces of all component groups. Reassemble.
I figure on 60-90 minutes per gun to do this.
I don't think of popping the slide off my High-Power and wiping the gunsmoke off the barrel and spring with an oily rag as cleaning. It is a wipedown.
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Bore brushes should be used quite sparingly and are not required at every cleaning.
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Aluminium rods are about the worst thing you can put down a barrel. Aluminum creates an oxide on its outer surface. This oxide is similar if not identical to the aluminum oxide used in grinding wheels and knife sharpening equipment. This oxide will lap the bore and make it oversized and uneven.As well aluminum rods are soft enough to allow abrasive particles to become imbedded into its surface. These particles can act as a lap while in the barrel, causing serious scratching throughout the length of the bore. These rods should be completely avoided, at least for any kind of gun-cleaning chore.A one piece stainless coated rod is the best choice.
Excessive wear is a relative term, but every time you strip a weapon you are causing wear and tear that would otherwise not occur,such as pushing pins and turning screws it is compounded by the practice of using excessive scrubbing with solvents and abrasives (like a dirty patch) and in some cases metal tools such as dental picks and the like. If you don't think excessive cleaning will wear out a weapon vist any military training school to see some weapons damaged by cleaning excessively.
A properly lubed firearm will not malfunction wether it is clean or dirty, most malfunctions can attributed to improper lubrication.
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Before Firing - Pull through barrel
After Firing - Thorough cleaning & Inspection, a couple days later a 2nd barrel pull through and light oil
Storage - periodic wipe & light oil/ more during summer humidity (same as cdill)
Oil should be rubbed in like sun screen lotion, not runny like a salad dressing
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I've gone 500 rounds without cleaning the norc commander and have had no problems at all with accuracy or reliability. The glock 17 has gone a thousand rounds and still no cleaning, just not necessary yet.
The .22LR rifes however, need to be cleaned after every 100 rounds or so with a bore snake or else reliability and accuracy suffers. Its the chambers for me, and on the savage I get sticky cases in the chamber after a hundred rounds or so. The dual extractor cannot pull a live round out when chambered after 100 rounds unless its fired.
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Obviously, I am not a fan of lots of cleaning. Keep an oily rag handy to wipe off the fingerprints every time it is handled, and let the rest go. I have guns that have been sitting in the safe uncleaned, it has probably been 10 years since they were last fired.
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As an IPSC shooter I put a lot of rounds through my guns, and if I cleaned them after every firing I would be doing nothing else with my life. I've actually tested to see how long the guns will run before they start becoming unreliable. I handle them way too much to ever worry about corrosion or pitting so that's not an issue. Over the years I've evolved a procedure of wiping off/out the main gunk, running a mop through the bore and wiping the feed ramp, and lubing it well. I do a major strip and clean when it needs it or when I have extra time on my hands. But I clean the magazines a lot more frequently.
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I clean every gun I have at least once a year (Even if it is a safe queen).
Hunting Rifles: every 40-60 rounds
Black rifles: After each session (Usually from 40-100 rounds)
Plinker rifles (aka rimfires): After each session (500-2000 rounds)
Shotgun (Pump): every other flat (500 or so)
Shotgun (Semi): every flat (250 ish)
Revolvers: Every 500+
Semi Pistols: Every 200 or so.
Those are thorough cleanings, opposed to just a boresnake, a rough wiping and a drop of oil or two.
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